Research and Evaluation on Family-School-Community Partnerships

Research and Evaluation on Family-School-Community Partnerships

Prepared by Adriana de Kanter, Alan Ginsburg, and Julie Pederson

Planning and Evaluation ServiceU.S. Department of Education

Sue FergusonChair, National Coalition for

Parent Involvement in Education

Overview

Part I: New American Consensus on Education

Part II: Research on Family Involvement

Part III: Steps to Strengthening Partnerships for Learning

Part I: Questions to Ask

Do you think your school: Has strong family-school-community

partnerships? Do your school partners agree on what family involvement means?

Promotes high academic standards for all students, informing parents about what they are and how they can help their children reach them?

Part I: More Questions Does your school use a family-school

compact for all students and their families? Have you noticed any areas in which

differences in student results seem to be connected to family involvement?

Does your school use data to evaluate and improve partnerships for learning?

A New American Consensus Sets High Standards for All Students

Every child in America is reading well and independently by the end of third grade.60 percent of fourth-grade students are at or above basic in reading.

Every child in America is competent in math, including algebra at the eighth grade.20 percent of students take algebra in the eighth grade.

\

Every 18-year-old in America is prepared academically and financially for college and for the workplace.The proportion of high school graduates taking the core courses increased to 52 percent by 1994, up from 14 percent in 1982 and 40 percent in 1990.

87

3556

34 4122 21

110

20406080

100

Math, seventh grade

(percentiles)

A B C D

Student grades

An A student in a high-poverty school would be about a C student in a low-poverty school when

measured against standardized tests

Low povHigh pov

Standards let parents know how well their children are doing.

Prospects, 1993


Why is family involvement

so important?


so important?What are the challenges?

What do Families Look Like?

Working Parents– 60% of all mothers with preschool-age children.– 57% of women with children younger than age three were in the labor

force. – 28.2 million children, ages 6-17, have working mothers.

Single Parents– 25% of children live in single-parent families.– Compared to only 11% in 1970.

Grandparents– 13% of African American; 5.7% of Hispanic; 3.9% of white children live

with their grandparents.

U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, and USDE, 1994

Who are the Students?

Children in Poverty – Between 1980 and 1993, the number of

children living in poverty increased by almost 3.8 million. – In 1993, 15 million children under age 18 were living in poverty.

A Culturally Diverse Student Body– In the next 10 years, the white, non-Hispanic population will

decrease by about 13% in the pre-school range and 2% in the elementary-school range.

– Hispanics will become the largest school-age population. – The population of Asian and American Indian students is expected

to increase by about 45%.U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, and USDE, 1994

Family Involvement and Student Achievement

Research

Predictors of student achievement

Not income or social status, but the extent to which that student’s family is able to:

Create a home environment that

encourages learning Express high (but not unrealistic) expectations for

their children’s achievement and future careers Become involved in their children’s education at

school and in the communityA New Generation of Evidence (Henderson & Berla, 1994)


Factors over which parents exercise authority:Absenteeism

Reading materials in the home

Television watching

account for nearly 90 percent of the difference in eighth-grade math test scores.

NAEP, 1994

Research


Students benefit by: Higher grades Better attendance and

homework completion More positive attitudes Higher graduation rate Greater enrollment in

college

A New Generation of Evidence (Henderson & Berla, 1994)

Research

Schools benefit by: Improved teacher

morale Higher ratings of

teachers by parents More support from

families Better reputations in

the community

The mutual benefits of family involvement


Importance of Parents' Involvement to Student Success in School

21

22

27

10

10

12

48

6

9

51

44

9

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Both parents highinvolvement

Only father highinvolvement

Only mother highinvolvement

Both parents lowinvolvement

Research

NCES, 1996


Relationship between Family Involvement and 4th Grade Narrative Score

-60

-40

-20

0

20

40

Belowaverage

Average Aboveaverage

Muchabove

average

Level of Family Involvement

Difference above/below mean for all

students

Adjusted meanObserved mean

Research

NCES, 1994

According to Teachers

According to teachers, the

“single most important thing public schools need to help students learn”

is INVOLVED PARENTS.

Public Agenda, 1996

Opinion

#1

Teenagers with strong emotional attachments to their parents and teachers are much less likely to engage in high-risk activities.

Add Health study, 1997

According to Our Young People . . .

72% of children, ages 10-13 said they would like to talk to their parents more about schoolwork. Almost 50% of older students, ages 14-17 agreed.

