June: Better outcomes fueled by strong home-school partnership
Welcome to our monthly learning series, where we tackle some key challenges facing K-12 schools and share practical solutions for complex issues like chronic absenteeism, persistent learning loss, and teacher retention.
One solution to persisting challenges? Strengthening home-school partnership creates supportive school and classroom environments that foster student success and teacher satisfaction. In this issue, you'll find insightful articles from the field and thought-provoking blog posts that explore effective strategies for building trusting relationships with families. Read on!
📅 Planning for next school year?
We’ve got you covered. Join us and the BetterLesson team to explore an essential component of your student success strategy. Elisabeth will be connecting the dots between student success, teacher retention, and a strong home-school connection. Together, we’ll explore high-impact practices and share practical tips for next school year. Join us on July 24th at 8 am PT / 11 am ET for an engaging session!
An urgent and complex issue exacerbated by mis-alignment between schools and families. A recent poll by NPR revealed that 'chronic absenteeism' ranked as the lowest priority for families, with 'preparing students for the future' ranking as a top priority. This poll reveals a disconnect in families’ understanding the factors that influence student success, such as regular attendance. This issue is further exacerbated by the fact that many districts and schools are under-equipped to address this urgent and complex issue. Increasing attendance will require schools to think creatively about strengthening home-school connections. Our research with schools and families suggests that consistent communication between teachers and families, focused on learning, builds trusting and collaborative relationships that are linked with student success.
📚 Can teachers partner with families for student success?
The short answer is, yes! Supported by decades of research, strong school-home partnership offers wide-ranging benefits for school outcomes including attendance, academic achievement, and teacher satisfaction.
A nationally representative survey of teachers found that a typical teacher works a median of 54 hours per week, with 2 of those hours each week spent on communication with families. To maximize the impact on student learning, it is essential that teachers are implementing high-impact practices. Elisabeth shares 4 recommendations that teachers, and school leaders, can implement to shift their weekly routines to more impactful communication practices.
🍎 Boost outcomes for Math and SEL
Boost the impact of high-quality instructional materials for Mathematics and SEL by inviting families to support essential skill development outside of the classroom.
We’re exploring the role of growth mindsets in mathematics and the ways in which teachers and families can partner to help students develop this essential skill. We recently joined the team at Illustrative Mathematics in conversation to explore the surprising academic benefits for students and teachers when instructional materials and family communication are tightly aligned. Read more!
