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- Elicit family input during planning through surveys14, communicate frequently with parents through email and the district’s parent portal17, and continuously improve on technology initiatives by including families on advisory boards14.
- Offer technology demonstrations and hands on learning opportunities17.
- Welcome non-English speaking families in their native language and provide translation services21
- Account for the dynamic family nature in planning for, making decisions about, and training families on educational and assistive technologies10,21..
- Use another parent as an unbiased resource to partner with families19.
| - Integrate the district or school’s student data system with online learning systems, such as Google Classroom, to allow for a single parent-friendly view of student progress and classroom educator feedback3
- Ensure mobile accessibility of EdTech and InfoTech resources21 to allow access for families whose only device is a SmartPhone.
- Simple website navigation and easy to locate technology information are essential considerations to encourage families to make use of technology resources21.
| - Use email and phone for two-way communication and an LMS to post resources15.
- Respond to family communications in a timely manner, even if only to acknowledge receipt 20.
- For students with disabilities, regular communication gives families information about in-school learning with visual examples22.
- Discuss at parent-teacher conferences how EdTech is being used in the classroom and how parents can use the technology at home7.
- Include families in AT planning13 and offer training and resources so families can work with students at home2.
- Allot extra time for family meetings and conferences for non-English speaking families21.
| - Leverage technology to periodically check-in with families and teach them to support their student’s learning at home1,3.
- In virtual public schools, classroom educators need to communicate with families to better equip families to support their student’s learning4.
- Texting and electronic family journals are an opportunity to share daily wins and challenges with family members8,17 23.
- Offer at home technology-based learning activities related to the curriculum to increase student interest in the content18.
- Clearly communicate why and how technology can support student learning outside of school12
- Explain how online learning games can enhance both academic18 and social emotional learning9.
- Train family members to use AT to support at home learning and extend in-school learning to authentic tasks19.
| - ePortfolios allow parents and organizations to see students’ current levels of functioning in the classroom and community7
- They can be used as a baseline for academic, social, and vocational goal setting discussions with families.
- They can show student growth and demonstrate student wins, which many families of students with disabilities often struggle to find amid all the challenges they face raising a special needs child.
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Databases searched: ProQuest Education, PsychInfo, and ERIC
Search criteria:
- Abstract (family or parent or caregiver or guardian or “learning coach”) AND
- Full Text (K-12 or “elementary school” or “high school” or “middle school” or “charter school” �or “school district”) AND
- Full Text (“information technology” or “assistive technology” or “educational technology” or �“instructional technology” or edtech) AND
- Full Text (disability or accessibility or accommodations or modifications or inclusion or diversity �or equity)
- Additional search criteria included: (a) published peer-reviewed articles in full-text, (b) published �between 2010 and 2021, and (c) articles available in English
Number of articles:
- Records screened (n=471)
- Records excluded (total n = 450)
- Not an empirical research study (n = 89)
- Not related to public PK-12 programming (n = 125)
- Study setting not in US (n = 181)
- Study does not center around technology (n = 57)
- Study does not include a family engagement component (n=28)
- Records included (n=21)
Family Engagement within an Inclusive Technology Ecosystem: �A Literature Review
Angel Morgan
“For most of us, technology makes things easier. For a person with a disability, it makes things possible” (Edyburn et al., 2005, p. xiii).
A technology infrastructure that supports inclusive and accessible teaching, learning, and assessment of all students is essential for students with disabilities.
The Center for Inclusive Technology in Education Systems (CITES) project aims to “build the capacity of school districts to use an evidence-based framework to develop, implement, and refine comprehensive, equitable technology ecosystems that include Assistive Technology (AT), Educational Technology (EdTech), and Information Technology (InfoTech)” (CAST, 2021a, p. 3).
CITES framework categories:
- Leadership: Creating a culture and conditions for innovation and change
- Infrastructure: Enabling access and effective use
- Teaching: Teaching with technology
- Learning: Engaging and empowering learning through technology
- Assessment: Measuring learning
The CITES framework recommends that district leaders, school leaders, and classroom educators engage families when applying practices within each of the five CITES framework categories.
Bronfenbrenner’s (1994) Ecological Systems Theory posits that multiple layers of social influence from within the child’s environment influence their development. Figure 1 shows the five CITES framework categories contextualized within the ecological systems model to visualize the inclusive technology ecosystem.
Figure 1. Inclusive Technology Ecosystem
Purpose and Research Questions
Purpose: To review the existing research based pertaining to family engagement by district leaders, school leaders, and classroom educators about inclusive planning and use of AT, EdTech, and InfoTech in K-12 public schools.
Research Questions:
- How do district and school leaders engage families in EdTech and AT infrastructure initiatives?
- How do classroom educators engage families when planning for teaching and learning experiences using AT and EdTech?
- How do families describe ways in which district leaders, school leaders, and classroom educators engage them when planning for and implementing technology infrastructure and using AT and EdTech for teaching and learning?
Chronosystem: An opportunity to learn from the past, make informed �decisions in the present, and continuously improve upon the inclusive technology ecosystem over time. Changes to laws and policies resulting from CITES project outcomes may lead to a new element of the chronosystem: an education system where inclusive and accessible technology is standard.
Macrosystem Cultural norms, belief systems, educational laws, and policies, that influences equitable access to learning technologies. Outcomes of the CITES project have potential to influence laws and policies in the macrosystem.
Exosystem Educational leaders within the exosystem are accountable for leadership practices, such as creating the technology vision with aligned goals and writing a strategic technology implementation plan, help to optimize efforts in the inner three layers.
Mesosystem Infrastructure, the hardware, software and connectivity used by a school or district, guided by responsible use policies, supports transformational learning experiences.
Microsystem Classroom educators within the microsystem should use technology to support teaching and assessment through student-centered learning, designing accessible formative assessments, and analyzing formative assessment data so all students can demonstrate what they know and are able to do.
Students The goal is to engage and empower student learning through inclusive technology practices.
This content was developed under a grant from the US Department of Education. However, the contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the US Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. Project Officer: Anita Vermeer, M.Ed.