Talking Points Blog Post
Deepening Parent-School Connections during Middle School
5 Reasons Teachers Use Text Messages to Engage and Support Parents
Findings From an Action Research Project at a Diverse Middle School
By Shelley Gordon
By Shelley Gordon
As many parents can attest, middle school is often a time when a simple question about the school day is met with ambivalence, or even hostility. In general, parents want to be involved in the lives of their children, but the onset of adolescence and the more complex school environment of middle school often make it difficult for parents to communicate with their child about school. That said, there is ample evidence to support parental involvement as an important factor in academic success and social development during adolescence. Specifically, research suggests that the most effective parental involvement during middle school occurs when parents (Hill & Tyson, 2009):
As a result, interventions that help develop parent-school relationships are worth investigating. Recently, I set out to explore how teachers might use text messages to support parental involvement during middle school.
Hill, N. E. & Tyson, D. F. (2009). Parental involvement in middle school: A meta-analytic assessment of the strategies that promote achievement. Developmental Psychology, 45(3), 740–763.
- Help connect school to real life events
- Encourage goal-setting
- Communicate their expectations about the value of education
As a result, interventions that help develop parent-school relationships are worth investigating. Recently, I set out to explore how teachers might use text messages to support parental involvement during middle school.
Hill, N. E. & Tyson, D. F. (2009). Parental involvement in middle school: A meta-analytic assessment of the strategies that promote achievement. Developmental Psychology, 45(3), 740–763.