How did our school get involved?

Iowa Sustaining Parent Involvement Network

i S P I N

Ed Redaleneredalen@mchsi.comRobin Gallowayrgal@iastate.eduTracey Adamowskichildren1st@mchsi.comIowa PIRCwww.iowaparents.org

Engaging Parents in their Children’s Learning: A Strategy for Increasing Student Achievement

Iowa Parent Information Resource Center – Iowa PIRC

Goals for this Presentation:Goals for this Presentation:

Beliefs Create Realities

Research on Family Involvement

How to build a partnership between home and school

What is next?

Core Beliefs Exercise

Circle the statement next to the statement that best reflects how you feel about that statement

We will collect all the papers and then randomly redistribute them later in the presentation

You will then “represent” the opinion on the questionnaire that was redistributed to you

The Questionnaire…

A New Wave Of Evidence:

The Impact of School, Family

and Community Connections

on Student Achievement

Why?Why should schools invest time in building strong family, school, and community partnerships?

The Research

Started with a group of 80 studies and literature reviews that focused on the influence of family and community involvement on academic achievement and other outcomes

Studies met these standards: Sound methodology Study findings matched the

data collected

Early childhood through high school

All regions of the country Diverse populations Community as well as

family involvement A variety of research

methods Different sources of data

Strong Criteria for Selected Studies

51 Studies were Selected

Overall Finding:

Home-School Partnerships: There is a positive and

convincing relationship between family involvement and benefits for students, including improved academic achievement. This relationship holds across families of all economic, racial/ethnic, and backgrounds and for students at all ages.

Impact of Home-School Partnerships When parents and school staff work

together to support learning, students… Earn higher grades and test scores Enroll in higher level programs Are promoted more and earn more

credits Adapt better to school and attend more

regularly Have better social skills and behavior Graduate and go on to higher education

Programs and interventions that engage families in supporting their children’s learning at home are linked to higher student achievement.

What?What types of engagement have the greatest impact on student achievement?

Family involvement at home appears to have the greatest effect on student achievement.

Family Engagement

The more families can support their children’s progress: The better their children

do in school The longer they stay in

school

Families of all cultural backgrounds, education, and income levels: Encourage their children Talk with them about

school Help them with their post

high school plans Keep them focused on

learning and homework All families can, and do,

have positive effects on their children’s learning

Protective Effect Benefits for ALL Families

Linked to Learning

Parent and community involvement that islinked to improving student learning has a

greater effect on achievement than moregeneral forms of involvement.

Using Components of Effective Partnerships Schools

How?How can we achieve effective school, family, and community partnerships?

Programs that successfully connect with families and community: Invite and encourage

involvement Are welcoming Address specific

parental and community needs.

WELCOMING

Parent-involvement programs that are effective in engaging diverse families: Recognize diversity Respect diversity Address cultural and

class differences

RESPECT DIFFERENCES

The Joining Process

Putting the Findings into Action…

Welcome, Honor, Connect

WELCOMING...

Families are made to feel at home, comfortable, and a part of the school community.HONORING…Family members are respected, validated and affirmed for any type of involvement or contribution they make. CONNECTING…School staff and families put children at the center, connect on education issues of common interest, and to increase parental engagement with their children’s learning at home.

The “oil” that keeps the cogs in motion…

Relationships

Welcome…Honor…Connect

Beyond the Bake Sale

Anne Henderson Karen Mapp

2006 Karen Mapp Video

www.iowaparents.org Educator’s Toolkit 2.3.1

Using the iSPIN Planning and Implementation Model

Research Practice

iSPIN Core Beliefs

Core Belief 1

All parents have dreams for their children and want the best for them

Core Belief 2

All parents have the capacity to support their children’s learning.

Core Belief 3

Student success is bolstered when families, teachers, and other members of the school community work

together as equal partners on their behalf.

Core Belief 4

School leaders are the prime movers in establishing and nurturing the processes and practices necessary to

intentionally build a school community.

In short…

A school community rests upon mutual respect, strong relationships, shared

responsibility, and focused attention to students’ learning.

iSPIN Desired State

Our School Culture is one in which parents…  Feel welcome in our school Understand and play a role in their children’s

education Feel confident and competent as they support their

children’s school success …and is based upon the positive relationships that

are developed, nurtured, and sustained between parents and school staff.

Our goal is for students to internalize the following attributes of successful students… Feel confident they can succeed Be internally motivated to do well in each class To know how to manage their own learning To know how to ask for help

Moving the needle

Aspirations I plan to continue my education after

high school. My family expects me to do well in

school.

Talking with family members I talk to my family about my homework. I talk to my family about what I'm

learning in school.

Self-efficacy I can do even the hardest homework if I

try. I can learn the things taught in school. I can figure out difficult school work. I want to understand how to solve

problems.

Intrinsic Motivation I like to look for more information

about school subjects. I want to learn new things.

Managing learning I ask myself questions as I go along to

make sure my homework makes sense to me.

I try to figure out the hard parts of my school work on my own.

I go back over things I don’t understand.

I try to find a place that makes it easier to do my homework.

Asking for help from teachers I can get along with most of my teachers. I can go and talk with most of my

teachers. I can get my teachers to help me if I

have problems with other students. I can explain what I think to most of my

teachers. I ask the teacher to tell me how well I'm

doing in class. There is at least one adult at school that

I could go to for help with a problem.

www.iowaparents.org

Your School Community Council…

What is next?

QUESTIONS?

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME!