WHAT
In an effort to increase academic achievement, the Teacher Home Visit Program trains teachers in low income underperforming schools to go to their students’ homes to forge a relationship with the family. Participating districts pay their teachers a nominal sum to conduct these visits. Teachers get to know parents, share information about the student and give parents the tools to help children do better in school and succeed academically and socially. Teacher participation in the THVP is voluntary, recognizing that some teachers don’t have the time to conduct home visits.
The THVP is designed to forge new relationships and a better understanding of the partnership needed between home and school that is so necessary for student success and too often lacking. The THVP helps to build bridges between parents and teachers who may not be communicating effectively, to create a stronger connection between the parents, children and teachers. Teacher home visits lead to:
- Increased academic achievement and test scores,
- Higher daily attendance,
- Better attitudes about school,
- Greater parental involvement,
- Increased homework completion, and
- Decreased discipline referrals.
The THVP model in St. Louis calls for two teacher trainings, two home visits, two Family Events at school and three focus groups – one with teachers, one with parents and another with students. The first training occurs at the end of the school year/beginning of the summer. The first visits occur during the summer for teachers who have their class lists, during the first semester if they don’t. The first Family event occurs in the fall after home visits have been completed. The purpose of the first home visit is to build relationships between school and the parents/guardians and to learn more about the student’s interests and needs.
The second home visit training occurs at the beginning of the first semester followed by a second home visit. The second home visit is designed to address the academic needs of the student. It gives parents/guardians a concrete picture of where their child stands academically and provides tools to increase the parents’ capacity to assist their child in specific areas as needed. Parents are also invited and encouraged to spend a half or a whole day in the classroom. The second Family Event occurs after the second visits have been completed. (If a third visit occurs, it happens late in the spring and gives parents/guardians ideas of what they can do with their children during the summer months, traditionally a low activity time for students.)
WHY
National education research overwhelmingly supports the finding that students do better academically and socially when parents and teachers work together. (There is now a federal mandate for parent involvement under the No Child Left Behind legislation.) Most schools consider parent engagement to be the “missing link”, the magic bullet although teachers and administrators are often unsure how to effectively connect with their parents. Home visits by teachers can begin the process of breaking down barriers that often exist between schools and the home. Particularly in underperforming schools, there is a cycle of blame in which parents and teachers blame each other for the low test scores and achievement levels of the students. Home visits are an effective tool to address this cycle of blame and begin (re)building trust between parents and teachers to increase academic achievement Home visits provide opportunities for developing shared goals and expectations necessary to build relationships between families and the schools.
Teachers report that the knowledge gained from home visits has increased their understanding of their students and the homes from which they come. They believe that this knowledge helps them to be better teachers, which in turn raises the academic level of many of their students.
As soon as the child found out I was meeting with his mom, there was a change in his behavior. But there was also a change in me in that I was more compassionate when he acted out because I know now that he is living in a transitional situation and there is certain stress where he is staying.
Elementary School Teacher
It makes you more compassionate because you understand where that child is coming from. You see that children have pressures, too. I had one parent, who is homeless and a drug addict, and the boy in my class acts up everyday. When you realize where he is coming from and what he has to deal with, school is not the first thing on his mind. Children have a lot of issues and it does change the way you view students.
Elementary school teacher
Parents also reported that the visits made a big difference in their relationships with the teachers and the school.
Please keep the visits going; I think they help a ton in making the family more comfortable.
Elementary school parent
It gave us a chance to put a face with a name of some at the school, make a personal contact and allowed our children to share their interests and ask question in a relaxed setting.
Middle school parent
I feel that it gave my child an easier feeling about his new teachers and he
might be able to communicate more freely.
Middle school parent
HOW
The THVP provides training on how to make effective home visits by introducing the research, practice, and skills in building effective relationships between families and teachers as co-educators.. Training helps educators become comfortable with the home visit process and to understand the purpose of the visits. Teachers complete the first home visits as soon as possible and complete a one page questionnaire/report of their visits for data collection and payment. Training for the second visit focuses on how to share information about a child’s academic strengths and challenges. Teachers take Learning Bags with school supplies and books on the second visit to increase parents’ capacity to assist their children academically.
HISTORY
Between 2004-2007, home visits were made in several of the St. Louis Public Schools (SLPS), with the Voluntary Transfer Students (bussed) at Meramec Elementary School in the Clayton (MO) Public Schools and Valley Park Elementary School. Valley Park and Maplewood Richmond Heights School District have made three year commitments, and in June 2009 four elementary schools in the SLPS began their three-year commitments.
EVALUATION
Evaluation of this program is critical. The evaluation is both an implementation and an outcome evaluation. The implementation part provides data about how effectively the program is implemented and areas for improvement. Because this is a relatively new program, this information will be helpful in expanding this program in later years. The outcome part of the evaluation provides data to answer questions regarding the success of the program in meeting its objectives. Specifically, changes in academic performance, attendance, behavior, parent attachment to school and involvement in their child’s education will be assessed.
BUDGET
The 2009-10 budget for the THVP is $254,250. The Greater Saint Louis Community Foundation (319 N. 4th St. #300 St. Louis, Mo. 63102) is the fiscal agent. School systems pay the teachers for making the visits; the THVP Fund pays for teacher training, training materials, evaluation, family events, transportation, on-site coordinators, Learning Bags, strategic planning and other costs associated with teacher home visits.
For more information, visit the Teacher Home Visit Program website.