Children in the Budget:

Welcome Part One: Family & Community Engagement

Webinar

Presented by:Dr. Joyce Epstein, PhD - DirectorCenter on School, Family and Community PartnershipsJohns Hopkins University

Thursday, June 14, 2012 at 2 p.m. EST

PARTNERSHIPSTHEN and NOW How to Develop Programs of

Family and Community Engagement to Increase Student Success

Joyce L. Epstein, Ph.D., Director© Center on School, Family, and Community Partnerships

Working Together for Student Success

How Can Educators and Parents STRENGTHEN and SUSTAIN

HEALTHY SCHOOLS?

What do we mean by a HEALTHY SCHOOL?

1. We mean a safe and nurturing PLACE.

• A welcoming school environment for ALL• A Partnership School• A “family-like” school and “school-like” families• An EXCELLENT school that students, teachers, parents, and others WANT to attend and support

• Other ideas. . .?

What do we mean by a Healthy School?2. We mean a place that produces positive RESULTS and helps students develop to their full potential.Academic Results Intellectual Development

Curricular and Other Achievements Commitment to Role of Student High Graduation/Low Dropout Rates College or Career Plans & Actions

Physical Health Good Nutrition, Exercise Prevention of Alcohol, Tobacco,

and Drug Use/Abuse Good Attendance

Emotional Growth Positive Attitudes about School Self Concept, Behavior,

Good Relationships with Peers,Friends, Family, Teachers

Appreciation of OthersOTHER RESULTS FOR STUDENTS?

Everyone wants EXCELLENT and SUCCESSFUL

SCHOOLS and STUDENTS.

How will we reach these goals?

Not only THAT partnerships contribute to good schools and successful students

But also WHAT is needed in an excellent partnership program?

and… HOW to organize and sustain high-quality and equitable programs to engage ALL

families and the community in goal-linked ways.

What is important to know about school, family, and community partnerships?

We must think in new ways about leadershipfor partnerships at the district and school levels?

For America’s Promise Communities, this means:

KNOWING Understand the research base that connects family and community involvement to results for students:

ATTENDANCE ACHIEVEMENT ATTAINMENT

KNOWING is not enough. New directions also require:

TAKING ACTION Apply research-based approaches to develop SUSTAINABLE PROGRAMS that engage ALL PARENTS and COMMUNITY partners in ways that promote student success:

END DROPOUT (ATTENDANCE)

COMPLETE HIGH SCHOOL (Achieve)

PREPARE FOR COLLEGE AND CAREERS

(Attain Aspirations/Meet Expectations)

THEN

Parent

involvement

NOW

School, family, and community

partnerships

DEFINITION

THEN

Up to parents

Organized by one person or

just a few

NOW

Part of school and classroom

organization

Organized by anAction Team for

Partnerships

RESPONSIBILITY

Action Team Structure

Pasco High School Pasco, Washington, 2011

2-3 teachers 2-3 parents/family members Principal Others (nurse, counselor, parent liaison, community partners, after-school program) 1-2 students at high school level

In each school . . .

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What does an Action Team for Partnerships do?

Phalen Lake Elementary SchoolSt. Paul, Minnesota

ATP MEMBERS work together to . . . • Review school goals. Select 2 academic goals; 1 non-academic

goal; and goal to ensure a welcoming school climate.

• Write a One-Year Action Plan for Partnerships to involve families and the community in ways that contribute to the selected goals and student learning and development.

• Implement and evaluate the quality of the activities – outreach to families, responses, and results.

• Continually improve partnership plans, program, and practices.

Action Team for Partnerships: Structure G (Focus on Goals)

School Improvement Teamor School Council

ACTION TEAM forPARTNERSHIPS (ATP)

Improve Reading

PRACTICES from SIX TYPESto meet this goal

Create a Climatefor Partnerships

PRACTICES from SIX TYPESto meet this goal

Improve Student

Behavior

PRACTICES from SIX TYPESto meet this goal

Improve Math

PRACTICES from SIX TYPESto meet this goal

Academic goal Academic goal Non-Academic goal Partnership goal

EXAMPLE

THEN

Incidental or accidental

Off to the side

NOW

Framework of 6 types of

involvement

Goal-oriented

Part of comprehensive

school Improvement

PROGRAM DESIGN

Framework of Six Types of Involvement

THE KEYS TO SUCCESSFULSCHOOL-FAMILY-COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS

EPSTEIN’S SIX TYPES OF INVOLVEMENTPARENTING: Assist families in understanding child and adolescentdevelopment, and in setting home conditions that support children as students at each age and grade level. Assist schools in understanding families.

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

VOLUNTEERING: Improve recruitment, training, work, and schedules to involve families as volunteers and audiences at school or in other locations to support students and school programs.

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

DECISION MAKING: Include families as participants in school decisions, governance, and ADVOCACY through PTA/PTO, school councils, committees, action teams, and other parent organizations.

COLLABORATING WITH COMMUNITY: Coordinate resourcesand services for students, families, and the school with businesses, agencies, and other groups, and provide services to the community.

Type 1

Type 2

Type 6

Type 5

Type 4

Type 3

Solve Challenges to Involve ALL

Families

CHALLENGES

NOW

“Realities” Solutions sought

Solutions found Solutions shared

Strengths model and prevention programs

THEN

“Barriers” Diverse racial, economic,

linguistic, cultural backgrounds Family structures Mobile, migratory, or homeless families.

