Harrisburg School District

Family and Community Engagement

Presenters:Kathy Ames-BorrelYadira CastanonPatricia Patterson-Lee

Stakeholders MeetingApril 3, 2013

The Harrisburg School District

through planning and implementation of a district-wide system/policy

builds the capacity of staff, families, and community to create strong

cohesive involvement in schools in order to ensure effective involvement

of families and community partnerships with schools to improve student

academic achievement.

Why Family and Community Engagement?

Why Family and Community

Engagement?

•District Initiative

•Stakeholder Role

•Best Practice – Epstein’s Six Types of Parent Involvement• See handout

EXPECTATIONS AND PURPOSE

Why Family and Community

Engagement?

National Standards for Parent/Family Involvement Programs

Standard I: Communicating - Communication between home and school is regular, two-way, and meaningful.

Standard II: Parenting - Parenting skills are promoted and supported.

Standard III: Student Learning - Parents play an integral role in assisting student learning.

Standard IV: Volunteering - Parents are welcome in the school, and their support and assistance are sought.

Standard V: School Decision Making and Advocacy—Parents are full partners in the decisions that affect children and families.

Standard VI: Collaborating with Community—Community resources are used to strengthen schools, families, and student learning.

Why Family and Community

Engagement?

Epstein's Framework of Six Types of Involvement

1. Parenting: Help all families establish home environments to support children as students.

2. Communicating: Design effective forms of school-to-home and home-to-school communications about school programs and children's progress.

3. Volunteering: Recruit and organize parent help and support.

4. Learning at home: Provide information and ideas to families about how to help students at home with homework and other curriculum-related activities, decisions, and planning.

5. Decision making: Include parents in school decisions, developing parent leaders and representatives.

6. Collaborating with the community: Identify and integrate resources and services from the community to strengthen school programs, family practices, and student learning and development.

HARRISBURG SCHOOL DISTRICT

FAMILY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT FRAMEWORK

CONNECT

ENGAGE

SUSTAIN

FRAMEWORK FOR INVOLVING PARENTS AND

COMMUNITYIN SCHOOLS

HARRISBURG SCHOOL DISTRICT

FAMILY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT FRAMEWORK

CONNECT

ENGAGE

SUSTAIN

FRAMEWORK FOR INVOLVING PARENTS AND

COMMUNITYIN SCHOOLS

CONNECT

Interactive Graphic Organizer

We will use during our presentation

CONNECT

• School districts and school staff need to connect and build positive relationships with parents before they can effectively engage parents in improving schools.

• School administrators should assess the school’s capacity to engage parents and establish or enhance policies and procedures for parent engagement.  

CONNECT

Does the school mission reflect the importance of parent engagement and establish a foundation for the parent engagement in school academic activities?

Does school staff view parents as assets to their mission, and subsequently as assets to the academic mission? Do school staff member’s value parent engagement?

Are policies and procedures in place to maximize parent engagement in the school’s educational programs and services?

Does the school have a friendly, welcoming environment for parents?

Does the school welcome parents to participate in and contribute to the school’s academic programs?

Is there a district level parent and community involvement plan that can guide the development of a school plan for involving parents and the community?

CONNECT

What is important for your family and your child?

What information would you like to receive related to your child’s learning?

What school health-related activities, services, and programs would you like to know more about?

What simple changes or modifications would make the school’s physical environment more pleasant, accessible, and safe for parents and community members?

What skills and talents do you have that might match with the programs, activities and instructional/learning needs of the school?

CONNECT

Parent Involvement Needs Assessment We want to hear from you!

The Harrisburg School District wants to hear from all parents about how you think our schools are doing at including parents in their children’s schools.

Please indicate how you feel your school is doing at this time by

circling the number for each statement that closest represents how you feel.

1. Communicating: Communication between home and school is regular, two-way, and meaningful.

How well does your school… Poor Fair Good Excellent 1a. provide information to parents in a variety of ways (i.e.,

newsletter, e-mail, home visits, and phone calls)? 0 1 2 3

1b. provide all information in the parent’s native language and at an appropriate literacy level?

0 1 2 3

2. Parenting: Parenting skills are promoted and supported.

How well does your school… Poor Fair Good Excellent 2a. provide a central location where parents/families have easy

access to information and resources on parenting? 0 1 2 3

2b. offer workshops, or parent literacy training? 0 1 2 3

3. Student Learning: Parents play an integral role in assisting student learning.

How well does your school… Poor Fair Good Excellent 3a. provide clear information regarding the expectations for

students in each subject at each grade level? 0 1 2 3

3b. assist parents in understanding how students can improve skills, get help when needed, meet class expectations, and perform well on assessments?

0 1 2 3

4. Volunteering: Parents are welcome in the school, and their support and assistance are sought.

How well does your school… Poor Fair Good Excellent 4a. survey parents regarding their interests, talents, and availability

to volunteer? 0 1 2 3

4b. maintain a system for contacting parents to volunteer throughout the school year? 0 1 2 3

5. Welcoming Environment: How does your school do at making parents feel welcomed?

At school… Poor Fair Good Excellent 5a. I feel welcome at my child's school. 0 1 2 3 5b. Other parents at the school make me feel welcome to be involved.

