A new group of digitally-proactive parents is emerging in K-12 school communities and driving the demand for more effective use of technology in the classroom and in school-to-home connections. Meet the new digital parents -- already a cohort sizeable enough not to be ignored. In fact, key data markers from Project Tomorrow’s 2012 Speak Up survey indicate that 37% of parents of K-12 students fit the profile of the new digital parent. In this presentation, we provide ground breaking research on digital parents and how they’re driving change in K-12 schools. We also cover key characteristics and technology behaviors of digital parents; how they’ll influence the way your district connects, communicates, and collaborates with parents; and steps you can take now to better connect with digital parents.

1. DIGITAL PARENTS WEBINAR

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4. DIGITAL PARENTS WEBINAR

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8. Speak Up National Research Project
Annual national research project
 Online surveys + focus groups
 Open for all K-12 schools and schools of education
 Institutions receive free report with their own data
Collect ideas ↔ Stimulate conversations
 K-12 Students, Teachers, Parents, Administrators
 Pre-Service Teachers in Schools of Education
Inform policies & programs
 Analysis and reporting of findings and trends
 Consulting services to help transform teaching and learning
+ 3 million surveys since 2003

9. Speak Up National Research Project - 2012
 K-12 Students 364,233
 Teachers & Librarians 56,346
 Parents (in English & Spanish) 39,713
 School/District Administrators 5,511
 Technology Leaders 500
 About the participating schools & districts
o 8,020 schools and 2,431 districts
o 30% urban / 43% rural / 27% suburban
o All 50 states + DC
o Honor Roll of States with highest participation:
TX, CA, OH, IN, AL, NC, WI, AZ, FL, PA

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11. How Important is the Use of Technology to Student Success?
© Project Tomorrow 2013

12. Cell phone
without
Internet
access
Smartphone Tablet
computer
Parents in
2008
90% 32% 5%
Parents in
2012
35% 73% 49%
Parents are mobilists!
Personal Access to Mobile Devices – from 2008 to 2012
© Project Tomorrow 2013

13. Parents have first hand experience with online learning
I have taken an online class:
For work or job training 43%
For an academic/college program 29%
To learn new skills 22%
To explore a hobby 13%
For traffic school 7%
* Since 2009 – increase of 65 percent!
© Project Tomorrow 2013

14. New Digital Parent Profile
Profile based upon:
 Parents’ value proposition for the use of technology in
education
 Their personal usage of mobile devices
 Their personal experience with online learning
 And parents’ strong interest in digital school-to-home
communications

15. New Digital Parent Profile
 Value proposition for the use of technology in education
 Personal usage of mobile devices
 Personal experience with online learning
 Strong interest in digital school-to-home communications
37% of parents of school-aged children
fit this profile today

16. What administrators need to know:
other key characteristics or expectations
1. Distribution of digital parents within the grade bands
 30% of parents with students in K-2
 36% of parents with students in Gr 3-5
 40% of parents with students in Gr 6-8
 38% of parents with students in Gr 9-12
© Project Tomorrow 2013

17. What administrators need to know:
other key characteristics or expectations
1. Distribution of digital parents within the grade bands
 30% of parents with students in K-2
 36% of parents with students in Gr 3-5
 40% of parents with students in Gr 6-8
 38% of parents with students in Gr 9-12
2. Digital parents are social media users!
 51% use Skype
 65% regularly update a social networking site
 19% are tweeting
© Project Tomorrow 2013

18. What administrators need to know:
other key characteristics or expectations
3. They say “yes” to students’ use of mobile devices in class
 89% want their child in a class where mobile devices
are being used
© Project Tomorrow 2013

19. What administrators need to know:
other key characteristics or expectations
3. They say “yes” to students’ use of mobile devices in class
 89% want their child in a class where mobile devices are
being used
4. They want more digital school to home communications, too!
 47% want their child’s teacher or school to communicate
with them via text messaging
 23% want to follow class activities using a class blog – up
from 2% in 2006
© Project Tomorrow 2013

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25. DIGITAL PARENTS WEBINAR
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support parent/family involvement,
visit our website www.schoolwires.com
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