family involvement ppt
TRANSCRIPT
Family Involvement: a deeper look at what is required with a diverse
population
LISA West Poverty Rate 43.3%
LISA North Poverty Rate 52.7%
Home Languages at LISA Academy
Arabic Bengali; BanglaChinese; ZhongwenGreekGujaratiHindiIgboJapanese; NihongoKorean; Choson-OMandarin
MongolianPersian; FarsiFilipinoPunjabi; PanjabiRussianSpanishTagalogTamilTeluguThai
TongaTurkishUkrainianUrduVietnamese
In the past we have also had:FrenchGermanIrish; GaeilgeCantoneseLaotian; Pha Xa LaoPakistani
It doesn’t stop after the introduction
Most teachers have a technique or two in their back-to-school tool kits for introducing themselves to families and taking those first steps to engage parents and other caregivers in the classroom and the student learning process. And yet, family engagement is a year-long process.
*Talk to your right-side elbow partner about what you do.
Parents are important allies!
As children's first teachers, parents play important roles in supporting academic learning at home and at school. Parents and other adult caregivers are important resources and allies for educators as they help students navigate through the schooling process and reinforce classroom lessons and good study habits at home.
*Talk to your left elbow partner about how parents are allies.
National PTA’s 5 Reasons to engage parents
1. Higher grades, test scores, and graduation rates2. Better attendance at school
3. Fewer suspensions and incidents of violent behavior
4. Increased motivation and self-esteem
5. Decreased drug and alcohol use
*If this is true, we REALLY need to continue engage our parents in MS and HS!
Research says essential components include:
1. a foundation of mutual respect and trust,
2. connection of parent engagement strategies to student learning objectives
3. reaching out to engage parents beyond the school
These are particularly important in a school like LISA which is culturally and linguistically diverse.
READ Handout to examine the classist assumptions in schoolsSilently read the handout. Then form 10 small groups to specifically address Gorski’s recommendations as it relates to LISA.
1. To what extent is this already being done in our school?
2. What do we need to learn to make this happen?
3. With whom would we need to work?
4. What resources would we need?
Present findings to the whole group, solicit feedback and create action plans, complete with timelines and assignments.
Group 1
Assign work requiring computer and Internet access or other costly resources only when we can provide in-school time and materials for such work to be completed
Group 2
Work with our schools to make parent involvement affordable and convenient by providing transportation, on-site childcare and time flexibility
Group 3
Give students from poverty access to the same high-level curricular and pedagogical opportunities and high expectations as their wealthy peers
(Think Insight vs. Genius Hour)
Group 4
Teach about classism, consumer culture, the dissolution of labor unions, environmental pollution and other injustices disproportionately affecting the poor, preparing new generations of students to make a more equitable world
Group 5
Keep stocks of school supplies, snacks, clothes and other basic necessities handy for students who may need them, but find quiet ways to distribute these resources to avoid singling anyone out
Group 6
Develop curricula that are relevant and meaningful to our students' lives and draw on their experiences and surroundings;
Group 7
Fight to get our students into gifted and talented programs and to give them other opportunities usually reserved for economically advantaged students and to keep them from being assigned unjustly to special education.
(Think about academic teams and CRLP)
Group 8
Continue to reach out to parents even when we feel they are being unresponsive;
this is one way to establish trust
Group 9
Challenge our colleagues when they stigmatize poor students and their parents, reminding them of the inequitable conditions in our schools and classrooms
Group 10
Challenge ourselves, our biases and prejudices, by educating ourselves about the cycle of poverty and classism in and out of U.S. schools.
Break: 10 minutes
Please enjoy a brief break!
Inviting Engagement
U.S. classrooms are growing more diverse — ethnically, culturally and linguistically. In response, teachers and educational advocates are employing new strategies, and adapting tried-and-true strategies, to better serve diverse parent populations
REFLECT with your elbow partnerReflect On:
How does my approach to parents and families encourage or discourage their continued participation in the classroom? Are there cross-cultural communication or language considerations?
How can I use my students' families and cultural backgrounds to enrich the classroom and instruction?
Using Plain Terms
Beyond the language we speak, the words we choose can help or hinder the effectiveness of communication with parents and guardians. How do our word choices assist or prevent necessary interaction? How might our communication practices reflect power, instead of partnership?
REFLECT with an elbow partner
What is the implicit message that the use of jargon and unidentified acronyms sends to parents?
Are there unwritten or unspoken cultural codes in play when I communicate with parents?
How does my communication strategy reinforce or reconstruct the teacher/parent power dynamic?
Go Deeper
In this interview, education reformer Lisa Delpit encourages teachers to discover who their students are outside the classroom by engaging parents in authentic, meaningful ways and introduces her conceptions of culture and power.
Take the time to read through this interview. (handout 2)