National Commission on Children, 1991

Opinion

According to Parents . . .

The vast majority of parents believe that their child’s success is directly related to their active involvement in the child’s

formal education (National PTA, 1993).

40% of parents believe they are not

devoting enough time to their children’s education (Finney, 1993).

Opinion

According to EmployersOpinion

89% of company executives identified the biggest obstacle to school reform as lack of parental involvement (Perry 1993).

At the Palisades Education Summit of CEOs and Governors, employers pledged to “adopt policies to support parental involvement in their children’s education and in improving their local schools” (1996 National Education Summit Policy Statement).



so important?

What are the challenges?

What are the challenges?

Fathers’ Involvement Challenges

Fathers in Two-Parent Families

48

25

27

Mothers in Two-Parent Families

21

2356

Fathers in Single-Parent Families

29

25

46

Mothers in Single-Parent Families

26

25

49

Low

Moderate

High

NCES, 1996

Middle School Fall-Off Challenges

7363

53

0

20

40

60

80

Grades 3-5 Grades 6-8 Grades 9-12

Percent of Parents Participating in Two or More School-Related Activities

National Education Goals Report, NCES, 1996

Parent involvement differs by family characteristics

87 85 8192

8277 76

84

66 65 6374

50 4944

54

0

20

40

60

80

100

Grades K-3 Grades 4-6 Grades 7-8 Grades 9-12

All students Students from non-English speaking homesStudents at or below poverty Students with a disability

Challenges

Percent of Parents Attending Regularly-Scheduled Parent-Teacher Conferences

(NCES, NHES, 1996)

Principals’ perceptions

of barriers in Title I schools

41

44

70

44

52

81

15

9

14

48

57

88

0 20 40 60 80 100

Parent attitudes

Culturaldifferences

Parenteducation

Lack of stafftraining

Staff's lack oftime

Parents' lack oftime

Low-povertyHigh-poverty

Challenges

NCES, 1996

Partners in Education: Individuals and groups that work together to support children’s learning.

Shared Responsibilities: How each partner will work to help all children learn to high standards.

Part III: Steps for Strengthening Partnerships for Learning

Standards: What every child should know and learn

Evaluate the Results of the

partnership

Implement strategies for

success

Strengthen Your

Partnership

Come together as a

team

Family- school-

community partnership

Identify & commit to

shared responsibilites

The Five Step Partnership Process

#1

#2

#3#4

#5

Come Together as a TeamStep

1

Team-building strategies Plan for the whole school and community:

Include as many participants as possible. Talk up ideas to generate interest, even in the

early stages of planning. Reach out to parents and others who have not

traditionally been connected to the school.

Come Together as a Team

More team-building strategies Anticipate and plan! Think ahead to the

challenges you may face and plan potential solutions.

Create a family-school compact for all students to support shared responsibility.

Be creative! Make sure your partnership and its activities reflect your school and its community.

Step1

The National PTA Standards for

Parent/Family Involvement Programs Student learning Communicating Parenting Volunteering School decision making and advocacy Collaborating with community

Step2

Choose a Framework of Shared Responsibility

Step2

Choose a framework of shared responsibility

Shared Responsibility

Title IFamily-SchoolCompact Framework

Shared responsibility for

learning

Shared responsibility for communicating

Shared responsibility for building capacity

- volunteering- training

Family/School/

Community/Partnership


learning




Family/School/


Set high standards and expectations

Provide and support sound instruction

Make schools safe and drug free

Apply modern technology

Shared Responsibility for Learning and High Achievement

Step2


learning




Family/School/


Times and locations convenient to families

Priority of time for teachers to communicate with families

Use of modern technology

Accommodations for non-English speaking families

Shared Responsibility for Communication

Step2


learning




Family/School/


Provide teacher training on effective familyinvolvement

Help parents become better educators at home

Provide training for tutors

Encourage volunteering

Shared Responsibility for Building Capacity through Volunteering and Training

Step2

Implement Strategies for SuccessStep

3

Address the needs of your school population

Obtain and allocate resources

The new IDEA supports family involvement

IDEA now ensures that: Information provided by parents will be considered

when evaluating a child for a disability. A team of qualified professionals and the parents of

the child determine the child’s eligibility for special education services.

The child’s parents are members of the IEP team. Parents participate in any group that makes decisions

on the educational placement of their child.

