SACRAMENTO, Calif. — September 19 – 24, 2022, is National Parent Teacher Home Visits Week, a newly launched observance highlighting the benefits of building trusting relationships between educators and families through a brief, off-campus visit.

This week, dozens of schools and communities will observe PTHV Week by:

• Conducting home visits to families, many with their principals, superintendents, and other education leaders in tow
• Awarding teachers who conduct the most visits or otherwise raise awareness
• Advocating to start or expand a home visit practice
• Informing the community about the benefits of home visits

“This is an opportunity to build energy and motivation around the Parent Teacher Home Visit practice,” said Gina Martinez-Keddy, Executive Director of PTHV.

“For 25 years, we’ve watched this simple, but profound practice transform the lives of educators, families, and students. As we head back to school, we want to bring attention to a family engagement practice that can bolster learning and transform school environments.”

Parent Teacher Home Visits is a national organization that trains educators to build relationships with families to support the academic achievement and social-emotional development of students. At the heart of a home visit is a conversation about the hopes and dreams parents and teachers have for the student.

Three independent studies conducted by Johns Hopkins and RTI International demonstrate that PTHV works. Home visits have a positive effect on reading and math proficiency. It improves attendance, and the evidence also shows it increases student motivation, encourages students to apply to college, produces more positive discipline outcomes, and results in changed mindsets on the part of educators and families.

As students head back to school and as schools attempt to recover lost learning, families are a key piece of the puzzle. But many barriers prevent productive partnerships. Educators who are trained in the PTHV model break down those barriers by developing trust with families, who go on to support and advocate for their children’s learning. PTHV Week is our opportunity to showcase what can happen when schools and families unite.

Last school year, at the height of the pandemic, educators from 525 school sites across the country conducted 26,507 Parent Teacher Home Visits. PTHV trained 8,234 teachers in the PTHV model of home visits. The organization’s national network spans 28 states, plus Washington, DC, and continues to expand.

For more information about Parent Teacher Home Visits week, visit https://pthvp.org/pthv-silver-anniversary/national-pthv-week.