FAMILY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

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FAMILY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

• Why be involved
• Power of parental involvement
• Barriers to participation
• What engagement looks like
• Building capacity
• Liz Roper, Project Director

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Why Family And Community Engagement?

• When schools and families work together in a
  collaborative partnership, students receive the
  message that school is important.
• Factors To Be Aware Of
• Many low income families experience social stress
  hindering psychological and social development
  that children need in order to function
  successfully in school
• Country becoming culturally diverse
• Global workforce competition

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Diversity- NATIONAL CURRENT TRENDS

• Population increase
• 2007 74 million children under age 18
• 2020 80 million children under age 18
  expected
• Under age 18 living with two married parents
• 1980 77
• 2007 68
• Ethnic population
• 2007 Asian 4, Black 15, White 57,
  Hispanic 21
• 2020 14 in US Hispanic
• US Children of immigrant families
• 1995 15 live in families where 1 parent
  is foreign born
• 2007 22 live in families where 1 parent
  is foreign born
• Language at home
• 1979 8.5 children age 5-17 speak
  language other than English
• 2006 20.3 children age 5-17 speak language
  other than English

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Diversity- NATIONAL CURRENT TRENDS

• Births to unwed mothers
• 1960 5 of all births
• 2005 37 of all births Blacks 70,
  Hispanics, 48, Whites 25
• 2006 17 children in poverty
• By ethnicity- Black 33, Hispanic 27, White 10
• By family structure- female headed home 42,
  married couple 8
• 2006 parents self reporting indicate that
• 5 ages 4-17 suffer from emotional/behaviora
  l difficulties
• 84 of these parents have sought
  professional help
• Autism
• 1970 1 in 2,500
• 2007 1 in 150 for US children age 8
• ADHD
• 1997-2003 6 diagnosed 110 were males age
  3-17
• 2004 males were more than 2 times as likely
  than females to be diagnosed

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Diversity- NATIONAL CURRENT TRENDS

• Number of children receiving special education
  services
• 1977 3.7 million
• 2007 6.7 million
• Children watching TV one hour or less per day
• 8th graders 12th graders
• 1991 20 1991 38
• 2006 29 2006 45
• Children watching TV 4 or more hours per day by
  ethnic group
• 8th graders 12th graders
• 57 Blacks 37 Blacks
• 20 Whites 13 Whites
• Internet use by ages 12-17
• 2000 73
• 2007 93

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Workforce Readiness

• Conservative figures, roughly 30 of US students
  are not graduating from high school
• Tennessee ranks 36 nationally.
• The USA is no longer only competing within our
  own states.
• Many Americans are not aware of global
  competition.
• China, India, Ghana, Mexicos educational
  levels are rising.
• In mathematics the USA fell from 15 to 25th place
  globally.
• Currently 2/3 of all American jobs require at
  least 1 college degree.
• Diploma to Nowhere Report from Strong American
  Schools 2008 examines the psychological student
  impact and high cost to taxpayers (2.5 billion
  annually) for 1/3 of college students to be in
  remedial courses www.edin08.com/diplomatonowhere.a
  spx

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Why Family Engagement?

• Students achieve more when families are engaged
  and
• have high expectations for their children.
• Studies Show
• Improvement of student attitudes and behaviors
• Increased student attendance
• Higher homework completion
• Higher grades and test scores
• Fewer placement in special education
• Decreased drop-out rate
• Higher graduation rate
• Greater enrollment in post secondary education
• Positive parent child communication

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Importance of Family-School Relationship

• National PTA standards for parent and family
  involvement emphasizes
• Regular, two way, and meaningful communication
  between home and school
• Promoting and supporting parenting skills
• Parents playing integral role in assisting
  student learning
• Genuine partnership between school and home is
  possible only when both partners have rich and
  frequent communication and when all parties are
  committed to forming lasting and effective
  partnerships including students.
• So why dont all parents participate?
• Time, cultural difference, socioeconomic status,
  and changing family structures
• Families cant be involved if teachers and
  leadership dont see family involvement as their
  responsibility. Educator training needs

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Barriers Specific To High School Students

