HOME/SCHOOL CONNECTION: HELPING FAMILIES SUPPORT THEIR CHILDREN’S SCHOOL SUCCESS
Kimberly Allen, Ph.D.North Carolina State University
Cooperative Extension
TODAY’S TALK
Where we have beenWhere we areBenefits of home/school connection
Barriers to family involvementHow to reach families
Life ain’t like what it used
to be!
What happened?
MY HOW THINGS HAVE CHANGED…
In small groups, answer these questions:How have families changed? How has education changed?What about community change?What do you know about the role of
parents in the educational process?
WHAT WAS SCHOOL LIKE WHEN YOU WERE YOUNG?
Subjects Taught?Norms and practices?Out of school activities?
COMPARE THAT WITH TODAY’S EDUCATIONAL
PROCESS
21ST CENTURY LEARNING
THE TRANSITION FROM MAKING THINGS
TO KNOWING THINGS
HOW INVOLVED WERE YOUR PARENTS IN YOUR
EDUCATION?
HOW INVOLVED ARE TODAY’S PARENTS?
A WORLD OF DISCONNECTS
Disconnections at the Family level Little mealtime and playtime togetherTechno-interference
Disconnects at the School levelStudent engagementClass size, Accountability standards
Disconnects at the Community levelTransience, knowing your neighbor?Economic survivalCommunity involvement, mentors, role
models
DID YOU KNOW1 in 3 students who start high school in North Carolina does not graduate. Less than 60% of our African American students and 52% of Hispanic students graduate.
~ Action for Children, 2008
IT CAN GET BETTER IF WE
Build on individual, family and community strengths
Help parents actively engage in their child’s education
Create a comprehensive education that provides skill training AND connects with pupil’s stakeholders
Community
Relationships between systems
Student-teacher relationships, supportive youth-adult relationships (e.g. 4-H)
Individual
Temperament, age, developmental level,
intelligence, perceived academic competency
Family and peers
Schools and supportive agencies
Policies supporting developmental and risk-level tailored interventions
Family involvement
Family cohesion
Peer risky behaviors
Neighborhood attachment and organization
Laws and norms
CRITICAL ELEMENTS IN OUTREACH FOR SUSTAINABLE PARENT INVOLVEMENT
Family involvement
Active teacher outreach
Parent involvement
School-family partnerships
HOME/SCHOOL CONNECTIONHELPS CHILDREN
Earn higher grades and test scores Be promoted, pass their classes, and
earn credits Attend school regularly Have better social skills and improved
behavior Graduate and go on to postsecondary
school
AND…
Family participation in education is twice as predictive of students’ academic success as family socioeconomic status.
Some of the more intensive programs had effects that were 10 times greater than other factors
In fact, the more involvement,the better (Walberg, 1984)
MAJOR FACTORS OF PARENT INVOLVEMENT
1. Parents’ beliefs about what is important, necessary and permissible
2. The extent to which parents believe that they can have a positive influence on their children’s education
3. Parents’ perceptions that their children and school want them to be involved
WHY AREN’T PARENTS MORE INVOLVED?
BARRIERS TO PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT
Time Knowledge School policies Negative Past
Experiences Lack of Communication Lack of Training
Barriers FacedBy Parents
Credit to Behnke, A., North Carolina
State University
Life factors
Language/Literacy
Past Educational Experiences
Transportation
Work schedules
Child care
Attitudes of Personnel
Unfamiliarand intimidating
systems
Lack of Information
ACTIVITY: Take 5 minutes and discuss this question with
your neighbor:
What do parents need in order to better connect with their child’s school?
What can we do to help the parents we serve?
WORKING WITH PARENTS IS HOW YOU CAN HELP!
ECA members can help parents actively engaged in their education by
Educating parents on the benefits of parent/school connection and
Helping parents develop skills & strategies for being more involved.
SIX TYPES OF FAMILY INVOLVEMENT
RESEARCH ON PARENTING ATTITUDES AND ACTIONS
Quality of parent–youth relationships matters—the more connected a child feels to their parent, the better chance of school success
Monitoring youth behaviors positively influences adolescent achievement
A parent attending school functions tends to yield higher academic success
PARENT/SCHOOL COMMUNICATION
On-going, two-way communication with school and parents:Builds positive relationships between
children and their teachers, Leads to greater parent
involvement, Promotes school readiness.
