Involving families in learning is key to student success. Students who have parents who are actively involved in their schooling have higher grades, enrol in higher-level programs, graduate from high school and go on to post-secondary education (Henderson and Mapp, 2002). Educational apps are needed to:
- Better connect families of all backgrounds to school communities
- Improve communication between teachers and families
- Help families reinforce in-class learning at home
The following provides a few examples of apps that have been developed to increase family engagement.
The Apps for Education Platform by WillowTree allows a school district or educational institution to produce a customizable app or mobile optimized website that allows authorized family members to access school news and student information through a single log in.
Remind (formerly Remind 101) is a free and safe communication app that allows parents and students to receive announcements by text, emails and smartphone notifications. It also allows for two-way chats. Remind is among the top ten free educational apps currently listed in Google Play. It has more than 25 million registered users globally, including 1.5 million teachers.
FreshGrade is a free web and mobile-based app that uses digital portfolios to increase communication between teachers, students and their families. FreshGrade offers three versions of its app: Teacher, Student, and Parent. FreshGrade is currently only available for iOS.
Opportunities for Educational Apps 
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