QUALITY EDUCATION FOR ALL: Innovations with our Parent Teacher Home Visit Programs

Research shows that a strong connection between home and school can lead to increased academic performance, a boost in attendance, and improved behavior.  At many low-income schools around Sacramento, however, strong relationships with parents are often lacking.  That’s why Sacramento ACT continues to develop its innovative Parent Teacher Home Visit project in new directions.

This summer, a pilot project is underway at Hiram Johnson and Luther Burbank High Schools that aims to provide extra support to the families of students who have failed the California High School Exit Exam for the first time.  About 200 Sophomores at each school did not pass either one or both the English or Math portions of the exam.  ACT is leading the effort to assemble teams of teachers and other school support staff at each school that will be visiting with these students and their parents over the summer.

Home Visit teams have been trained to answer parents questions about the Exit Exam and provide them with resources and avenues of support, including summer school enrollment and other after school academic opportunities.  Above all else, though, these interactions are made to be relational.  “It’s important to end the cycle of blame,” Carrie Rose, the Project’s director says.  “Once parents and teachers begin to talk and be familiar with each other, its amazing what bridges that can create.”

At ACT’s May 22 STAND TOGETHER event, Sac City Unified committed to $100,000 of new funding to fuel the CAHSEE project. By August and September, ACT will begin to assess the success of the pilot project and expand it to include other high schools and even some middle schools; students begin to show signs of being at risk of dropping out of high school well before they enter 10th grade.

With a strong bond between schools and families, our communities will be much better equipped to realize the dreams that parents have for their students.  This creative approach is helping provide the glue.

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As part of our overall strategy to reduce youth violence, ACT has been working to increase high school graduation rates. Students are required to pass the California High School Exit Exam (or CAHSEE) in order to graduate. Last year over 400 sophomores from Luther Burbank and Hiram Johnson did not pass the exit exam on their first attempt.

This summer, in partnership with the Parent/Teacher Home Visit Project, ACT worked with Luther Burbank and Hiram Johnson high schools to reach out to families around the CAHSEE.  Most interventions for the high school exit exam focus on 11^th and 12^th graders and are focused on helping the student pass the test.  The CAHSEE Home Visit Pilot Project attempted to intervene earlier, include parents, and provide overall support for successful graduation.

This summer, 13 staff at Hiram Johnson and 25 staff at Luther Burbank went to 340 homes of sophomores who failed the exit exam for the first time.  In a span of 3 months, these teams conducted the largest direct parent outreach the school district has seen at the high school level.  Staff combed over exit exam results, transcripts, and fall schedules with the parent and student.  Together, the student, parent, and staff would sign a compact that outlined a plan for that fall to get the student on track to graduate.

An independent evaluation is currently tracking the passage rates for those students who participated in the program, but preliminary results are very promising.  More students are attending exit exam support classes.  Last year, Hiram Johnson had to close its exit exam support classes because of low enrollment.  This year, the students keep coming so doors have stayed open.  The support classes at Luther Burbank more than tripled in size the first week of school!

The home visits have increased parent engagement.  The number of parents returning forms requesting tutoring and outside support for their students has doubled at Hiram Johnson.  It is helping to build a bridge between home and school.  Elisa Gonzalez, a staff member who visited families this summer, called all the parents who she visited for a follow-up meeting.  Normally Luther Burbank has been lucky to have ten parents attend meetings, but Elisa’s relationships--built through the home visits--brought in 90 parents!