Teachers making house calls

Ohio and most states lack a formal home-visit program.

CLEVELAND (AP) — It’s usually the parents who visit schools when they sense trouble in their children’s education, but a number of teachers and administrators in Cleveland are turning the tables and are making house calls.

Teachers at Citizens’ Academy, a charter school that enrolls kids from some of Cleveland’s poorest neighborhoods, visited the homes of all of its 400 pupils before the current school year began.

In October, a group of Cleveland public school teachers, administrators and volunteers visited the homes of more than 1,000 seniors who need to pass one or more parts of the Ohio Graduation Test to get a diploma next spring. Ohio’s largest district made a similar sweep last spring for sophomores before they took the test for the first time.

“We had dogs barking in the yard and grandma coming over for lunch,” said Cleveland schools Chief Executive Eugene Sanders. “But people seemed very appreciative that we came. It went a long way toward solidifying the notion that the district values their children.”

Schools in Sacramento, Calif., pioneered the idea of home visits in 1998 after parents complained about getting a less than enthusiastic reception at their child’s school.

Sacramento Area Congregations Together, a faith-based, grass-roots group of parents and activists, thought of the idea, which was embraced by the school district as well as the Sacramento City Teachers Association, a union.

The three groups operate the nonprofit Parent/Teacher Home Visit Project, which helps other districts in California apply for state grants to make home visits possible.

The state this year will provide $15 million in grants for the program. Schools can receive $15,000 to $35,000, depending on their size. Low-performing schools — and schools for blind and deaf children — get priority.

Ohio and most states lack a formal home-visit program, but individual districts and schools are moving forward with the idea. At Citizens’ Academy, homeroom teachers visit each of their students’ families.

During home visits, teachers and families set expectations for the coming school year and share tips on how they can help one another. Teachers also bring the children a bag of school supplies.

“Home visits demonstrate to our families in a very personal way that we value them as partners in their children’s long-term success,” said Perry White, Citizens’ founder and director. “That partnership has been a critical factor in our students’ overcoming the achievement gap.”

White said home visits helped the academy increase the parent-teacher conference attendance rate to 91 percent and equal or surpass the state average on six of nine achievement tests last year.

Parent Tawina Bizzell simply appreciated the chance to get to know her son’s teacher before the school year.

“The teachers can see the situations that the children are coming from,” Bizzell said.

Citizens’ teacher Beth Crossan was initially skeptical about the program’s value but changed her mind after making all her visits.

“They really solidify the connection between home and school,” she said.