The role of technology in family and school partnerships

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how educators and parents perceived the usage of technology for creating active family and school partnerships. This study also explored how parents and educators used technology applications to create family and school partnerships. Educators and families from a 4-A school district in North Central Texas were recruited to participate in the study. A sample size of eleven educators participated in an interview and/or a focus group session. Eleven parents participated in an interview and/or a focus group session.

Parents and educators both perceived that technology played an active and positive role with regards to keeping families informed of grades, school events, and other general information. Technology was also considered a useful tool for parent and teacher communication. However, both families and educators articulated the need for effective technology training programs. Educators indicated that current training methods did not always yield positive outcomes. Parents voiced the need for training that would provide the knowledge needed to utilize tools provided by the schools. Parents also voiced concerns regarding assumptions made by schools regarding technology access in the home and a lack of support by schools regarding how to properly use technology applications.