Post on 06-May-2015
description
Parent Involvement/ Engagement in
First Nation schools
My ExperienceInside of Teepee. Photography by Fay Zoccole, 2013.
Presentation Bundle
• My own stories• Definition and benefits of Parent
Engagement• First Nation students: What’s it like• Barriers that impede Parent
Engagement• Two Popular Theories: Which theory
works best?• ConclusionSweetgrass braid. Retrieved from: www.allipacha.com
My own story
Veronica Davis. Photograph by Mike Davis. 1978.
Mis
hoom
ish
Am
bros
e M
esha
ke S
r. P
hoto
grap
h by
Mik
e D
avis
. 197
8.
Grandpa Jeno Meshake. Photograph by Mike Davis.
1978.
A g
ood
day
for
fish
ing.
Pho
togr
aphe
d by
Car
ol D
avis
, 197
7.
Rene Meshake. Photographed by Joan Meshake, 2012.
Mom and dad. Photographed by unknown, 2012.
Definitions: Parent Involvement & Engagement
• Involvement: Parents support their children through communication with teacher and support for their child.
• Engagement: Parents that are fully engaged and actively participate in school-sponsored activities or help their children in ways visible to their children and others
Mother and daughter. Photograph by Fay Zoccole, 2007.
First Nations students: What’s it like?
• Education gaps• No special education
supports and services
Zoccole kids in Weagamow. Photograph by Fay Zoccole, 2007.
What do students want/need?
• A safe place to learn• To know there culture• Nice teachers• Library with lots of books• Extra-curricular activities• Role models from their
communities
Fancy -shaw dancer. Photograph by Fay Zoccole, 2007.
What do parents want?
• They want their children to be successful.
• Access to resources for special needs children.
• They want their children to develop their own talents.
Zoccole kids and me. Photograph by Fay Zoccole, 2006.
What do teachers want?
• Parents to be involved• Supports for students with special
needs• Professional development: How to
work with First Nation families?• Learn about community protocols
and expectationsKokum Zoccole and Aaryn. Photograph by Fay Zoccole, 2013.
Barriers that impede parent engagement
• Residential school experience• Teacher’s negative
assumptions• Heavy use of professional
jargon• Meetings not planning around
needs of parent/families• Clash of cultures
Teepee in Marten Falls. Photograph by Fay Zoccole, 2012.
What does a school that nurtures relations with First Nation parents look like?
• Classrooms and hallways• Parents are recognized as
equal partners• Supportive and utilizing of
language revitalization• Parents, elders and senior
students are part of staff meetings
• First Nation teachersLearning literacy by utilizing the medicine wheel. Photograph by Fay Zoccole, 2011.
Which theory works best?
Parenting
Communication
Parent volunteering
Learning at home
Decision Making
Collaborating
Epstein’s Parental Involvement Framework
Criticism: What’s wrong with this theory?
• Parents are not partners in the school
• Parents are positioned in subservient ways
Theory 2: Kellaghan, Sloane, Alvarez & Bloom
Support families
Parental Education Programs
Parenthood Education
Parent Involvement & Parent Participant Programs
School. Clip Art Pictures. Retrieved from : www.embroyoniccjourney.blogspot,com.
Find the strength in communities and students
Matt and Aaryn. Photograph by Fay Zoccole, 2007.
Conclusion
1. Teacher needs to work with parents to reach students.
2. View parents as equal partners in their child’s education.
3. The school serves the families.
4. Focus on the strengths of students and community.
5. Questions?
Teacher Parents StudentsJust a teacher. Photograph by Fay Zoccole,
2013. Ojibway Parents. Photograph by Sylvia Davis,
2012.Davis kids. Photograph by Sylvia Davis, 2012.
References
Assembly of First Nations. (2012). The National Panal on First Nation Elementary and Secondary Educationn for Students on Reserve.
Balli, S. J. (1996, Winter). Family Diversity and the Nature of Parent Invovlement. Education Forum, 60(131725), 1-6.
Beader, A. (2010, February). Stepping Into Students' Worlds. Educational Leadership, pp. 56-60.
Becker, J. M. (2011). A five-year Follow-Up: Teachers' Perceptions of the Benefits of Home Visits for Early Elementary Children. Early Childhood Education, 191-196.
Bower, J. &. (2011). Can the Epstein Model of Parental Involvment Work in a High-Minority, High-Poverty Elementary School? A Case Study. ASCA Professional School Counseling, 77-87.
Bryan, J. &. (2008, December). Strengths-Based Partnerships: A School-Family-Community Partnership Appraoch to Empowering Students. ASCA, pp. 149-156.
Cairney, T. (2000). Beyond the Classroom Walls: the rediscovery of family and community as parents in education. Educational Review, 52(2), 163-174.
Epstein, J. & Sanders, M. (2006). Prospects for Change: Preparing Educators for School, Family and Community Partnerships. Peabody Journal of Education, 81(2), 81-120.
Kellaghan, T., Sloane, K., Bloom, B., & Alcarez, B. (1993). The home environment and school learning. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.