Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports: Family Involvement

Northwest AEASeptember 20,

2010

Major portions of the following material were taken from the Parent Information Resource Center Grant Project (PIRC) and the Iowa Behavioral Alliance in conjunction with The Iowa Department of Education

Goals of this Session Examine beliefs about family involvement in schools

Identify barriers to family involvement

Review key research findings related family involvement and achievement

Identify keys to effective involvement

Complete a Family Involvement Self-Assessment and Action Plan

Family Involvement . . . A critical component of SW-PBIS is the

selection and involvement of relevant stakeholders, especially families, in actively planning, implementing, and evaluating the supports provided. (Carr et. al 2002)

“The goal of SW-PBIS is not necessarily to include families, rather including families is an important feature for achieving goals of SW-PBS.” (Horner, 2205)

Consider this…. Family and parent will be used

interchangeably. Parent can also mean a primary

caregiver, such as grandparent, aunt, uncle, neighbor, etc.

Therefore, the term family is more inclusive or representative of who might be filling a parent’s role.

The meaning of Family Involvement “Understanding that family involvement may mean

different things to different people can help both teachers and family members avoid misunderstandings and negative stereotyped assumptions.” (School, Family, & Community Connections, National Center for Family and Community Schools, Annual synthesis 2003)

Parent involvement programs that effectively engage diverse families recognize cultural and class differences, address needs, and build on strengths. (Sribner, Young, and Pedroza, 1999; Chrispeels and Rivero, 2000; and Lopez, 2001)

Thinking About Family Involvement

from a child’s perspective…

from a parent’s perspective…

from a educator’s perspective…

Activity What do you believe are the keys to

effective family involvement?

What do you see as the barriers to effective family involvement?

What are the biggest challenges facing families today?

And the research says…

Students with involved parents are more likely to…

Students with involved parents are more likely to…

…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 education

Involving Families

The more families support their children’s learning and educational progress, both in quantity and over time, the more their children tend to do well in school and continue their education.

Miedel & Reynolds (1999), Sanders & Herting (2000), Marcon (1999)

Involving Families

Families of all cultural backgrounds, education, and income levels can, and often do, have a positive influence on their children’s learning.

Ho Sui-Chu & Willms (1996), Shaver & Walls (1998), Clark (1993)

Involving Families

Effective Connections embrace a philosophy of partnership where power is shared--- the responsibility for children’s educational development is a collaborative enterprise among parents, school staff, and community members.

Wang, Oates & Weishew (1997), Smrekar et al (2001), Moore (1998)

Welcoming Families

In what ways are your school and your classroom welcoming to

families?

Families should be made to feel at home, comfortable, and a part of the school community.

Honor Families

How do you honor the various contributions that families make?

Family members are respected, validated and affirmed for any type of involvement or contribution they make.

Connect with Families

School staff and families put children at the center, and connect on education issues of common interest, designed to improve educational opportunities for the children.

How do you connect with families?

Family Involvement as itRelates to SW-PBIS Schools should define what “involvement” means

across a continuum of behavioral supports Schools should build a system that is accessible

and open to family involvementSchools cannot mandate family involvementSchools must build a system of support that is

not-contingent on family involvement Families should also work toward understanding

limitations of education system

A Working Definition of “Family Involvement”Awareness

Involvement

Support

Primary Prevention:School-wide/Classroom/

Non-classroom Systems forAll Students,

Staff, & Settings

Secondary Prevention:Targeted

Systems for Students with At-Risk Behavior

Tertiary Prevention:Individualized

Systems for Students with High-Risk Behavior

~80% of Students

CONTINUUM OFSCHOOL-WIDE

POSITIVE BEHAVIORSUPPORT

~15%

~5%

Universals: Connect Points To Families Primary Focus = Awareness

Information, Information, Information (2-way) Educators and parents sharing information across multiple

venues Involvement

Parent team member Specific activities to partner with families at school

Support Information regarding range of services & supports Referral Points Strategies for home use

Small Group/Targeted: Connect Points To Families Awareness

Continuum of supports explained Referral points defined

Primary Focus = Involvement Parent consent/ information meeting Parent part of planning Follow-up meetings and outcome sharing

Support Partnership to explore school / home strategies Quick easy “generalization strategies” for home use

Individual/Intensive: Connect Points To Families Awareness

Information (e.g., IDEA, ADA, Mental Health, District Services) Accessible referral point (special education / non-special

education) Teacher education RE impact on family “Science” of behavior for both educators and family

Involvement Family advocacy groups on school/district team Parents of children with disabilities on school/district team

Primary Focus = Support Partner planning – strengths-based focus using functional

behavioral assessment Facilitating interagency programs Targeted training/supports for families

Review on a regular basis

Identify barriers of family involvement across the continuum of behavioral supports.

