Using Communication to Improve Parental Involvement in the Sixth-Grade Classroom

The purpose of this action research project is to determine the impact of communication on parental engagement and student achievement. Various types of communication were sent home to help initiate parental engagement. During the first communication session, parents had access to a class website that was updated daily. During the second communication session, a weekly newsletter was sent home. In the final communication session, parents received a weekly email outlining what was happening in class and what homework students should be working on. Qualitative data was collected at the end of each communication period to determine parental engagement levels and student achievement based on involvement. Data was collected using an independent, two-sample t-test, where it assumed unequal variances. The test helped determine whether there was a significant difference between families that engaged with the communication and those that did not. Analysis of the data suggests a positive relationship between communication being used to boost parental engagement and student achievement