December 2005

Letter from the Director

Greetings!

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The importance of parental involvement in schools is well documented. Over 30 years of research indicates that parent involvement is associated with better academic success, improved student behavior, higher enrollment in post secondary education, safer school environments, and enhanced parent support for teachers and schools (Sanders & Epstein, 2000; Minke & Anderson, 2005). In addition, federal legislation related to education (Title I, II, IV) stipulates that parents should have a role in making programmatic decisions. The intent is to give parents a voice in decisions that affect their children’s education.

Given research and federal mandates, it is wise for all schools to support parent and family involvement and invest in activities and strategies that foster school-family-community collaboration. To develop partnerships, school districts are encouraged to think of parental involvement in broader terms. Models, such as Epstein’s Framework of Involvement can help schools reshape parent and family involvement. The Epstein model identifies six types of involvement and promotes a comprehensive approach to expand parent involvement in schools. This research-based model was developed by Joyce Epstein, PhD, and provided the basis for the National Standards for Parent/Family Involvement in Programs developed by the National PTA and the National Coalition for Parent Involvement.

Developing parent leadership and promoting collaboration: Cindy Wakefield, Senior Consultant at the Colorado Department of Education(center), provides training to parents, educators, and service providers during the annual leadership conference hosted by Early Childhood Connections in Colorado.

Epstein’s Framework of Six Types of Involvement

• Parenting – Help families establish a home environment to support children as students. Research shows that the quality of home environments strongly correlates to students’ academic achievement and school performance (Christenson and Sheridan, 2001). Examples of Activities: Parent education classes, support groups, and lending library of parenting materials.
  
  
• Communication – Design effective forms of school-to-home and home-to-school communications about school programs and children’s progress. Studies show that creating home-school partnerships based on two-way communication enhance parental involvement critical to children’s academic success (Simmons, Stevenson, Strnad, 1993). Examples: Newsletters, school websites, school socials, student handbooks, home visits, and parent/teacher conferences.
  
  
• Volunteering – Recruit and organize parent help and support. Research documents that parent volunteering can have a significant impact on students’ achievement in mathematics, reading, and language (Haynes, Emmons, Gebreyesus, Ben-Avie, 1996). Examples of action steps: Principals are actively involved in recruitment, staff identifies volunteer needs, and written job descriptions are developed.
  
  
• Learning at Home – Provide information and ideas to families on how to help students at home with homework and other curriculum-related activities, decisions, and planning. This type of involvement is most significantly linked to successful outcomes for students. Effective school outreach encourages three types of parental involvement with their children at home that consistently relate to academic achievement: (1) organizing and monitoring children’s time, especially television viewing, (2) assisting with homework and (3) discussing school-related activities and future educational goals (Finn, 1998).
  
  
• School Decision-Making and Advocacy – Include parents in school decision-making and developing parent leaders and recruiting parent representatives. Studies indicate that four roles played by parents can contribute to children’s learning: (1) parents as teachers (2) supporters (3) advocates and (4) decision makers (Henderson and Berla, 1994). Examples: parent/teacher/student associations, school accountability teams, and development of Individual Education Plans.
  
  
• Collaboration with the Community – Identify and integrate resources and services from the community to strengthen school programs, family practices, and student learning. Although the least supported and publicized component of the school-family-community partnership model, research indicates that the quality of children’s school-community connections influences their school learning. (Christenson and Sheridan, 2001). Examples: Family events co-hosted by schools and community groups, partnerships with private and public agencies to provide supportive services, and school buildings are available for community meetings and activities.

Collaboration with the community: Denver-area restaurants and community groups partnered with neighborhood schools to host National Family Day celebration in September.

When using the “six types of involvement" framework it is advisable to incorporate best practices. The model is most effective when it:

• builds on family and cultural strengths
• develops mutually-respectful relationships between students, families, and school staff
• clarifies the roles of all parties involved – expectations are explicit
• identifies goals and defines success
• is supported through community partnerships

Technical assistance is available through NCSE to help educational systems enhance parental involvement in schools.Contact info@schoolengagement.org for more information.

For additional information on parent involvement visit the NCSE website and click on "Publications". Additional information on Epstein’s six types of parent involvement is available through the Center on School, Family and Community Partnerships at John Hopkins University.

References:

Christenson, S.L. and Sheridan, S.M. (2001). School and Families: Creating Essential Connections for Learning. New York: Guilford Press.

Finn, J.D. (1998). Parental Engagement That Makes a Difference. Educational Leadership 55(8), p. 20-24.

