USING TECHNOLOGY TO INCREASE PARENT INVOLVEMENT1
The Use of a Parent Portal to Increase Parent Communication with Schools
Cathy F. Robertson
Southeastern Louisiana University
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Introduction………………………………… Page 3
Chapter 2
Review of Literature ………………………... Page 4
Chapter 3
Method ……………………………………… Page 7
Chapter 4
Data Analysis and Findings…………………. Page 8
Chapter 5
Implications and Recommendations ………… Page 11
References ………………………………….... Page 13
Chapter 1: Introduction
School districts across the nation are using technology to increase interactions and to improve communication between the school and home. Technology-based activities have become common modes of keeping parents inform of school events and student progress. One technological instrument which poses a promise to amplify school to home communication as well as to increase parent involvement is the use of Student Information Systems (SIS) with a “parent portal” component. The purpose of this study was to determine whether parent portals facilitate better parent-teacher communication and increase parent involvement in schools. Eighty-eight parents of third grade students were invited to participate in the survey and the focus group. Data collection from surveys and semi-structured group interviews were analyzed to evaluate the effectiveness of the parent portal in communication with parents.
Keywords: Student information system, parent portal, parent involvement, home-school communication, technology
Chapter 2 : Review of Literature
Parental involvement has become a major concern of educators across the nation. Many school leaders are concerned about improving parental involvement and communication because of social changes such as behavior problems and student academic failure. A growing number of studies confirm positive associations between parent involvement and in schools and student success (Olmstead, 2013). Many school districts are using technology to attract and sustain parental involvement.
School districts across the nation are utilizing technology as a means of encouraging parental involvement in schools. Many districts have put in place Student Information Systems (SIS) with parental portal featuresembedded in its program and have made these systems available to their schools. The parent portal features help to foster a sense of shared responsibility between the school and parents (Starkie, 2013).
Many School leaders and teachers report that the absence of parental involvement continues to be a major draw-back when it comes to increasing student success at school (Olmstead, 2013). Although parents and teachers agree that parental involvement and communication in schools are important, there seem to be a lack in ways to foster an on-going mode of communication. The absence of parental involvement from schools is an important factor in the reported number of students with behavior problems and those who are at-risk of academic failure as well (Ouellette and Wilkerson, 2008). It is teachers’ perception that improved communication is the key to successful parental involvement in schools as well as increased academic success (Ramirez, 1999). Parents are expected to be educationally involved in their children’s live. The most common expectation is that parents assist children with homework. Along with homework assistance, parents should be ensuring school attendance, supporting good behavior and suggesting ways in which schools can reinforce learning and employ best practice of teaching methodology (Seluyn, Banaji, Garstki & Clark, 2011).
Research suggest that parents who monitor their children’s work, school activities and communicate regularly with teachers help to develop effective educational plans and are more likely to have their children graduate from high school and pursue post-secondary education (Olmestead, 2013). Likewise, Child Trends (2010) state children whose parents are involve in their educational process tend to have fewer behavior problems and better academic performance than those students whose parents are not involved in their school. Parental involvement can be reactive or proactive. According to Olmstead (2010), reactive involvement in school consist of parents attending meeting, volunteering or attending family related activities and proactive involvement consist of parents helping with homework, following a child’s progress, and staying informed about school functions. Both type of involvement help to create occasions for shared communication between the school and family. But, parents who are proactively involved function as genuine partners within an overall program (Olmstead, 2013).
