Teacher Newsletter for Khan Academy: Set Up Students for Home Practice

Khan Academy is one of the most powerful free learning tools available to any classroom. But a student who has an account and no guidance from home often uses it inconsistently or not at all. Your newsletter is what turns a classroom-assigned platform into a genuine home practice habit.

Introduce Khan Academy and What It Does

Khan Academy is a free, nonprofit learning platform that adapts to each student's level. It provides short instructional videos, practice problems, and immediate feedback on each answer. The platform tracks mastery as students progress through skill sequences. Students have a class account linked to your teacher view, so you can monitor which skills they are working on and how much time they are spending on practice.

Explain the Specific Use in Your Class

Name exactly what your students are using Khan Academy for. Fifth-grade math facts and fractions? Third-grade multiplication through division? A grammar unit? The more specific you are, the more intentional families can be about encouraging their child to work in the right areas. Include any current assignment or recommended skill sequence.

Walk Through the Home Login Process

Students log in through khanacademy.org with their student account credentials. If your school uses Google sign-in, mention that. If students were given a paper with their login details, remind families to find it. A brief one-paragraph login walkthrough prevents the common situation where a student says they cannot find the site and the practice session never happens.

Set Up a Parent Account

Khan Academy allows families to link a parent account that provides a progress dashboard. Your newsletter should include a direct link to the family account setup page and a brief description of what families will see: skill mastery percentages, time on task, and any areas where their child is struggling. Families who can see the data encourage practice differently than families who rely on a daily "did you do your Khan Academy?" question.

Recommend a Weekly Practice Schedule

Give families a specific recommendation: 15 to 20 minutes of practice, three to four times per week, is enough to see meaningful skill improvement. Open-ended encouragement to "practice when you can" is less effective than a specific suggested schedule. Families who plan the practice time in advance are more likely to follow through than those who leave it flexible.

Acknowledge the Engagement Features

Khan Academy includes an energy point system and badges that students can earn through practice. For many students, these motivators are effective. Mentioning them in the newsletter gives families a conversation opener when encouraging practice: "how many energy points did you earn today?" Using Daystage, you can include a screenshot of the progress dashboard in your newsletter so families know what to look for when they check in on their child's account.