Family & Community Engagement
There are three Indicators that deal with family and community engagement. One measures parental support for the school (2.2), one deals with whether the school works with parents to foster student learning (2.4), and a third deals with perceptions of influence on school goals. Research on parental—or family—engagement in schools is clear that such engagement leads to higher student achievement when schools help families help their students to learn those things that are the focus of the curriculum. It might be noted that there is only one item (9A) in any of the indicators deals directly with whether efforts are made to engage parents in the education of their own children so examining this particular item may be productive. In general, one would expect high scores on Indicator 2.4 to be a better predictor of school effectiveness than responses to the other two Indicators.
Indicator 2.2: Parents are Involved in Improving Education
This indicator documents the number of parents that support the school. The focus is to understand the level of participation among parents in special events, fund raising and volunteerism. This indicator also measures parent contact with the school in terms of parent-teacher conferences, and the provisions for home environments that support learning. It might be difficult for many teachers to know what the how environment of their students really is (see question 33F). Participation by parents—or families—in the school activities identified in this indicator may indicate parent interest in their children’s success but research holds that parental engagement in direct support of their children’s learning in the home is the most productive form of parental involvement.
Indicator 2.4: Teachers Work Closely with Parents to Help Students Learn and to Improve Education
This indicator measures the level of effort school staff make toward building trust with parents. The indicator looks into the working relationship between teachers and parents in understanding and meeting the needs of students. This indicator also measures if regular communication between the school and parents exists related to helping their children learn. There are two items not included in this indicator that it would seem useful to examine when studying the survey responses Question 9B deals with openness to parental and community feedback on curriculum and instruction in the school. Question 9F assesses whether parents and teachers work together to promote school improvement.
2.8 Parents, Community, and Staff Other Than Teachers are Involved in Decisions about School Goals
This indicator measures the level to which business and community organizations, staff (not teachers in this case), parents and students participate in decisions about school goals.
Research, Commentary and Guidelines
Richard Rothstein (2004). Class and Classroom. National School Boards Association. Available at http://www.msba.org/site/doc.asp?TRACKID=&DID=34723&CID=1234
There are numerous useful and accessible resources on family on community engagement. They are divided here into three categories: general information, engagement of families with limited English proficiency, and community involvement.
General Information
• J.P. Comer , “Schools that Develop Children”, The American Prospect
12:7 (April 23, 2001) 8pp. Note: this is available on line at the School Development Program website or at www.prospect.org/print/V12/7/comer-j.html.
• The National Network of Partnership Schools http://csos.jhu.edu/p2000/. At this site read the brief summary of research identified in the homepage. Also, examine Research Briefs found in the homepage.
• The Knowledge Loom (http://knowledgeloom.org). Go to Spotlight, then School, Family and Community Partnerships, then Resources. Scroll down to Critical Issue: Creating the School Climate and Structures to Support Family and Community Involvement. While examining this material, pay attention here to the six types of parental involvement identified by Joyce Epstein.
• The Public Education Network (www.publiceducation.org). This site holds the Executive Summary of an important study by Milbrey McLaughlin and her colleagues on the effects of student involvement in community organizations that has significant implications for school practices.
• The Harvard Family Research Project (http://www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/). This site is particularly good on issues related to early childhood programs and provides helpful information about family engagement.
• For a review of research on the effects of parent and community engagement see, Henderson, A & Mapp, K. (2002). A New Wave of Evidence: The Impact of School, Family, & Community Connections on Student Achievement. National Center for Family and Community Connections to Schools. Southwest Educational Development Laboraory. www.sedl.org
• Salinas, K.C. (2004). The Tech Connection: Seven Ways to Use Technology to Involve Families in Children’s Education. Available at TechConnection.pdf
Engagement of Families with Limited English Proficiency
• Center for Research on Education, Diversity and Excellence (www.crede.ucsc.edu). Material on this site is especially useful for ideas about how best to meet the needs of English Language Learners. See for example, S. Fitzsimmons, Building Partnerships with Latino Immigrant Parents. Practitioner Brief #6, CREDE July, 2003. 2pp.
