research and evaluation on family-school-community partnerships
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Research and Evaluation on Family-School-Community Partnerships
Prepared by Adriana de Kanter, Alan Ginsburg, and Julie Pederson
Planning and Evaluation ServiceU.S. Department of Education
Sue FergusonChair, National Coalition for
Parent Involvement in Education
Overview
Part I: New American Consensus on Education
Part II: Research on Family Involvement
Part III: Steps to Strengthening Partnerships for Learning
Part I: Questions to Ask
Do you think your school: Has strong family-school-community
partnerships? Do your school partners agree on what family involvement means?
Promotes high academic standards for all students, informing parents about what they are and how they can help their children reach them?
Part I: More Questions Does your school use a family-school
compact for all students and their families? Have you noticed any areas in which
differences in student results seem to be connected to family involvement?
Does your school use data to evaluate and improve partnerships for learning?
A New American Consensus Sets High Standards for All Students
Every child in America is reading well and independently by the end of third grade.60 percent of fourth-grade students are at or above basic in reading.
Every child in America is competent in math, including algebra at the eighth grade.20 percent of students take algebra in the eighth grade.
\
Every 18-year-old in America is prepared academically and financially for college and for the workplace.The proportion of high school graduates taking the core courses increased to 52 percent by 1994, up from 14 percent in 1982 and 40 percent in 1990.
87
3556
34 4122 21
110
20406080
100
Math, seventh grade
(percentiles)
A B C D
Student grades
An A student in a high-poverty school would be about a C student in a low-poverty school when
measured against standardized tests
Low povHigh pov
Standards let parents know how well their children are doing.
Prospects, 1993
Part II: Research on Family Involvement
Why is family involvement
so important?
Why is family involvement
so important?What are the challenges?
What do Families Look Like?
Working Parents– 60% of all mothers with preschool-age children.– 57% of women with children younger than age three were in the labor
force. – 28.2 million children, ages 6-17, have working mothers.
Single Parents– 25% of children live in single-parent families.– Compared to only 11% in 1970.
Grandparents– 13% of African American; 5.7% of Hispanic; 3.9% of white children live
with their grandparents.
U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, and USDE, 1994
Who are the Students?
Children in Poverty – Between 1980 and 1993, the number of
children living in poverty increased by almost 3.8 million. – In 1993, 15 million children under age 18 were living in poverty.
A Culturally Diverse Student Body– In the next 10 years, the white, non-Hispanic population will
decrease by about 13% in the pre-school range and 2% in the elementary-school range.
– Hispanics will become the largest school-age population. – The population of Asian and American Indian students is expected
to increase by about 45%.U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, and USDE, 1994
Family Involvement and Student Achievement
Research
Predictors of student achievement
Not income or social status, but the extent to which that student’s family is able to:
Create a home environment that
encourages learning Express high (but not unrealistic) expectations for
their children’s achievement and future careers Become involved in their children’s education at
school and in the communityA New Generation of Evidence (Henderson & Berla, 1994)
Family Involvement and Student Achievement
Factors over which parents exercise authority:Absenteeism
Reading materials in the home
Television watching
account for nearly 90 percent of the difference in eighth-grade math test scores.
NAEP, 1994
Research
Family Involvement and Student Achievement
Students benefit by: Higher grades Better attendance and
homework completion More positive attitudes Higher graduation rate Greater enrollment in
college
A New Generation of Evidence (Henderson & Berla, 1994)
Research
Schools benefit by: Improved teacher
morale Higher ratings of
teachers by parents More support from
families Better reputations in
the community
The mutual benefits of family involvement
Family Involvement and Student Achievement
Importance of Parents' Involvement to Student Success in School
21
22
27
10
10
12
48
6
9
51
44
9
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Both parents highinvolvement
Only father highinvolvement
Only mother highinvolvement
Both parents lowinvolvement
Research
NCES, 1996
Family Involvement and Student Achievement
Relationship between Family Involvement and 4th Grade Narrative Score
-60
-40
-20
0
20
40
Belowaverage
Average Aboveaverage
Muchabove
average
Level of Family Involvement
Difference above/below mean for all
students
Adjusted meanObserved mean
Research
NCES, 1994
According to Teachers
According to teachers, the
“single most important thing public schools need to help students learn”
is INVOLVED PARENTS.
Public Agenda, 1996
Opinion
#1
Teenagers with strong emotional attachments to their parents and teachers are much less likely to engage in high-risk activities.
Add Health study, 1997
According to Our Young People . . .
72% of children, ages 10-13 said they would like to talk to their parents more about schoolwork. Almost 50% of older students, ages 14-17 agreed.
