Transcript Slide 1

Engaging Parents, Families and
Communities in Children’s Learning: A
Perspective from Ontario
Dr. Hélène Grégoire
May 11, 2012
 Moving beyond “random acts of family involvement”
(Weiss, Lopez & Rosenberg 2010)
 Authentic partnerships: “respectful alliances among
educators, families, and community groups that
value relationship building, dialog, and powersharing as part of socially just, democratic schools”
(Auerbach, 2010).
Questions for reflection
 Under what conditions would authentic partnerships
between home and school become typical rather than
exceptional or random?
 How can we enable and contribute to building a culture in
which educators see parents as partners and parents feel
valued and welcome?
 What role can policy play in cultivating values and beliefs
and fostering relational trust and power sharing?
An Overview
 The context
 The development of parent engagement policy in Ontario
 Overview of the parent engagement policy:
 Vision
 Key strategies
 Actions
 Tools for monitoring
 Reflection on the challenges of changing practice
Ontario Context
 Canada’s most populous province and home to its largest and
most diverse city, Toronto
 Approximately 2 million students in 5000 schools
 About 95% are enrolled in English language schools and 5% in
French language schools
 Ontario publicly funds Catholic schools.
 Schools are administered by district school boards and school
authorities.
 72 school districts (60 English, 12 French) and 11 school
authorities
* Numbers subject to change.
A Leader in Educational Excellence
 McKinsey Report 2010: How the World’s Most
Improved School Systems Keep Getting Better
 “Great” systems included: Ontario, Singapore, Hong Kong,
South Korea, Saxony
 Ontario: sustained improvement, from 2003-2009 moved
from “good” to “great”, now moving from “great” to
“excellent”
 The latest OECD report (2012) has identified Ontario
as a high-achieving jurisdiction with a relatively small
gap in student achievement.
Key Elements of Reform
 Have a plan that focuses on improved student outcomes and
is founded on the best available evidence;
 Implement that plan in a careful but relentless way;
 Create real buy-in by paying careful attention to two-way
communications and taking very seriously the views and ideas
of stakeholders;
 Manage inevitable distractions and competing pressures so
that there can be a sustained focus on a small number of key
goals.
Levin, B. (2008). Reform Without (Much) Rancor. In Hargreaves & Fullan (eds). Change Wars.
Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree.
Ministry Goals
 High levels of student achievement
 Reduced gaps in student achievement
 High levels of public confidence in public education
Building an Evidence Base for
Parent Engagement
Positive link between parent
involvement/engagement and various indicators of
student achievement and school success
Increasing Student Achievement
 Parent and community involvement that is
linked to student learning has a greater effect
on achievement than more general forms of
involvement (Henderson & Mapp, 2002).
 Parental expectations are the aspect of parent
involvement that yield the greatest effect on
student achievement (Jeynes, 2005).
Reducing the Achievement Gap
 Parental involvement enjoys an influence that largely transcends
differences in SES, race, and other factors (Jeynes, 2005).
 The majority of parents want their children to do well in school and
have a desire to help their children succeed (Mapp, 2002).
 “…parents need to hold high aspirations and expectations for their
children, and schools need to work in partnership with parents to
make their expectations appropriately high and challenging, and then
work in partnership with children and the home to realize, and even
surpass, these expectations” (Hattie, 2009).
Raising Public Confidence
 Schools that work well with families have improved
teacher/staff morale and higher ratings of teachers
by parents (Moore & Lasky, 2003)
 “When schools work with families to develop their
connections, families become powerful allies of the
schools and advocates for public education”
(Henderson & Mapp, 2002: 63).
Historical Context
 1980: Bill 82 – Establishment of Special
Education Advisory Committee (SEAC)
 1997: Legislation mandating school councils
and Regulation 612/00 requiring school
boards and principals to solicit input from
school councils
Parent Voice in Education Project
(2005)
The PVEP report:
 reflected parents’ desire to feel their voice was being
heard and to see a more welcoming and inclusive system
respectful of Ontario’s diversity
 highlighted the need for a new and fundamental
commitment to parent involvement at all levels and for a
range of tools and training
A Blueprint for a
Parent Engagement Policy
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Establishment of Parent Engagement Office (2006)
Implementation support from six regional offices
Parent Involvement Committees (PIC)
Provincial Parent Board (2007-09)
Base funding
Parents Reaching Out grants
Parent resources website:
www.edu.gov.on.ca/abc123
Parent Associations
Engaging the Research Community
 Faculties of Education
 Ontario Education Research Symposium
 Dr. Debbie Pushor, University of Saskatchewan:
Contributed to shifting the language from
parent involvement to parent engagement
Continued Research and Consultation
 Leithwood, K., & Jantzi, D. (2006). A critical review of
the parent engagement literature. Toronto, ON:
Ontario Ministry of Education:
 skills, attributes, attitudes, behaviours, and/or beliefs
 contextual factors
 Consultations with parents, teachers and principals
RELATIONSHIP WITH MINISTRY INITIATIVES
Aboriginal
Education
System
Leadership/
Principals/
Research
French
Language
Education
Aménagement
linguistique
Community
Use of
Schools
Curriculum/
E.L.L.
New Teacher
Induction
Program
Parent
Engagement
Best
Start
Special
Education
Healthy schools
Safe Schools
Literacy/
Numeracy
(incl.Character
Education)
Student
Success/
Learning to 18
Realizing the Promise of Diversity: Ontario’s
Equity and Inclusive Education Strategy,
2009: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/policyfunding/inclusiveguide.pdf
Sets out a vision of education in Ontario in which all
students, parents, and other members of the school
community are welcomed and respected.
2009: Amendment to Regulation 612/00
required each school board to have a Parent
Involvement Committee (PIC) in place
2010: Parents in Partnership: A Parent
Engagement Policy for Ontario Schools:
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/parents/involvement/PE_Policy2010.pdf
Vision
All partners acknowledge the positive impact of parent engagement on student
achievement. Students are supported and inspired to learn in a culture of high
expectations in which parents:

