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);
Schwartz, 2006)
Nye, Turner, and
“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 everstrengthening 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 in place of parent as “the word
family 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 targetted outreach to focus on
high needs groups in the community and
the school
#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 to
specific ways they can serve children and
creating opportunities for students to
serve the community
NEA Priority Schools Campaign
Community /school partnerships provide
fluid mechanisms that help families :
gather information on what their children
need to learn in school,
 access quality 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 full range of needs
and circumstances of individual children
and their families.
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 to
improve policies, programs, and
practices.
The Epstein Model: A Framework for School,
Family and Community Partnerships
Parenting: info on health, nutrition, child
development
Communicating: consistent and effective
ways to keep parents informed about student
progress and community and school events
and resources
Collaborating with the community: building
links among family, school and community
groups and services
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: including parents and involved
community agencies in establishing school goals
and directions
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
Parent Engagement
Strategies
Family Educational
Cultures (FEC)
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 and
initiative addressing that need
within the school
2.Engage parents through
personal contact, an invitation to
co-produce learning and removal
of barriers
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 coconstructed 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 they have
for parents and community members.
As a school team, they look at their
collectively-held beliefs.
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 to talk with families
about their services and/or employment
opportunities
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 or a
photo/voice project;
working with families to design a
community-based service learning
initiative
being at the door or in the hallways to
greet parents as they enter
taking time to talk with parents, to ask
them to tell their stories, and to really
listen.
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 at helping parents
understand what they can do at home to
support learning goals.
86% of principals say they are successful at
informing parents of school activities but only
32% 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
Be visionary,
not
hallucinatory
Complex times
require
conspicuous
optimism
New
learning
destroys
old truths
Moral
energy is a
renewable
resource
Supporters
sustain us;
resistors
make us wise