HELP PARENTS KNOW HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH
SCHOOLS
1.Parent/teacher conference
2.Call/e-mail/text3.Schedule a meeting4.Volunteer5.Lunch with student
DID YOU KNOW
When adolescents perceive that their parents have high educational goals for them, they:have more interest in school, greater academic self-
regulation, higher motivation and goal
pursuits
VOLUNTEERING
In or out of school volunteering fosters educational success
Encourage parents to find a way to contribute to school
Three for Me: Three hours of volunteer time each year A PTA program that helps parents find different
ways to volunteer in the home, in the school and in the community, all of which support student learning.
LET PARENTS KNOW HOW TO HELP FROM HOME
Send positive messages about school
Discuss their classroom activities
Listening carefully to their explanations of what
has been learned
PARENTS CAN HELP WITH Reading at home Reinforcing classroom concepts Providing time and a place for doing
homework Encouraging their children to keep trying
when the work becomes difficult Monitoring homework completion Turning off the TV Engaging with their children in educational
activities such as field trips, games and activities
DECISION MAKING
Include families as partners in school decisions, governance, and advocacy
through PTA/PTO, school councils, committees, and other parent
organizations.
WHAT CAN PARENT’S DO?
Visit classesEncourage attendanceMonitoring ChildrenAdvocate for their childParticipate in parent-teacher
conferences
COMMUNITY COLLABORATION
Coordinate resources and services for families, students, and the school with businesses, agencies, and other groups, and
provide services to the community.
PARENTS CAN
Work with YOU about how to help their child succeed
Work to inform family-friendly policies at the classroom, school or district levels
Network with other children, parents, teachers and administrators
PARENT INVOLVEMENT ISN’T THE ANSWER
School, family, and community
partnerships can replace the term “parental involvement”
Parents, educators, and community members must share responsibility for students’ learning and development.
IF WE BUILD IT, WILL THEY COME?
Early Childhood is a great place to start. Early Childcare Centers in your community Head Start/Early Head Start in every county Parents as Teachers
Local school districts Faith-based organizations After school organizations Youth-serving groups
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT IS ABOUT BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS
Do you have relationships with centers or agencies that focus on children’s education?
If not, you will need to develop a relationship.
How would you do that?
EASY AS 1, 2, 3.
Write down 1 center or agency you will target to implement this program in your community
Write down 2 dates that you will visit the agency or center.
List 3 people that you will call on for assistance and follow through with this program.
YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.YOU DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE EVERY DAY
Thank you for all you have done for children and families in North Carolina! Do call if I
can be of assistance!
Kimberly Allen, PhDAssistant Professor and Extension Specialist
4-H Youth Development & Family and Consumer Sciences(919) 515-9139
REFERENCES Arnold, D.H., Zeljo, A., Doctoroff, G. L., & Ortiz, C. (2008). Parent involvement
in preschool: Predictors and the relation of involvement to preliteracy development. School Psychology Review, 37(1), 74-90.
Bouffard, S. (2008). Tapping into technology: The role of the Internet in family-school communication. Retrieved May 19, 2010, from http://www.hfrp.org/family involvement/publications-resources/tapping-into-technology-the-role-of-the-internet-in-family-school-communication.
Epstein & Sheldon (2006). Moving Forward: Ideas for Research on School, Family, and Community Partnerships in C. F. Conrad & R. Serlin (Eds.) SAGE Handbook for research in education: Engaging ideas and enriching inquiry. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Epstein, J. L. (1987). Toward a theory of family–school connections: Teacher practices and parent involvement. In K. Hurrelman, F. X. Kaufman, & F. Losel (Eds.), Social intervention: Potential and con- straints (pp. 121–136). Berlin, Germany: de Gruyer.
Hill, N. E. (2001). Parenting and academic socialization as they relate to school readiness: The role of ethnicity and family income. Journal of Educational Psychology, 93, 686–697.
Shumow, L. & Miller, J.D. (2001). Parents’ at-home and at-school academic involvement with young adolescents. Journal of Early Adolescence, 21, 68-91.
Walberg (1984). Review of 29 students of school-parent programs