SEE what I mean?

Helping schools “picture" their way to effective family engagement.

A New Wave of Evidence (2002)Anne Henderson & Karen Mapp

Featured 51 studies on the impact of school, family and community connections on student achievement.

www.sedl.org/connections

Beyond the Bake Sale (2006)

Anne HendersonKaren Mapp

Impact of Family-School Partnerships

When families & school staff work together to support learning, students…

• Earn higher grades and test scores• Enroll in higher level programs• Are promoted more and earn more credits• Adapt better to school and attend more

regularly• Have better social skills and behavior• Graduate and go on to higher education

Organizing Schools for Improvement (2011)5 Essential Supports for Reform

1. Leadership2. Parent-Community Ties3. Professional Capacity4. Student-centered learning

climate5. Instructional Guidance

What programs work?

• Programs and interventions that engage families in supporting their children’s learning at home are linked to higher student achievement.

Effecting achievement

• Fewer activities that are social, celebratory, and informational in nature

• More activities that are explicitly about the academic progress of students and let parents know what to do.

• Interventions that are…– Explicit– Of sufficient depth– Of sufficient duration

Family Engagement Assessment (FEA)

• Welcome all families into the school and the learning process.

• Use multiple ways to communicate with families.

• Provide information on how their child is doing, how to determine if there is a problem, and how to help their child learn.

• Support participation for all parents in helping their child learn.

FEA Components

• School Campus Visit• School Website Review• Shopper Phone Calls• Stakeholder Surveys– Parent, Educators, Principal and Parent Liaisons

• Document Review• Data Analysis & Family Engagement

Assessment Report

Fill in the blank…

• A church is often referred to as a house of …..

Worship• What are the physical signs in a church of what

is important?• If a church is a house of worship, a school would

be a house of ….

Learning• What are the signs of learning in your school?

SEE what I mean?

Is the learning that happens in your school the best kept secret to everyone on the outside?

Welcoming

• Do your parents feel they belong on the school campus?

• Do your parents feel they belong in their child’s learning?

Welcoming Issues

• Inconsistent signage in/out of the buildings• Friendly tone• All languages

A time limit on engagement?

Are the parking spaces closest to the entrance of the school reserved for office staff?

Is your school a creative space or cluttered space?

Vendors know how to do it!

You know how!

Can you make a better sign?

You try it!

An entire row of parking spaces in the front of the school reserved for visitors!

Communication

• Do you have systems in place for home-family communication that are inviting, useful and set up for two-way communication?

• How do you communicate?

Communication Issues

• Missed opportunities to communicate• Frequency• Types– Pull technology vs. Push technology

• Reaching all families

Communication

Communication

Is my child’s teacher behind Door #1, Door #2 or Door #3?

Are you using blank space? Is information up to date?

Are you using your website effectively?

?

What’s wrong with this picture?

How could you make a better bulletin board?

Have you heard of these?

Information

• The Information Goal helps you know if your families receive the information they need in order to function as an integral part of their child’s learning.

• This goal assesses what you communicate.

Information—Issues

• Who is your audience?• What do you want them to know and do?

– Graduate?– Go to college?– What should students know?– What do they know?– Evidence of learning?– How can parents support learning at home?

Is it Art or Academics?

What is the connection to student learning?

What do I say to my child?

What are you trying to communicate?

Don’t forget FERPA!

Displaying student work is not connecting to learning, unless you are intentional and explicit about what you are displaying.

CO2

Ideas Ideas Ideas

Ideas Ideas Ideas

Ideas Ideas Ideas

Ideas Ideas Ideas

Ideas Ideas Ideas

Ideas Ideas Ideas

Ideas Ideas IdeasIdeas Ideas Ideas

Ideas Ideas Ideas

Ideas Ideas Ideas

Ideas Ideas Ideas

Ideas Ideas Ideas

Ideas Ideas Ideas

Ideas Ideas Ideas

Ideas Ideas Ideas

Ideas Ideas Ideas

Ideas Ideas Ideas

Ideas Ideas Ideas

Ideas Ideas Ideas

Ideas Ideas Ideas

Ideas Ideas Ideas

Ideas Ideas Ideas

Ideas Ideas Ideas

Ideas Ideas Ideas

Ideas Ideas IdeasIdeas Ideas Ideas

Ideas Ideas Ideas

Ideas Ideas Ideas

Ideas Ideas Ideas

Ideas Ideas Ideas

Ideas Ideas Ideas

Ideas Ideas Ideas

Ideas Ideas Ideas

Ideas Ideas Ideas

Ideas Ideas Ideas

Ideas Ideas Ideas

Ideas Ideas Ideas

Ideas Ideas Ideas

Ideas Ideas Ideas

Ideas Ideas Ideas

Ideas Ideas Ideas

Ideas Ideas Ideas

Linked to Learning!!

When you share the learning target or the standard, everyone knows what the focus is!

This gives parents something to do at home!

Great job!

Participation

• The Participation Goal helps you know if your family participation programs invite involvement in learning, value parents as key resources, and engage the entire school community.

• Are your families taking action?

Participation—Issues• Schools do not have a consistent groups of families and

educators that lead family engagement efforts in the school

• Fewer activities that are social, celebratory, and informational in nature

• More activities that are explicitly about the academic progress of students and let parents know what to do.

• Interventions that are…– Explicit– Of sufficient depth– Of sufficient duration

DO YOU SEE WHAT I MEAN?