Transcript Parents as Partners in Student Success
Parents as Partners in Student Success
Joan Green, April,2013
Parenthood is a potent spell. Euripides
Parents are the bone on which children sharpen their teeth Peter Ustinov
When I was a kid , my parents moved a lot, but I always found them.
Rodney Dangerfield
Little league Baseball is a very good thing because it keeps parents off the streets Yogi Berra
Thirty years of research shows that parents’ engagement in their children’s education has a significant impact on children’s academic and developmental goals. ( Epstein, 2001); Nye, Turner, and Schwartz, 2006 )
“When schools, families and community groups work together to support learning children tend to do better in school, stay in school longer and like school more.” Report from the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory
The evidence is consistent, positive, and convincing: families have a major influence on their children’s achievement in school and through life. … Research continues to grow and build an ever strengthening case.
National Center for Family & Community Connections with Schools, (SEDL),
It takes a village to raise a child AND It takes a child to raise a village!
Community agencies, educators, parents working together can greatly enhance the quality of the life trajectories of our children !
Benefits for Teachers and Schools
Greater community support
Improved reputation
Higher teacher morale
Greater professional respect
Increased job satisfaction
Constantino has chosen to use the word family family in place of parent as “the word helps to include all of those adults who play a significant role in rearing children including those in the broader community who work in the interests of children.”
Family /School/Community Partnerships Ten Key Strategies for Effective Partnerships: #1 --- Agreeing on core values #2 -- Listening to the school’s community to establish consensus around action #3-- Using data and evidence from prior efforts to set priorities #4 ---Providing relevant , on-site learning opportunities to support collaboration #5 -- Building collaborations with community partners to get buy-in NEA Priority Schools Campaign
#6--- Using the school targetted outreach to focus on high needs groups in the community and #7---Building one-one relationships between families and educators that are linked to learning #8---Setting , communicating and supporting high expectations for all children #9 ---Addressing cultural differences #10-- Connecting community partners specific ways they can serve children and creating opportunities for students to serve the community to NEA Priority Schools Campaign
Community /school partnerships provide fluid mechanisms that help families :
gather information access quality on what their children need to learn in school, services and programs in the community,
secure an understanding that public schools and other public institutions in their neighborhoods exist to help and support them.
All families, but especially those living at or below poverty, need information about quality child care, nutrition, health and other services that directly impact children’s cognitive and behavioral development. Community institutions working together with shared vision collaborate and coordinate strategies to give families comprehensive supports.
Wendy D. Puriefoy ,President of US Public Education Network
KEEPING THE WHOLE CHILD IN FOCUS In communities that work, families can find a nurturing path for young children...
Two main ingredients: 1.Everyone in the community, including families, schools, health and social service providers, and religious, business, and other leaders, works together to create the path.
2. The community has the necessary resources. Members of a community have the opportunity to commit themselves to working together for the good of families to make the most of the resources that are available.
When it is working well:
Families are an integral part of the home, school, and community partnership and the primary decision makers concerning their child’s care and education.
Home, school, and community partners share leadership and guide decision making.
Care and education, health, and social services focus on the and their families.
full range of needs and circumstances of individual children
Services are consistent with the home culture of the families , with communication in the home language.
Home, school, and community partners maintain open communication and respect confidentiality.
Home, school, and community partners work together to build their knowledge and skills and the capacity of community services.
Care and education services are developmentally and culturally appropriate.
