partnerships then and now - oecd · select 2 academic readiness goals; 1 non-academic readiness...
TRANSCRIPT
PARTNERSHIPS THEN and NOW
Developing Programs of
School, Family, and Community Partnerships
for Student Success in Early Education
Joyce L. Epstein, Ph.D., Director © Center on School, Family, and Community Partnerships
Working Together for Student Success
A Discussion of Research, Policy, and Practice
OECD Network on Early Childhood Education and Care
Paris: July 4, 2011
How Can Educators and Parents STRENGTHEN and SUSTAIN HEALTHY
Early Education and Care Centers/Schools?
What do we mean by a HEALTHY SCHOOL?
1. We mean a safe and nurturing PLACE.
• A welcoming school environment for ALL
• A Partnership School
• A “family-like” school and “school-like” families
• An EXCELLENT school that students, teachers,
parents, and others WANT to attend and support
• Other ideas. . .?
2. We mean a place that produces positive RESULTS and helps students develop to their full potential.
Academic Results Intellectual Development Literacy and Numeracy Readiness and Other AchievementS Commitment to Role of Student Love of Learning
Physical Health Good Nutrition, Exercise Good Attendance
Emotional Growth Social Skills/Readiness for Transition to Primary School Positive Attitudes about School, Positive Self Concept, Behavior, Positive Relationships with Peers, Family, Teachers Appreciation of Each Other
OTHER RESULTS?
Not only THAT partnerships contribute to good programs and successful students
But also WHAT is needed in an excellent partnership program?
and . . . HOW to organize high-quality and effective programs: Policies Leadership Funding Structures/Processes Practices
What is important to know about school, family, and community partnerships?
THEN
Parent
involvement
NOW
School, family,
and community
partnerships
DEFINITION
Everyone wants EXCELLENT and SUCCESSFUL
SCHOOLS and STUDENTS.
How will we reach these goals?
THEN
Up to parents
Organized by one person or
just a few
PreK-K
NOW
Part of school and classroom
organization
Organized by Action Team for
Partnerships
ALL school levels
RESPONSIBILITY
Action Team
Structure
What is an Action Team for Partnerships?
2-3 teachers or more
2-3 parents/family members or more
Principal (or Head)
Other members (e.g., school nurse, counselor,
community partners)
Whittier Elementary School (School with PreK/K) Pasco, Washington
What does an ATP do?
Team members work together to:
Review school goals. Select 2 academic readiness goals; 1 non-academic readiness goal; and 1 goal for a welcoming school climate.
Write a One-Year Action Plan for Partnerships to involve families and the community in ways that contribute to the selected goals.
Implement and evaluate the quality of the activities – outreach to families, responses, and results.
Continually improve partnership plans, program, and practices.
Starting Point
Organization
Cuyahoga County
Universal Pre-Kindergarten
Cleveland, OH
Guides 20+ Pre-schools’ ATPs
Action Team for Partnerships: Structure G
(Focus on Goals)
School Council
ACTION TEAM for
PARTNERSHIPS
Improve Reading
Readiness
PRACTICES For SIX TYPES
Create a Climate
for Partnerships
PRACTICES For SIX TYPES
Improve Social Skills
for Transition to Primary School
PRACTICES For SIX TYPES
Improve Math
Readiness
PRACTICES For SIX TYPES
Academic goal Academic goal Non-Academic goal Partnership goal
THEN
Incidental or accidental
Off to the side
NOW
Framework of 6 types of
involvement
Goal-oriented
Part of comprehensive school/program
improvement
PROGRAM DESIGN
Framework of
Six Types of
Involvement
2
THE KEYS TO SUCCESSFUL
SCHOOL-FAMILY-COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
EPSTEIN’S SIX TYPES OF INVOLVEMENT PARENTING: Assist families with parenting and child-rearing skills, understanding child and adolescent development, and setting home conditions that support children as students at each age and grade level. Assist schools in understanding families.
COMMUNICATING: Communicate with families about school programs and student progress through effective school-to-home and home-to-school communications.
VOLUNTEERING: Improve recruitment, training, work, and schedules to involve families as volunteers and audiences at school or in other locations to support students and school programs.
LEARNING AT HOME: Involve families with their children in learning activities at home, including homework and other curriculum-related activities and decisions
DECISION MAKING: Include families as participants in school decisions, governance, and advocacy through PTA/PTO, school councils, committees, action teams, and other parent organizations.
COLLABORATING WITH COMMUNITY: Coordinate resources and services for students, families, and the school with businesses, agencies, and other groups, and provide services to the community.
4
Type 1
Type 2
Type 6
Type 5
Type 4
Type 3
Solve
Challenges to
Involve ALL
Families
CHALLENGES
NOW
“Realities”
Solutions sought
Solutions found
Solutions shared
Strengths model and prevention programs
THEN
“Barriers”
Diverse family backgrounds, languages, cultures, or histories
Mobile, migratory, homeless families
Deficit model and treatment programs
THEN
Mainly mothers
NOW
Mothers, fathers, grandparents, foster parents, other family,
community groups, business partners,
volunteers, mentors, and
others
IMPLEMENTATION CHALLENGE
IMPLEMENTATION LEADERSHIP
THEN
School by
school
decisions
NOW
Multi-level leaders: School, District
State, and Organizations
Meet requirements for official policies
on family involvement
“Nested” networks
District-Level
Program of Partnership
DISTRICT-LEVEL ACTIVITIES
DIRECT FACILITATION of SCHOOLS
PARTNERSHIP
PROGRAM
GOALS
District Leaders for Partnerships conduct. . .
Leaders at the organization / state / ministry level also may guide clusters of schools.
