FAMILY INVOLVEMENT
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Transcript of FAMILY INVOLVEMENT
FAMILY INVOLVEMENTCreating Home-School
Partnerships So That All Children Succeed
Anne ThompsonMiami-Dade County Public Schools
Office of Parental Involvement305-995-1233
A New Wave of Evidence: The Impact of School, Family and Community Connections on Student Achievement By Anne T. Henderson and Karen L. Mappwww.sedl.org/connections
When families are involved at home and at school --Children do better in school, and the schools get better
Overall Finding:
If Parents are Involved, Students from All Backgrounds Tend To: Earn higher grades and test scores Enroll in higher-level programs Be promoted and earn credits Adapt well to school and attend
regularly Have better social skills and behavior Graduate and go on to higher
education
Parent and community involvement that is designed to improve student learning hasa greater effect on achievement.
Finding #1: Link to Learning
Parent Impact: Middle-High SchoolGreatest impact on student
achievement:High expectations for student successDiscussing plans for future educationHelping students prepare for collegeMonitoring progressKnowledge of courses and classes(Catsambis, 1998; Ho and Willms, 1996)
Parents will attend workshops on helping children Parents will use this information to help their children Students will do better as a result
Finding #2: Programs Work
Finding #3: Advocacy is ProtectiveThe more families can be advocates for children and support their progress, the better their children do, and the longer they stay, in school.
1. Know how system works2. Work with school staff to plan for
children’s future3. Guide children through
the system4. Know where to get
help 5. Speak out for other parents
What are Advocates?
Finding #4: All Families ContributeFamilies of all backgrounds are involved at home.
Talk about school Help plan for higher education
Keep focused on learning and homework.
Encourage their children
Finding #5: Working with Community Groups Gets Results • Upgraded school facilities • Improved school leadership and
staffing• Higher quality learning programs• Resources to improve teaching and
curriculum• Funding for after-school programs and
family supports (Lewis, Mediratta and Fruchter, 2002)
Findings #6-8: Practices that Work to Engage All Families
Focus on building personal relationships
Reach out and remove barriers
Address class and cultural differences
Parents Are More Likely to Become Involved When:Parents understand that they
SHOULD be involvedParents feel CAPABLE of
making a contributionParents feel INVITED by the
school and their children(Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler, 1997)
Where does your School Fall?1. Partnership School: We do
WHATEVER IT TAKES to work with families so all students succeed
2. Open-door School: We offers lots of ways for parents to be involved
3. Come-if-we-call School: Parents are welcome when we set the terms
4. Fortress School: Parents belong at HOME
What can YOU do? Encourage conversations with other parents about how
their children learn, what seems to help them. Organize small gatherings at home, church, community
centers or schools nearby; invite parents to talk about what they consider important in education. Keep inviting!
Don’t give up on parents. Keep working with teachers and other personnel to
establish connections between families and the school. Keep showing respect for each family, no matter what
your feelings are about how good or bad they are as parents.
Encourage parents who have concerns to talk to the teachers, counselors or principals. Offer to go as support with them if they feel embarrassed or shy.
Remember: it’s all about the children!
We need a new vision for parent involvement
A vision that matches the reality of the 21st Century