Home, school, and community partners document their efforts and use evaluation information practices.
to improve policies, programs, and
The Epstein Model: A Framework for School, Family and Community Partnerships
Parenting: development info on health, nutrition, child
Communicating: consistent and effective ways to keep parents informed about student progress and community and school events and resources
Collaborating with the community: groups and services building links among family, school and community
Learning at home: helping parents support learning and inquiry at home
Volunteering: identifying ways for families and interested community members to volunteer to enhance children’s lives in the school in and outside of school
Decision making: community agencies in establishing school goals and directions including parents and involved
PARENT ENGAGEMENT SUCCESS SCHOOL
regular school attendance,
better social skills, improved behavior,
better adaptation to school,
increased social capital,
a greater sense of personal competence and efficacy for learning, greater engagement in school work, and
a stronger belief in the importance of education ( Henderson & Mapp, 2002; Hoover-Dempsey et al, 2005;
Critical finding: … parental engagement enjoys an influence that largely transcends differences in SES, race, and other factors. ...any group can experience the advantages of having parents involved (Jeynes, 2005)
Parent engagement, different from parent involvement, is an alternative way to bring teachers and parents together in schools, an alternative possibility for changing the scripted story of school. “Engagement,” in comparison to involvement, comes from en , meaning “ make ,” and gage , meaning “ pledge ” – to make a pledge ( Harper, 2002 ), to make a moral commitment (Sykes
).
Engagement - “contact by fitting together; … the meshing of gears”
The ‘engaged’ parent is an integral and essential part of a process, brought into the act because of care and commitment.
Enabled parents take their place alongside educators in the schooling of their children, fitting together their knowledge of children, teaching and learning, with teachers’ knowledge.
Pushor and Ruitenberg,2005
With parent engagement, possibilities are created for the structure of schooling to be flattened, power and authority to be shared by educators and parents, and the agenda being served to be mutually determined and mutually beneficial. (Pushor & Ruitenberg, 2005)
If parents have a central role in influencing their children’s progress in school , research has shown that schools in turn, have an important part to play in determining levels and kinds of community/parental involvement .
(Epstein, 2001)
Benchmarks of Engagement that impact student achievement…
•
Parents learning/knowledge of the language of schooling •Parents participating in interactive work in the school and with the community •Parents holding high expectations and aspirations for their child
Parent Engagement Project Theory of Action
Family Educational Cultures (FEC) Parent Engagement Strategies Student Engagement (SE) Student Achievement School / Classroom
Conditions (SCC) Hamilton Wentworth DSB
Prince of Wales Elementary School- How we evolved from fire safety to High School diplomas for parents: –The Program/Process/Philosophy –What it looks like, feels like, sounds like –The Impact –Program Evolution
Parent Comments
Our Lessons Learned… 1.Connecting the parent engagement strategy to a specific targeted need within the school and initiative addressing that need 2.Engage parents through personal contact of barriers , an invitation to co-produce learning and removal
3.As educators we must be mindful of our assumptions and biases . 4. A successful parent engagement initiative need community /school champions who are passionate and approachable .
In this changed script, the school is no longer a protectorate, the school staff no longer a protector and the agenda protected. No longer are educators entering a community to claim the ground of school. Pushor, 2005
Living a story of parent engagement, then, means living out a new story of school. A world which is co constructed and shared with parents and community members is a world with a side-by-side structure rather than a hierarchical one.
Building of trust and quality relationships with parents and community members happens only through consistent and intentional efforts through time and contact. (Constantino, 2006)
In creating a counter-story of hospitality, it is not about teachers and administrators who invite people to their place, but about creating a place that is owned as much by students, parents, and other community members as it is by staff and administrators
.
To foster genuine parental engagement staff move inward and self examine . As individuals, they look at themselves, their attitudes, and where their own hearts are at in regard to the respect for parents and community members. As a school team, they look at their collectively-held beliefs.