Haynes, N.M. , Emmons, C.L., Gebreyesus, S and Ben-Avie, M (1996). The School Development Program Evaluation Process in Rallying the Whole Village: The Comer Process for Reforming Education, p. 123-144.

Henderson, A.T. and Berla, N (Ed). (1994). A New Generation of Evidence: The Family Is Critical to Student Achievement. Washington D.C: Center for Law and Education.

Minke, Kathleen, & Anderson, Kellie. (2005). Family-school collaboration and positive behavior support. Journal of Positive Behavior Support, 7(3), 181-185.

Sanders, Mavis, & Epstein, Joyce. (2000) Building school-family-community partnerships in Middle and High Schools. In Educating At Risk Students.

Simmons, R.K., Stevenson, B.A., and Strnad, M.A. (1993). Stewart Community School: A Pioneer in Home-School Partnership in R.C. Burns (Ed). Parents and Schools: From Visitors to Partners, p. 63-76. Washington D.C.

Feature article by Judith Martinez, Director of the National Center for School Engagement.

Special thanks to Heather MacGillivary and Carol Mehesyof the Colorado Foundation for Families and Children, Sharon Oh-Willeke, and Cindy Wakefield of the Colorado Department of Education for their contributions to this article.

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Hot Topics

A recent HOT TOPIC on the Truancy Listserv involved defining truancy. Here is a sample of the responses to the question posted by a subscriber in Michigan, "Can you share your county or district's working definition of truancy?"

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Funding Opportunities

Resources and Research

National Center for Parent Involvement in Education (NCPIE)
A coalition of major education, community, public service, and advocacy organizations working to create meaningful family-school partnerships in every school. NCPIE and the Public Education Network (PEN) have developed online Action Briefs for the major themes covered in No Child Left Behind. These Briefs can be used in multiple ways with a variety of audiences. Both as a training tool, for professional development, or an easy reference to the law's intricacies. Each Brief includes information on what the law says, action items for parents and community leaders and a set of resources. There will also be resources on legislation, regulations and policy guidance, a glossary of education terms and an implementation timeline.

National Network of Partnership Schools (NNPS)
NNPS was established by researchers at Johns Hopkins University. The National Network of Partnership Schools brings together schools, districts, and states that are committed to developing and maintaining comprehensive programs of school-family-community partnerships.

National Parent Information Network (NPIN)
This site contains educational software and services for middle school, high school, and college students. Topics on the web-site include: learning disability software, tutoring services, applied behavioral analysis, pervasive development disorder, home school, tutoring, homework help, online tutoring, learning disabilities and attention deficit, as well as related topics.

National Parent Teachers Association (PTA)
This site contains information from the National PTA whose mission is: (1) To support and speak on behalf of children and youth in the schools, in the community, and before governmental bodies and other organizations that make decisions affecting children; (2) To assist parents in developing the skills they need to raise and protect their children; (3) To encourage parent and public involvement in the public schools of this nation.

Parent and Leadership Institute (PLI)
The mission of PLI is to foster healthy parent-child relationships that will last a lifetime. PLI’s approach is parenting by connection which is based on the principles of respect, listening, leadership development and the importance of interpersonal connections. PLI helps parents and professionals gain perspective on their work and gives them tools to build stronger connections within their families, in their work and in their communities.

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Conferences and Trainings

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)
"Building on Success: Providing Today's Youth with Better Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow"
Location: Washington, DC
Dates: January 9-13, 2006
NOTE: The registration fee for this conference has been reduced from $450 to only $275 for a limited time only. To take advantage of this bargain rate, you must register and pay by December 9, 2005. Attending this event will give you access to dozens of Federal agencies whose representatives will provide valuable information on upcoming funding opportunities including information sessions on upcoming OJJDP solicitations and new grant programs.

Foundation , Inc.
"Beyond School Hours: A New Twist on Afterschool"
This conference offers an opportunity to discover practices, network among peers, share success stories, and learn about the latest trends in education that affect programs.
Location: Wyndham Anatole in Dallas, TX
Dates: February 19-22, 2006

2006 National Afterschool Conference
Location: Louisville, KY
Dates: February 23-25, 2006

Center for Parent Leadership
"Parent Leadership: An Untapped Resource in Education"
Location: San Antonio, TX
Dates: February 9-10, 2006
Please note that dates on brochure still reflect December - the dates were changed to February.

Blueprints for Violence Prevention Initiative at the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence
"Blueprints Conference To Disseminate Science-Based Information"
Location : Adams Mark Hotel, Denver, CO
Dates: March 13-15, 2006

www.schoolengagement.org

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