Parent Involvement

1. Parent Involvement Presented by: Terri Collier, Title I Coordinator West Virginia Department of Education

3. “The evidence is consistent, positive, and convincing: families have a major influence on their children’s achievement in school and through life.”A New Wave of Evidence—In Short Anne Henderson & Karen Mapp

4. Definition of Parent Involvement The participation of parents in regular, two-way and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities; including ensuring that parents: play an integral role in assisting their child’s learning; are encouraged to be actively involved in their child’s education; are full partners in their child’s education and are included, as appropriate, in decision making and on advisory committees to assist in the education of their child; the carrying out of other activities, such as those in Title I, Sec. 1118. Title IX General Provisions, Part A, Sec. 9101

5. School Family Student Community

6. “Effects of Title I Parent Involvement on Student Reading and Mathematics Achievement” Ann Shaver and Richard Walls, 1998

7. Results

8. Results High Parent Involvement Low Parent Involvement

9. \ Lack of Communication Parents feel intimidated Parents are too busy Parents don’t care

10. Parent Involvement & Student Success • Students achieve more, regardless of socio-economic status, ethnic/racial background, or parents educational level. • Students exhibit more positive attitudes and behavior. • Students have higher graduation rates. • Children who are the farthest behind make the greatest gains. • Student behaviors, such as alcohol use, violence, and antisocial behavior decrease.

11. Parent Involvement and School Quality • Schools have improved teacher morale and higher ratings of teachers by parents. • Schools have more support from families and better reputations in the community. • Schools outperform identical programs without parent and family involvement. • Schools where children are failing improve dramatically. • Schools’ practices to inform and involve parents are stronger determinants of whether parents will be involved with their children’s education.

12. Parent Involvement & Program Design • For low-income families, programs offering home visits are more successful in involving parents. • Frequent and effective communication from the school increases involvement. • Parents are more likely to become involved when educators assist parents in helping their children with their schoolwork. • Educators and administrators must receive professional training on working with parents. • The parent/educator relationship must be developed into a comprehensive, well-planned partnership.

13. Barriers to Parent Involvement Programs • Parents/teachers do not easily communicate with each other because of issues regarding race, culture, socioeconomic status, and education • There is a breakdown in communication when the educational environment is not sensitive to home- language and home culture • Parent Involvement programs are school dominated • Economic security limits the time parents devote to their child’s education

14. Barriers to Parent Involvement Programs • Teachers feel that parents do not have time/interest to interact • Parents do not like to get involved because of memories from childhood school days • Fear that parents do not have skills to help children learn and socialize • Parents are not taught how to be involved with school and teachers • Teachers lack training and support in working with parents

15. Parent Involvement Patterns • Partnerships tend to decline across the grades. • Affluent communities currently have more positive family involvement, on the average. • Schools in more economically depressed communities make more contacts with families about problems and difficulties their children are having. • Single parents, parents who are employed outside the home, parents who live far from school, and fathers are less involved, on the average, at the school building.

16. Joyce L. EpsteinPh.D., Sociology,Johns Hopkins University Director - Center on School, Family, and Community Partnerships Co-Director – School, Family, and Community Partnership Program of the Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed at Risk (CRESPAR)

17. The Keys to Successful Partnerships • Parenting • Communicating • Volunteering • Learning at Home • Decision-Making • Collaborating with the Community

18. Categorizing the Parent Involvement Activities

19. Research Conclusions • Just about all families care about their children, want them to succeed, and are eager to obtain information from schools and communities so as to remain good partners in their children’s education.

20. Research Conclusions • Just about all teachers and administrators would like to involve families, but many do not know how to go about building positive and productive programs and are consequently fearful about trying. This creates a “rhetoric rut,” in which educators are stuck, expressing support for partnerships without taking any action.

21. Research Conclusions • Just about all students at all levels want their families to be more knowledgeable partners about schooling and are willing to take active roles in assisting communications between home and school. However, students need much better information and guidance than most now receive about how their schools view partnerships and about how they can conduct important exchanges with their families about school activities, homework, and school decisions.

22. Working With Parents • Make parent involvement a school-wide effort • Encourage involvement from the entire family • Involve students in recruiting parents • Create a warm, open atmosphere • Schedule activities at the convenience of parents • Offer special services for parents • Find out why parents are distancing themselves • Convey good news and information • Recognize and commend involvement • Involve parents in decision making

23. Title I Requirements • Parent Involvement Policy • Compact • Building Capacity for Involvement

24. www.kpirc.org