Home – School CooperationCrucial for children and young people’s learning and development

Solveig Roth2015

The Univesal Declaration of Human RightsArt. 26 – part 3

Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.

In Norway:(Law for primary and secondary education § 5-4)

Excerpt: If parents are worried about the students learning outcome they have the right to ask the school to look into the matter. The school has a duty to investigate the matter

and to take proper measures in cooperation with the parents. If the school and the parents sees it necessary

they can ask for the community pedagogical-psychological services for advice.

Purpose of the Lecture

• Refresh existing knowledge about home – school cooperation

• Present new research about the value of home – school cooperation

• Create awareness about dilemmas regarding Teachers’ and school’s perspectives on educational challenges Parents’ and student’s perspective on educational challenges

• Seeing, understanding and solving the ‘unseen’ academic and social challenges

• The role of the home – school cooperation

Parent-school relationships - a significant determinant of the quality of school education. • Comparing demographic characteristics, research shows that

higher-income, higher-educated and majority ethnic parents are more likely to be in contact with schools than their counterparts. Lower socio-economic status and minority ethnic parents are found to

be less commonly involved in schools largely because of a range of obstacles preventing their involvement.

• Mothers appear to be more involved than fathers in the child’s schooling, not only because they may choose to do so, but also because they are “appointed” such a role (except British/Norwegian South-Asian heritage families where fathers tend to be more involved). Connection with school is generally presented as a female role, which

is white and middle class and parents are constructed as heteronormative.

Teachers must take into consideration that it is not all parents/families that are enabled to have, strong relationships with their children’s schools.

Parents’ Impact on Students' Learning Outcomes

International studies show that parents’ attitude explain much of the variation in students' academic performance.

Cooperation home/school

Education level Learning outcome

Parental support

Parental support includes talking about school, asking about the kids’ well-being and to provide help and support for schoolwork.

Population:110 000

Density: 5.9/km2

What do they do?

- agriculture - some industry - teacher education

The Sogn & Fjordane County Study

Relationship between learning environment and learning outcome

The Sogn & Fjordane County Study

The following learning environment factors were investigated:

The teacher as a leader (of teaching and social environment)

Relationship between student and teacher Relationship between students The use of rules and norms which are importante

for the student Teachers’ view on students and academic

expectations Home – school cooperation

Methods and Findings

• Qualitative research: Number of samples: 1730 students (93%) and 1803 parents (58%)

• Method: Measuring effect size based on differences between S&F and Norwegian average grades (national tests)

Despite the fact that S&F parents have lower than average education their children have 0.15s better grades than the national average (grades A-F)

Findings:Parents involvement in school is important.

Parents’ evaluation of home – school cooperation

• Small, but significantly better information and contact with school

• Small, but significantly better dialogue about teaching, learning and development

Parent support and contact with other parents:• S&F parents support their children slightly more than

average• S&F parents do not contact other parents more than

average• S&F parents show more interest in education and

communicate this to their childrenStudents’ impressions about parental school work support:• The students report a small, but significantly higher support

than average (Nordahl et al. 2015)

John Hattie (2009): Parent-related factors that contribute to students’ learning outcome

Factors Effect size

Socioeconomic status (pay, edu.level, position) 0,57

Engagement (expectations, level of communication, teaching methods)

0,51

Learning environment with good social relations between the students, and a student culture that supports learning

0,53

Cooperation between home and school, parents with realistic expectations and that parents support their children's learning and schooling

0,51

Home work 0,48

The teacher / the lecturesRelation to student, structured teaching methods, feedback

0,68

• The school and the home must jointly look for signals ‘Whining’ children Silent / noisy children Academically lagging

students High achieving students etc …

A systemic approach

• The student’s social ‘world’ may be hidden to both parents and school.

Students’ social

relationships in school

Teacher with focus on teaching

Parents’ understanding of childrens’ social school

world

?

??

Reflect - 5 minutes

Dilemma:One of the girls constantly ask for help. Her parents don’t seem to help her with homework. The mother ask if her daughter is bullied in school.As a teacher you cannot see that the girl is bullied. You wonder why the parents do not help their daughter with homework. Also, you know that her parents are about to divorce.

Possibilities for school – home communication:• How do we check that our assumptions are

right?• How can we approach the situation jointly?• At what point should we involve additional

services?

Home – School Cooperation Principles - I

• All types of cooperation give results.• The teacher – student relation improves if the teacher

also knows the parents (cf. Hattie).• Conflicts and negative experiences can sometimes

dominate compared to positive experiences – cooperation is a complicated process.

