Improving Parent Engagement in the Nashville Promise NeighborhoodJoanna GellerOctober 29, 2012
Rationale for improving parent engagement in the NPN
Volunteering at school
Attending events at school
Interested in becoming more involved
Kirkpatrick (n=17) 47% 88% 76%
Ross (n=10) 10% 60% 50%
Warner (n=18) 33% 100% 78%
Bailey 21% 67% N/A
Stratford 4% 50% 46%
• Focus Group Data: Parents and school staff who participated in focus groups during Spring 2011 frequently cited parent engagement as a key challenge
• School principals who belong to NPN Working Groups have identified improved parent engagement as one of their school’s most pressing needs
• Neighborhood survey data:
What are different types of parent engagement?
Parenting
Learning at Home
Communicating
Volunteering
Decision-Making
Collaborating with Community
How do we define parent engagement?
Parenting
Learning at Home
Communicating
Volunteering
Decision-Making
Collaborating with Community
Why does parent engagement matter?
Academic achievement
School attendance
Behavior
Positive perceptions of school
Higher educational aspirations
Each of these outcomes makes it easier for teachers to teach and for parents to parent!
What are barriers to parent engagement?
For Parents
Low levels of efficacy for helping their children learn
Unwelcoming school environment and negative past experiences with school
Lack of different ways to be involved
Difficulties attending school events due to obstacles regarding transportation, childcare, and time
For Teachers
Low levels of efficacy for teaching
Negative past experiences with parents
Inadequate school support for parent engagement
Lack of time/energy
Teachers Involving Parents (TIPS) Program
Evidence-based, theory-driven in-service teacher professional development by Vanderbilt professor, Kathy Hoover-Dempsey, and colleagues
Creates a safe and trusting environment where teachers can engage in dialogue related to parent engagement and learn and share effective strategies
Goals are to improve teachers’: Personal sense of teaching efficacy Beliefs about parents’ efficacy for helping children learn Attitudes toward parent engagement in general Beliefs about the importance of specific involvement practices Professional community
Components of TIPS program 6 one-hour modules to be held after school, on the topics of:
Teachers’ experiences of parental involvement Addressing and coping with obstacles Perceptions of parents Communicating with parents Working with hard-to-reach parents Enacting strategies beyond the program
Teachers will be invited to participate in NPN schools, and program will be implemented by Communities in Schools (CIS) coordinators and PhD student
Teachers will be valued as experts and encouraged to develop a professional community that will be sustained after the program
Evidence for program effectiveness
Program evaluation at two MNPS elementary schools revealed significant improvements in: Teacher self-efficacy, teacher perceptions of parent efficacy, and teacher
reports of personal practices for inviting involvement Sense of professional community Improvements in teachers who did not participate in the program as
participants shared strategies they learned
For more information, see Hoover-Dempsey, K.V., Walker, J.M., Jones, K.P., & Reed, R.P. Teachers Involving Parents (TIPS): An in-service teacher education program for enhancing parental involvement, http://www.transaction.publiceducation.org/pdf/Publications/Standards/TIP_paper.pdf
Potential next steps Train parents to take on advocacy and leadership roles in their
child’s school
Implement Touchpoints program
Create a whole-school culture that facilitates a welcoming environment for families