The most powerful yet overlooked resource in schools | Heejae Lim
Sep 18, 2023
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Education technology entrepreneur and TED Fellow Heejae Lim discusses the power of family engagement in schools and highlights tools and tech that can remove language barriers and foster meaningful connections. Shawnee Dowell joins to share insights on additional tools for healthier relationships. The podcast explores the impact of family-school collaboration, the power of parents in student success, and improving communication channels.
When families and schools work together, everyone benefits, leading to improved student support and empowered families.
Parent engagement is crucial for a child's educational success, and technology can be used to tap into the incredible potential of parents, regardless of their background.
Deep dives
Empowering Parents to Connect with Teachers and Schools
The podcast episode discusses the importance of empowering all parents, regardless of their background or circumstances, to have meaningful conversations with their children's teachers and schools. It highlights the role of Heejay Lim, founder of Talking Points, an educational technology nonprofit, in removing systemic barriers and fostering effective and equitable family engagement. Talking Points uses mobile phones to bridge language barriers, allowing teachers to communicate with parents in their own languages and vice versa. By breaking down language barriers and providing a platform for communication, Talking Points has connected millions of families and educators, leading to improved student support, empowered families, and easier teacher roles. The episode emphasizes that when families and schools work together, everyone benefits, fostering inclusive communities and creating positive change in education.
The Power of Parent Engagement in Education
The podcast episode underscores the significance of parent engagement in a child's educational success. It highlights research indicating that a family's engagement is more important for student achievement than their wealth. Parents are seen as a child's first teacher, and as children spend the majority of their waking hours outside the classroom, the role of families becomes crucial. The episode introduces the concept of using technology to tap into the incredible potential of parents, regardless of their language or socioeconomic background. By leveraging mobile phones and bridging cultural and knowledge differences, educational organizations like Talking Points enable parents and teachers to communicate effectively. The emphasis is on empowering parents and recognizing their inherent asset in shaping their child's education.
The Impact of Feedback and Strengthening Schools
The podcast episode explores the importance of feedback and its impact on strengthening schools and organizations. It delves into the work of POSSIP, an organization that collects feedback from school communities, including families, students, and staff. Using quick text message or web-based surveys in multiple languages, POSSIP democratizes the feedback process, giving voice to every individual and incorporating their perspectives. By engaging with their communities and adjusting based on the feedback received, schools can build stronger foundations, predict and respond to challenges, and prevent future instability. The episode highlights the need for institutions to value and consider the opinions of their stakeholders, ultimately leading to more inclusive and stable schools that positively impact society as a whole.
“When teachers and families work together, everyone wins,” says education technology entrepreneur and TED Fellow Heejae Lim. In this episode of TED Business, we’re revisiting a talk that shines a light on an underutilized resource in US public education -- a family's love for their children -- and shows that, with the right tools and tech, schools can remove language barriers, foster meaningful connections and help every student thrive. After the talk, educational tech entrepreneur Shani Dowell joins our host Modupe to share insights on tools that schools and families can use to work together.
