Family Engagement: From Expected to Effective

Family Engagement:From Expected to

Effective

June 27, 2014

Anne T. HendersonAnnenberg Institute for School Reform

AnneTHenderson1@yahoo.com

www.laspdg.org@laspdg

LaSPDG Louisiana State Personnel Development Grant Federally funded through IDEA Support improved outcomes for students with

disabilities through personnel development Funded in 2011 for 5 years Project staff housed at LSU Collaborate with LDOE

LaSPDG Four Focus Areas:

Data-Based Decision Making Inclusive Practices Family Engagement Culturally Responsive Practices

www.laspdg.org Resources include FREE tools, webinars,

and articles

The contents of this PowerPoint presentation were developed under a grant from the US Department of Education, #H323A110003. However those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the US Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.

Additional SPDG Questions?

Contact Melanie Lemoinelemoinem@lsu.edu

People First Language

Kathie Snow. (n.d.) A few words about People First Language. Disability is Natural. Retrieved August 1, 2012 from http://www.disabilityisnatural.com/images/PDF/pfl-sh09.pdf Kathie Snow. (n.d.) A few words about People First Language. Disability is Natural. Retrieved August 1, 2012 from http://www.disabilityisnatural.com/images/PDF/pfl-sh09.pdf

“People First Language puts the person before the disability and describes what a person has, not who a person is.”

Beyond the Bake Sale

At this time, please write your name on the inside cover of your book. We will need it for an activity today.

Today’s Agenda

Tap into your knowledge and experience Learn about new research on engaging

families to improve student achievement Discuss high-impact strategies for engaging

families in improving student learning Assess your practices of family engagement Redesign your activities for families

Why Does This Matter?

Icebreaker

What do we know about engaging families?

Is there a Link between Family-School

Partnerships and Student Achievement?

A New Wave of Evidence:

Family Engagement Has a Powerful Impact on Student Achievement

By Anne T. Henderson and Karen L. Mapp

www.sedl.org/connections

If Parents are Engaged, Students from All Backgrounds Tend To:

Earn higher grades and test scores

Enroll in higher-level programs

Be promoted and earn credits

Adapt well to school and attend regularly

Have better social skills and behavior

Graduate and go on to higher education

When families are engaged at home and at school:-- Children do betterin school and -- Schools get better,all the way through high school.

Overall Finding:

School Practices are KEY The strongest, most consistent

predictors of whether parents are involved at home and school are the specific school programs and teacher practices that encourage and guide parents to become involved.

Dr. Joyce Epstein

Johns Hopkins University

News FlashImportant new studies

reveal high-impact strategies

Organizing Schools for Improvement

Long-term study of Chicago schools found five essential supports for school improvement

Without all five, schools were substantially less likely to make gains.

The presence of strong family and community ties made it much more likely that students would make significant math and reading gains.

Anthony S. Bryk et al, (2010) Organizing Schools for Improvement: Lessons from Chicago (Chicago: University of Chicago Press)

Organizing Schools for Improvement

What did they measure?

Teachers’ ties to community: Understand local issues, spend time in community, use local resources.

Teacher outreach to parents: Invite parents to observe in class, try to understand parents' concerns, and embrace parents as partners

Parent response: Become involved in school activities and respond to teacher concerns about schoolwork.

Anthony S. Bryk et al, (2010) Organizing Schools for Improvement: Lessons from Chicago (Chicago: University of Chicago Press)

Reading

11% 10% 9%

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43%

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47%

36%

45%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

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SchoolLeadership

ParentInvolvement

WorkOrientation

Safety &Order

CurriculumAlignment

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Strong

Achievement for All / 3As Program focus is raising achievement for UK

students with special needs, ES-HS

Four pieces: Leadership, Instruction, Wider Outcomes, and Conversations

Linchpin of program: Structured Conversations between teachers and parents

Share Strategies

Develop a plan

Establish new Learning

Behaviors

Focus on Skills

Welcome families

Gains of Students With Disabilities in AfA

Humphrey and Squires (2011) Achievement for All National Evaluation: Final Report. London: Department for Education https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/standard/publicationDetail/Page1/DFE-RR176