• Home – school cooperation has, like all other relations, both a positive and a negative potential.

Example – conflict

Home – School Cooperation Principles - II

• Cooperation can succeed if parents and teachers have clear and common goals.

• Teachers and parents must have a mutual trust relation.• Teachers and parents must regard each other as

resources for the student’s learning and development.

• Information important for teachers: Children’s and family’s everyday cultural practices and

interests (like work experience, family history, activities etc) Cildren and parent’s thoughts about well-being and learning

outcome Children’s future orientations Parents’ educational expectations

Need thorough mapping at an early stage Teachers educational expectations???

Home – School Cooperation Principles - III

1. Information• Exchange of information between school and home and from

parents to school, for example by teachers orienting about pedagogical methods and how the students manage.

2. Dialogue and discussions• A genuine and truthful communication between parents and

teachers about the students, the lectures, and learning environment and the school’s development.

3. Democratic contribution • The school and the parents must influence the decissions and

pedagogical methods. It is important that the parents’ views are taken into account by the teachers and the school. School level Class level Student level

Cooperating with Parents - I

• Outsourcing av childhood Parents wish to leave upbringing to school. Children

spend much time in school, and a busy everyday life for the partents may enhance this sintuation.

• Shared responsibility for the child School’s responsibility is teaching and pedagogical

development. Parents’ responsibility is upbringing and social development.

• Common responsibility for the child Home and school has a common responsibility for

the child’s development. The parties must work together to resolve this as equal partners. This requires dialogue between the parties to reach a common agreement on what should be done (Nordahl, 2007).

Cooperating with Parents - II

• The parents have the primary responsibility for the upbringing of their own children, it is not the community’s responsibility.

• Academic learning and social and personal development takes place in school.

• Collaboration between the home and school is especially important; children spend increasingly more time of their early life in educational institutions.

• Parents are important for the students’ well-being and results in school (Nordahl).

Cooperating with Parents - III

• School/teacher frame the cooperation.• School/teacher use their professional knowledge.• Parents have knowledge about the student’s well-being,

interests and future trajectories – use this fact in the education!

• Morally founded decissions create a sense of unity. • Horizontal relationships create unity?

Strengthen the parents’ involvement and cooperation based on possibilities and wish for participation!Involve yourself: Contribute with your own voice, believe in yourself, feel valued and respected.

Discuss the following - 5 minutes

Contribution: Parents work together in groups to provide the teachers with the necessary input; all the parents will be heard and the individual’s interests and knowledge can be voiced. Is this possible??

• What do the parents expect from school?• What do the school expect from the parnets?• Who is responsible for the upbringing?• What is the school’s and the teacher’s role in

assisting the parents in the upbringing?• Who (and how) should initiate the school – home

cooperation?• Who is responsible for establishing the cooperation

with the parents?REDIGERES I TOPP-/BUNNTEKST

An equality and resource oriented cooperation - I

In families with low socio-economic background the premises are:

• All parents are significant resources for their children.• Resource orientation implies empowerment.• Empowerment entails that teachers meet parents so that

the parents can believe in own opportunities and qualifications in raising their children and in supporting them in school.

An equality and resource oriented cooperation - II

• Teachers must not address parents as if they have limited resources. It is humiliating It is impossible to show respect to a person you think have

limited resources It can reduce the opportunity for cooperation

• All parents have resources with respect to own children.

An equality and resource oriented cooperation - III

• All parents have the opportuity to convey information about school, and most parents will have their own views about the education.

• School should pay heed to the information and the views that parents have.

• Parents notice how the children do in school, if the subjects are difficult or easy, the pedagogical methods, the noise level, well-being etc.

• Such feedback is useful of all the teachers !!!By understanding parents feedback the teacher shows that the parents can contribute.

An equality and resource oriented cooperation - IV

• All education and upbringing is about grown-ups, whether they are teachers or parents, will to influence children in certain directions.

• Parents will always wish that their childrens succeed socially, have friends, feel well and participate inside and outside of school.

• All parents wish that their children can release their potential for learning.

• The ideal for the school: to use the parents as a resource (Dencik, Jørgensen og Sommer 2008).

Practical advice – I

The school must recognize that parents are the experts on their own children. Parents need to recognize the school's responsibility for the social and academic learning process. Important in order to achieve a good and lasting home -

school cooperation.

