Program Description
Teachers Involve Parents in Schoolwork (TIPS) is a researcher and educator-designed, implemented and tested partnership process for teachers to regularly keep families involved in their children’s education. Through TIPS’ interactive homework, teachers provide students assignments that require them to talk to someone at home about something interesting that they are learning in class; helping to keep school on the agenda at home so that children know their parents believe schoolwork and homework are important and worth talking about.
TIPS has interactive homework activities broken out by grade level (i.e., elementary, middle and high school) and subjects (i.e., language arts, math and science).
Program Outcomes
The effects of TIPS were evaluated in an experimental study of 153 third and fourth-grade students across four elementary schools in a southeastern urban school district. Within each school, two teachers participated, with teachers randomly assigned to implement TIPS. The study occurred over two years, so that students either participated in TIPS for two years (n=26), participated in TIPS for one year in either third or fourth grade (n=62) or never participated in TIPS (n=65). In data collected from surveys, both students (ES =+0.82) and families (ES =+0.49) reported significantly higher levels of family involvement in mathematics homework for students in TIPS of any duration compared to students not participating in TIPS. These results qualify TIPS for a rating of Promising evidence. Additionally, the study reported that TIPS students also reported significantly higher family involvement in reading and science than students not participating in TIPS. Data on student mathematics achievement from the end of fourth grade also significantly favored students in TIPS of any duration when compared to students who did not participate in TIPS. However, the information to calculate effect sizes from these outcomes was unavailable.
Staffing Requirements
No additional staffing required.
Professional Development/Training
No additional PD/training required. For those wanting professional development to support the implementation of TIPS in schools, you may pay $5,000 for a one-day workshop.
Technology
No technology required.