Common Core Parenting:Best Practice Strategies to Support Student Success

Core Components: Successful Models

Patty BunkerNational Director

Parenting PartnersFamily Leadership Inc.

U.S. Dept. of Ed

Family’s Role:• Academic• Social• Emotional Development

Everyone Agrees!

Common Refrain • Desire: More

Families• Diverse Backgrounds

& Cultures• Engaged in Child’s

Education• Strong Partnerships –

Home & Schools

Family Engagement: HOW

• Cultivate and Sustain

• Positive Relationships

• Partnerships for Shared Responsibility

The ChallengeCurrent Policies and Programs

Flawed Assumptions

Collective Capacity to Succeed

Some Parenting Partners Observations

Flawed Practices/ Assumptions• Parents as Consumers vs. Partners• Service Delivery vs. Valuing Parents’

Contributions• Expecting Involvement w/o Investing in Capacity Building• District Wide vs. School-based• Academic Focus vs. Parent Skills

Success Starts at Home

• Importance of home environment coming into focus

• Creating calm and quiet at home

• Efforts in classroom maximized when parents encourage achievement

The Evolution of Parent Engagement• Developing a new mindset– Parent engagement is no longer just

a compliance issue• Family Engagement vs. Parent

Involvement• Moving beyond Random, Discrete

Activities• Building leadership capacity

Epstein’s 6 Types of Involvement: NNPS

• Stresses the importance of going beyond the status quo

• Calls for a more systemic, sustainable approach

• Attempts to increase the skills of both teachers and parents

Epstein’s 6 Types of Involvement: NNPS

• Parenting• Communicating• Volunteering• Learning at Home• Decision- Making• Collaborating with the

Community

Focus: Building Capacity

Skill Mastery & Knowledge

Relationships & Networks

Assumptions, Values, Beliefs

Self- Efficacy

Capacity = Whole “Developmental Assets” What

Kids Need to Succeed

What Parents/Adults NeedValuing & Building on Strengths

Skill-Building and Affirmation

Creating and Strengthening Relationships

Partnering with Other Adults – Not in Isolation

Positive View of Future: What we are Capable of Accomplishing With and

For our Children

Asset SkitWhat are some of your Dreams and Goals for your children?

What are the Risk Factors your children face that could prevent them from reaching these goals?

The Power of Assets to Protect

The Power of Assets to Promote Health and Academic Success

All Four Capacity Building Components

Requiredto enable Staff & Parents

to Cultivate & SustainFamily Engagement

Focus: Building Capacity

Skill Mastery & Knowledge

Relationships & Networks

Assumptions, Values, Beliefs

Self- Efficacy

SystemConditions For Success

Systemic

Integrated

Sustained

Systemic: Parent Engagement is a CORE COMPONENT of Educational Goals

Integrated: Embedded into all Structures & Processes (Training, Prof Dev., Teaching, etc)

Sustained: Adequate funding & infrastructure support. Multiple funding streams, component of overall improvement strategy.

SCHOOL LEADERS ARE COMMITTED TO and HAVE A SYSTEMIC VISION Of

FAMILY ENGAGEMENT

ProcessConditions For Success

• Linked to Learning

• Relational• Developmental• Collaborative• Interactive

Aligned with School and District Achievement Goals

Connects Parents: Teaching and Learning Goals

Linked to Learning

Building Respect and Trusting Relationships

Between Families and

District, School, & Program Staff

Relational

Not just providing a service

Building Intellectual, Social, and Human CapacityOf “Stakeholders”: Parents & Staff

Developmental

Learning is conducted in Group vs. Individual Setting

Focused on Building Strong Networks & Learning Communities

Collective/Collaborative

Participants given Opportunities to

Test Out, Practice & Apply New Skills!

Interactive

Effective Home/School Partnerships

What do they look like?

• Honor & Recognize Families’ Fund of Knowledge

• Connect Family Engagement to Student Learning

• Create Welcoming, Inviting Cultures

School and Program Staff:

• Have Developed Skills, Knowledge & Confidence

• Negotiate Multiple Roles of Effective Engagement

• Feel Honored and Respected

Families

• Actively Engaged in their Children’s Academic, Social and Emotional Development

(Cradle to Career)

• Partnership with School for Academic Achievement

Families

But…HOW?• Frameworks show

“what” to do, but don’t show “how” to do it

• Quality programs are needed that help schools implement the core components

• Sustainable Model

Selecting Best Practice Programs: A ChecklistDevelops Parents’ Skills & Capacity

to Support Achievement

Practical and Relational

Sustainable – Ongoing support

Best practice – Research Based

Builds Parent Leadership

Addressing the Need

US Dept. of Ed. Recommends:• Linked to Learning

• Relational

• Developmental

• Collaborative

• Interactive

Parenting Partners Provides:

• Focus on Academics

• Practical Parenting Skills

• Builds capacity of both Teachers and Parents

• Parents work together and with their schools

• Each parent participates in fun skill building exercises

Engaging Parents for Student Success

Key Principles of Parent Engagement

Build on Strengths of Parents

Leadership is the Secret Sauce

Valuable Parenting Qualities

Caring Good Listener FlexibleLoving Trustworthy ConsistentPatient Creative Playful

Follow-ThroughStructured

Engaging Parents for Student Success

Key Principles of Parent Engagement

Parenting Skills are Leadership Skills• Listening• Clear Expectations• Dealing with conflict • Affirmation and Encouraging

Paper Heart Skit

Words that wound the hearts of our children

Creating Structure for Student Achievement

Com

mon

Cor

e

Key Principles of Parent Engagement

Parents Make Great Trainers

They are credible

Parent trainers provides sustainability

Dads reach dads

They have language & cultural skills

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

Teams include parents and key staff 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.

Teams can offer the workshops multiple times throughout the year.

Outcomes ADA Attendance Improves

Reading, Academics Improve

Students’ Behavior Improves

Sustainable program produces more skillful parents and positive parent leaders

www.familyleadership.org

www.FamilyLeadership.org

Contact Patty Bunker:patty@familyleadership.org800-747-1780