Learning Outside of the School Classroom: What Teachers Can Do to Involve Families in Supporting Classroom Instruction

Author: National Center for Family & Community Connections with Schools
Publisher: Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL)
Publication Date: 2004, September
Full text available online at: http://www.sedl.org/connections/resources/rb/research-brief2.pdf

Abstract (written by WestEd)

This short "strategy brief" provides tips to teachers for building effective family and community involvement programs:

• Link with student achievement goals and school standards
  
• Involve families in activities that focus directly on issues related to student learning.
  
• Use a variety of communication issues.
  
• Build a school culture that includes and supports family and community involvement.

It also suggests strategies to teach parents how to support their children's learning outside of the classroom:

• Use role-playing to demonstrate how to work with children at home to reinforce classroom learning.
  
• Share important rubrics, tools, grading criteria or other strategies to help family members learn how to determine if a child is successful in learning or completing an assignment.
  
• At family nights, engage everyone in math and reading games.
  
• Create special learning kits to lend to students for home use.
  
• Use exhibits, displays, and the school website to inform family members about standards.