Identify ways to overcome those barriers.

How are we doing? Complete the family involvement checklist

Action Plan: What is the next step your SW-PBIS team will take in regard to family involvement at each level?

Family Involvement

Follow-Up

Goals for this session

Briefly share what you have done to date regarding family involvement

Review and update the Family Involvement Self-Assessment

Update

Please take 2 minutes to share what you have done as a team related to family involvement since we last met

Activity: Review Family Involvement Self-Assessment

As a team, review the self-assessment.

Identify 1-2 key areas that you will address before the next training.

Begin working on areas that you identify.

Update

Share one example of how you have addressed family involvement since we last met.

Share how your family PBIS Team representative has been involved in your PBIS efforts.

Using Surveys to Assess Family Needs

Sample Survey

If you are interested in developing and conducting a survey, take some time to review the sample survey.

First determine the purpose and then revise from there or use the survey as it is if it meets your purpose.

Some Survey Tips Clearly define the purpose of conducting a

survey.

Write the survey so that it is “family friendly”.

Do not ask for information you do not intend to use.

Always include in your plan a way the information you gain will be shared with those who participate in the survey.

Some Survey Tips

Ask other parents to review the survey prior to using it with families.

Ask families to identify the best way to administer the survey.

Between now and the next training.

Complete steps of your action plan

Report on progress for involving families at each team meeting.

Report to your schools staff regarding your efforts at family involvement

References Carr, E., Dunlap, G., Horner, R., Koegel, R., Turnball, A., Sailor, W., Anderson, J., Albin, R., Koegel, L., Fox, Lise.

Positive Behavior Support: Evolution of Applied Science. National Institute on Disabilities and Rehabilitation Research, 2000.

Clark, R. (1993). Homework-focused parenting practices that positively affect student achievement. In N.F. Chavkin (Ed.), Families and schools in a pluralistic society (pp. 85–105). Albany, NY: State University of New York.

Ho Sui-Chu, E., & Willms, J. D. (1996). Effects of parental involvement on eighth-grade achievement. Sociology of Education, 69(2), 126–141. EJ533315.

Marcon, R. A. (1999). Positive relationships between parent school involvement and public school innercity preschoolers' development and academic performance. School Psychology Review, 28(3), 395–412.

Miedel, W., and Reynolds, A. Parent involvement in early intervention for disadvantaged children: Does it matter. Journal of School Psychology, v37 pp 379-402, 1999.

Moore, D. R. (1998). What makes these schools stand out: Chicago elementary schools with a seven-year trend of improved reading achievement. Chicago, IL: Designs for Change.

Sanders, M. G., & Herting, J. R. (2000). Gender and the effects of school, family, and church support on the academic achievement of African-American urban adolescents. In M. G. Sanders (Ed.), Schooling students placed at risk: Research, policy, and practice in the education of poor and minority adolescents (pp. 141–161). Mahwah, NJ: Lawerence Erlbaum Associates.

Shaver, A. V., & Walls, R. T. (1998). Effect of Title I parent involvement on student reading and mathematics achievement. Journal of Research and Development in Education, 31(2), 90–97. EJ561992.

Smrekar, C., Guthrie, J. W., Owens, D. E., & Sims, P. G. (2001). March towards excellence: School success and minority student achievement in Department of Defense schools (Report presented to the National Education Goals Panel). Nashville, TN: Peabody Center for Education Policy, Peabody College Vanderbilt University.

Wang, M. C., Oates, J., & Weishew, N. L. (1995). Effective school responses to student diversity in innercity schools: A coordinated approach. Education and Urban Society, 27(4), 484–503. EJ511143. [Also published in 1997 in Haertel, G. D., & M. C. Wang (Eds.), Coordination, Cooperation, Collaboration (pp.175–197), Philadelphia: The Mid-Atlantic Regional Educational Laboratory at Temple University.]