How to Share Community Research Projects With Families in Your Teacher Newsletter

Community research projects are among the most ambitious classroom assignments because they move learning beyond the school building and into the real world. Students who interview a local business owner about economic changes, survey neighbors about park use, or document the history of a neighborhood building are producing original research that no textbook contains. Families who understand the project can support it meaningfully and in some cases participate directly as research subjects.

Explain what community research is

"Community research is an assignment where students investigate a real question about their local community using primary sources: interviews with people who have relevant experience or knowledge, direct observations of places or events, surveys of community members, or documentation of physical sites. The research is original, meaning it does not exist before your student collects it. The community is not just the context for the learning. It is the subject."

Describe the current community research topic and questions

"Our current community research project asks students to investigate how the neighborhood around our school has changed over the past twenty years. Student research questions include: How has the demographic makeup of the area changed? What businesses have opened and closed? What do longtime residents think has improved or gotten worse? What do newer residents value about the neighborhood? Each student is responsible for at least two interviews and two observations or documentation visits."

Tell families how they can participate

"If you or a family member have lived in this neighborhood for more than ten years, you are a primary source. Your student may ask to interview you for their project. If they do, take it seriously. The interview questions they ask were developed in class and reviewed by me. A family member who gives a genuine and detailed interview contributes primary source data that will shape the student's analysis and ultimately their final presentation."

Explain the safety and logistics of community research

"All community observation visits are conducted in groups of two or three and must take place in publicly accessible spaces. Students are not required to enter private property or visit any location they do not feel safe in. Any interview conducted outside of school time must include a parent or guardian present. If your student schedules an interview, please accompany them and feel free to listen, though the interview itself is conducted by the student."

Describe how research findings will be shared

"Students will present their findings at our community research showcase at the end of the unit. The audience will include classmates, families, and any community members who participated as interview subjects and want to see what students found. Each student will present their research question, methodology, key findings, and one recommendation based on what they learned. Details on the showcase date and format will be in next month's newsletter."

Note what the research process teaches beyond the topic

"Students who complete community research learn skills that go beyond this particular topic: how to form a specific research question, how to ask interview questions that produce useful answers, how to take field notes, and how to analyze patterns across multiple sources. These are the skills journalists, social scientists, urban planners, and documentarians use. Learning them in the context of a neighborhood students actually know makes the skills stick."

Sharing community research findings in a Daystage newsletter gives families a window into learning that happens outside the classroom and shows the community what students found when they started asking real questions.