National Commission on Children, 1991
Opinion
According to Parents . . .
The vast majority of parents believe that their child’s success is directly related to their active involvement in the child’s
formal education (National PTA, 1993).
40% of parents believe they are not
devoting enough time to their children’s education (Finney, 1993).
Opinion
According to EmployersOpinion
89% of company executives identified the biggest obstacle to school reform as lack of parental involvement (Perry 1993).
At the Palisades Education Summit of CEOs and Governors, employers pledged to “adopt policies to support parental involvement in their children’s education and in improving their local schools” (1996 National Education Summit Policy Statement).
Part II: Research on Family Involvement
Why is family involvement
so important?
What are the challenges?
What are the challenges?
Fathers’ Involvement Challenges
Fathers in Two-Parent Families
48
25
27
Mothers in Two-Parent Families
21
2356
Fathers in Single-Parent Families
29
25
46
Mothers in Single-Parent Families
26
25
49
Low
Moderate
High
NCES, 1996
Middle School Fall-Off Challenges
7363
53
0
20
40
60
80
Grades 3-5 Grades 6-8 Grades 9-12
Percent of Parents Participating in Two or More School-Related Activities
National Education Goals Report, NCES, 1996
Parent involvement differs by family characteristics
87 85 8192
8277 76
84
66 65 6374
50 4944
54
0
20
40
60
80
100
Grades K-3 Grades 4-6 Grades 7-8 Grades 9-12
All students Students from non-English speaking homesStudents at or below poverty Students with a disability
Challenges
Percent of Parents Attending Regularly-Scheduled Parent-Teacher Conferences
(NCES, NHES, 1996)
Principals’ perceptions
of barriers in Title I schools
41
44
70
44
52
81
15
9
14
48
57
88
0 20 40 60 80 100
Parent attitudes
Culturaldifferences
Parenteducation
Lack of stafftraining
Staff's lack oftime
Parents' lack oftime
Low-povertyHigh-poverty
Challenges
NCES, 1996
Partners in Education: Individuals and groups that work together to support children’s learning.
Shared Responsibilities: How each partner will work to help all children learn to high standards.
Part III: Steps for Strengthening Partnerships for Learning
Standards: What every child should know and learn
Evaluate the Results of the
partnership
Implement strategies for
success
Strengthen Your
Partnership
Come together as a
team
Family- school-
community partnership
Identify & commit to
shared responsibilites
The Five Step Partnership Process
#1
#2
#3#4
#5
Come Together as a TeamStep
1
Team-building strategies Plan for the whole school and community:
Include as many participants as possible. Talk up ideas to generate interest, even in the
early stages of planning. Reach out to parents and others who have not
traditionally been connected to the school.
Come Together as a Team
More team-building strategies Anticipate and plan! Think ahead to the
challenges you may face and plan potential solutions.
Create a family-school compact for all students to support shared responsibility.
Be creative! Make sure your partnership and its activities reflect your school and its community.
Step1
The National PTA Standards for
Parent/Family Involvement Programs Student learning Communicating Parenting Volunteering School decision making and advocacy Collaborating with community
Step2
Choose a Framework of Shared Responsibility
Step2
Choose a framework of shared responsibility
Shared Responsibility
Title IFamily-SchoolCompact Framework
Shared responsibility for
learning
Shared responsibility for communicating
Shared responsibility for building capacity
- volunteering- training
Family/School/
Community/Partnership
Shared responsibility for
learning
Shared responsibility for communicating
Shared responsibility for building capacity
- volunteering- training
Family/School/
Community/Partnership
Set high standards and expectations
Provide and support sound instruction
Make schools safe and drug free
Apply modern technology
Shared Responsibility for Learning and High Achievement
Step2
Shared responsibility for
learning
Shared responsibility for communicating
Shared responsibility for building capacity
- volunteering- training
Family/School/
Community/Partnership
Times and locations convenient to families
Priority of time for teachers to communicate with families
Use of modern technology
Accommodations for non-English speaking families
Shared Responsibility for Communication
Step2
Shared responsibility for
learning
Shared responsibility for communicating
Shared responsibility for building capacity
- volunteering- training
Family/School/
Community/Partnership
Provide teacher training on effective familyinvolvement
Help parents become better educators at home
Provide training for tutors
Encourage volunteering
Shared Responsibility for Building Capacity through Volunteering and Training
Step2
Implement Strategies for SuccessStep
3
Address the needs of your school population
Obtain and allocate resources
The new IDEA supports family involvement
IDEA now ensures that: Information provided by parents will be considered
when evaluating a child for a disability. A team of qualified professionals and the parents of
the child determine the child’s eligibility for special education services.
