How technology can forge links between school and home

By James Marshall and Allison Rossett

A mother sits down with her third-grade son as he begins his homework in front of the family television. Together, they watch a video address from the teacher explaining what happened in the classroom and how parents can reinforce the day's learning activities at home. Next, they decide to watch a video the teacher made during the class trip to the zoo. (The students narrated the video afterwards, emphasizing what they learned.) Finally, mother and son listen to brief remarks from the teacher about the boy's book report.

A technology pipe dream? Not at all. The seeds of this vision are already present in schools and homes today as access to technology continues to grow.

Much of the current excitement about technology focuses on how it can be used to support student achievement at school. In spite of conclusive findings that cooperative partnerships between the home and the school can dramatically raise children's academic achievement, technology-enhanced connections between home and school receive scant attention and meager resources.

But what if it were different? What if technology were used to support classroom instruction, skill practice at home, and communication among parent, student, and teacher? We'd like to sketch out what such a learning community would look like.

Linking school and home

Why create a partnership between the school and the home? The benefits of doing so have been demonstrated in many studies, more than 50 of which are summarized in A New Generation of Evidence: The Family is Critical to Student Achievement, by Anne T. Henderson and Nancy Berla. Income and social status, Henderson and Berla found, are not the most important predictors of a child's achievement in school. Instead, the strongest predictor of academic achievement is the family's ability to create an encouraging home environment, to express high but realistic expectations for achievement and the future, and to become involved in their child's education.

But that involvement is far from guaranteed. In a 1989 study by the National Education Association, more than 90 percent of responding teachers said they wanted more parent involvement but cited parental indifference as an impediment. Parents, too, often feel left out of the loop. They want more contact with, and information from, the school--or, as James Conner put it in his 1988 book Connecting Families and Schools, "First, [parents] want to know what is going on in school and how their child is doing. Second, they want to know how the 'system' works and how they can be part of it. Third, they want to know what they can do with their child at home to help him or her achieve in school."

The good news is that technology can enrich the school/home connection by creating four different kinds of links:

* The information link provides general communication to parents and students about what is happening in the school and gives parents and caretakers ideas for contributing to students' educational and social growth. Appropriate topics are those with the broadest possible appeal, from creating an environment conducive to homework to understanding the report card.

* The coaching link offers a message targeted to a particular family, group of students, or individual. Information broadcasting can offer general tips to a parent about increasing student confidence or creating a homework nook, but the coaching link allows a teacher to make specific suggestions for combining Maria's language development needs with the arrival of her baby sister, for example, or advising the families of children working on a family history project about the kind of photos most appropriate for the effort.

* The feedback link encourages educators and parents to share specific information about a child's performance. A teacher might compliment a child's mastery of tough spelling words, or a father might inquire how his child is doing in the math unit on compound interest. The purpose of the feedback is to ensure better support and instruction for individual students through communications.

* The instructional link extends the learning day by bridging the chasm between the home and the classroom. Concepts that can be introduced in class and then practiced at home help students see real-world relevance in what is taught in school. After a unit on weather, for example, a child might work with a parent to follow local weather trends, with the goal of predicting the weather over the holiday break.

In an ideal world, all four of these links would combine to create an effective, integrated communication and instruction system--all bolstered by technology.

The technologies

Whether it's using the ATM machine to get cash, pressing "1" on a telephone keypad to reach customer service, or running a spreadsheet to forecast family finances, most of us use technology in one form or another every day. And the number of Americans taking advantage of computer technology, multimedia CD-ROMs, and online services is growing. In 1994, for example, 31 percent of American households had computers; by 1995, the number had grown to 36 percent and showed no signs of slowing down.

As the use of technology increases, both new and traditional technologies are being used to support the school/home connection:

* Voicemail. This technology, in use in schools for more than a decade, gives teachers a conduit for disseminating information to parents. The teacher records an announcement each day, and parents call the school to hear the message. This is a classic, generic information link.

Taking voicemail technology a step further, Vanderbilt University's Jerold Bauch developed the so-called Transparent School Model, which is being used in more than 1,000 schools today. This model uses a site-based voice-messaging computer to organize and deliver time-delayed messages between parents and teachers. Teachers record a message for parents that describes what has been taught, special learning events, homework assignments, and other vital information. Parents can call and hear the information at any time from any phone. The system also allows teachers to record a message for parents that is stored in the computer system and automatically delivered by phone to students' homes. This "outcalling" feature is used to announce good news, notify parents of emergencies or other important information, and monitor students' attendance. (Depending on the messaging service, messages can be sent to individuals, groups, or the entire school.)