The use of technology to increase parental involvement has taken on a number of forms. In 2000, some schools developed online “intranets” and “managed learning environments” to assist parents in gaining information and resources in regards to their child’s education (Selwyn et. al., 2011). The use of computer-mediated communication with parents and texting was a way to keep parent engaged in school matters (Snyder et. al., 2000). While short lived instances of innovative practice to enhance parent involvement in schools faded, it is an accepted fact that these technologies have proven to be ineffective in fostering long-term involvement of parents in their children’s education (Lewin & Luckin, 2010). As digital technology advances at rapid speed throughout the years, school leaders are providing newer and more advanced methods to connect with parents and to engage students (Flemings, 2012). Districts large and small are reaching out to parents digitally. Some schools use email listserv to communicate with parents. Others use wiki, virtual chat, blog and even Google text line (Flemings, 2013). Schools are contacting and keeping in contact with parents through Twitter feeds, Facebook pages, and text messages that are sent in multiple languages. Parents receive instant updates, news and information about their children’s school throughout the day and anywhere they may be at the time. One technological intervention that promise to bridge the gap between home and school communication and keep parents involved is the use of parent portals (Starkie, 2013). Districts are providing parents access to these portals so that they can stay informed of their child’s attendance, grades, school assignments and even standardized test scores (Fleming, 2013). Parents can also log into the system to review class specific content, receive automatic progress updates, read teacher comments or contact teachers with questions or concerns (Flemings, 2013). Providing parents this access help to strengthen the communication process between the school and home and empower parents to help their children succeed academically as well as socially (Derringer, 2012).
A recent study of portal usage was conducted in Corpus Christi, Texas. Results reported that 75 percent of its teachers had implemented all of the features of its portal to usher parents to their class pages (Derringer, 2012). The study also reported that 98 percent of all teachers were using the portal and 79 percent of all k-12 students sent an average of three emails per person using the portal (Derringer, 2012). Parents and teachers feel that this data show a rising trend of communication between home and school (Derringer, 2012). In another study of portal usage conducted in a suburban area of Massachusetts, researchers concluded that parents were using the portal but were not using the data to its full capacity. Parents did not know how to use the “detailed data” facet of the portal. Most parents in this study reported that portal use helped them maintain their involvement as their child progressed through school (Starkie, 2013). Some parents reported that they need more training on how to use the portal features. This research study suggest that the use of portals made parents feel more engaged with their child’s schooling (Starkie, 2013).
Internet-based parent portals offer a way of bridging the communication gap between school and home. Portals engage students, help teachers provide meaningful data to parents, enlist parents as partners and sustain parent involvement and communication with the school. Parental involvement has been shown to be an important variable in children’s education, and more schools are trying to encourage increased involvement. It therefore becomes essential to understand what types of parental involvement have the most impact on children success. Use of the parent portal supports an increase in of involvement and bridges the communication gap between home and school (Flemings, 2013).
Chapter 3: Methodology
This study used both quantitative and qualitative inquiry. A 20 question survey was used to gather demographics, use of portal, communication between home and school, and experiences and opinions about the portal. Semi-structured focus groups were conducted to answer five research questions. The study was conducted at a primary school of 589 students ranging from kindergarten to fifth grade students in its fourth year of existence and first year of using the parent portal in the guidance department. Approximately 46% of the student population qualifies for free or reduced lunch. Eighty-eight letters were sent home to parents during the second week of school notifying them about the availability of a parent portal link to the guidance department. Parents received the access code to the portal and directions for account set up and portal features. Eighty-eight parents of third grade students were asked to use the portals and to participate in both the survey and focus group. Out of 88 possible participants, 68 chose to participate.
The method of communication used in this study was a parent portal page created in Blackboard. The duration of the study was 11 weeks. A survey was created and sent to the 68 participants. The survey consisted of 10 response questions. Upon completion of the intervention, participants completed a second survey so that effects of the portal could be documented. Parent interviews were also conducted to determine how participants view the usefulness of the portal. Five parents were randomly chose to participate in the interview. Interview questions were open-ended questions about the information presented in the portal.
Research Questions
The study addressed the following research questions:
- How does the teacher communication through the use of the portal promote parent involvement in their children’s academic and behavior progress?
- Does parent access to a parent portal support home-school communication?
- What type of information is most useful in a parent portal?
- How do parents use resources provided via a parent portal?
- Do parents consider the portal to be effective?
