Families play a critical role in shaping student success. Research shows that parental involvement in a student鈥檚 education leads to higher academic achievement and greater motivation.
Schools often organize events to get parents involved in their student鈥檚 learning, but drawing parents in can be a challenge.
The Portsmouth school district in Virginia, however, has found success by turning family engagement into shared learning experiences through a series of 鈥淭ech Nights,鈥� said Allyson Hartung, a technology resource teacher in the district.
Hartung presented a poster session on June 30 on 鈥淚nspiring Family Engagement Through Innovation鈥� at the ISTELive 25 + ASCD Annual Conference 25 here.
鈥淲e wanted our families to see what the students were able to do in our district and in our school,鈥� she said, especially with all the digital tools the district provides. 鈥淲e wanted [students] to be able to do those activities [on those tech tools] with their parents.鈥�
The key to boosting turnout and excitement? Building events around fun, engaging themes, Hartung said. One example is 鈥淭ech or Treat,鈥� a play on 鈥渢rick or treat.鈥� At that event, students and families can stop at different stations that have a specific tech tool鈥攆or example, coding robots or an augmented reality app鈥攁nd play with those tools.
These events also serve as opportunities to promote digital citizenship and help parents become more familiar with the digital tools the schools use to communicate with families, Hartung said.
Students enjoy the events, too, she said. Teachers don鈥檛 always use all the digital tools available to them, so the events are sometimes the only places that students can try out other tech tools.
To organize a successful 鈥淭ech Night,鈥� Hartung recommends these steps:
- Choose the time, date, theme, and location. Some themes Hartung has done include: Tech or Treat, Coding in a Winter Wonderland, and Tech Camp.
- Collaborate with others in your building, such as a parent liaison.
- Choose tech tools to highlight. Make sure you have multiple sets of each.
- Design short, engaging activities around the theme and the tools. Keep each activity between 10-15 minutes. Provide giveaways, food, and/or entertainment.
- Create a one-page instruction sheet so that families can complete the activities with little support.
- Assign staff to stations to offer support as needed.
- Market the event well in advance. This could include sending flyers home with students, as well as promoting the event on the district website, social media, or regular newsletters.
In her first year, Hartung said it was a challenge to get the parents to the events and connected to the digital tools the district uses.
鈥淏ut the more events we鈥檝e done and the more resources we provide for the parents,鈥� the more parents are likely to engage with the events, she said.