Language Arts Math

Points Gained/UK National Average of All Students 3.28 3.09

Points Gained/Average of SEND Students in AfA Program 4.20 3.83

Points Gained/UK National Average of All Students With Disabilities 2.86 2.57

Impact of Teacher Outreach Strategies

Students’ reading and math scores improved 40-50% faster when teachers: met with families face-to-face sent materials on ways to help their child

at home telephoned routinely about progress

Westat and Policy Studies Associates, 2001

School-Family Partnership: Secondary School

Sharing high expectations for success with advisor and team Planning for future education Knowledge of courses and classes Monitoring progress Helping students prepare for university / post-secondary education

Ascher and Maguire, Beating the Odds, Annenberg Institute for School Reform, 2009

What Creates Strong Ties with

Families?

Learning Conversations Aligned to School Improvement Plan

Why Conversations about Learning? Parents and teachers become partners in

improving achievement Drilling down to grade level allows focus on

specific skills in Common Core Explaining Common Core standards helps

everyone understand them better Ideas that come up will shape family

engagement throughout the year Family capacity to support learning becomes

stronger Handout: Parent-Teacher Conversations about Learning

Common Core: Explain to Parents

Grade 1 Writing: Write informative/explanatory texts in which they name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure.

Grades 7-9 Reading: Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence. 

Be Systemic: Align all Resources

Title I Budget Parent Workshops Staff Development Family Center Volunteers Community Partners Evaluation

Learning Conversations

Year Level Strategies

Family Engagement Action Team

Keys to Powerful Partnerships

Our Current Practices

Beyond the Bake Sale

The Essential Guide to Family-School Partnerships

Anne T. Henderson, Karen L. Mapp, Vivian R. Johnson and Don Davies

The New Press, 2007

Chapter 5 Book Study Each group will read one of four sections

of this chapter and develop a report

Count off, 1-4. If you are group 1, you’ll read the assigned section marked #1.

Follow the instructions on your handout

Design a poster to show the major ideas

Reflect on your practice and be prepared to report on your work

LUNCH!

Take a Gallery Walk

Joe Mazza, The Social Media Principal Video

What are Your SIP Goals? Pick two goals in your school improvement

plan. Translate them into family-friendly

language. What does this goal really mean? No jargon, plain English.

How will you explain these goals to students and families?

BRAINSTORM: How can you work with families to reach the goals?

Family Friendly Language Reading: The percent of

students scoring at grade level in reading will move from 65% to 80% in 3 years. We will focus on:

- Vocabulary development in grades K-4

- Making text connections in grades 5-6

Reading: Reading proficiency scores will increase five percentile points a year for the next SIP period.

Low vs. High-Impact Engagement

? impact: Show parents how to do a

read-aloud Hold learning conversa-

tions with parents Co-construct ideas for

math learning games Host class visits to model

what students learn and do in class

? impact: Tell parents to read 30

minutes a day Offer parenting classes

Ask parents to drill math facts at home

Have a back-to-school night in the cafeteria

Redesign Team Re-design your school’s open house or

curriculum night What changes will you make to help families build

relationships with teachers and with each other? How will you share data with families about how

students are doing? In what ways will you share information about what

students will be learning and doing in their classes?

Prepare to model for the whole group what your new program will be like!

Feedback Forum

What is one important thing you learned today? What was the best idea you heard? What will you use when you get home?

Different points of view: Family facilitator perspective District perspective School perspective

Keep this in mind….

Involving parents in (not just informing them about) learning standards or

outcomes, creates opportunities to develop a deeper dialogue between

parents and teachers about teaching and learning

Hargreaves and Moore