• R. Duran, et al., “The Immigrant Parents’ Literacy Project: A Strategies Guide to Implementation”, Educational Practice Report 10 (CREDE) 2004.
• J. Chang, Scaffold for School-Home Collaboration: Enhancing Reading and Language Development, Research Brief #9, April 2001, 2pp.
• R. Rodriguez & A. Villarreal, “Development Through Engagement: Valuing the
‘At-Promise’ Community”, IDRA Newsletter V27:7 (August, 2000) 5pp.
Available at http://www.idra.org/IDRA_Newsletters/August_2000%3A_Educational_Pipeline/Development_Through_Engagement/
• M. Zepeda & A. Morales, “Supporting Parents through Parent Education” Policy
Brief #16, UCLA Center for Healthier Children, Families and Communities, Center for Policy Research, University of California. n.d. 4pp. Available at http://healthychild.ucla.edu/
Partnering with Community Organizations
• www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/pa0cont.htm. Under “Critical Issues in Family
and Community”, the first four sections are particularly useful.
• C.T. Alger & J. Locke, Broadening the Base: School/Community Partnerships
Serving Language Minority Students at Risk, CREDE, Research Brief #6 January 2000. 2pp. Available at http://crede.ucsc.edu/products/print/eprs/epr6.shtml
• J. Eccles & J. A. Goodman, eds., Community Programs to Promote Youth
Development: Executive Summary. Washington, DC: National Academy
Press, 2002, pp. 1-12.
• Coalition for Community Schools, 2002. Strengthening and Sustaining Relationships between Schools and Youth Development Organizations. Available at helpingyoungpeople.pdf
• M. McLaughlin, Community Counts: How Youth Organizations Matter for Youth
Development-Executive Summary, Washington, DC: Public Education Network, 2000. 3 pp. Available on line at www.PublicEducation.org
Video Commentary
• Ruben Cedeño: Senior Policy Analyst - National Education Association. Ruben Cedeño talks about how KEYS can be used to foster communities of learning.
• Pedro Reyes, Professor of Education, University of Texas, Austin, discusses how KEYS can foster shared responsibility within schools, as well as outreach to the community. This video is in KI challenge 3.
Indicator 2.2: Parents are Involved in Improving Education
This indicator documents the number of parents that support the school. The focus is to understand the level of participation among parents in special events, fund raising and volunteerism. This indicator also measures parent contact with the school in terms of parent-teacher conferences, and the provisions for home environments that support learning. It might be difficult for many teachers to know what the how environment of their students really is (see question 33F). Participation by parents—or families—in the school activities identified in this indicator may indicate parent interest in their children’s success but research holds that parental engagement in direct support of their children’s learning in the home is the most productive form of parental involvement.
Indicator 2.4: Teachers Work Closely with Parents to Help Students Learn and to Improve Education
This indicator measures the level of effort school staff make toward building trust with parents. The indicator looks into the working relationship between teachers and parents in understanding and meeting the needs of students. This indicator also measures if regular communication between the school and parents exists related to helping their children learn. There are two items not included in this indicator that it would seem useful to examine when studying the survey responses Question 9B deals with openness to parental and community feedback on curriculum and instruction in the school. Question 9F assesses whether parents and teachers work together to promote school improvement.
2.8 Parents, Community, and Staff Other Than Teachers are Involved in Decisions about School Goals
This indicator measures the level to which business and community organizations, staff (not teachers in this case), parents and students participate in decisions about school goals.
Research, Commentary and Guidelines
Richard Rothstein (2004). Class and Classroom. National School Boards Association. Available at http://www.msba.org/site/doc.asp?TRACKID=&DID=34723&CID=1234
There are numerous useful and accessible resources on family on community engagement. They are divided here into three categories: general information, engagement of families with limited English proficiency, and community involvement.
