engaging parents for student achievement

Success Starts at Home Engaging Parents for Student

Achievement

Patty Bunker

National Director of Parent Engagement & Training

Family Leadership/Parenting Partners

Texas Statewide Parental Involvement Conference

December 6, 2013, Galveston, Texas

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Success Starts at Home: Engaging Parents for Student Achievement PATTY BUNKER

NATIONAL DIRECTOR, PARENT ENGAGEMENT & TRAINING

FAMILY LEADERSHIP INC

Engaging Parents for Student Achievement

Key Principles of Parent Engagement

Build on parents strengths

Respect and value families’ experience,

knowledge, and potential contribution

Valuable Parenting Qualities

Caring

Loving

Patient

Kind

Fun

Firm

Planner

Good Listener

Trustworthy

Responsible

Dependable

Structured

Considerate

Understanding

Organized

Consistent

Follow Through

Consistent

Flexible

Playful

Creative

Loyal

Tell Me a Story

Find a partner and take turns

interviewing each other:

Tell about a time when you were parenting at

your best

What did you do?

What worked well?

Share your “Valuable Parenting Qualities”



Build on proven frameworks

National PTA Standards for Parent

Engagement

Epstein’s 6 Types of Parent Involvement

Search Institute’s 40 Developmental Assets

40 Developmental Assets

THE SEARCH INSTITUTE

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The Power of the Assets to Protect Avoiding Risky Behaviors

The Power of the Assets to Protect Promoting Academic Success

The Power of the Assets to Protect



Leadership is the Secret Sauce

Build the skill capacity of both the staff AND parents to partner in ways that

support academic achievement



Parenting skills are leadership skills

Listening

Clear expectations

Dealing with conflict

Affirmation and encouragement

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Paper Heart

KIDS LOVE IT WHEN PARENTS USE MORE POSITIVE WORDS!

Positive

Power Words for Parents

Listen fully to your child

Encourage good behavior

Affirm their character

Frame a positive future

The

Argument Trap

Kids avoid or delay doing task

Wears out parents

Creates distractions

Kids have the power & control

The Shield

Don’t engage

Stand strong

Use few words

Repeat like a broken record

Avoiding the “Buddy Trap” Avoiding the “Buddy Trap”

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Building

Skill Capacity

Skills parents need

Strength based

training

Empowers parents to contribute

Results of the “Asset Building Family”

Teens and children achieve: higher self-esteem

Ability to resist negative peer pressure

Skills for school success

Capacity to take on academic challenges

Confidence to try new things: not afraid of responsible risks

Discernment and decision making skills

Resilience

Character values and personal responsibility



Skillful parents create structure for achievement

Parents are connected to

teaching and learning goals

Creating

Structure at Home

Develops proper study skills

Provides focus on literacy

Leads back to performance in the

classroom

US Department of Education

Family engagement

capacity building framework

Core components:

Systemic

Integrated

Sustainable

Characteristics of Effective Programs

US Department of Education Recommends:

Linked to learning

Relational

Developmental

Collaborative

Interactive

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Frameworks help, but

how do we make it happen?

BEST PRACTICE MODEL

PRACTICAL AND EASY

TO IMPLEMENT

BUILDS CAPACITY OF

BOTH STAFF AND PARENTS



Parents make great trainers

They are credible

Parent trainers provide sustainability

They have language and cultural skills

Dads reach other dads

Golden Goose: How do we get

the parents there?

Personalized invitation process

Strength based training

Best practice model

Develop specific site plan

A Look at Our Model

US Dept. of Ed. Recommends:

Linked to Learning

Relational

Developmental

Collaborative

Interactive

Parenting Partners Provides:

Focus on academics.

Practical parenting skills.

Builds capacity of parents and staff.

Parents work together and with their schools.

Each parents participates in fun, skill building exercises.

Outcomes

ADA attendance improves

Reading and academics improve

Students’ behavior improves

Sustainable program produces more skillful

parents and positive parent leaders

Building Community Owned Parent Engagement & Leadership Teams:

Parenting Partners five step process.

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1. Each school forms a team with up to 5 members

2. The team attends the 2-day Facilitators Training together

• Teams practice presenting the workshops. • Each team receives coaching at their table in their own language.

3. At the close of Training, teams have everything they need:

• Comprehensive Team Resource Kit

• Competence, Confidence, Certification

• Complete team plan for strong attendance

• Coach for ongoing support

4. Teams now lead the 8-week workshop series at their school.

Patty Bunker

[email protected] 800-747-1780

www.familyleadership.org

mailto:[email protected]

engaging parents for student achievement

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