Reaching
Results
THEN
Parent outcomes
Public relations
Focus on a few parent leaders
NOW
Student achievement and success in school
Link practices to results for all
students, parents, teachers, and community
RESULTS
22
Benefits of Well-Designed and Well-Implemented
Partnership Programs: Results of Research
For STUDENTS
PreK – Stronger reading, math, and social readiness skills for transition to primary school
Higher grades and test scores
Better attendance
Improved behavior at home and at school
Better social skills and adjustment to school
More classes passed and credits earned for on time graduation
23
Benefits of Partnerships: Results of Research
For PARENTS
Stronger sense of support from school and other parents
More awareness of student progress and effective responses to problems
Increased self confidence about guiding student through school
Appreciation of teachers’ work and skills
Increased feeling of ownership of school
24
Benefits of Partnerships: Results of Research
For TEACHERS
Increased respect for families’ strengths and efforts
Increased understanding of families goals for their children
Greater readiness to involve all families in new ways
Use of community resources to enrich students’ experiences
Increased satisfaction with teaching
Annual, Written Action Plans
for Partnerships
Linked to Goals for Student Success
26
PRE-K and Kindergarten EXAMPLES
for a One-Year Action Plan
to IMPROVE READING READINESS
TYPE 1 Workshops for parents on ways to read aloud with young children; reading readiness techniques
TYPE 2 Parent-teacher-student conferences on reading readiness goals and students’ progress
TYPE 3 Reading-partner volunteers, guest readers of favorite stories, guest authors, older/younger partners, other read-with-me activities
TYPE 4 Weekly book-bags for parent-child reading; Mother Goose on the Loose events to help students and parents enjoy rhymes at home
Action Team for Partnerships writes annual plan for partnerships, including one page for involving all families in reading readiness activities
TYPE 5
Donations from business partners of books for classrooms, for the school library, and for children to take home; activities with the public library
TYPE 6
…AND MANY OTHER IDEAS FOR EACH TYPE OF INVOLVEMENT See annual collections of Promising Partnership Practices at
www.partnershipschools.org in the section Success Stories.
27
Other Activities for PRE-K and K Programs of Family and Community Involvement
TYPE 1 Workshops for and with parents on reading, math, behavior, and social skills READINESS for Kindergarten and Grade 1
TYPE 2 New parent coffees; forums with students and parents from older grades to help students and families prepare for TRANSITIONS to the next grade or new school
TYPE 3 Training and on-going guidance for VOLUNTEERS; Diversity Celebration with parent volunteers to help students with skits, costumes, food, and sharing thru art, music, drama, and games.
TYPE 4 Math Carnival for math readiness in primary school; activities for students and parents to enjoy real-world math at home.
Action Team for Partnerships develops website for ongoing communications and information with parents.
TYPE 5
Collaboration with health services in community for students and families; collaboration with science museum and trips with students and families
TYPE 6
These ideas are from Early Care and Education Centers and Pre-K and K Schools in Buffalo, NY;
Canton, OH; Chaska, MN; Cleveland, OH; Hampton, VA; Ladysmith, WI; Luliing, LA; Marshfield, MO;
Mobile, AL; Naperville, IL; New York City and other locations. Other ideas at www.partnershipschools.org
in the section Success Stories in annual books of Promising Partnership Practices.
Outcomes
Results for
Students
Responses /
Attitudes /
Behaviors
of Parents
Outreach to
Parents
School-
Based
Programs
Interventions
Student and
Family
Background
District-
Level
Leadership
Programs/
Facilitation
Future Research on School, Family, and Community Partnerships
Studies must continue to improve questions, methods, and longitudinal measures to address key questions and account for:
What PARENTS DO
What SCHOOLS DO
to involve more parents
What DISTRICTS DO to facilitate
schools’ work on partnerships
How STUDENTS
benefit
Discuss and
Evaluate Results
THEN
Minimal or
Optional
For “compliance”
Focus on parents
NOW
Essential
Evaluate quality, results, and progress of
programs and practices
Focus on student achievement and success in school
EVALUATION
THEN
Labels for HAVEs and HAVE NOTs,
DOs and DO NOTs
“Blame game”
Finger-pointing
NOW
ACTIONS to involve all
families
Actions to communicate in languages
parents understand
EQUITY ISSUES
BUDGETS for PARTNERSHIPS
THEN
$$ Not well allocated
Fragmented spending
NOW
$$ For goal-linked
activities in annual plans
for school-based programs
to engage all families
Q & A
What are YOUR questions
about research, policy, and practices of
school, family, and community partnerships in Early Care and Education?
Epstein, J. L. (2011). School, family, and community partnerships: Preparing educators and improving schools. Second edition. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
Epstein, J. L. et al. (2009). School, family, and community partnerships:
Your handbook for action. Third edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Epstein, J. L., Galindo, C., & Sheldon, S. B. (2011). Levels of leadership:
Effects of district and school leaders on the quality of school programs of family and community involvement. Education Administration Quarterly, 47, 462 - 495.
Epstein, J. L.& Sheldon, S. B. (2006). Moving forward: Ideas for research
on school, family, and community partnerships. Pp. 117-138 in C. F. Conrad & R. Serlin (Eds.). SAGE Handbook for research in education: Engaging ideas and enriching inquiry. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
References
To see research working in policy and practice, visit: http://www.partnershipschools.org
For more information and examples of best practices,
visit NNPS at
www.partnershipschools.org
Dr. Joyce Epstein, Director Center on School, Family, and Community Partnerships
Johns Hopkins University 2701 N. Charles Street, Suite 300
Baltimore, MD 21218 410-516-8807
© Epstein, J. L. (2011). Partnerships Then and Now. Baltimore, MD: National Network of Partnership Schools at Johns Hopkins University.