they have They ask themselves: “Why do we do what we do ?” Pushor&Ruitenberg, 2005
New Story of Schooling: Different Strategies for Diverse Communities
:
supporting families in their development of cultural and political capital
creating opportunities for families to connect with one another, with school staff, and with community groups
helping families to prepare for and participate in meetings with local officials about needed resources or programs
working with families to develop action research skills to determine solutions to issues in the neighborhood;
inviting businesses opportunities to talk with families about their services and/or employment
creating a sense of community or a feeling of homeplace for families who lead busy lives or spend much time away from their neighbourhood:
opening the school for community meetings and/or events;
facilitating a neighbourhood study photo/voice project; or a
working with families community-based service learning initiative to design a
being at the door or in the hallways to greet parents as they enter
taking time to talk listen. with parents, to ask them to tell their stories, and to really Henderson & Mapp, 2002
“ Hospitality and invitation remain empty gestures until they are made with the genuine intention to open up the school space and agenda to co-create it with parents/community members and other caregivers as well as with students.” Pushor&Ruitenberg,2005
Families support their children’s success in more ways than attending meetings or volunteering How parents are involved matters
!
PARENT ENGAGEMENT: TWO LENS
1) Home Based Activities and Attitudes:
High expectations Talking together about school Building work habits and a positive approach to learning Reading and problem solving together
2) School-based activities:
Communicating with teachers Attending meetings about your child’s progress Volunteering in the classroom Involvement in School Council work
RESEARCH SHOWS THAT HOME BASED ACTIVITIES AND ATTITUDES ARE MORE CLOSELY LINKED TO STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT...
AND SOME KINDS OF HOME-BASED ACTIVITIES ARE MORE HELPFUL THAN OTHERS
Home based activities that really make a difference:
Parents having high but reasonable expectations of their children Parents talking with their children regularly and particularly about school
Parents helping their children develop strong and positive attitudes about learning and practical work habits Parents reading with their children
HIGH EXPECTATIONS
When parents consistently communicate their belief in their children’s potential and that they expect them to be successful, children do better.
Talking About School:
A major study of 25,000 U.S. school children showed
“home discussion”
- parents talking with children about school activities and programs- had a greater impact on student success than other factors such as: monitoring kid’s homework, parents being at home after school, limiting TV time or social activities during the school week
Home-based involvement does not mean just hands on help with homework
Helping maintain positive attitudes towards school and homework is more important than hands-on help with the homework.
Attitudes and Work Habits
Parents most critical influence on student’s success lies in: 1) Shaping children’s attitudes 2) Encouraging their sense of personal competence 3) Supporting the development of work habits that include persistence, seeking help, and planning.
The Most Important Work of Parents
Helping kids handle the distractions
Negotiating crises of confidence
Recognizing their children’s effort and persistence
Constructively handling conflict while remaining positive about school as a whole
Reading Together
Reading is one of the main foundations of school success
Parents can make a major difference by reading and talking about books, articles and other writing with their children
The parent’s role is not to teach reading skills directly but to build comprehension in oral language skills through conversation
Gaps Between What Researchers Know and What Parents and Schools Do A 2009-10 EQAO survey of 252,218 Grade 3 and 6 students, 15,804 teachers and 3,456 principals showed that many parents do not talk to the kids about school or read with them regularly and that many schools struggle to reach parents and connect them to their children’s learning goals
.
TALKING WITH KIDS
less than half of students in Grade 3 say they talk to their parents everyday or almost every day about school
26% of these students say they talk about school activities with a parent or guardian once or twice a month or never
READING
How to keep doing what works!
Only 21% of students report that they read with a parent or guardian daily 55% of these students say they have this experience only once or twice a month or never By Grade 6 only 4% of students report reading with parents although 74% report reading independently LOST OPPORTUNITIES TO SUPPORT LEARNING
!
OUR PERCEPTIONS VS THE REALITY!
72% of principals reported that their school had collaborative relationships with parents to help meet learning goals BUT
only 53% of grade 3 teachers and 37% of grade 6 teachers reported that they communicate with parents once a month or more about the learning goals of their classes
EQAO surveys show that schools are more effective at communicating about school-based activities than they are understand what they can do at home to support learning goals.
at helping parents 86% informing parents of school activities but only 32% of principals say they are successful at feel successful at helping parents understand and support learning goals
“The human instinct to protect and support one’s children can inspire awe….” Patrick Keefe New Yorker, April 2013