General Information
• J.P. Comer , “Schools that Develop Children”, The American Prospect
12:7 (April 23, 2001) 8pp. Note: this is available on line at the School Development Program website or at www.prospect.org/print/V12/7/comer-j.html.
• The National Network of Partnership Schools http://csos.jhu.edu/p2000/. At this site read the brief summary of research identified in the homepage. Also, examine Research Briefs found in the homepage.
• The Knowledge Loom (http://knowledgeloom.org). Go to Spotlight, then School, Family and Community Partnerships, then Resources. Scroll down to Critical Issue: Creating the School Climate and Structures to Support Family and Community Involvement. While examining this material, pay attention here to the six types of parental involvement identified by Joyce Epstein.
• The Public Education Network (www.publiceducation.org). This site holds the Executive Summary of an important study by Milbrey McLaughlin and her colleagues on the effects of student involvement in community organizations that has significant implications for school practices.
• The Harvard Family Research Project (http://www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/). This site is particularly good on issues related to early childhood programs and provides helpful information about family engagement.
• For a review of research on the effects of parent and community engagement see, Henderson, A & Mapp, K. (2002). A New Wave of Evidence: The Impact of School, Family, & Community Connections on Student Achievement. National Center for Family and Community Connections to Schools. Southwest Educational Development Laboraory. www.sedl.org
• Salinas, K.C. (2004). The Tech Connection: Seven Ways to Use Technology to Involve Families in Children’s Education. Available at TechConnection.pdf
Engagement of Families with Limited English Proficiency
• Center for Research on Education, Diversity and Excellence (www.crede.ucsc.edu). Material on this site is especially useful for ideas about how best to meet the needs of English Language Learners. See for example, S. Fitzsimmons, Building Partnerships with Latino Immigrant Parents. Practitioner Brief #6, CREDE July, 2003. 2pp.
• R. Duran, et al., “The Immigrant Parents’ Literacy Project: A Strategies Guide to Implementation”, Educational Practice Report 10 (CREDE) 2004.
• J. Chang, Scaffold for School-Home Collaboration: Enhancing Reading and Language Development, Research Brief #9, April 2001, 2pp.
• R. Rodriguez & A. Villarreal, “Development Through Engagement: Valuing the
‘At-Promise’ Community”, IDRA Newsletter V27:7 (August, 2000) 5pp.
Available at http://www.idra.org/IDRA_Newsletters/August_2000%3A_Educational_Pipeline/Development_Through_Engagement/
• M. Zepeda & A. Morales, “Supporting Parents through Parent Education” Policy
Brief #16, UCLA Center for Healthier Children, Families and Communities, Center for Policy Research, University of California. n.d. 4pp. Available at http://healthychild.ucla.edu/
Partnering with Community Organizations
• www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/pa0cont.htm. Under “Critical Issues in Family
and Community”, the first four sections are particularly useful.
• C.T. Alger & J. Locke, Broadening the Base: School/Community Partnerships
Serving Language Minority Students at Risk, CREDE, Research Brief #6 January 2000. 2pp. Available at http://crede.ucsc.edu/products/print/eprs/epr6.shtml
• J. Eccles & J. A. Goodman, eds., Community Programs to Promote Youth
Development: Executive Summary. Washington, DC: National Academy
Press, 2002, pp. 1-12.
• Coalition for Community Schools, 2002. Strengthening and Sustaining Relationships between Schools and Youth Development Organizations. Available at helpingyoungpeople.pdf
• M. McLaughlin, Community Counts: How Youth Organizations Matter for Youth
Development-Executive Summary, Washington, DC: Public Education Network, 2000. 3 pp. Available on line at www.PublicEducation.org
Video Commentary
• Ruben Cedeño: Senior Policy Analyst - National Education Association. Ruben Cedeño talks about how KEYS can be used to foster communities of learning.
• Pedro Reyes, Professor of Education, University of Texas, Austin, discusses how KEYS can foster shared responsibility within schools, as well as outreach to the community. This video is in KI challenge 3.