• Home
• About Edline
• Success Stories
• Edline Schools in the News
• Local schools add programs designed to get parents involved

Local schools add programs designed to get parents involved

The Derrick- -October 26, 2004

While students in local classrooms are using computers to improve their math, reading and writing, a number of local school districts have also added programs designed to get parents involved.

Cranberry is in its second year of using the Edline program, ...

According to Cranberry English teacher Trisha Dixon, who monitors the program, 88 percent of the Cranberry staff is using some part of the Edline system.

A general home page for the entire district includes athletic schedules, the cafeteria menu, weekly bulletins and other information, such as PSSA scores.

Each teacher on the system has a separate page and can post information, including assignments, quizzes, tests, worksheets and class schedules.

Dixon's page also includes a dictionary, a law dictionary, a guide to Modern Language Association documentation style, senior class information and a slang dictionary. She also provides links to valid Web sites on certain class topics.

Students and parents receive separate accounts and access codes and can visit the site 24-hours a day. It is a "very secure" site, according to Dixon, and uses a "state-of-the-art hosting facility that is used by banks."

Parents can view their children's grades whenever they want and are alerted by e-mail when information is updated.

"Instead of finding out from a progress report, they can know how their child is performing day by day," Dixon said.

The progress reports are issued every three weeks, but by then, it may be too late to make a difference in a grade.

One parent, Tammy Flick, is a firm believer in Edline.

Her son, Kyle, "turned his grades around" because of her access to the grades, Flick said.

During one semester, she watched his grades on Edline and they improved. She then told him she would not check his grades and they dropped back down. When she began watching, they went back up, she said.

"They were in the 70s before Edline and are in the 80s now," she said.

She said she has encouraged other parents to use the system.

"They saw my son struggling in school and how he turned around. The only reason I could give was Edline," she said.

"This year my son is going to make honor roll for the first time," she said.

"Parents used to think it was up to the schools and teachers to get their kids on track. But now you have Edline, so you should shoulder half of the burden," she added. "The school is doing their part, now parents need to do their part to meet No Child Left Behind."

The program eliminates "screaming at night" over whether the student has homework, Flick said. It also eliminates questions to the teacher, such as, 'What did we do last Thursday?' and 'Do you have a copy of that?' Dixon said.

Students also have access to their grades on a daily basis and older students especially are taking advantage of the program, she said.

"Some kids don't like it because it holds them accountable," Dixon said. "But it is making them more responsible. They are taking responsibility for their grades."

The program helps facilitate communication between parents and teachers, Dixon said.

"Hopefully it improves communication between parents and students, too," she said.