Deficit model and treatment programs

THEN

PreK-K

Separate groups of parents

Isolated activities

NOW

All grades, PreK-12

All groups in an integrated program,

PTA, Special Ed., After-School, others

Sense of community

IMPLEMENTATION

IMPLEMENTATION

THEN

School by school

decisions

NOW

Multi-level leaders: School, District

State, Organizations,and Federal

Meet requirements for official policies

on family involvement

“Nested” networks

District Program of Partnership

DISTRICT-LEVEL ACTIVITIES

DIRECT FACILITATION of SCHOOLS

PARTNERSHIPPROGRAM

GOALS

A District Leader for Partnershipsconducts. . .

ORGANIZATIONS also may guide schools as districts do.

Reaching Results

THEN

Parent outcomes

Public relations

Focus on a few parent leaders

NOW

Student achievement and success in school

Link practices to results for all

students, parents, teachers, and

community

RESULTS

Annual, Written Action Plans

for PartnershipsLinked to

School Improvement Plans and Goals for Student

Success:ATTENDANCEACHIEVEMENTATTAINMENT

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL EXAMPLEfor a One-Year Action Planto IMPROVE READING ACHIEVEMENTTYPE 1 Workshops for parents on various ways to read aloud with

young children

TYPE 2 Parent-teacher-student conferences on reading goals and on reading progress

TYPE 3 Reading-partner volunteers, guest readers of favorite stories, and other organized, ongoing read-with-me activities

TYPE 4 Weekly interactive reading homework activities for all students to read aloud for a family partner, show links of reading and writing

PTA/PTO support for a family room or parent center to provide information on children’s reading, and to conduct book swaps, make book bags for read-at-home programs, and sponsor other reading activities

TYPE 5

Donations from business partners of books for classrooms, for the school library, or for children to take home

TYPE 6

…AND MANY OTHER IDEAS FOR EACH TYPE OF INVOLVEMENT

Apply six types to improve outcomes: ACHIEVEMENT (in SPECIFIC subjects). ATTENDANCE, ATTITUDES, ATTAINMENT – READY FOR

COLLEGE/CAREERS

Evaluate

PROGRESS

THEN

Minimal orOptional

For “compliance”

Focus on parents

NOW

Essential

Evaluate quality, results, and progress of

programs and practices

Focus on student achievement and success in school

EVALUATION

THEN

Success stories shared locally,

if at all

NOW

Success stories shared

nationally and internationally

to benefit all

“Networking”to improveprograms

NETWORKING

THEN

Labels for HAVE and

HAVE NOTs,

DO and DO NOTs

“Blame game”Finger-pointing

NOW

ACTION to involve ALL

families

Title I guidelines to communicate

in languagesparents

understand

EQUITY ISSUES

BUDGETS for PARTNERSHIPS

THEN

$$ Not well allocated

Fragmentedspending

NOW

$$ For goal-linked

activities inschools’ annual plans to engage

all families

Capacity building and program development

THINK-QUICK ACTIVITY WHICH CHANGE from THEN to NOW

do YOU think is most important for improving YOUR program of

family and community involvement? and WHY?

EQUITY

– ALL

Familie

s

All Grade

Levels

Framework-6

TypesACTION TEAM

Structure

Definition

LINK to SCH

GOALS EVALUATION

Networking

Budgeting

RESULTS

for

STUDENT

S

Which components are needed in allSCHOOL programs of partnership?

Establish an Action Team for Partnerships (ATP). Write an Action Plan for Partnerships

each year linked to school improvement goals. Use the Framework of Six Types of Involvement

so that parents become involved in varied ways. Allocate a budget for planned activities.

Allocate time for monthly meetings of the ATP.

Evaluate and improve the partnership program each year.

LET’S REVIEW: WHERE IS YOUR PROGRAM ON THE WAY

FROM THEN to NOW?

District and organization leaders for partnerships guide schools in this work.

Research-based tools, training, publications, and on-going studies.

On-going technical assistance from NNPS Facilitators by phone, e-mail, monthly e-briefs, website, newsletters.

Coordinated planning and evaluation tools to meet Title I requirements for family involvement.

Networking opportunities to share best practices with hundreds of schools, districts, states, and organizations across the country.

What should members expect from NNPS?

ARE YOU READY

to organize and

evaluate your

partnership program?

34

NNPS Authors

THIRD EDITION! Corwin Press Corwin Press Eye on Education

NEW-MARCH 2012!

TEXTWestview Press-2011

Eye on Education

Back to Search Results

   

Corwin Press

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FROM NNPS2011

FROM NNPS NEW 2012

MORE NNPS PUBLICATIONS

FROM NNPS TIPS

SAMPLERSResearch and Involvement Activities in

READING, MATH SCIENCE,

ATTENDANCE, BEHAVIOR

COLLEGE and CAREER and guides for

PRESCHOOL ProgramsMIDDLE SCH ProgramsHIGH SCHOOL Programs

Interactive Homework

Elem Math K-5Middle Grades

Language Arts 6-8 Science 6-8

See TIPS RESOOURCES

on the NNPS website

Questions? What questions do you have about . . .

. . . using research-based approaches to strengthen programs of school, family, and community partnerships?

. . . how YOUR school, district, state, or organization may work with NNPS to improve your partnership program?

. . . other questions?

For more information andmembership forms,

visit NNPS atwww.partnershipschools.org

Dr. Joyce Epstein, Director Center on School, Family, and Community Partnerships

Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 410-516-8807

jepstein@jhu.edu

© Epstein, J. L. (2012). Baltimore, MD: National Network of Partnership Schools at Johns Hopkins University.