Homework help and academic expectations
A growing body of research has identified the advantages of involving parents and guardians in helping their children with schoolwork:
- Students’ academic work and attitudes improved when family members helped them with their homework.
- The amount of time spend on at-home discussion of school activities was one of the stronger predictors of achievement.
- Family involvement in homework had a small but direct effect on achievement for eighth graders.
In the Spotlight
Gaspar De Portola Middle School (Outside Source), a Schools to Watch™-Taking Center Stage 2006 model, San Diego Unified School District. The school staff offers a Success Camp to help parents prepare students for middle school. In addition, mass notification technology called Zangle! (Outside Source) keeps parents informed through the school’s Web site. Through the site, parents can view grades, schedules, and assignments. Students have their own link to Zangle! from the school’s home page. Click here to view school reports for Gaspar De Portola Middle School.
Hilltop Middle School (Outside Source), Sweetwater Union High School District. The school engages parents through six active parent groups. A free, Web-based service (Outside Source) enables teachers to record daily assignments and homework so parents can see nightly assignments (registration required). Click here to view school reports for Hilltop Middle School.
Herbert Hoover Middle School (Outside Source), San Jose Unified School District. The school Web site links to a Parent Internet Viewer. The site allows parents to check grades and attendance. Click here to view school reports for Herbert Hoover Middle School.
Hollencrest Middle School (Outside Source) West Covina Unified School District—A 2007 Distinguished School. Hollencrest Middle School lists parent compacts as one of their signature practices. The parent compact is part of the registration process for new students. The goal of the compact is to inform parents and family members about the school and opportunities to participate in school events. The school’s leadership team places a high priority on working collaboratively with parents to support their student through the middle school years, especially in the transition from elementary school as students prepare to move to high school. Click here to view school reports for Hollencrest Middle School.
Some schools take advantage of automatic e-mail messages that alert parents or guardians about test scores, attendance records, absences, grades, homework assignments, and messages from teachers.1
In the Spotlight
Lemon Grove Middle School (Outside Source) Lemon Grove Elementary School District. Sixty students participate in Lemon Grove school’s One-to-One at School and Home Initiative, which has provided a virtual 24/7 link between teachers, students, and parents or guardians. Students in the program study and complete homework using a multimedia learning device called a tablet. The device fits in their backpacks and connects them to their school network through a cable modem installed at their house. Teachers whose students participate in the One-to-One project have seen an increased level of motivation in the students using the tablets. For a description of the program, link to the Classroom of the Future's (Outside Source) Web page on the One-to-One Academy (Outside Source). Click here to view school reports for Lemon Grove Middle School.
Schools can help parents and guardians learn to support their children’s schoolwork by providing parents/guardians with access to the resources noted below.
California Department of Education Resources
External Resources
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Parental, Family, and Adults-Who-Care Involvement
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Parent conferences
Footnotes
1"Automatic Email Alerts Keep Parents Well Informed” (Outside Source) eSchool News and wire service reports (April 5, 2006).
2Krzysztof Grabarek, “Staying Involved: Approaches to Helping Our Middle School and High School Students Learn” (Outside Source). Grafton, Mass.: Parent Academic Resources Inc., 2005.
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