Step3

Bilingual education supports family involvement

Title VII - Bilingual Education: Authorizes use of funds for parent outreach and

training activities. Requires local educational agencies to inform

parents of:– The benefits and nature of bilingual education

programs.– The reasons for selection of their child for potential

enrollment.

Step3

Federal ResourcesStep

3

ESEA– Title I– Migrant– Bilingual

Goals 2000 Parent Centers

IDEA Parent Training and Information Projects

Measure and Evaluate

The Power of Performance Measurement What gets measured, gets done. If you don’t measure results, you can’t tell success

from failure. If you can’t recognize failure, you can’t correct it. If you can’t see success, you can’t reward it. If you can’t see success, you can’t learn from it.

From Reinventing Government by David Osborne and Ted Gaebler

Step4

Data Sources

School profiles Administrative

records Surveys Focus Groups Tracking studies

Step4

Asking the Right QuestionsTeacher-Evaluation FormRochester, New York

Step4

My child’s teacher is accessible and responsive to me when I call or want to meet.

The teacher makes clear what my child is expected to learn in this class.

The teacher contacts me promptly with concerns about my child’s academic or behavioral performance.

From Education Week on the Web, September 17, 1997

More Questions from Rochester, New York

As needed, the teacher and I develop a cooperative strategy to help my child.

My child’s teacher assigns clear and meaningful homework.

The teacher shares my high expectations for my child’s learning and behavior.

Step4

From Education Week on the Web, September 17, 1997

Collect a variety of survey data

98

53

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Step4

Parents of third-graders who report that they have rules that the child must followabout completing homework assignments.

Percent of third-grade students rated “high” on completinghomework assignments according to teachers.

vs.

Prospects, 1993

Setting performance standardsStep

4

Four Methods for Measuring Performance

Year 1 Year 2

Improvement Over Time

#1#1

Benchmarking Against the Best

Absolute Performance Standard

Treatment Control

Step4 Methods for Measuring Performance

Mark improvement over time– Marks the progress of doing better than before

– Allows all schools to set and reach goals, no matter what their starting level of achievement

– Requires having a baseline and comparing information over time

Benchmark against the best– With schools that serve children from families

with similar characteristics (for example, similar income level)

– With schools of similar size

– With schools located in similar settings (rural, urban, suburban)

Step4 Methods for Measuring Performance

Set an absolute performance standard:

Indicates whether your school is doing as well as or better than

your desired level of performance.

Methods for Measuring PerformanceStep

4

Lessons for Using Data

Use the process to bring educators and community members together.

Use data to focus attention on real problems. Beware of a picture painted in a single stroke. Beware of data that mask achievement gaps. Report local data strategically. Double-check data. Keep data simple but exciting.

Adapted from Education Trust’s Community Data Guide

Step4

Disaggregate for Details

25.5

48

25

1

18

28

46

7

0

510

1520

2530

3540

4550

0-19% 75-100%

Well above averageAbove averageAverageBelow average

Step4

Parents rate their third-grade child’s school

School Poverty Concentration Prospects, 1993

Improve and Strengthen the Partnership

High StandardsHigh Standards

Your School’sPerformance


ImprovementNeeded

Lessons Learned

There is no “one size fits all” approach to partnerships.

Training and staff development is an essential investment.

Communication is the foundation of effective partnerships.

Flexibility and diversity are key.

Lessons Learned

There is no “one size fits all” approach to partnerships.

Training and staff development is an essential investment.

Communication is the foundation of effective partnerships.

Flexibility and diversity are key.

Step5

From Family Involvement in Children’s Education: Successful Local Approaches, U.S. Department of Education, 1997

Improve and Strengthen the Partnership

High StandardsHigh Standards



ImprovementNeeded

More Lessons Learned

Projects need to take advantage of the training, assistance, and funding offered by sources external to school.

Changes takes time.

Projects need to regularly assess the effects of the partnership using multiple indicators.

More Lessons Learned

Projects need to take advantage of the training, assistance, and funding offered by sources external to school.

Changes takes time.

Projects need to regularly assess the effects of the partnership using multiple indicators.

Step5

From Family Involvement in Children’s Education: Successful Local Approaches, U.S. Department of Education, 1997

Partnership for Family Involvement in EducationWhat can the federal government

and the Partnership for FamilyInvolvement in Education do to help your school or district?

www.ed.gov/PFIE

1-800-USA-LEARN

Research and Evaluation on Family-School-Community Partnerships

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