Teachers' strategies for using technology to enhance parent engagement

Date
2016
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University of Delaware
Abstract
The Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA) requires schools to connect and find ways to engage parents in their children’s education. Numerous studies have examined the role that parent engagement plays in students’ academic achievement. Nevertheless, many educators have indicated that lack of parent engagement remains a barrier to improving student success. However, digital technology has the potential to improve parent engagement and overcome some of the barriers that can hinder effective engagement. ☐ Using a mixed-method approach, an online survey, and a semistructured interview, this Executive Position Paper (EEP) explores the perceptions of K-12 Delaware teachers regarding their experience and strategies in improving parent engagement. Findings revealed that teachers believed in the importance of parent engagement and communication, the second type of Epstein’s (1995) parent involvement. These data revealed that communication served as the basis for the other types of involvement: parenting, volunteering, learning at home, decision-making, and collaborating with the community. Participants believed in the potential benefits of technology to keep parents engaged in their children’s education, especially mobile applications increasingly used to engage parents in many aspects of their children’s learning. Social constructivism, Epstein’s Six Types of Parent Involvement (1995), and Epstein’s Overlapping Spheres of Influence (1995) served as a conceptual framework.
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