Working with parents – remember:• Cooperation based on equality! Parents are co-workers, not

counterparts.• Approach the parents with an open and forthcoming attitude –

listening can be as important as talking.• Parents’ involvement is important for the children’s academic and

social development.• Parents are a resource for the school.• School must emphasise positive feedback.

Practical advice - II

A good communication with the parents involves:• Involving them as soon as possible.• Be flexible on time and place for meetings.• Show humility.• Showing that you care about their children is a good starting point.• Focus on the goals, not the problems.• Be clear, not vague.• Be sure that you are understood.• Have a common viewpoint about challenges, invite them to

cooperate.• Listen!• Don’t blame the parents or the students, or defend yourself. Be

methodological and professional.• Be realistic.• Believe in change.• Follow-up, fix meeting dates and actions.

Practical advice - III

Positive parent contribution and involvement in learning:• Make groups of parents• Home visits• Parent network• Invite and involve all the parents to the classroom and excursions• Involve the parents/grandparents in the classroom teaching• Visit the parents workplace

Practical advice - IV

Communication:• Be polite. Smile, firm handshake, see, listen etc

acknowledged respect.• Mutual trust and respect make it possible to create unity.

Reflect - 5 minutes

Dilemma:One of the boys constantly disrupts the tuition. Some of the other students are afraid of the boy. He does not do any homework.

As a teacher you know that the boy’s father has moved to another country.

Possibilities for school – home communication:• How can we approach the situation jointly?• How can the parents be used as a resource?• How to communicate mutual expectations?• What kind of communication is appropriate?• At what point should we involve additional

services?REDIGERES I TOPP-/BUNNTEKST

IDENTIFY A PROBLEM

The contextual perspectiveenvironment

tasksrelations

friendship

The individual perspectiveIndividual qualifications, skills,

diagnosis, problemsHome environment

The actors perspectiveThe student’s interpretation of reality

The interpretation of him/herself

A systemic approach

Actions and behaviour is seen from different

perspectives

WAYS TO REGARD STUDENT BEHAVIOUR

Levels and Areas of Cooperation

Rules Social development

Content Homework

Information (from teacher)

1. Boy does not do homework

Dialogue(Home-Sch)

2. Ask parent about the situation

Contribution (from home)

3. Adapt home-work to interest. Mother to follow up.

Summary Home – School Cooperation

• School and home can together help to create a good relationship between teacher and student, between students (a student culture that supports learning), between parents, and between parents and teachers.

• School and home can together create appropriate expectations for students' school work and learning (academic and social). It is important to think about motivation along with expectations.

• School and home must appear as safe and predictable.• School and home must use appropriate guidelines for:

schoolwork feedback to students – containing encouragement and

support

Education in a Modern Society

New Home – School Relationships?

Identity In Modern Society

• One generation ago your future was, to a certain degree, «predestined» - the job in the warehouse was there – you became what your father was. Your identity (who am I?) was fixed.

• Today, young people increasingly learn to live with many different structural norms as well as to compensate for them.

• Youth react to structural norms with own counter measures – they seek stability, transparency and belonging.

• For many, the choices are more about evation than realization of positive future wishes.

• The youth of today need more structure and fewer choices (Ziehe 2011)

Home-School Relations - Igendered, classed, raced and

heteronormative• How recent awareness of changes may affect the predominant

understanding of the ‘parent’ in relation to schools, like: family characteristics and structures growing “fatherhood movements” the increase in full-time employment of mothers the recognition of same sex couples increasing changing ethnic demographics globally

• The predominant understanding of the ways different parents engage with the school and how home-school relationships are perceived by the teachers, is likely to alter.

We know: The way teachers relate to parents has an impact on children regarding

academic achievement, emotions and in relation to respect and social standing.

These attitudes and behaviours, in turn, can impact on the parents’ engagement.

Home-School Relations - IIgendered, classed, raced and

heteronormative• Neo-liberal international education policies makes it

increasingly necessary to consider: Different ways of parents’ engagement Different roles of the home – school cooperation

• In a modern and global context parents’ engagement in schooling concerns: engagement of schools and families in communities the possibilities for parent agency implications for local democracy and participation

• One must address and debate: changes in parent and family characteristics and structures the effect of parents engagement in school and education

• The predominant understanding of home – school relationships is changing

Reflect - 5 minutes

How to handle own attitudes to home-school cooperation1. Local guidelines for home-school cooperation?2. Local experience/practice for home-school

cooperation?3. Differences between school’s practice and assumed

parents’ experience? 4. Teacher and school culture / attituteds for

cooperation?