are welcomed, respected, and valued by the school community as partners in
children’s learning and development;

have opportunities to be involved, and also a full range of choices about how to be
involved, in the educational community to support student success;

are engaged through ongoing communication and dialogue with other educational
partners to support a positive learning environment at home and at school

are supported with the information and tools necessary to participate in school life.
Fullfilling the Vision
Four key strategies:
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School climate
Eliminating barriers
Supports for parents
Parent outreach
School Climate
 Ontario Leadership Framework
 New Teacher Induction Program (NTIP)
 Policy Statement and Guidelines on the
Admission, Welcoming, and Support of Students
in French-Language Schools in Ontario
 Safe Schools Teams
Eliminating Barriers
 Parents Reaching Out grants
 Equity and Inclusive Education Strategy
 First Nation, Métis and Inuit Education Policy
Framework (2007)
 Community Use of Schools (CUS)
Supports for Parents
 Ministry website and publications
 Fact sheets
 Video podcasts
 Shared Solutions: A Guide for Preventing and
Resolving Conflicts Regarding Programs and Services
for Students with Special Education Needs (2007)
Parent Outreach
 Multilingual materials
 Parenting and Family Literacy Centres (PFLCs)
 Politique d’aménagement linguistique (PAL)
 Parents Reaching Out grants
Action Plan
Fulfilling Ontario’s vision of parent
engagement requires commitment and action
by all our partners at every level of the
education system.
(Parents as Partners, 2010)
Creating the Conditions
 Seek parent input
 Expand communication with parents
 Provide training and develop resources and tools to foster parent engagement
 Clarify role of parent committees
 Create networking opportunities and facilitate the sharing of best practices
 Provide financial support
 Make adjustments where needed
 Expand where possible
Monitoring
School Actions:
 Monitor school climate to help identify barriers to parent involvement or
issues that should be addressed in order to foster and support a safe and
welcoming learning environment;
 Review self-assessment processes to determine the effectiveness of
parent engagement strategies;
Board Actions:
 Monitor parent engagement in ways that support and foster student
learning and achievement;
 Communicate progress on parent engagement to the local community,
including educators, students, parents, and the public.
Indicator 6.1 The School Council has a meaningful role in supporting
learning and achievement for students.
At the school:
 The School Council in partnership with staff consults with and assists the parent community
to become familiar with current issues and information
 The School Council partners with staff to support implementation of the School Improvement
Plan.
 Targets and achievement results are communicated to the school community both to build
public confidence and to engage parents to support student learning.
 There is a focus on increasing parent involvement to reflect the diversity of the school
community to support student achievement.
In the classroom:
 The School Council encourages and organizes parent involvement in classroom activities.
 The School Council identifies and works with staff to address barriers to parent
engagement.
Students:
 Benefit from role models in the community.
 See the link between home and school.
 Recognize and value the contribution of parents and community members.
Indicator 6.2
Students, parents and community members are
engaged and welcomed, as respected and valued
partners.
Indicator 6.3
The school and community build partnerships to enhance
learning opportunities for students.
Indicator 6.4
Learning opportunities, resources and supports are
provided to help parents support student learning, and
have productive parent-teacher-student conversations.
School Administrator’s
Guide to Parent
Engagement –
Strengthening
Partnerships Within the K12 School Communities,
2011
Does Parents as Partners help create the conditions
under which authentic partnerships can flourish?
Photos from: School’s Administrator’s Guide to Parent Engagement (2011)
Building a culture in which educators see parents as
partners and parents feel valued and welcome…
Changing Practice Requires...
 Sustained effort
 Lots of feedback
 Support to learn new ways of doing and relating
 Networks/learning communities
 Getting buy-in
 Collaborative leadership
Harnessing teacher leadership
Student achievement goals
and
Social justice and democratic goals
Hélène Grégoire
Senior Policy Advisor
Research, Monitoring and Evaluation Team
Student Achievement Division
Ministry of Education
Toronto, Ontario
Email: [email protected]
Photos from School Administrators’ Guide to Parent Engagement (2011)
Acknowledgements
Parent Engagement Office, Inclusive Education
Branch, Ontario Ministry of Education