HOME/SCHOOL CONNECTION: HELPING FAMILIES SUPPORT THEIR CHILDREN’S SCHOOL SUCCESS

Kimberly Allen, Ph.D.North Carolina State University

Cooperative Extension

TODAY’S TALK

Where we have beenWhere we areBenefits of home/school connection

Barriers to family involvementHow to reach families

Life ain’t like what it used

to be!

What happened?

MY HOW THINGS HAVE CHANGED…

In small groups, answer these questions:How have families changed? How has education changed?What about community change?What do you know about the role of

parents in the educational process?

WHAT WAS SCHOOL LIKE WHEN YOU WERE YOUNG?

Subjects Taught?Norms and practices?Out of school activities?

COMPARE THAT WITH TODAY’S EDUCATIONAL

PROCESS

21ST CENTURY LEARNING

THE TRANSITION FROM MAKING THINGS

TO KNOWING THINGS

HOW INVOLVED WERE YOUR PARENTS IN YOUR

EDUCATION?

HOW INVOLVED ARE TODAY’S PARENTS?

A WORLD OF DISCONNECTS

Disconnections at the Family level Little mealtime and playtime togetherTechno-interference

Disconnects at the School levelStudent engagementClass size, Accountability standards

Disconnects at the Community levelTransience, knowing your neighbor?Economic survivalCommunity involvement, mentors, role

models

DID YOU KNOW1 in 3 students who start high school in North Carolina does not graduate. Less than 60% of our African American students and 52% of Hispanic students graduate.

~ Action for Children, 2008

IT CAN GET BETTER IF WE

Build on individual, family and community strengths

Help parents actively engage in their child’s education

Create a comprehensive education that provides skill training AND connects with pupil’s stakeholders

Community

Relationships between systems

Student-teacher relationships, supportive youth-adult relationships (e.g. 4-H)

Individual

Temperament, age, developmental level,

intelligence, perceived academic competency

Family and peers

Schools and supportive agencies

Policies supporting developmental and risk-level tailored interventions

Family involvement

Family cohesion

Peer risky behaviors

Neighborhood attachment and organization

Laws and norms

CRITICAL ELEMENTS IN OUTREACH FOR SUSTAINABLE PARENT INVOLVEMENT

Family involvement

Active teacher outreach

Parent involvement

School-family partnerships

HOME/SCHOOL CONNECTIONHELPS CHILDREN

Earn higher grades and test scores Be promoted, pass their classes, and

earn credits Attend school regularly Have better social skills and improved

behavior Graduate and go on to postsecondary

school

AND…

Family participation in education is twice as predictive of students’ academic success as family socioeconomic status.

Some of the more intensive programs had effects that were 10 times greater than other factors

In fact, the more involvement,the better (Walberg, 1984)

MAJOR FACTORS OF PARENT INVOLVEMENT

1. Parents’ beliefs about what is important, necessary and permissible

2. The extent to which parents believe that they can have a positive influence on their children’s education

3. Parents’ perceptions that their children and school want them to be involved

WHY AREN’T PARENTS MORE INVOLVED?

BARRIERS TO PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT

Time Knowledge School policies Negative Past

Experiences Lack of Communication Lack of Training

Barriers FacedBy Parents

Credit to Behnke, A., North Carolina

State University

Life factors

Language/Literacy

Past Educational Experiences

Transportation

Work schedules

Child care

Attitudes of Personnel

Unfamiliarand intimidating

systems

Lack of Information

ACTIVITY: Take 5 minutes and discuss this question with

your neighbor:

What do parents need in order to better connect with their child’s school?

What can we do to help the parents we serve?

WORKING WITH PARENTS IS HOW YOU CAN HELP!

ECA members can help parents actively engaged in their education by

Educating parents on the benefits of parent/school connection and

Helping parents develop skills & strategies for being more involved.

SIX TYPES OF FAMILY INVOLVEMENT

RESEARCH ON PARENTING ATTITUDES AND ACTIONS

Quality of parent–youth relationships matters—the more connected a child feels to their parent, the better chance of school success

Monitoring youth behaviors positively influences adolescent achievement

A parent attending school functions tends to yield higher academic success

PARENT/SCHOOL COMMUNICATION

On-going, two-way communication with school and parents:Builds positive relationships between

children and their teachers, Leads to greater parent

involvement, Promotes school readiness.

