Our Mission

To increase academic achievement, attendance and parental involvement, and decrease discipline referrals, by having teachers go to the homes of their students to get their parent/guardians involved in their children’s education.

We've just launched a new discussion forum so the community can weigh in, offer your comments and observations, and ask any questions you may have about HomeWorks! The Teacher Home Visit Program. We can't wait to hear from you.

Karen Kalish – founder of HOME WORKS! The Teacher Home Visit Program – talked with Don Marsh about the program on St. Louis on the Air on Monday, May 9. Listen to the interview here in MP3 format or Windows Media.

Read the full 2009-2010 Final Evaluation Report on HOME WORKS! The Teacher Home Visit Program prepared by independent evaluators at the University of Missouri–St. Louis. Or, read just the Executive Summary of the report. ()

HOME WORKS! The Teacher Home Visit Program places teachers and other educators in the homes of their students in order to improve the relationship and communication among teachers, parents, and students. Home visits are viewed by many as a “magic bullet” or the third leg of a three-legged educational stool which includes principals and teachers. Without parental involvement, most students will not succeed academically. Home visits by teachers and other school personnel get parents involved in their child's education — and let parents and children know how much teachers care. Home visits give teachers the insights they need to help their students succeed academically and to help families feel connected so they can be a support to their children.

A History of Teacher Home Visits

Home visits aren't a new idea. Parents as Teachers and some hospitals provide them from birth to age three. Many kindergartens in the U.S. require home visits before school starts. In 1998, teachers in California and Texas began teacher home visits. The results in only a few years were significant - there was an increase in academic achievement and test scores, improved attendance and homework completion, a significant increase in parental involvement, improved attitudes about school by both student and the parent, and there was a decrease in discipline problems.

Home Works! was inspired by those programs. Since we began four years ago, we have been in St. Louis Public Schools, Valley Park Elementary, Meramec Elementary in Clayton Public Schools, Normandy Schools and Maplewood Richmond Heights School District. Presently, we are in 17 schools – four in St. Louis Public, three in University City, all four in Maplewood Richmond Heights, four in De Soto (Mo.) schools, one charter middle – South City Prep, and one charter high school – Construction Careers Center.

In just three years, the Teacher Home Visit Program has become a critical component of MRH’s success, and the results have been quite startling. At the end of the first semester of the 2010-2011 school year, attendance is up 1.29% from the previous year, and discipline throughout the district is down an amazing 45% from the year before. Parent attendance at our first open house in each of the schools was up by almost 20% as well.
Linda Henke – MRH Superintendent

Almost overnight, we found significant improvement in the attendance and academic performance of those freshmen who had a home visit. The teacher home visit program is a simple idea that allows educators to make that connection and increase student performance. This program works. We plan to expand this program next year and conduct visits before the school year begins.
Paul Mackay, Construction Careers Center

Evaluation

HOME WORKS! uses an outside, independent evaluation team to assess its effectiveness. Based upon the goals of the program, the team collects school record data and evaluates whether the program has influenced academic performance, attendance, and student behaviors. In addition, the team collects qualitative data through interviews, focus groups and surveys of school administrators, on-site coordinators, teachers, parents/guardians and students. This information is used to examine the perceived effectiveness of the program in enhancing the relationship between parents/guardians and school personnel, and increasing parent/guardian involvement in school. Evaluation data are also used to make recommendations to HOME WORKS! staff for program enhancement.