Home & School-Based Parent/Family/Community Involvement Programs

1. Home & School-Based Parent/Family/Community Involvement Programs From Early Childhood Education 2 Middle Schools

2. Learning OutcomesEarly Childhood – Middle School • Explore and synthesis the different models/forms of involvement at different schooling levels • Appreciate the importance of getting parents/family members involved early in their children education • Describe the benefits of getting parent/family involved in their children education through Middle School

3. Nine Levels of Family/ParentCollaboration(E.H. Berger) • The continuum ranges from parents as active educational partners at home and school to as recipients of education and supporters • Parent as active partner and educational leader at home and school • Parent as a decision leader • Parent as advocate to help schools achieve excellent educational offerings • Parent actively involved with the school as a volunteer/paid employee • Parent as liaison between school and home to support homework • Parent supporting the educational goals of the school • Parent as recipient of support from the school • Parent as member of parent education classes • Parent as a representative or activist in community

4. Models in Early Childhood Education • Early childhood education recognized the need for parents to be actively involved in influencing their children’s development and learning at early age • Parents are their children’s first teachers • Teachers and parents share a common perspective and interest – the children’s optimal growth and development to reach their fullest potential as learners

5. Head Start Program • It provides holistic, comprehensive, services for children ages three to five • It covers four components: health nutrition, education, social services, and parent involvement (Both center and home-based services) • The funding: 80% federal monies and 20% community level • Main objectives: increase school readiness and foster the healthy development of young children in low-income families • A child enrolled in Head Start will receive a comprehensive screening before the start of the classes • Parent involvement is essential: as educators, nurturers, and advocates for the children

6. The Head Start mandates performance standards for parent involvement the following areas: • Parent involvement in the area of decision-making on program planning and operations • Provide opportunities for parents to work with their own children in cooperation with Head Start teachers and staff • Provide opportunities for parents to participate in the classrooms as volunteers (with the possibility of becoming paid employees) • Provide opportunities for parents to plan and implement parent activities

7. Classrooms teachers carry out individual home visits to meet with families and children during the beginning and the end of the school year • During home visits, teachers review curriculum with parents (to give ideas and suggestions) • The year-end home visits comprises assisting children and parents in planning for child’s transition to kindergarten

8. Parent and Child Education (PACE) • It was established in Kentucky in 1986 and currently known as PACE • The mission is to improve the educational future for undereducated parents (not obtained a high school diploma/have one but function at a very low literacy level and have a child ages zero to eight) , and at the same time to provide quality early childhood education for their children • Parents and children who have not yet enrolled in public schools attend classes three days a week • The program consists of: adult basic skill education, early childhood education, parent education and support, and regular opportunities for parent-child interaction

9. Models in Elementary Education • TIPS (Teachers Involve Parents in Schoolwork) Developed in 1987 by Epstein Families are encouraged to actively participate in learning activities and homework Available in curricular areas of language arts, science and health, and mathematics It can be implemented individually (classroom teacher), an entire school or an entire district • Goals of TIPS (Epstein, Jackson, & Salinas, 1992): • Designing homework activities that increases students’ academic and communication skills • Helping parents understand what their children are learning in school • Enhancing the communication between parents and teachers

10. The process: Teacher explains TIPS process to students and their parents through discussion, letters sent home, and parent meetings The teacher assigns homework activities on a weekly/biweekly basis The homework can take 10 minutes to an hour to complete (depending on homework policy) After the completion of the homework (parent partner/parent and student), the parent then provides feedback for the teacher directly on the TIPS activity form and sends it back to school The teacher then evaluates the student’s work (plus the comments by the parent/family partner)

11. MegaSkills • Developed by Dorothy Rich (1992) Basic principle: Basic values, attitudes, and behaviors play a strong role in determining a child’s achievement in school • The process: MegaSkills workshops are conducted for parents and educators at individual schools or districtwide The materials (in different languages which include Spanish and Asian languages) are provided to participants over the course of 12 workshops Families learn new ways to support their children’s education and become more involved in school activities An example: Helping elementary-aged children learn about teamwork – Parents together with their children examine the newspaper for articles describing events affecting families in a foreign country. Family members then discuss the articles and develop ideas/ways to help the families in need • Research findings on the effects of such program: Higher student interest in school, increased responsibility among its students, improved school climate, and increased parent involvement in school activities and attendance at parent-teacher conference (Edge, 1996)