How to handle parents with:• Strong demands and expectations• Negative/positive school experiences• Reluctance to cooperation

REDIGERES I TOPP-/BUNNTEKST

How parents guide their childrens’ learning

trajectories – parental support

Supporting learning trajectories

• Educational expectations• Homework aid• Focus on leisure activities which can support school

learning• Talk positively about school and education • Explain subjects to the children

Read novels and news papers Visit the library Stimulate learning languages, mathematics and sciences Travel Encourage learning and using technologies Encourage building social relations …

CASE HISTORY EXAMPLE

Amirtha

1. 15 years old2. Data from 10th grade to 2nd year in high-school3. Born in Norway, parents from India (refugees). 4. The family belongs to the Sikh community. 5. She was very good in chess – played on a competetive

level 6. High educational ambitions

Amirtha’s younger sister was born with a disorder. It had a major impact on the family’s view of Amirtha’s

future.

My mother’s religious views got stronger due to this while my father started to question our religion. It has made my father ‘understand’ the Norwegian society better than my mother. I follow my father; he is my ‘hero’. […]

I really love my mother, but I feel that I am very different. […]

When my father lost faith in God, I did the same; because I’m daddy’s girl I follow him […]

I believe religion is something that somebody has invented. My mother, she really believes and I hate it. But I really love my mother, don’t think anything else.    

Amirtha and her parents negotiate hereducational and future family life

1. Rooted in her parents different view on their religion the family negotiated her future trajectory1. Her father valued education2. Her mother valued arranged marriage and care giving

2. Amirtha followed her father and thus focused on education Gave a ‘focus on school’ attitude.

1. Her father guide her educational trajectory and with increased age she gradual took control: Her father’s guiding helped Amirtha solve her challenges as a learner in the transition between 10th grade and high school. This resulted in quitting chess because she had to focus on

education to secure the future for the family.

The increased focus on education was not only for herself

In India, girls become housewives. In my family, I am the only one can get a good job. It is my duty to be responsible for my sister when my parents grow old. My educational project is therefore important. I have no siblings who can help me. I do not question this.

• Amirtha regarded education as a way of providing for her family in the future, implying that she might stay in the local community.

• Opportunities, like chess, that had created engagement came to an end.

Different future positions given by her parents

Amirtha’s mother positioned her to take care of her family and to marriage according to the Sikh practices (arranged marriage)

Her father positioned her to become a breadwinner, to educate, get good grades, choose natural sciences, find a good balance between leisure activities and school work and to decide whom to marry herself

Different positions gave tensions :

Amirtha took the following future positions:

• Breadwinner resulting in a focus on good grades, apply to a good high school and future education She discussed with her father – how to succeed with her

education

Father: ‘After upper secondary school Amirtha can chose the occupation she wants to. But it is important that she chose a profession were it is easy to get employment.

Immigrants can’t choose whatever they like’.• Decide whom to marry

She read novels to increase her understanding of the topics

• Take care of her sister Limited her leisure/future possibilities (e.g. to stay

home)

After the transition to high school Amirtha felt positioned as weak by her

teachers in natural science got poorer grades missed her friends and felt lonely

• Strategic positioning Amirtha and her father discussed how to

deal with the situation. They made a strategy:

In the participation observation with her old friends Amirtha was more ‘quiet’ than before. Amirtha said :

“ I am not as smart as I thought I was”. ‘if the situation does not improve I will change to the local school the next year’. My father has not said ‘alright’ but we have decided to do something.

Gradually, Amirtha took control over her educational trajectory

The following year Amirtha continued in the same school, but she had decided to change from the natural to the social science program. Even though her father said natural sciences were important subjects she had chosen subjects more in line with her interests. After having changed, she felt that her academic situation had really improved. At this time, although Amirtha could still not say where she would be in five years, she emphasized that she wanted to study. Amirtha did not see herself leaving the local community.”

Today – Amirtha studies economy at a good university

Discussion

• The tensions she experienced regarding her future made her aware of the necessity of education

• The educational expectations - burdensome and inspiring

• The family involvement (father) in planning her education and support in choosing school and friends might have been important for her; she probably learned how to control her learning identity and educational trajectory strategically.

• Amirtha’s high educational expectations and complex gendered and family situation and the teachers’ little knowledge about her situation probably did not give her an optimal learning trajectory. Amirtha was, perhaps, not able to take full advantage of her potential in upper secondary school.