HELP PARENTS KNOW HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH

SCHOOLS

1.Parent/teacher conference

2.Call/e-mail/text3.Schedule a meeting4.Volunteer5.Lunch with student

DID YOU KNOW

When adolescents perceive that their parents have high educational goals for them, they:have more interest in school, greater academic self-

regulation, higher motivation and goal

pursuits

VOLUNTEERING

In or out of school volunteering fosters educational success

Encourage parents to find a way to contribute to school

Three for Me: Three hours of volunteer time each year A PTA program that helps parents find different

ways to volunteer in the home, in the school and in the community, all of which support student learning.

LET PARENTS KNOW HOW TO HELP FROM HOME

Send positive messages about school

Discuss their classroom activities

Listening carefully to their explanations of what

has been learned

PARENTS CAN HELP WITH Reading at home Reinforcing classroom concepts Providing time and a place for doing

homework Encouraging their children to keep trying

when the work becomes difficult Monitoring homework completion Turning off the TV Engaging with their children in educational

activities such as field trips, games and activities

DECISION MAKING

Include families as partners in school decisions, governance, and advocacy

through PTA/PTO, school councils, committees, and other parent

organizations.

WHAT CAN PARENT’S DO?

Visit classesEncourage attendanceMonitoring ChildrenAdvocate for their childParticipate in parent-teacher

conferences

COMMUNITY COLLABORATION

Coordinate resources and services for families, students, and the school with businesses, agencies, and other groups, and

provide services to the community.

PARENTS CAN

Work with YOU about how to help their child succeed

Work to inform family-friendly policies at the classroom, school or district levels

Network with other children, parents, teachers and administrators

PARENT INVOLVEMENT ISN’T THE ANSWER

School, family, and community

partnerships can replace the term “parental involvement”

Parents, educators, and community members must share responsibility for students’ learning and development.

IF WE BUILD IT, WILL THEY COME?

Early Childhood is a great place to start. Early Childcare Centers in your community Head Start/Early Head Start in every county Parents as Teachers

Local school districts Faith-based organizations After school organizations Youth-serving groups

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT IS ABOUT BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS

Do you have relationships with centers or agencies that focus on children’s education?

If not, you will need to develop a relationship.

How would you do that?

EASY AS 1, 2, 3.

Write down 1 center or agency you will target to implement this program in your community

Write down 2 dates that you will visit the agency or center.

List 3 people that you will call on for assistance and follow through with this program.

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.YOU DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE EVERY DAY

Thank you for all you have done for children and families in North Carolina! Do call if I

can be of assistance!

Kimberly Allen, PhDAssistant Professor and Extension Specialist

4-H Youth Development & Family and Consumer Sciences(919) 515-9139

kimberly_allen@ncsu.edu

REFERENCES Arnold, D.H., Zeljo, A., Doctoroff, G. L., & Ortiz, C. (2008). Parent involvement

in preschool: Predictors and the relation of involvement to preliteracy development. School Psychology Review, 37(1), 74-90.

Bouffard, S. (2008). Tapping into technology: The role of the Internet in family-school communication. Retrieved May 19, 2010, from http://www.hfrp.org/family involvement/publications-resources/tapping-into-technology-the-role-of-the-internet-in-family-school-communication.

Epstein & Sheldon (2006). Moving Forward: Ideas for Research on School, Family, and Community Partnerships in C. F. Conrad & R. Serlin (Eds.) SAGE Handbook for research in education: Engaging ideas and enriching inquiry. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Epstein, J. L. (1987). Toward a theory of family–school connections: Teacher practices and parent involvement. In K. Hurrelman, F. X. Kaufman, & F. Losel (Eds.), Social intervention: Potential and con- straints (pp. 121–136). Berlin, Germany: de Gruyer.

Hill, N. E. (2001). Parenting and academic socialization as they relate to school readiness: The role of ethnicity and family income. Journal of Educational Psychology, 93, 686–697.

Shumow, L. & Miller, J.D. (2001). Parents’ at-home and at-school academic involvement with young adolescents. Journal of Early Adolescence, 21, 68-91.

Walberg (1984). Review of 29 students of school-parent programs