In some school districts, home visits are specified in the teacher's contract. Teachers in Cleveland and Rochester, N.Y., for example, are expected to make contacts with parents. But not everyone agrees that home visits should be an explicit working condition in teacher contracts. For those teachers who step inside a child's home, a transformation almost always takes place. Mostly, the changes take place in teachers' attitudes and assumptions once they see families up close and hear their stories.
Sidebars offer tips for home visits and list references.
They are prepared under the supervision of Philip K. Piele, professor and director, ERIC Clearinghouse on Educational Management at the University of Oregon. Reproduced with permission from the June 1999 issue of The American School Board Journal . The American School Board Journal is an editorially independent publication of the National School Boards Association. Opinions expressed by this magazine or any of its authors do not necessarily reflect positions of the National School Boards Association. This article may be printed out and photocopied for individual or educational use, provided this copyright notice appears on each copy.