Structured relationship-building teacher home visits as a family engagement program component¶

Element · All elements
Evidence · 2 claims (2 for) · 3 studies (3 causal), q2 · 2 of 3 report an effect size · 1 claim rests on one study

Description¶

The evaluated element is a family engagement program in which teachers conduct "structured relationship-building teacher home visits" with students in grades 1-5, delivered "before the start of the school year" in District of Columbia Public Schools. The program was evaluated against a matched comparison group of nonvisited students on disciplinary incidents and attendance. Its mechanism, as framed by the study, is building relationships between teachers and families rather than delivering academic instruction.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Teachers conduct structured home visits with students' families, typically before the start of the school year

Constraints¶

• Evaluated in grades 1-5 in District of Columbia Public Schools as part of a family engagement program

Target Learners¶

• Elementary school students in grades 1-5

Target Learning Goals¶

• Improved student behavior (fewer disciplinary incidents) and improved school attendance through stronger teacher-family relationships

Claims¶

• A pre-school-year teacher home visit reduces the likelihood of a student having a disciplinary incident in grades 1-5 [+W]
• A teacher home visit slightly improves student attendance on average in grades 1-5 [+W]

Related Elements¶

• Parent Teacher Home Visits (PTHV) program

Examples¶

• Schedule teacher home visits before the start of the school year to build family relationships
• Home Visits
• Conduct voluntary, pair-based teacher home visits focused on hopes and dreams across a cross-section of students

Key Sources¶

• Allison McKie, Jeffrey Terziev, Brian Gill. (2021). Impacts of Home Visits on Students in District of Columbia Public Schools. Regional Educational Laboratory Mid-Atlantic, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs