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, San Diego Unified School District, a 2006 Schools to Watch™-Taking Center Stage Model School
The school staff offers a Success Camp to help parents prepare students for middle school. In addition, mass notification technology called Zangle! 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.
Hilltop Middle School, Sweetwater Union High School District
The school engages parents through six active parent groups. A free, Web-based service enables teachers to record daily assignments and homework so parents can see nightly assignments (registration required).
Hollencrest Middle School, 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.
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, 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.
Schools can help parents and guardians learn to support their children’s schoolwork by providing parents/guardians with access to the resources noted below.
Related Links
- Helping Your Child Series, (Outside Source), U. S. Department of Education.
- Helping Your Child with Homework, (Outside Source), U. S. Department of Education.
- Helping Your Student Get the Most Out of Homework, (Outside Source), National Parent Teacher Association.
- Homework, Recommendation 2—Instruction, Assessment, and Intervention, TCSII.
- National Summer Learning Association (Outside Source)
- Staying Involved: Approaches to Helping Our Middle School and High School Students Learn, (Outside Source), Parent Academic Resources Incorporated.
- TIPS (Teachers Involve Parents In Schoolwork), (Outside Source), National Network of Partnership Schools, Johns Hopkins University.
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Parental, Family, and Adults-Who-Care Involvement
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Footnotes
1"Automatic Email Alerts Keep Parents Well Informed” (Outside Source) eSchool News and wire service reports (April 5, 2006).
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