Parents’ and Teachers’ Perceptions of Home-School Journaling as an Effective Method for Two-Way Communication and Collaboration

Abstract

Home-school journals are a tool used for two-way communication between student’s parents and teachers. A typical home-school journal is given entries once a week. The entries include information about the student, and the class in general. The purpose of this study was to see how effective parents and teachers find these journals to be, and what observable effects the journals have on the collaboration of parents and teachers. The study took place in a school in eastern United States that teaches children with multiple and severe disabilities. The school has a very ethnically and socioeconomically diverse population. Eight parents of students aged thirteen to twenty one and five teachers were surveyed. The survey for the parents included seven questions and an eighth spot for parents to include any additional comments. The teacher survey included eight questions. Parents had very positive attitudes towards the journals, with the majority feeling that it was one of the best ways of communication with teachers. However, most preferred multiple avenues of communication as opposed to only one. Parents found the content to be helpful, however many wanted additional information, often pertaining to the physical health of the student. Issues with the journals included privacy, and inconsistency. Teachers expressed frustration with journals that lacked participation from parents. Often teachers felt that parents were not even reading the journals at all. In situations where the parents would respond, the teachers’ attitudes were much more positive. Most parents and teachers agreed that the journals increased collaboration.