Initiating Family Integration Boosts Attendance and Improves Reading Performance in Classrooms
In the heart of San Diego's City Heights neighbourhood, Hamilton Elementary School is making strides in K-12 education by fostering a strong connection between parents, caregivers, and the school community. Principal Dr. Brittany Daley leads this educational institution, where student achievement, motivation, and social-emotional well-being have seen a significant increase due to the active involvement of parents and caregivers.
Today, an impressive 45% of students at Hamilton Elementary are reading at grade-level, and chronic absenteeism has dropped to 10%, with a goal of pushing it down to 8% in the 2025-26 academic year. These improvements are the result of a strategic approach that focuses on building relationships, providing valuable resources, and facilitating two-way communication between families and the school.
One of the key strategies employed by Hamilton Elementary is the use of digital tools, such as the mobile app ClassDojo, to establish open communication with parents. The app automatically translates messages into their native languages, breaking down language barriers and ensuring that every family feels included.
In the early days, the school's focus was on attendance and getting families to visit the school as much as possible. Two years ago, each teacher at Hamilton Elementary was gifted a blue chair for a dedicated family visit space. After-school art classes and monthly family Fridays were hosted, allowing families to engage in fun activities at school.
Once the foundation was in place, a focus on academics was added, with an emphasis on family engagement. Schoolwide activities were sent home for families to complete with their children, tied to concepts the students needed reinforced. These activities were taught by the students and their teachers to family members during conferences, challenging a false narrative that many families had assumed - that they didn't know enough about what was happening in school to help, weren't confident enough to help, or didn't have enough time.
Effective strategies for engaging parents in K-12 education include personalized communication, leveraging digital tools for accessibility, providing valuable and relevant resources, and fostering two-way collaboration between families and schools. Schools succeed by meeting parents "where they are," using mixed channels (digital and in-person), and maintaining continuous engagement beyond just the school year.
At Hamilton Elementary, personalized outreach plays a crucial role. Positive, individual messages about student progress build relationships and foster a sense of partnership between parents and the school. Multi-channel engagement allows participation from parents who can’t attend in person, while the provision of useful resources keeps families informed and supports engagement. Interactive channels enable parents to ask questions and receive feedback, making them genuine partners in education.
Given the diverse nature of the City Heights community, effective approaches likely include bilingual/multilingual communication tools, culturally relevant outreach, and accessible digital engagement methods to reduce barriers for families.
As Hamilton Elementary continues to grow and evolve, it remains committed to fostering a strong partnership between parents, caregivers, and the school community. With over 200 caregivers attending every meet-up and families running most of the community-based initiatives, it's clear that this approach is resonating with the school's families.
- Hamilton Elementary School's innovative use of digital tools, like ClassDojo, facilitates seamless communication with parents, breaking down language barriers and promoting inclusion, which is a key strategy in their education-and-self-development focus.
- To tackle education inequality, Hamilton Elementary School's personalized communication approach builds relationships with parents, sends home interactive auxiliary learning materials, and hosts events like conferences to boost personal growth andlearning.
- Leveraging digital tools, such as ClassDojo, for after-school art classes, monthly family Fridays, and providing culturally relevant outreach, aids in continuing the efforts of pushing down chronic absenteeism and improving education outcomes.