• National study shows 50 drop off in family
  involvement in high school compared to elementary
  school
• Why?
• Rigor and level of academic work changes parents
  beliefs to their ability to help their children
• Emergence of adolescence suppresses overt
  parental involvement
• Schools more compartmentalized and harder to
  communicate to many teachers versus one primary
  teacher
• Larger attendance areas create transportation and
  proximity challenges that discourage family
  involvement, less intimacy
• Secondary parents shift responsibility of childs
  education to the schools
• Schools vary in the quantity and quality of
  family involvement
• Some schools set narrow parameters for controlled
  family participation

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Family Partnership Programs

• Address parental needs
• Identify and address the unique needs of
  families working parents- times/ways available,
  English language Learners-translators
  translated materials, parents of special needs
  children, homeless
• Proximity to school- transportation issues
• Times available for involvement
• How do parents want to be involved?
• Volunteer / at home
• Leadership capacity
• Community business resource
• What kinds of knowledge do parents want?
• Developmental stages of children
• Curriculum standards / assessments / homework
  resources
• Post secondary completing financial aid packets
  
• Orientation training- procedures/ expectations
  for schools new to parents
• Parent training - computer / English classes /
  GED /
• How to work with their children at home / goal
  setting
• Parenting skills / behavior management / how to
  advocate for their children

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Meaningful Parent Involvement For Home

• In a positive home learning environment, the
  parent
• Is aware of what the child is studying in school
• Reinforces homework
• Regularly communicates with teachers
• Advocates for child
• Reads together with child, models reading,
  encourages reading
• Focus on long-range goals
• Informed parent-child conversations- situations,
  activities, programs
• How To Accomplish This?
• Provide training and 2 way communication at
  schools and family resource centers
• Provide handouts, website, newsletter to parents,
  etc. to create a home learning environment
• Design homework to promote collaboration between
  student and parent
• Provide weekly assignment sheets for space for
  parent feedback
• Share information about school events and school
  policies

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Meaningful Parent and Community Involvement For
Educators

• Professional development topics
• Creating welcoming schools
• Building relationships
• Help schools understand children and families
• Tips on two way communication
• How to work with parents classroom, advisory
  SIP committees
• Getting parents input
• Resources for families housing, health,
  transportation, food
• Creating community and business partnerships
• Marketing the school

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Family Partnership Programs

• Primary goal is centered on students to increase
  motivation, achievement, and success.
• Topics that parents and students identify should
  drive family partnerships in all schools.
• Partnerships built around and for students may
  fail if they arent included in the process
• How To Accomplish This?
• Gather family and student input- needs, desires,
  attitudes, opinions through surveys and meetings
• Provide the results, training, and training
  resources

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Community Partnerships

• Initiate business and community partnerships
• Promote student achievement and success, and
  underlying needs through services and donated
  supplies
• Continue community support and information
  regularly
• Map community assets Building Communities from
  the Inside Out A Path toward Finding and
  Mobilizing a Communitys Assets by Kretzman and
  McKnight
• 1st identify communitys needs, deficiencies,
  problems
• 2nd inventory communitys capacities and assets-
  individuals, associations, organizations that
  provide services to community to assist schools

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Community School

• Community schools go further to meet student
  needs and build social capital, increase
  opportunities and interactions within the
  community to support student learning
• Attributes of community schools
• School is open to everyone- students, families,
  community before, during, and after the school
  day
• School is oriented toward the community and uses
  the community as a resource-students engage in
  academics and community problem solving and
  community service. Before and after school
  learning allows students to build on class
  experiences. Entire community supports the
  mission of the school- to educate all students.
• Schools turn to families, community partnerships
  to garner assets including health services
• Demands are lessened on school teachers as off
  campus programs strengthen high standards
• Schools promote decision making among staff,
  students, families, community
• Events are held that involve families and
  community members

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Evaluating Your Programs

• Five step process
• Awareness
• Self-Assessment
• Program Conceptualization and Development
• Program Implementation
• Evaluation and Sustaining

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Dr. Joyce EpsteinsSix Types Of Parent
Involvement

• 1 PARENTING
• Assist families with parenting and child rearing
  skills, understanding child and adolescent
  development, and setting home conditions that
  support children as students at each age and
  grade level.  Assist schools in understanding
  families.