Reflect - 5 minutes

Dilemma:The identities and different future expectations students bring to school – do they fit into the everyday school context and the curriculum?- Why ?- Why not?- Which identity and educational expectations

do you find in Estonia?- How can you get to know the students’ future

expectations?- Can their expectations be used as a resource?- How can we maintain the students’ well-being

and social development?

Topics for Meeting with the Parents

• Releveant questions:• Is there a discussion about attitudes and values that you

want to relay to the students?• Which attitudes and values should be relayed?• What do you and your school do to have a good home –

school cooperation• Concrete tasks / work that can give an even better

cooperation? Between the parents Between the home and the school Between the teacher and the student

Tutoring the Parents

• Explain why we need an improved home – school cooperation

• How will the children benefit?• Advice on how to get the children to improve in

homework• Which parents will be positive to this work?• And … who won’t?

Development talks – encourage and support the parents

• What are the parents’ expectations Are they too high? Too low?

• How is the child really doing in school?

3 T’s by Danna Suskind (Prof.) - I

WE ARE NOT born smart - we become.Suskind believes an essential part of parents' duties is to read, talk, sing, reasonable and rant with kids. Even reading aloud of the oat meal nutritional declaration develops a child's brain.A newborn is already a computer genius, but like a pc, the human brain has to be programmed. It is the parents' job.Man is born with billions of nerve cells that will grow into a dense network of nerve connections. Activity is highest in the first three years. Words are biological building blocks for the brain. Language is the most important part in building the network of rain cells, which in turn lays the foundation for learning ability, emotional regulation, thinking, logic, language and mathematics understanding - in short: everything needed to survive reasonably well in life.

3 T’s by Danna Suskind (Prof.) - II

Suskind’s method involves the three t's:• tune in• talk more• take turnsTune in means that the caregiver puts down her smartphone and concerns, and strives to see the world through the child's eyes.Talk more means to "pour" words over the child and talk about everything that happens in real time, much like a football commentator.Take turns means having a conversation with your child.

A 4th T by Danna Suskind (Prof.)

A fourth ‘t’: technology

Monitors can be great learning tool, but can also make us introverted. When the whole family sits with techno gadgets, they have less time to the enriching, brain-building small talk between parents and children: "Just try to talk to someone who is concerned with a screen. It is impossible.”Low socioeconomic children tend to have a small vocabulary which gives the following challenges in school:• a word gap• an achievement gapPreparation and prevention are the solution. Suskind’s charity organization “Thirty Million Words Initiative” educates parents in the three t's.

Home – School Cooperation

What kind of grades are these?

What kind of grades are these?

Studies from Sweden and Canada:• Parents reveal that school wanted

involvement• School had demands to how involvement

should be• School supervised how parents could

support own childrenSchool and the parents should be viewed

as mutually dependent partners in realizing the potential for the childrens’ learning

Shaping the School – Home WorkTwo stages:• School gives the parents information• Dialogue between school and the parents

Ensure that parents can influence – become partners

Have goals for the cooperation Joint decisions Heteronony – avoid autonomy Commitment

Parents’ Involvement / Engagement

Parents are proactive or reactive Parents’ involvement can depend on the

child’s situation in schoolParents’ attitude to school influence the

children’s motivation in school Expectations Ambitions

School must take measures to ensure parents’ involvement and engagement

ResultsRecent research documents improvements:

Outcome of learning and ambitions Control of situation Well-being and behaviour Abscence and work effort Student-teacher relationship Attitude to school and to homework

The results are valid in all levels of schooling.Through parent involvement and input the school

can adjust, improve and optimize the teaching for the students.

References

• Nordahl, Thomas, & Knudsmoen, Hege. (2015). Læringsmiljøet i skolen og foreldrenes involvering i elevenes skolegang. In G. Langfeldt (Ed.), Skolens kvalitet skapes lokalt. (pp. 255-270). Bergen: Fagbokforlaget. 

• Nordahl, T. (2015): Hjem og skole. Hvordan etablere et samarbeid til elevenes beste. Oslo: Universitetsforlaget

• Roth, Solveig & Erstad, Ola. (2015) Positional identities in educational transitions: connecting contemporary and future trajectories among multiethnic girls. Ethnography and Education.

• Dencik, Jørgensen, Sommer (2008). Familie og børn i en opbrudstid. ISBN: 9788741203898