In one school, Bauch reports, each teacher had an average of only two or three contacts with parents. But once this model was in place, parent contacts grew to an average of seven to eight contacts per teacher each day in schools where teachers diligently updated their message and took advantage of the features the technology provided. Teachers also reported that more students were finishing their homework, thanks to the parents' better knowledge of homework assignments and classroom activities in general.

* Cable television and homework hotlines. In addition to providing information, cable television can support instruction through such applications as "homework help" programs. These programs typically air lessons that follow the district's curriculum and often are accompanied by telephone homework hotlines staffed by teachers. Students call in on the hotline and get individualized help with a specific problem or subject.

An example is the Dial-A-Teacher program in the Dade County Public Schools in Miami, which provides homework assistance over the telephone and through a "live" interactive television program. "The telephone is the soul of our program, which has expanded greatly over the years," says John Moffi, director of the program.

Dial-A-Teacher began as a telephone help line. Students call in on a toll-free number and speak with teachers who provide coaching on the basic subject areas. The telephone service is now complemented by a cable television show that covers mathematics, English, science, and social studies, grades 1 through 12. "Our program is staffed by classroom teachers who know the district's scope and sequence," says Moffi. "What we broadcast is directly tied to what the students are learning that day in the classroom."

The program reaches 325,000 students in Dade County, as well as students in nearby districts. "Even though we don't go on-air until 6:00 each night, at 5:30 all of our lines are [busy]," says Moffi. In 1995, more than 25,000 calls for homework help were answered, and Moffi expected a total of 40,000 in 1996.

* Computers and telecommunications. Computer technology is beginning to join cable and voicemail to link schools and homes. Project Homeroom in Chicago is an example of using computers to provide information, feedback, and instruction links between school and home. A partnership among three Chicago-area high schools, IBM, and Ameritech, this two-year project put donated computers in the homes of participating students and provided telecommunications services to link the computers to the schools and to selected online services. The goal: to counter the belief that learning occurs only in the classroom.

The first year's attempts to build a cooperative learning relationship between school and home were not as successful as project sponsors had hoped. Parents expected a greater communication link with the school, and participating students actually earned slightly lower grades than did their nonparticipating peers in the three schools. In the second and final year of the partnership, however, effectiveness improved on all fronts. For example, while the technology was used primarily for word processing in the first year, in the second year, it was also used for data collection, analysis, and communication via e-mail to complete multidisciplinary school projects.

In their evaluations of the project, Jeffrey Hecht and his colleagues from Illinois State University reported that, given the opportunity to use technology, most teachers, parents, and students will make it part of their schools and homes. Project Homeroom successfully increased communication among teachers, students, and parents, the evaluators concluded. But, they said, student performance data suggest that technology must be integrated into the curriculum. "Unless the new technologies become typical and usual (and, therefore, part of the routine)," Hecht wrote, "everyone involved will be less likely to attend to the technology with the same vigor as the 'important' parts of the curriculum."

The evaluators also reported that at first, participating families used the computers primarily for word processing. Why wasn't the technology put to broader use? Hecht believes three factors affect computer usage: (1) teachers' lack of familiarity with the technology and how to incorporate it into the curriculum; (2) lack of consistent capabilities among students in computer use; and (3) lack of true encouragement from administrators to make the computer a part of the regular academic routine.

* Internet, e-mail, and the World Wide Web. The rapid growth in electronic information exchange has resulted in many new possibilities for communication. The Internet provides the backbone for these technologies; its graphically appealing database, the World Wide Web, offers special opportunities to educators and parents. The web allows parents, teachers, and students access to countless resources, including community, state, and world facts, reference materials, and information on almost any topic. Creating a motivating curriculum that uses these tools benefits not only school/home connections, but also collaboration among students.

The Lightspan Partnership is working in more than 100 school districts nationwide to create a school/home connection through a series of educational multimedia products. Complementing the curriculum are two Internet products, the Lightspan Network, a web site accessible to administrators, teachers, students, and parents in Lightspan-subscribing districts, and Lightspan Local Connect, a product school districts can use to create their own intranets, or local networks. Students can access interactive educational games designed to teach new skills or practice familiar ones. Parents can access updates about what's happening in the classroom, as well as specific information about their child's performance. Teachers and administrators benefit from lesson planning suggestions, the exchange of ideas among peers, staff development, and product support from the company.