• PRACTICES
• Parent education and training (GED, college
  credit, family literacy, computer workshops,
  child development, language classes, cultural
  diversity
• Family support programs to assist families with
  health, nutrition, housing, safety
• Home conditions to support learning
• Parenting skills for all ages
• Information/activities to help schools understand
  children/families
• Home visits
• Workshops, websites
• Family Resource Centers
• Annual surveys for families to share information
  and concerns about childrens goals, strengths,
  talents

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Dr. Joyce EpsteinsSix Types Of Parent
Involvement

• 2 COMMUNICATING
• Communicate with families about school programs
  and student progress through effective school to
  home and home to school communications.

• PRACTICES
• Ongoing communication resources -email, website,
  telecommunications system, electronic language
  translation, student management software,
  brochures, newsletters
• Information on learning standards, tests, child
  progress reports, school performance, school
  programs, reading/math tips, homework tips,
  school open house , choose/change schools and
  activities
• Two way communication
• Folders of students works sent home weekly for
  parent review
• Annual surveys of families reactions to school
  programs and students needs

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Dr. Joyce EpsteinsSix Types Of Parent
Involvement

• 3 VOLUNTEERING
• Improve recruitment, training, and schedules to
  involve families as volunteers and audiences in
  other locations to support students and school
  programs.

• PRACTICES
• Include parent and community volunteers in the
  classroom, as reading and math mentors, coaches,
  monitors, lecturers, chaperones, in sports
  events, as language translators, and for
  fundraisers
• Enlist parents and community to mentor English
  Language Learners, special needs, new families
• Attend assemblies, performances,
  recognition/award ceremonies, celebrations
• Annual survey to identify interests, talents and
  availability of volunteers
• Class parents, telephone tree to provide families
  with information
• Parent /grandparents patrols to increase school
  safety

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Dr. Joyce EpsteinsSix Types Of Parent
Involvement

• 4 LEARNING AT HOME
•  Involve families with their children in learning
  activities at home, including homework and other
  curriculum-related activities and decisions.

• PRACTICES AT HOME
• Read to your child every day and your child takes
  turns reading to you. Ask your child questions
  about the story and characters, predict the
  outcome.
• Homework hotline, place on homework sheet for
  parent comments
• Discussions about and monitoring homework
• Curriculum related decisions
• Required skills to pass each subject
• Interactive homework that requires students to
  demonstrate /discuss what they are learning
• Summer learning packets
• Setting academic goals /plan for college/work

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Dr. Joyce EpsteinsSix Types Of Parent
Involvement

• 5 DECISION MAKING
• Include families as participants in school
  decisions and advocacy through, school councils,
  committees, action teams, and other parent
  organizations.

• PRACTICES
• Parents participating on the School Improvement
  Committee, SIP goals, Parent Advisory, and
  Leadership Team, School Council, Action Team for
  Parnerships, PTO/PTA
• Design school strategies with parents for
  academic, attendance, and behaviors
• Use surveys to identify needs
• Parent training to become advocates
• Networks to link families with parent
  representatives

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Dr. Joyce EpsteinsSix Types Of Parent
Involvement

• 6 COLLABORATING WITH COMMUNITY
• Coordinate resources and services for students,
  families, and the school with businesses,
  agencies, cultural and recreational groups,
  health services, faith based organizations,
  government and military agencies, and provide
  services to the community.

• PRACTICES
• Provide information on community resources to
  help the child or family with academics, health,
  housing, food, clothing, employment, and
  counseling
• School business partnerships to attain school
  improvement goals
• Alumni participation for school programs
• One stop shopping for family services through
  partnerships of school, counseling, health, job
  training, recreation
• Community services-recycling projects, tutoring,
  music, etc.

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Resources

• Engaging All Families by Steven M. Constantino
• Working With Parents- Building Relationships for
  Student Success by Ruby K. Payne
• School, Family, and Community Partnerships-Your
  Handbook for Action by Joyce Epstein, Mavis
  Sanders, Beth Simon, Karen Salinas, Natalie
  Jansorn, Frances Van Voorhis
• Tennessee Department of Education-Family and
  Community Engagement
• http//tennessee.gov/education/fedprog/fpparentinv
  olve.shtml

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CONTACT INFORMATION

• Liz Roper,
• Family Community Engagement Project Director
• Office of Federal Programs
• Tennessee Department of Education
• Elizabeth.Roper_at_state.tn.us
• 615-253-0047