Policy, Research, and Evaluation is currently conducting an evaluation of Academic Parent Teacher Teams (APTT) in New York City middle schools. APTT is a family engagement model developed by WestEd that replaces the traditional parent-teacher conference with three whole-classroom sessions per year. Sessions are designed to give parents a chance to interact with the teacher and interact with one another. Further, parents receive data on their child’s academic performance and learn strategies to work on academic skills at home with their child.
In partnership with the NYC Department of Education and the Middle School Quality Initiative (MSQI), we are studying the impact of the APTT model on parent-teacher relationships and academic outcomes. Currently, 11 MSQI schools in New York City implement the APTT model. All 11 schools will be included in the study, with three schools selected for more in-depth study including focus groups and observations of APTT activities. Three comparison middle schools will also be included in the study.