Teachers – Home Visit Partnerships

How it started

In the Spring of 2013, Stand for Children Texas was knee deep in state and local education policy work, mostly around how teachers should be evaluated and compensated. When we met with teachers to talk about the supports they needed as professionals and as drivers of student achievement, the conversation always drifted towards their immediate concerns in their classrooms, from student attendance to intervention and enrichment. Teachers were hungry for ways to have an immediate impact on the students they served. These conversations led us to sponsor a year-long educator fellowship to research and test high-impact educator practices and from the finding of that fellowship came Home Visit Partnerships.

What Teachers are Saying

"I have learned that building relationships with students and parents is just as important as teaching the students academics. How they relate to each other and the world impacts their overall success and future."

Steven Park Elementary School Teacher

"I have learned that I do make a difference in my students lives. These home visits really help making those strong connections between teachers-students-and families. I hope to continue building these great relationships."

Marcus Elementary School Teacher

"As I reflect on my various home visits, I realized that one of my student is actually teaching her mom what she learns in class. Mom did not complete school. I also experience a great responsiblity on one of my students, I realized that mom is in a wheelchair at home therfore he is taking care of her and himself. Finally my last experience with home visits is that I've learned a lot about my partner, she shared stories with parents that I never heard of. It also allow the parents to feel comfortable to share thier own stories with us."

Arcadia Park Elementary School Teacher

"By the spring, multiple students were coming to me to confirm that I was indeed coming to their house for the second home visit and asking how long I could stay. Some families offered a meal which we had to decline graciously due to scheduling. The idea that the family--not just the student or the parent(s)--was looking forward to our visit and wanted to be present meant a great deal. We had fathers rushing home from manual labor to shower quickly and talk to us before we left, older siblings who brought their significant others in to meet us, and younger siblings who had made drawings or cards for us."

Quintanilla Middle School Teacher

"My biggest take away from the Home Visit Project was how important solid relationships with students and families really are. If you get to know your student well but have never seen them or their parents outside of your classroom, you are missing a big chunk of who they really are."

Donald Elementary School Teacher

How it works

About

Home Visits

voluntary and arranged in advance

visit a cross section of students

conducted in teams of two

focus hopes and aspirations

staff is trained and compensated

Visit 1

Relational

Focus is on Building Trust and Opening New Lines of Communication

30-40 minutes

Visit 2

Informational

Focus is on Sharing Information About Academics and Capacity Building

30-40 minutes

Home2HomeVisits
(how it works during the COVID-19 pandemic)

As we build new systems to safely educate students and support families, the foundation for success remains the same – relationships. Home2HomeVisits help teachers to establish trusting relationships with students and families, even when they cannot all meet face-to-face.

What is a Home2HomeVisit?

A scheduled video call between a teacher and a student’s family, from the teacher’s home (not school) to the family’s home.
Takes place during the first few weeks of school, with recommended follow-up “visits” each grading period.

Outcomes

Happy students, happy teacher

For Students:

Increased attendance
increased academic success
Increased feeling of comfort and safety at school
Increased Engagement in class
Feeling “seen” and understood

For Educators and Staff:

Increased trust and respect
Increased capacity to engage students
Increased understanding and empathy
Increased job satisfaction

For Families:

Increased trust and respect
Increased capacity to support children at home
Increased confidence as a partners and co-educators
Increased communication with teachers and campus

#RelationshipsMatter