Improvement in Student Attendance and Reading Scores by Incorporating Family Participation in Classrooms
Hamilton Elementary School in San Diego Strengthens Family Engagement
Hamilton Elementary School in San Diego, California, has been making strides in engaging families, especially those who are non-English speaking, to build trust and create meaningful relationships. According to Principal Dr. Brittany Daley, this strategy is considered the ultimate approach for academics.
To achieve this, the school has organised a series of low-stakes events, such as a Halloween costume drive, Read Across America event, and after-school art classes. During these meet-ups, students and their teachers taught family members various activities. The goal was not learning, but to build relationships and create a foundation for future academic success.
The school's initiatives include a boutique where families can shop among donated clothes twice a month, a food distribution center, a book club, English classes, and a monthly meet-up where families can socialize. ClassDojo, a mobile app, has been instrumental in establishing open communication with parents, automatically translating messages into their native languages and allowing easy access to teachers and staff.
Two years ago, a person bought each teacher at Hamilton Elementary a blue chair for a dedicated family visitation space. This move was a testament to the school's commitment to family engagement.
Research by the National Literacy Trust shows that parent involvement with reading activities positively impacts reading achievement, language comprehension, expressive language skills, and level of attention in the classroom. In 2020, only 13% of students were reading on grade level and 37% were chronically absent following the return to normalcy after Covid. Today, 45% of students at the school are reading at grade-level, and chronic absenteeism has decreased to 10%. The school's goal is to push it down to 8% in 2025-26.
Best practices for engaging non-English speaking parents in K-12 education involve a combination of communication, cultural responsiveness, and providing accessible resources tailored to their linguistic needs. Key strategies include providing language support and translation, accommodating cultural differences and scheduling, creating multiple entry points for involvement, building partnerships with community organizations, promoting bilingualism and translanguaging, and providing culturally responsive and differentiated instruction resources for students.
These best practices emphasize transparency, open communication, respect for cultural and linguistic diversity, and flexibility in school policies to foster meaningful family engagement among non-English speaking parents. Schools that invest in these approaches can enhance student success and build inclusive school communities.
At Hamilton Elementary, families run most of the community-based initiatives, with 200 caregivers attending each meet-up. The use of ClassDojo was key to breaking down walls between families and staff, and did not initially focus on academics but rather on attendance. As the foundation was in place, a focus on academics was added, with a schoolwide focus on phonics.
When parents and caregivers are involved in their children's education, student achievement, motivation, and social-emotional well-being increase. Hamilton Elementary's efforts to engage families have shown promising results, and the school continues to strive for even greater success in the future.
- At Hamilton Elementary School, the focus on family engagement has led to significant improvements in academic performance, with 45% of students now reading at grade-level, a notable increase from just 13% two years ago.
- The school's innovative approach to family engagement, which includes the use of ClassDojo for open communication and a variety of community-based initiatives led by families, has played a crucial role in breaking down barriers and fostering personal growth.
- To continue enhancing student success and building an inclusive school community, Hamilton Elementary School is implementing best practices for engaging non-English speaking parents, such as providing language support and translation, accommodating cultural differences, and promoting bilingualism and translanguaging.
