Teachers Pay House Calls
By Dr. Marciene Mattleman
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Hundreds of teachers in Washington, DC will spend weekends and evenings this fall visiting homes of students in 43 schools, hoping to improve academic achievement by creating stronger partnerships between families and schools, changing the perception of alienating families.
With the help of the Flamboyan Foundation, which trains and pays teachers for the getting-to-know-you sessions, more than 1,400 visits, each about 30 minutes, have been made and are anchors for e-mail, text, and phone conversations.
Schools pay a small fee to defray costs.
Scholar Academies, cited in an article in the Washington Post as a Philadelphia-based charter operator, took over the Stanton School in 2010 with fewer than 10-percent proficiency in reading and math. Within two years behavior has improved, and proficiency has doubled in reading and quadrupled in math.
In a pilot, the Flamboyan Foundation worked with 13 schools, 12 of which reported gains in reading and math.
Read more about how the visits encourage parent engagement in the Washington Post.
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