A pilot project designed to increase parental engagement in schools and build connections between schools and homes has been so successful that Moose Jaw’s Catholic division wants to continue it next fall.
Families from École St. Margaret School in Moose Jaw and All Saints Catholic School in Swift Current have been participating in the Parent-Teacher Home Visits project since November.
The project saw participating parents and teachers meet twice during the school year. The first meetings occurred last fall and the second this spring. The visits took place in family homes, on doorsteps, in backyards, park, rinks or community venues, and virtually if necessary.
Parents and teachers were expected to build relationships to work together to support students’ education needs.
Six classroom teachers, two support teachers, four educational assistants and two administrators conducted the visits, while classroom teachers reached out to every family asking for volunteers. Even though there was some hesitancy, many families accepted the chance to participate.
This project was modelled on the Parent-Teacher Home Visits Project Organization, in the United States. Research results from there show that schools that systematically implemented this project experienced decreased rates of chronic absenteeism in students and increased rates of student proficiency in English and math.
The home visits connected to the Ministry of Education’s provincial education plan framework for 2020-30, including the goals of fostering connections and relationships between educators, students and their families and creating inclusive, safe and welcoming school environments.
Sarah Phipps, superintendent of learning with Holy Trinity Catholic School Division, spoke about the pilot project’s success during the recent board of education meeting.
“It was definitely part of that idea of connections and family relationships, knowing that parents are the first and best educators of … their kiddos,” she said. “(So), how can we work in partnership with them?”
The division trained two groups of employees last August and September — one in Swift Current and the other in Moose Jaw — in preparation for the pilot project. The goal was to meet at families’ homes, but the pandemic forced the division to “think out of the box” when arranging meetings.
The first visits occurred from September to December 2021, with the focus on families’ hopes and dreams for their children and how the school can support those goals, Phipps said. After Christmas, staff conducted most visits online because of the pandemic. Those visits focused on academics, transitions to the next grade and other questions families had.
“For us, it (the program) was definitely a need. In the beginning it was a want; it was something we wanted to do for connections with families,” she continued. “But it became more of a need for families to really re-connect and have those partnerships with the staff and have open lines of communication that were really shut down during the pandemic.
“It was really a positive experience for all the families that participated. We heard nothing but really good things from our staff (and) our students. We saw change in a lot of students and how they acted and reacted at school … .”
Holy Trinity and the other participating school divisions are now in the final stages of the pilot project. Project researcher Dr. James McNinch will meet with the divisions and families so he can draft a final report.
Phipps added that Holy Trinity hopes the project continues next fall in more schools since it saw good results overall.
The next Holy Trinity board meeting is Tuesday, May 24.