12. National Network of Partnership School Established in Johns Hopkins University in 1995 Aim: to help education leaders establish and strengthen programs of school-family-community partnerships Currently every state has established a parent information resource center designed to increase family involvement in education Funded by The U.S. Department of Education Goals 2000 Title IV Parental Assistance Program Promote family-school-community partnerships, family resource centers, and home visits to increase family involvement in children’s education by utilizing Epstein’s six types of involvement

13. The process: Schools form action teams consisting at least 3 parents of children in varying grade level, 3 teachers of different grade levels, an administrator, community members, and at the middle and high school levels, students They receive training in the six types of involvement They then work together to determine the goals that will best meet the needs of their population The action team will then responsible for devising partnership activities that will help to achieve the gaols They will also utilize family resource centers to help parents stay involved in their children’s education The resource centers provide parents with information regarding parenting and education as well as links to other available resources within the community Over 1 million people in Wisconsin were served through this project (S. Werley, 2001)

14. Models in Middle Schools • Middle schools are based on student-centered concept • Securing parent involvement is extraordinarily difficult because they prefer their parents not exert a strong influence on their educational lives • Less research has been done at the middle school than the elementary level, but parent involvement at this level produces has a profound and effect on students’ achievement, school adjustment, and behavior

15. The Benefits of Involvement At Middle School Level • Higher aspirations and strong commitment to lifelong education Students of involved parents are more likely to select advance courses in high school and engage in more academically rigorous programs of study Students tend to use terms such as learners/students when asked to described themselves and their strengths • Avoidance of high-risk behaviors Decrease in alcohol use, drug use, and other antisocial behaviors Students also form relations with peers who also avoid problematic situations and behaviors • Increase school-community participation Students are nearly three times more likely than young people with uninvolved parents to engage in school-sponsored activities Students who feel connected to the school exhibit higher achievement, better social adaptability, and high levels of self-esteem

16. Avoidance of school problems Less likely to have problems in school There is indication that the degree of parent involvement is more significant in the school success of students than other variable, including race, social class, and native language

17. Obstacles To Involvement AtMiddle School Level • Low involvement and decline involvement All type of involvement decline between the sixth and twelfth grades Low rates of parent involvement at the secondary level (CRESPAR, U.S. Department of Education) 42% secondary students reported that their parents helped them with their homework 53-54% contacted their schools about their child’s academic performance 52% parents attended meetings scheduled by their child’s teacher 27% parent volunteered/served on a committee

18. r • Poor communication between home and school Schools fail to offer concrete ways for parents to support the child’s achievement, and this cause them to become withdrawn, defensive, resentful, and hostile • Different expectations regarding norms and behaviors Parents and schools disagree markedly on what is best for students Young people (middle school kids) from impoverished backgrounds are expected to contribute to their family’s economic resources School personnel on the other hand interpret such indicator as parent lack interest in their child’s school program

19. s • Trivialization of the parent’s role The subject matter becomes more specialized at this level (especially in math and science) Create problems for parents who were not successful in school • Conflict between family and resources and school requirements Schools require parents to become involved in their children’s educational program in ways that are beyond their personal or material resources (E.g. science fairs, academic competitions and the like)

20. Hierarchical Model of Involvementby Shea and Bauer (1991) • This model is hierarchical in the sense that conditions at each level be satisfied before parental participation at the next level can be expected • Crisis assistance • Crisis such as divorce, substance abuse, legal troubles, family financial difficulties and the like make school-related problems appear trivial Schools can do the following things: Referrals (school counselor or support services that are available in the community) Provide a directory of community services Do not harm: school personnel express their concerns to student/family and offer help when necessary • Information and resources Parents should be told what they could do to help their child perform more effectively in school • Supporting parent engagement Parenting and supportive skills Social and emotional support systems Enabling activities

21. Securing support for school programs and operations • When crisis have been resolved, parents should be well informed • Parents will feel supported by school handling the job of raising adolescent children