Districts Deploy Digital Tools to Engage Parents

Editorial Projects in Education. 6935 Arlington Road Suite 100, Bethesda, MD 20814-5233. Tel: 800-346-1834; Tel: 301-280-3100; e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: http://www.edweek.org/info/about/

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School Districts; Technology Uses in Education; Educational Technology; Parent School Relationship; Parent Participation; Computer Literacy; Differences; Limited English Speaking; Non English Speaking; Assignments; Multilingualism; Access to Information; Internet; Social Networks; Access to Computers; Barriers; Rural Areas

California; Georgia; Massachusetts; New Jersey; New York; North Carolina; Pennsylvania; United States; Virginia

0277-4232

Digital technology is providing a growing variety of methods for school leaders to connect with parents anywhere, anytime--a tactic mirroring how technology is used to engage students. Through Twitter feeds, Facebook pages, and text messages sent in multiple languages, school staff members are giving parents instant updates, news, and information about their children's schools. Not only that, but a number of districts are also providing parents access to Web portals where they can see everything from their children's grades on school assignments to their locker combinations and what they're served for lunch. Socioeconomic disparities in Internet access can make such digital-outreach efforts challenging and even divisive, however; some parents have many options for connecting digitally, and others don't. Yet some school leaders are meeting that challenge head-on by teaching parents how they can use technology to become more engaged in their children's education, and in some cases, by providing them with access to it in their own homes.

ERIC

2013

EJ1000109