Download or read book Home-to-School Connections Guide written by George Lucas Educational Foundation and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 15 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Communication between home and school is good for kids. Keeping families up-to-date about upcoming events is important, but it's not enough to fully engage parents as partners. When schools and families really work together, that sets the stage for all kinds of benefits. The National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education reports that family-school partnerships lead to gains for just about everyone involved in education. What's more, students with involved parents tend to do better regardless of family background. From better social skills to more regular attendance to increased graduation rates, kids of all socioeconomic levels show gains across a variety of indicators when their families connect with school, according to research by the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory. This practical guide shares tips, tools, and strategies to strengthen the bonds between schools, families, and communities. Many suggestions have come from "Edutopia" community members who have contributed a host of good ideas in blogs and online discussion groups (edutopia.org/groups). Technology tools offer great potential for connecting home and school. Several tips focus on ways to use these tools to bring parents closer to the classroom. This guide includes suggestions for using popular social-media tools such as Facebook as well as technology platforms designed specifically for school settings. This guide offers ten tips: (1) Go where your parents are; (2) Welcome everyone; (3) Being there, virtually; (4) Smart phones, smart schools; (5) Seize the media moment; (6) Make reading a family affair; (7) Bring the conversation home; (8) Student-led parent conferences; (9) Get families moving; and (10) Build parent partnerships. (Contains 30 online resources.).