Bridging the Gap

Every year, children make countless transitions between two learning environments—home and school. They also transition between two sets of educators—parents and teachers. Without connecting both contexts, children’s academic and behavioral needs are at risk of being lost in translation.

TAPP bridges the gap by bringing teachers and parents together to support positive outcomes for students.

How does TAPP work?

TAPP builds partnerships between parents and teachers to help solve children's behavioral and academic challenges. TAPP’s individualized approach uses a problem-solving and decision-making process to build on student strengths, create a plan for success and monitor outcomes. Using this research-based model, a consultant works with parents and teachers to address student needs.

TAPP provides teachers and parents a process for:

Identifying and prioritizing a student’s learning and behavioral needs
Selecting goals and strategies to be used cooperatively at home and school
Implementing a joint plan at home and school
Evaluating the plan and monitoring the student’s progress

TAPP is characterized by:

Trust. To actively include families in the educational decision-making process, teachers must trust families, and families in turn must trust teachers and take an active role in supporting their child’s learning and development.
Two-way communication. Establishing effective communication allows both sides to understand the other’s needs and goals. It provides parents with an understanding of the teacher’s expectations, while providing teachers with important knowledge about the family’s background.
Perspective taking. Considering a child’s education from different vantage points leads to more available information, better decision-making and improved outcomes.
Clear roles. Parents are knowledgeable about rules and routines at home, while teachers are knowledgeable about classroom expectations. Other contributors, including consultants or counselors, may add expertise regarding assessment, intervention and problem solving.
Collaboration and cooperation. Partners build common ground to determine mutual priorities and adjust plans for maximum success.
Shared responsibility. Parents and teachers share responsibility for solving problems at home and school. They communicate clear goals, strategies and expectations to students and work toward the same outcomes.

What are the benefits of using TAPP?

For the past 20 years, researchers have documented significant benefits for children, parents and teachers who use the TAPP model.

Benefits for children include:

Improved academic behaviors, including active engaged time and compliance
Improved social behaviors, including adaptive skills and self-control
Reduction in problem behaviors, including defiance, teasing and talking back
Consistency between home and school environments

Benefits for teachers include:

Improved classroom climate
Better relationships with parents
Enhanced management skills for students with behavioral issues

Benefits for parents include:

Improved communication with children and teachers
Frequent updates on how children are performing in school
Meaningful input on classroom goals and strategies
Opportunities to use TAPP-inspired strategies with other children

Partnering Tips

How to make the most of the TAPP process and create healthy parent-teacher relationships.

Form Relationships

Children benefit most when their caregivers and teachers know one another and have some basic information about “how things work” at home and school.
One of the basic building blocks of strong parent-teacher relationships is a focus on children’s strengths and the strengths of the partnership.

Create Ways to Become and Stay Engaged

Engagement—between parents and teachers, and with their student—is essential to help children feel valued and important.
Efforts to remain connected, no matter how small, will help create deep and meaningful consistency for the child at home and at school.

Communicate Two Ways

Both parents and teachers have important information to share when it comes to a child they both know well.
Make sure that communication is frequent and clear, and that everyone has an equal chance to speak and to listen.

Structure Consistent Opportunities for Learning and Behavior

Look for similar ways to create structured learning opportunities across home and school, because these connections can help children be successful in both places.
Reinforce children’s positive behaviors at home and school to help them experience consistent messages.

Collaborate to Achieve Goals and Solve Problems

Both parents and teachers have important information and ideas that can help when a student is having a problem.
Children show more improvement when teachers and parents work together to create a plan, decide on strategies, and practice them at school and home.

What Teachers are Saying about TAPP

Meet the TAPP Team