0 1 2 3

School: ___________________________________

SEE HANDOUT

NEEDS ASSESSMENT DATA

NEEDS ASSESSMENT DATA

CONNECT

Connections are explicit, meaningful,

and have purpose.

Please take your flower pot and add soil.

You are laying the foundation for new life to grow. All things worth value have a

solid foundation from which to grow.

CONNECT

ENGAGE

In addition to establishing a relationship with parents and making them feel welcomed, schools districts should offer a variety of opportunities to engage parents in school activities. Researchers have identified six types of involvement that schools can use to engage parents (Epstein, JL 2009).

1.Providing parenting support 2.Communicating with parents 3.Providing a variety of volunteer opportunities 4.Supporting learning at home 5.Encouraging parents to be a part of decision-making in schools 6.Collaborating with the community

ENGAGE

STORIES FROM THE FIELDTeaching Stress management Skills to parents and School Staff

 In Buffalo, New York, at Early childhood Center No. 61, the teachers and administrators believed that stress was holding parents back from becoming more involved in the school and that having more involved parents would benefit the students. The school decided to offer a Source of Family Stress and Relief workshop for parents and teachers. Parents of students in pre-K through fourth grade participated in the event, along with teachers, administrators, and staff and community members. The workshop focused on stress management and coping strategies for parents to incorporate into their daily lives. Participants learned about exercising, relaxation, techniques, healthy eating, and sleeping. Dancing was also taught as a method to relieve stress.

 Source: “ Promising Partnership Practices 2007” National Network of Partnerships, John Hopkins University

ENGAGE

STORIES FROM THE FIELDCommunicating with Parents About School Meals

 To communicate school meal options, prices and nutritional information with parents, the Shelby County School District in Tennessee implemented the Virtual Café. He Virtual Café is an online tool that allows parents to view the foods offered each day and help their children select healthy meals at school. The tool helps parents monitor the types of meals children choose and includes a feature that allows parents and schools nurses to select appropriate meals for children with special dietary needs. In addition, parents are able to prepay online for their children’s meals.

 Source: Alliance for a healthier Generation, Success Stories Volume 23, April 2009 Newsletter

ENGAGE

STORIES FROM THE FIELDIncreasing Volunteerism to promote School Safety

 As a way to increase student safety, John Humbird Elementary School in Cumberland, Maryland, instituted a program called Watch DOGS (Dads of Great Students) in which parent volunteers serve as in-school monitors and mentors. Forty-five fathers and father figures volunteered their time to monitor students in the school. Volunteers were given T-shirts to identify themselves as Watch DOGS and to increase visibility of the program. For several months out of the school year, there was a Watch DOGS volunteer in classrooms, on the playground, or in the cafeteria every day.

 Source: National Network of Partnership Schools; Type 2; Fall 2008, No. 25.

ENGAGE

Engagement provides multiple opportunities and resources for

parents and community to feel apart of the school

environment and influence the education of

children.

Take your seeds and insert into the soil.Add a little water.Sunlight will assist in the growing process.

Engaging all stakeholders into school incorporatesthe “village” concept,

so all members within the community actively participating in the lives and education of

children.

ENGAGE

SUSTAIN

If parents are engaged in school academic initiatives from the beginning, they are more likely to stay engaged. One important strategy is for school administrators and staff to identify challenges that keep parents from being connected and engaged in school academics and then work with parents to tailor school events and activities to address those challenges. It is also important for schools to have a dedicated team or committee that oversee parent engagement.

SUSTAIN

BARRIERS

Parents are unable to attend school academic meetings or activities because of conflicts. Parents cannot attend school meetings and activities due to lack of transportation.

Parents are uncomfortable at school academic meetings and activities. This discomfort might be the result of negative experiences when they were in school, unfamiliarity with the school culture or other factors.

Parents do not fully comprehend academic information and communications provided at school academic learning activities and meetings. This might be due to language barriers (non-English-speaking family members) or unfamiliarity with terms used among those working in schools.

School staff are not experienced or trained to work with parents and have trouble sustaining relationships and parent engagement efforts.

There is difficulty sustaining school administrative or financial support for parent engagement.

SUSTAIN

SOLUTIONS

SUSTAIN

Sustaining parent and community partnerships

enhances the school community, parent involvement, and student achievement.

Anticipating the beautiful flowers that will be produce from your hard work and efforts remind us that hard work, perseverance, and determination yield success.

Sustain the partnerships with parents and communityto continue building the capacity of connecting,

engaging, and sustaining involvement of all stakeholders within the school community.

SUSTAIN

NEXT STEPS

• NEXT MEETING TIME/DATE

• LIST SERV STAKEHOLDERS GROUP

• IDEAS FOR DISTRICT WIDE PROJECT

• NURTURING OF PLANT (PARENTS/COMMUNITY)

• FINAL THOUGHTS