* Interactive television. Some day, television will receive hundreds of channels and thousands of television programs, necessitating a change from broadcasting to narrowcasting. In the current television communications system, a handful of channels are broadcast to homes across the nation. These channels carry programming that attempts to appeal to the broad interests of people in the United States. Interactive television should be fairly widespread by the turn of the century. When it is, narrowcasting will transmit thousands of programs targeted to specific interests and lifestyles. Viewers will be able to communicate with their television to request specific programming and information targeted specifically to them.

A flexible medium, interactive television will be able to support all four of the communication links between home and school. For example, teachers will be able to post individual messages to students and parents regarding student performance and upcoming assignments. Students will be able to access interactive assignments on which they can collaborate with classmates, each from his or her own home. Parents will be able to learn about preparing their child for the first day in a new school, or about upcoming school events, or even the lunch menu.

Making it happen

What would it take to create the kind of learning community we have described, in which technology enhances connections between home and school? If a school district is committed to making such a change, the first step is to measure the district's current reality against the goal of boosting parent involvement and incorporating technology effectively and transparently. Once you understand where you are and where you want to be, you can understand what will be needed to bridge this gap.

Step two is taking a new look at the roles of teachers and administrators. Just as technology can be a facilitator between home and school, so teachers can be facilitators of students' learning. Simply providing access to computers for home or classroom use isn't enough. The experience of Project Homeroom showed that technology must be integrated with curriculum if learning is to take place. That means teachers must create lesson plans that make use of technology's powerful ability to gather data, expedite communication, and analyze information. For their part, administrators must take an active role in providing technology and curricular resources, supporting ongoing professional development, and developing appropriate incentives for teachers to integrate technology into their classrooms.

Finally, educators and the public alike must consider alternatives to traditional forms of communication between school and home and seek out new ways to use technology to support learning beyond the classroom walls.

As exciting as such a scenario is, though, there are a few lingering concerns. Technology does not always live up to its advertising. Teachers need to understand the benefits and limitations of each medium and adapt the curriculum accordingly. Another concern is the cost of technology and technology support and the likely inequities that will result. The public and private sectors will need to work together to ensure that all schools and communities--not just the wealthy ones--have access to technology. A final concern is the need for long-term maintenance of the school and home technology system. Initial enthusiasm must be followed by ongoing programs that inform, nurture, and train parents and teachers--and that produce materials worth connecting for.

Sidebar: Technologies for linking school and home

Voicemail: Telephone recording system that allows teachers to leave specific messages for parents as a group or individually.

Bulletin board: Telephone or computer system that allows parents to call in (via telephone or computer-modem connection) and access information on a specific topic.

Helpline: Telephone hotline that allows students or parents to call in for help or advice on a specific topic.

Instructional cable television: One-way video/audio connection that allows information to be broadcast into the classroom or home.

Interactive television: Two-way video/audio connection that allows the student, parent, or teacher to access information on demand and interact on an individual basis with the program being broadcast on the television.

Instructional video: Videotape designed to teach specific learning objectives.

Educational software: Computer programs that teach specific objectives (may be packaged as a floppy disk or CD-ROM).

Internet: Computers around the world that are connected via telecommunication abilities for the exchange of information (e.g., data, e-mail).

E-mail: The ability to send and receive messages via computer connection over the Internet.

World Wide Web: Network of computers around the world that can be accessed through the Internet to provide information on many subjects; famous for graphics, color, sound, and moving images.

Sidebar: Access to technology in America

Telephone: 98 percent of American homes have this technology, which potentially enables access to voicemail, bulletin board, and helpline.

Television: 98 percent of American homes have this technology, which potentially enables access to instructional television programming.

VCR: 81 percent of American homes have this technology, which potentially enables access to instructional video.

Cable TV: 64 percent of American homes have this technology, which potentially enables access to instructional cable television and future interactive television.

Computer: 36 percent of American homes have this technology, which potentially enables access to educational software.

CD-ROM: 15 percent of American homes have this technology, which potentially enables access to CD-ROM products.

Modem: 20 percent of American homes have this technology, which potentially enables access to Internet e-mail and World Wide Web.

(Sources: USA Today and Time Mirror)

-- James Marshall is senior program manager with the Lightspan Partnership and a graduate student in the San Diego State University-Claremont Graduate School Joint Doctoral Program. Allison Rossett is a professor of educational technology at San Diego State University and a consultant to corporations, government agencies and school systems in the design, development, and evaluation of performance and training systems.