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The Harvard Family Research Project separated from the Harvard Graduate School of Education to become the Global Family Research Project as of January 1, 2017. It is no longer affiliated with Harvard University.
September 14, 2008
Tapping Into Technology: The Role of the Internet in Family–School Communication describes the first large-scale study to examine the usage and benefits of Internet-based family–school communication.
The Birmingham News writes about how schools increasingly are using technology to involve parents in their children's education. The article discusses how a range of schools, from elementary to high school, have implemented such tools as email, websites, blogs, and wikis to connect with parents and keep them informed about what their children are learning in the classroom.
The article quotes HFRP's Suzanne Bouffard, who explains the benefits and challenges of using technology for family involvement.
Excerpt from the article:
"Suzanne Bouffard, project manager for the Harvard Family Research Project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, said knowing what their children are learning enables parents to more effectively help them at home. And family involvement is most crucial in areas that are directly tied to learning, such as helping with homework or discussing college plans.
"It's also tied to a broader trend in education of using data to track performance and drive instructional changes, she said. 'Accessibility to parents is really becoming an important part of that,' she said...
"Although there are clear advantages, electronic communication also has its challenges, Bouffard said. Although the gap is shrinking, disadvantaged families are still less likely to have Internet access than other families. 'It's really important to pay attention to those issues because what we don't want to do is create a situation where you're exacerbating existing inequalities,' she said."
Click here to read the full article on www.al.com, The Birmingham News's website.