Transcript School-Family-Community Partnerships

School-Family-Community
Partnerships
Erik M. Hines, M.Ed
EDCP 665
University of Maryland, College
Park
Objectives
At the end of the class session, you will be
able:
- To understand the framework of
School-Family-Community
Partnerships
- To identify the six types of
involvement used in School-FamilyCommunity Partnerships
- To understand how School-FamilyCommunity Partnerships are
implemented
“It takes a village to raise a child”
-African Proverb-
School-Family-Community
Partnerships (SFC)
SFC involves the effort of parents, teachers,
administrators, and community agencies
SFC involves viewing our students/clients as
individuals. We have to view them as children or
individuals and not as another student or client
assigned to our case load.
SFC involves a vested interest in our students
and clients. We have to view our students or
clients as investments to contribute to society.
School-Family-Community
Partnerships
"Every school will promote partnerships that
will increase parental involvement and
participation in promoting the social,
emotional, and academic growth of
children." (Goal 8 – Goals 2000, Educate
America Act)
(U.S. Department of Education, 1994)
Theory of SFC
Overlapping Spheres of Influence
– Involves the family, school, and community
– Recognizes that these entities can have an
impact on student/client learning and
development
– Frequent interaction and communication can
send a message of the value to the student or
client about their welfare, academic, and
individual needs
(Epstein, 1987)
Models of Overlapping Spheres of
Influence
External Model
– The school, families, and communities can be
drawn closer together or farther apart
– School, families, and communities conduct
practices that are independent of each other
as well as jointly to facilitate the learning and
development of the student/client
Internal Model
– Interpersonal relationships between school,
families, and communities
Social interactions between SFC at the individual and
institutional level
School-Family-Community
Partnerships
Six Types of Involvement
Type 1: Parenting
Framework
– Help all families establish home environments to support
children as student
Sample Practices
– Family support programs to assist families with health,
nutrition, and other services
Challenges
– Provide information to all families who want it or who
need it, not just to the few who can attend workshops or
meetings at the school building
– Enables families to share information about culture,
background, and children’s talents and needs
Redefinitions
– “Workshop to mean more than a meeting about a topic
held at the school building at a particular time;
“workshop” may also mean making information about a
topic available in a variety of forms that can be viewed,
heard, or read anywhere, anytime
Type 2: Communicating
Framework
– Design effective forms of school-to-home and home-toschool communications about school programs and their
children’s progress
Sample Practices
– Conferences with every parent at least once a year, with
follow-ups as needed
– Language Translators
Challenges
– Review the readability, clarity, form, and frequency, of all
memos, notices, and other print communications
– Consider parents who do not speak English well, do not
read well, or need large type
Redefinitions
– Communications about school programs and student
progress to mean two way, three way, and many
Type 3: Volunteering
Framework
– Recruit and organize parent help and support
Sample Practices
– School and classroom volunteer program, to help
teachers, administrators, students, and other parents
Challenges
– Recruit volunteers widely so that all families know that
their time and talents are welcome
– Make flexible schedules for volunteers, assemblies, and
events to enable employed parents to participate
Redefinitions
– “Volunteer” means anyone who can support school
goals and children’s learning or development in any way,
at any place, and at any time-not just during the school
day and at the school building
Type 4: Learning at Home
Framework
– Provide information and ideas to family about how to help
students at home with homework and other curriculum-related
activities, decisions, and planning
Sample Practices
– Information for families on skills required for students in an
academic subject and client regarding personal life decisions
Challenges
– Coordinate family-linked homework activities, if students have
several teachers; include family in the activities of client such
as career decision making
Redefinitions
– “Help” at home to mean encouraging, listening, reacting,
praising, guiding, monitoring, and discussing- not “teaching”
or “preaching” at the person
Type 5: Decision Making
Framework
– Include parents in school decisions, developing parent
leaders and representatives
Sample Practices
– Independent advocacy groups to lobby and work for
school reform and improvements as well as individuals
with disabilities
Challenges
– Offer training to enable leaders to serve as
representatives of other families, with input from and
return of information to all parents
Redefinitions
– “Decision making” to mean a process of partnership, of
shared views and actions toward shared goals, not a
struggle between conflicting ideas
Type 6: Collaborating with the
Community
Framework
– Identify and integrate resources and services from the
community to strengthen school programs, family
practices, and student learning and development
Sample Practices
– Ensure equity of opportunities for students , clients, and
families to participate in community programs or to
obtain services
Redefinitions
– “Community” to mean not only the neighborhoods
where students’ homes and schools are located but also
neighborhoods that influence student and learning
development.
