Teacher Home Visits

By: Heather Phillips

Why Home visits?
The act of visiting a student’s home and meeting
with his/her family on their property is
ground-shaking concept in the education realm. It
is one of the only practices that shows
overwhelmingly beneficial effects to all parties.
Home visits allow teachers to engage with their
students’ home lives and create relationships with
their families. These relationships shape much of
that student’s classroom experience.
 Benefits
Home visits are proven to have lasting impacts on
students, teachers, and families.

➔ Relationships
Student-teacher relationships are a key factor
in student achievement and perception of
education overall. Home visits foster these
relationships.

➔ Academic & Behavioral Improvement

These visits positively impact students’
academic achievement and behavior in the
classroom

➔ Break Cultural Barriers

Educators are able to see first hand the
diverse backgrounds their students come
from. Home visits bust all assumptions
Home Visit History
2013
1960-1990
Home visits used by PTHVP partnered with
school districts and
Head Start and Home
teachers unions across
Start to teach the country to expand
parenting the program

2017
Over 200 schools
1998
have implemented
Parent Teacher Home home visit programs
Visit Program and many require
developed in visits by their
Sacramento, CA teachers
Home Visits and their impact today.
Video (Stop @ 2:49)
 Parent-Teacher
Relationships
Engaging parents and families in their children’s
education has the ability to be far more
transformational than any other type of educational
reform

➔ Home visits give value to the families

They illustrate to the families that the parents,
teachers, and students are all a team. The
parent is the expert

➔ Encourages parents to get involved

When issues with the student occur, the
parents are more likely to work with the
teacher to solve them and they want to have
an active role in the school
 Student-Teacher
Relationships
As we have discussed, a strong relationship
between a student and teacher has life-altering
power. These strong, positive relationships are
essential for student success.

➔ Authentic view of the kids

The home visits allow educators to more fully
understand the students by seeing firsthand
what their life outside of school looks like

➔ Mutual trust and respect is created

The students are more comfortable and
connect deeper with teachers that have
visited their home. They are more likely to
open up to these educators because the kids
know they care
Academics & Behavior
Home visits have shown to positively impact
students both academically and behaviorally

➔ 75% of teachers saw positive

change in classroom behavior of
students after visiting their
homes**
Teachers described changes such as
students being able to focus for longer
periods of time, engaging in lessons, and
positively interacting with classmates

➔ Children receiving home visits do

better, academically, in school
Home visiting programs have resulted in an
increase in academic achievement and test
scores, improved attendance and
homework completion, increased and
improved attitudes about school*** **Stetson et. all (2012) *** Henke, 2011, pg. 39
 Culture
There is often a starch contrast between the
cultures of the teacher and his/her students,
but home visits may aid in bridging that
cultural gap.

➔ Key to truly understanding

students and their families
Educators are able to gain a cultural
context that they “don’t get to learn about
within the classroom setting, “and discover
the funds of knowledge of the family *

➔ Provides insight to the “whole

child” & bring it back to the school
Enable teachers to reflect on and apply
what they learn to their lesson plans

*McKibben, 2016, pg.6

Think-Pair-Share What would you do if…

A student in your class

consistently defiant and
resists your instructions. He
also fails to engage in class
activities. During your visit
to his house, you see his room
is filled with football items
and his grandmother sternly
tells him to do things, rather
than ask him like you do at
school. What new insight from
the home visit could you bring
back to the classroom?
How would your
perception change if…
One of your students is
constantly misbehaving, never
does her homework, and often
sleeps in class. You make a
home visit to find her single
mom works 2 jobs and she is in
charge of raising her two
younger siblings. The bus stop
is also nearly a mile from the
family’s home. How does this
change your actions in the
classroom?
What people are saying
I noticed that home visits had
the power to engage
previously unmotivated
students
@PTHVP Twitter
Home visits replace assumptions
with relationships. THey’re
crucial.
Parent Teacher Home Visits, Sacramento, CA
Visiting students and their
families at home is one of the
best things you can do for
that child. It illustrates you
genuinely care.
5th grade teacher, Athens, Ga
Home Visits bridge the gap between
home and school. Between school and
the community.
Now it’s up to you
● Students will be more successful in their
academic achievements, social behaviors, and
more likely to stay in school and develop into
a competent adult *
● Families are able to work with their child’s
educators to ensure the best opportunities of
success for their student.
● Teachers more fully understand the students
that make up their class and can better meet
the individual needs of each child.

Home visits are overwhelmingly effective in

ensuring the best education for our students. They
are the means of creating authentic relationships with
students and showing them their teacher cares.

*Stetson, et. all., 2012

References
Faber, N. (2015). The Professional Educator: Connecting with Students and Families
through Home Visits. American Educator, 39(3), 24-27.

Henke, L. (2011). Connecting with Parents at Home. Educational Leadership, 68(8),

38-41.

McKibben, S. (2016). Homing In on Family Relationships. Education Update, 58(5),

2-6.

Parent Teacher Home Visit website

Stetson, R., Stetson, E., Sinclair, B., & Nix, K. (2012). Home Visits: Teacher
Reflections about Relationships, Student Behavior, and Achievement. Issues In
Teacher Education, 21(1), 21-37.

There’s No Place Like Home Visits with Parents (2009), NEA Today, link