The child’s parents are members of the IEP team. Parents participate in any group that makes decisions
on the educational placement of their child.
Step3
Bilingual education supports family involvement
Title VII - Bilingual Education: Authorizes use of funds for parent outreach and
training activities. Requires local educational agencies to inform
parents of:– The benefits and nature of bilingual education
programs.– The reasons for selection of their child for potential
enrollment.
Step3
Federal ResourcesStep
3
ESEA– Title I– Migrant– Bilingual
Goals 2000 Parent Centers
IDEA Parent Training and Information Projects
Measure and Evaluate
The Power of Performance Measurement What gets measured, gets done. If you don’t measure results, you can’t tell success
from failure. If you can’t recognize failure, you can’t correct it. If you can’t see success, you can’t reward it. If you can’t see success, you can’t learn from it.
From Reinventing Government by David Osborne and Ted Gaebler
Step4
Data Sources
School profiles Administrative
records Surveys Focus Groups Tracking studies
Step4
Asking the Right QuestionsTeacher-Evaluation FormRochester, New York
Step4
My child’s teacher is accessible and responsive to me when I call or want to meet.
The teacher makes clear what my child is expected to learn in this class.
The teacher contacts me promptly with concerns about my child’s academic or behavioral performance.
From Education Week on the Web, September 17, 1997
More Questions from Rochester, New York
As needed, the teacher and I develop a cooperative strategy to help my child.
My child’s teacher assigns clear and meaningful homework.
The teacher shares my high expectations for my child’s learning and behavior.
Step4
From Education Week on the Web, September 17, 1997
Collect a variety of survey data
98
53
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Step4
Parents of third-graders who report that they have rules that the child must followabout completing homework assignments.
Percent of third-grade students rated “high” on completinghomework assignments according to teachers.
vs.
Prospects, 1993
Setting performance standardsStep
4
Four Methods for Measuring Performance
Year 1 Year 2
Improvement Over Time
#1#1
Benchmarking Against the Best
Absolute Performance Standard
Treatment Control
Step4 Methods for Measuring Performance
Mark improvement over time– Marks the progress of doing better than before
– Allows all schools to set and reach goals, no matter what their starting level of achievement
– Requires having a baseline and comparing information over time
Benchmark against the best– With schools that serve children from families
with similar characteristics (for example, similar income level)
– With schools of similar size
– With schools located in similar settings (rural, urban, suburban)
Step4 Methods for Measuring Performance
Set an absolute performance standard:
Indicates whether your school is doing as well as or better than
your desired level of performance.
Methods for Measuring PerformanceStep
4
Lessons for Using Data
Use the process to bring educators and community members together.
Use data to focus attention on real problems. Beware of a picture painted in a single stroke. Beware of data that mask achievement gaps. Report local data strategically. Double-check data. Keep data simple but exciting.
Adapted from Education Trust’s Community Data Guide
Step4
Disaggregate for Details
25.5
48
25
1
18
28
46
7
0
510
1520
2530
3540
4550
0-19% 75-100%
Well above averageAbove averageAverageBelow average
Step4
Parents rate their third-grade child’s school
School Poverty Concentration Prospects, 1993
Improve and Strengthen the Partnership
High StandardsHigh Standards
Your School’sPerformance
Your School’sPerformance
ImprovementNeeded
Lessons Learned
There is no “one size fits all” approach to partnerships.
Training and staff development is an essential investment.
Communication is the foundation of effective partnerships.
Flexibility and diversity are key.
Lessons Learned
There is no “one size fits all” approach to partnerships.
Training and staff development is an essential investment.
Communication is the foundation of effective partnerships.
Flexibility and diversity are key.
Step5
From Family Involvement in Children’s Education: Successful Local Approaches, U.S. Department of Education, 1997
Improve and Strengthen the Partnership
High StandardsHigh Standards
Your School’sPerformance
Your School’sPerformance
ImprovementNeeded
More Lessons Learned
Projects need to take advantage of the training, assistance, and funding offered by sources external to school.
Changes takes time.
Projects need to regularly assess the effects of the partnership using multiple indicators.
More Lessons Learned
Projects need to take advantage of the training, assistance, and funding offered by sources external to school.
Changes takes time.
Projects need to regularly assess the effects of the partnership using multiple indicators.
Step5
From Family Involvement in Children’s Education: Successful Local Approaches, U.S. Department of Education, 1997
Partnership for Family Involvement in EducationWhat can the federal government
and the Partnership for FamilyInvolvement in Education do to help your school or district?
www.ed.gov/PFIE
1-800-USA-LEARN
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