Expected Results
Six Types of Involvement
Parenting
Student/Client
– Positive personal qualities, habits, beliefs, and
values as taught by family or agency
Parents
– Awareness of own and other’s challenges in
parenting
Teachers/Administrators/Counselors
– Understanding of student/client diversity
– Awareness of own skills to share information
on child development
Communicating
Student/Client
– Awareness of own progress and actions needed
to or maintain grades or personal skills
Parents
– Responding effectively to student/client
problems
Teachers/Administrators/Counselors
– Appreciation and use of parent network for
communication
Volunteering
Student/Client
– Increased learning of skills that receive
tutoring, assistance, or targeted
attention from volunteers
Parents
– Gains in specific skills of volunteer work
Teachers/Administrators/Counselors
– Greater individual attention to students
and clients, with help from volunteers
Learning at Home
Student/Client
– Self Concept of ability as learner
Parents
– Awareness of student or client as
learner
Teachers/Administrators/Counselors
– Satisfaction with family involvement and
support
Decision Making
Student/Client
– Understanding that student and client rights
are protected
Parents
– Shared experiences and connections with other
families
Teachers/Administrators/Counselors
– View of equal status of family representatives
on committees and in leadership roles
Collaborating with the Community
Student/Client
– Awareness of careers and options for future
education and work
Parents
– Knowledge and use of local resources by family
and student/client to increase skills and talents
to obtain needed services
Teachers/Administrators/Counselors
– Openness to and skill in using mentors,
business partners, community volunteers, and
others to assist students and clients as well as
augment teaching practice
Four factors that promote
Community Involvement
High commitment to learning
A Principal, President, Administrator
that focuses on community
involvement
A working school/client service
climate
Two-Way Communication between
schools and community partners
Action Team for Partnerships
Approach
The Purpose of Action Team for
Partnerships (ATP)
A branch or section of the School Improvement
Team
Coordinates, writes, and implements plans to
produce results for students/clients, families, and
for the school/university/community agency as a
whole
Comprised of case workers, students, deans,
assistant principals, agency counselors, social
workers, business and community partners,
parents and other family members
Members of ATP work together to produce and
maintain a climate of good partnerships at a
particular institution through review of
institutional goals; designing, selecting,
implementing and evaluating partnership
activities; and improving partnership programs
What does an ATP look like?
Consists of 6 to 12 members
Two teachers, two parents, an administrator,
parents, student (1-2 at high school level) PTA
president, and school secretary
Two rehabilitation counselors, an administrator, a
former client,
Parents, professors, two administrators (provost
and dean), a student representative from each
collegiate level (freshman, sophomore, etc),
representatives from the college community
(office of residence life, financial aid, each
academic area, etc), and a representative from
the student health center
What does an ATP look like?
(cont’d)
Business partners
Faith-based organizations
Civic and cultural organizations
Community agencies
The Function of an ATP
Create, implement, coordinate activities
Monitors progress, solves problems,
publicizes activities
Reports on the school’s partnerships to the
School Council/School Improvement and
community
Recruits other members of the academic,
institutional, and community settings to
assist in family and community
involvement activities
Function of an ATP (cont’d)
Organizes work by using the six types of involvement as its
point pf reference
Create a One Year Action Plan for improving partnerships at
your particular institution
Utilize leadership, chairs, co-chairs, and committee
members to delegate responsibilities
Establish goals and guidelines for teamwork, including how
team members will communicate, discuss ideas, solve
problems, and make decisions
Create a budget according to the needs of the One Year
Action Plan
Meet regularly at least once a month; preferably for 1-2
hours
Function of an ATP (cont’d)
Recognize and celebrate of all involved
parties in the SFC partnership
Evaluate the progress to improve the
quality of implementation and the strength
of results from various involvement
activities
Gather and collect new ideas
Create a New One Year plan to ensure
continuation of SFC at your institution
The Leadership of ATP
Principals, Provost, Agency
Administrators
Connect the ATP to the SIP or governed
body of an institution
Serve as a chair on a committee
Allocate funds for partnership activities
Guide ATP in creating periodic reports to
the governing body for accomplishments
and improvement
Work with local community agencies and
entities to obtain resources beneficial to
the institutions, families, and community
School Counselors and
Rehabilitation Counselors
Serve as chairs, co-chairs, or leaders
Expertise in working directly with
family, students, clients, and
community agencies
Facilitate meetings that will guide the
agenda of SFC partnerships to work
efficiently for the benefit of the
students and clients
Developing an Effective Team
Selecting or electing members who
have a commitment to SFC
partnerships
Understand your team members
Have clear, concise, and measurable
goals
Minimize conflict
Establish rules and procedures
Take action
Conducting Team-Training and
End-of –Year Celebration
Workshops
Team-Training Workshops
Preplanning
– Review your handbook and any other
resources that may assist you
Time
– Six to eight hours
– At least three hours in the morning to
present background information for ATP
to be successful
– Three hours in the afternoon to create a
draft of the One Year Action Plan
Team-Training Workshops (cont’d)
Materials
– Audio/visual aids
– Handouts
Agendas
Workshop Evaluation
– School Improvement plan and school policies
Other Services
–
–
–
–
–
Stipends
Continuing education credit
Door prizes
Child care for parents
Transportation
End-of-Year Celebration
Workshops
Recognize the progress of ATPs in regards
to SFC partnerships
Organized as a breakfast, luncheon,
dinner
Range from a couple of hours to a full day
Display table and exhibits of videos,
information on SFC partnerships
Explain the direction and future goals of
the ATPs for the following year