Recent analysis by the The Hechinger Report revealed the promising effects of engaging parents on student outcomes. Several studies showed that text message communication to inform parents about a child’s progress can pay major dividends.
In one such study, Todd Rogers, Director of the Student Social Support R&D Lab at Harvard, and his team of scientists, sent updates via text message to around 11,000 elementary school parents. The messages focused on students’ attendance patterns, specifically targeting parents of students who struggled with multiple absences.
Chronic absenteeism (which is defined as a student missing more than 10 percent of school days) dropped by 15 percent in families who received the text message updates compared to those who did not.
Another Rogers-led study, this one targeting 28,000 “high-risk” K-12 students, revealed similar results. Chronic absenteeism dropped by 10 percent in situations when parents received consistent information about a student’s attendance.
According to the Hechinger Report, these methods cost between $5-$10 per day of additional attendance generated; in contrast, the Hechinger Report notes that a commonly-used intervention relying on mentors to bring accountability to students costs $100-$150 a day
Peter Bergman, Assistant Professor of Economics and Education at Columbia University, has also researched the impact of frequently updating families about a child’s progress. Bergman and his team conducted a study in West Virginia where parents automatically received texts following any missed class, missed assignment, or a GPA in any class below 70 percent. Attendance increased about 17 percent and failures dropped in the vicinity of 40 percent for program participants.
Additionally, Bergman and Rogers teamed up to dive one level deeper into parent engagement in education. A joint study that surveyed 12 Washington D.C. public schools revealed how implementation of technology can impact student outcomes. Specifically, the research explored different ways to introduce families to a text message alert system, which updated families on absences, missed assignments, and low grades.
The study considered three different strategies to encourage family participation in the text message program:
- The standard implementation informed parents via text message that they could register for the alert system online.
- The simplified implementation made online enrollment easier, and it also provided a text message registration option.
- The automatic enrollment implementation enrolled parents in the alert system unless they opted out.
The results were staggering. While fewer than 10 percent of study participants enrolled in the standard (0.8 percent) and simplified (7.8 percent) enrollment options, 96.5 percent of the automatic enrollees stayed in the program.
Students’ classroom performance reflected those numbers; placement in the automatic enrollment group reduced the number of courses failed by .23 courses, or about 10 percent, from the mean. In other words, about one in four students who was automatically enrolled passed a course they otherwise would have failed
“Simple changes to the implementation of new technologies can lead to radically different conclusions about whether new technologies are valuable and their ability to close achievement gaps,” the study concluded.
Additional research supports Washington D.C. study
Rogers and Bergman join a chorus of experts whose data supports the assertion that family engagement benefits students.
- Students with parents who are involved in their school have fewer behavioral problems and better academic performance, and are more likely to complete high school than students whose parents are not involved in their school. 1
- Students with involved parents, no matter what their income or background, are more likely to earn higher grades and test scores, enroll in higher-level programs, be promoted, pass their classes, earn credits, attend school regularly, have better social skills, show improved behavior, and graduate and go on to postsecondary education.2
There is a distinction, however, between baseline family involvement and active engagement in a child’s education. That sometimes stems from the difference between student information that is merely available to parents – and information that is readily accessible. If possible, information should be delivered directly to families in the channels most available to them.
“If you just place information online, it’s possible that you increase disparities along some of the socioeconomic lines we care about closing,” Bergman told The Hechinger Report.
- In a recent study, 62 percent of parents say that being updated daily on their child’s homework assignments, projects, and upcoming tests is an important feature that they can use to help their children succeed in school3.
How can parents and districts leverage this knowledge to assist students—today?
At this point, the evidence should be clear: Parent engagement unquestionably boosts student outcomes. But while the data is eye-opening, it may not be actionable—today. Districts may encounter logistical hurdles that take time to overcome if they seek to implement text message alert programs. One solution? Many schools use student information systems that are already equipped with parent portals to access student data. Additionally, some SIS’s feature mobile apps that can alert parents in real time about changes in attendance, grades, assignments, GPA, and more. This data helps families make more well-informed decisions about how to best support a child.
School administrators and educators can emphasize—and possibly incentivize—use of this tool by reminding families of its benefits across multiple communication methods.
- A new generation of evidence: The family is critical to student achievement. Washington, DC: National Committee for Citizens in Education. A.T. Henderson and N. Berla (1994).
- A New Wave of Evidence: The Impact of School, Family, and Community Connections on Student Achievement. Annual Synthesis 2002. National Center for Family & Community Connections with Schools. Anne T. Henderson and Karen L. Mapp
- Survey by Speak Up, a national initiative of Project Tomorrow, of 42,267 parents, and others in fall 2010 to determine the benefits of certain types and uses of technology for teaching and learning.