As we stare down the barrel of a second wave of school closures, we know one thing for certain: There’s no going around parents. Teachers must work with them and through them, or children will fall further behind with every passing day.

The bad news? Most teachers and parents are ill-prepared to collaborate. This became painfully apparent last spring. The good news? There is a simple process through which educators and families can team up to help kids reach learning goals. Family-Educator Learning Accelerators — FELAs — are five- to 10-week cycles during which teachers and families share a game plan to help kids reach learning goals. They have six essential steps:

  1. Build a team. Each team consists of a teacher, student and family member. Teachers typically initiate a learning accelerator, working with 10 to 15 students in need of academic support.
  2. Find your starting point. It’s important to determine where a student is starting in order to set an ambitious but achievable growth goal. Many teachers use their school’s assessment tools to get a baseline.
  3. Set a goal. Goals are the fuel. They should be quantitative — moving students from one level to the next — and achievable within five to 10 weeks.
  4. Practice, practice, practice. Practice at workshops: Parents and teachers must practice together at least four times to share skills and create mutual accountability. These whole-group workshops can take place in person or virtually.
  5. Check your growth. At the end of the cycle, teachers (and/or parents) readminister the assessment to measure each student’s progress relative to their goal.
  6. Celebrate your achievements. The cycle concludes with a celebration. Experiencing a quick win helps kids, families and teachers crystalize lasting habits.

Read the full article about helping kids progress learning growth during a pandemic by Alejandro Gibes de Gac at The 74.