Understanding Heterogeneous Patterns of Family Engagement With Educational Technology to Inform School-Family Communication in Linguistically Diverse Communities

This CEPR READS Lab study explored how more than 3,500 families engaged with two forms of technology-based communication—an educational app and two-way texting—during the summers of 2019 and 2020. Using Latent Profile Analysis, researchers identified six types of family engagement patterns, revealing that most families favored either the app or texting but rarely both. Families also showed consistent preferences for engaging during either business or non-business hours. These findings suggest that schools should use a variety of communication approaches to meet families’ diverse needs and increase equitable access to learning supports.

Read more about the READS Lab at readslab.org/research.