Program Description
FASTalk (Families and Schools Talk) is a family engagement tool that seeks to promote equity and build partnerships between teachers and historically underserved families by sharing engaging, at-home learning activities via text messages in each family’s home language.
Program Outcomes
A retrospective evaluation of FASTalk was conducted in two schools in Baton Rouge, Louisiana during the 2018-2019 school year. Students of parents who had signed up to receive three text messages per week for 8 weeks to support literacy development at home were matched with students not enrolled in the program. Data was collected from 231 students (69 FASTalk, 162 control), 99% were Black and 93% qualified for free and reduced-price lunch. After accounting for pretest differences, FASTalk students demonstrated significantly higher growth than their non-FASTalk peers on the spring iSTEEP literacy assessment (effect size = +0.39). These results qualify FASTalk for an ESSA Promising rating.
An additional qualifying quasi-experimental study of 330 Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) kindergarten students matched students in schools who participated in FASTalk with students in the schools who did not participate in FASTalk. The study found that FASTalk students demonstrated 1.1 months of additional literacy gains when compared to the matched comparison group.
Staffing Requirements
No additional staffing required.
Professional Development/Training
Optional PD and training available for administrators and educators.
Technology
Families only need a text message-enabled phone.