Chapter 4: Data Analysis and Findings
Before setting up the portal in Blackboard, a parent survey was sent home to determine if parents have computer/internet access and how they currently communicate with teachers. Based on results from the first survey, all of the participants have computer access with internet connection. Parents communicated with the school most often by phone calls. A few parents used written notes and none of the parents communicated by email. Table 4.1 below includes data that was gathered from the first survey.
Table 4.1
Pre-survey Information
The percentage of parents who:- Communicate with the teacher by phone
- Communicate with the teacher by email
- Communicate with the teacher by written notes
- Communicate with the teacher only on conference days
- Have computer/internet access
- Have basic computer skills
- Have previously accessed blackboard
- Access the internet at least once a day
- Commit to accessing the guidance portal at once a week
- Thought a well maintained portal would increase involvement in child’s education
The survey also asked parents to list what type of information in the portal they believe would be of benefit to them and students. Based on the results from the initial parent survey, I set up tabs in the portal to include content that parents felt was important in maintaining communication with the school. Table 4.2 shows a list of parent requested items in order of importance.
Table 4.2
List of parents’ requested content in order of importance
Content Information- Newsletters
- Grades
- Homework Help
- One –to-one Correspondence
- Standardize Test
- Educational Videos
- Parent Resources
- School/Class Event
- Bullying Information
- Celebrations
At the completion of the study, I sent parent participants a link to a second survey. Information obtained from the post-survey identified a significant increase in the use of email as a communication mode with the school particularly through the portal. During the interviews, parents provided further insightinto the frequency of use and perceived usefulness of the portal. Some parents stated that they viewed the school calendar daily while others stated that they utilized the homework help most often. Data from the post- survey revealed that 100% of the parents who had accessed the parent portal felt that it helped them to be more involved in their child’s education and kept them informed of school events. Table 4.3 shows the comparison of pre and post-survey information.
Pre-Survey Percentages / Post-Survey PercentagesParents who had previously accessed Blackboard / 10% / Parents who had previously accessed Blackboard / 100%
Parents who believed the portal information would help them be more involved in their child’s education / 50% / Parents who believed the portal information would help them be more involved in their child’s education / 80%
Access the internet at least once a day / 70% / Access the internet at least once a day / 98%
Communicate with the teacher by email / 10% / Communicate with the teacher by email / 90%
Thought a well maintained portal would increase involvement in child’s education / 50% / Thought a well maintained portal would increase involvement in child’s education / 90%
Information pertaining to homework help and parent resources were considered the most valuable aspects of the portal. Participants interviewed during the study felt that the portal provided on-going communication with the school. Additionally, they felt that the information resource page was the most beneficial page of the portal. One parent shared that the portal seemed to equalize the responsibility of establishing on-going communication between school and home. While the teacher is responsible for up-dating information in the portal, parents are responsible for checking the portal for any up-coming news.
Table 4.4 shows statistics of usage of the portal for the past month (October 6, 2014 to November 3, 2014). The analytics showed the dates and number of viewers.
Table 4.4 Portal Usage by viewers
It must be noted that the portal was not used to replace paper communication or communication by phone but was used to supplement any mode of communication in progress and to establish improved communication between home and school.
Chapter 5: Implications and Recommendations
Based on the information from the surveys and interviews, the results were consistent with what the literature predicted. All of the parentparticipants used the portal and consider it as an informational resource. Development and use of the portal improved parent-teacher communication. Parents believe that it was effective in providing valuable resources to enhance learning at home. They also felt that they were involved more in their child’s education.
In addition to these positive outcomes, administrators at Sorrento Primary felt that the information gained from this study will be of help in getting core teachers to use and maintain their class portals. The process of developing and maintaining a parent portal page was both challenging and rewarding. Throughout the research process, parent-teacher communication was improved. Electronic communication supplemented traditional paper correspondence. A recommendation for future use of the parent portal is to use an emailing system or calling system to alert parents when new information is posted. This will encourage parents who normally wouldn’t log on to check the portal.
In the future parent portals should have components to include interaction with other schools within the district. Further research to investigate the correlation between student academic achievement and a well-maintained portal should be explored.
References