Causal Study Shows TalkingPoints’ Universal Family Engagement Platform Drove 24% Decrease in Absence Rates
Quasi-Experimental Study Highlights the Impact of Effective Family-School Partnerships on Student Attendance
San Francisco, CA — TalkingPoints, an education technology nonprofit dedicated to improving student outcomes through effective family-school partnerships, announced today the findings of a new causal research study, Effective Family-School Partnerships Lead to Improved Student Attendance. The study reveals that using TalkingPoints resulted in statistically significant improvements in attendance rates in Tulsa Public Schools.
Researchers found that using the TalkingPoints Universal Family Engagement platform led to an average 24% decrease in absenteeism rates for K-7 students across all grades with sufficient sample sizes (K-5, 7).
On average, the study showed attendance gains equating to an additional two days in school per student during the term studied. If projected over a full school year, this could mean an average of six extra days in school per student.
Notably, attendance improvements for Spanish-speaking students were even more pronounced than those for their English-speaking peers.
“This research reinforces the powerful impact that effective family engagement can have on student success, particularly in improving attendance and increasing learning time,” said Heejae Lim, founder and CEO of TalkingPoints. “We are witnessing a growing recognition among district leaders that family-school partnerships are critical for improving educational outcomes, and the TalkingPoints platform has proven to significantly scale and improve these outcomes”
This study adds to a growing body of evidence showing that using TalkingPoints contributes to improved student outcomes.
In a previous third-party validated quasi-experimental study conducted in a large, urban school district, TalkingPoints was found to improve academic achievement and attendance overall, with particularly significant gains for Black students, Latino students, students with disabilities, and English language learners. Students saw an average increase of 9 points in state standardized math test scores—equating to about seven months of additional learning. Additionally, the study found that using TalkingPoints resulted in a 7% improvement in course proficiency in both English language arts and math. Further, the absenteeism rate decreased by 15% in schools using TalkingPoints compared to those that did not, with even greater attendance improvements among traditionally underserved students.
To learn more, download the full research report at https://talkingpts.org/research/.
About TalkingPoints
TalkingPoints is an education technology nonprofit with the mission to drive student success by unlocking the superpower of effective family-school partnerships. The TalkingPoints award-winning Universal Family Engagement platform helps educators improve student and district outcomes through scalable, research-based best practices for family engagement. Across districts nationwide, TalkingPoints has empowered more than five million educators and families, facilitating nearly one billion conversations that drive student success.
Named by Common Sense Education as “the best overall family communication platform for teachers and schools,” TalkingPoints leads to gains in attendance rates and academic performance, as shown by rigorous, externally validated causal research. To learn more, view our TED Talk or visit talkingpts.org.
Media Contact: Heather Dooley
Senior Director, Brand Marketing & Communications
heather@talkingpts.org
415-713-8942
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