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FAMILY INVOLVEMENT
Creating Home-School Partnerships
So That All Children Succeed
Anne Thompson
Miami-Dade County Public Schools
Office of Parental Involvement
305-995-1233
[email protected]
A New Wave of Evidence:
The Impact of School,
Family and Community
Connections on
Student Achievement
By Anne T. Henderson
and Karen L. Mapp
www.sedl.org/connections
Overall Finding:
When families are
involved at home and
at school -Children do better in
school, and the
schools get better
If Parents are Involved, Students from
All Backgrounds Tend To:
 Earn higher grades and test scores
 Enroll in higher-level programs
 Be promoted and earn credits
 Adapt well to school and attend regularly
 Have better social skills and behavior
 Graduate and go on to higher education
Finding #1: Link to Learning
Parent and community
involvement that is
designed to improve
student learning has
a greater effect on
achievement.
Parent Impact: Middle-High School
Greatest impact on student achievement:
High expectations for student success
Discussing plans for future education
Helping students prepare for college
Monitoring progress
Knowledge of courses and classes
(Catsambis, 1998; Ho and Willms, 1996)
Finding #2: Programs Work
Parents will attend
workshops on helping
children
Parents will use this
information to help their
children
 Students will do better
as a result
Finding #3: Advocacy is Protective
The more families
can be advocates for
children and support
their progress, the
better their children
do, and the longer
they stay, in school.
What are Advocates?
1. Know how system works
2. Work with school staff to plan for
children’s future
3. Guide children through
the system
4. Know where to get
help
5. Speak out for other
parents
Finding #4: All Families Contribute
Families of all backgrounds are
involved at home.
Talk about school
Help plan for higher
education
Keep focused on learning
and homework.
Encourage their children
Finding #5: Working with
Community Groups Gets Results
• Upgraded school facilities
• Improved school leadership and staffing
• Higher quality learning programs
• Resources to improve teaching and
curriculum
• Funding for after-school programs and
family supports
(Lewis, Mediratta and Fruchter, 2002)
Findings #6-8: Practices that Work
to Engage All Families
Focus on building
personal relationships
Reach out and remove
barriers
Address class and
cultural differences
Parents Are More Likely to Become
Involved When:
Parents understand that they SHOULD be
involved
Parents feel CAPABLE of making a
contribution
Parents feel INVITED by the school and
their children
(Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler, 1997)
Where does your School Fall?
1. Partnership School: We do WHATEVER IT
TAKES to work with families so all
students succeed
2. Open-door School: We offers lots of
ways for parents to be involved
3. Come-if-we-call School: Parents are
welcome when we set the terms
4. Fortress School: Parents belong at
HOME
What can YOU do?
 Encourage conversations with other parents about how their
children learn, what seems to help them.
 Organize small gatherings at home, church, community centers or
schools nearby; invite parents to talk about what they consider
important in education. Keep inviting!
 Don’t give up on parents.
 Keep working with teachers and other personnel to establish
connections between families and the school.
 Keep showing respect for each family, no matter what your feelings
are about how good or bad they are as parents.
 Encourage parents who have concerns to talk to the teachers,
counselors or principals. Offer to go as support with them if they
feel embarrassed or shy.
 Remember: it’s all about the children!
We need a new vision for
parent involvement
A vision that matches the reality of
the 21st Century