Engaging Families, Parents and Communities

1. Engaging Families, Parents and Communities Susan Bailey-Anderson Montana Office of Public Instruction sbanderson@mt.gov Jennifer Calder Montana PIRC jcalder@wordinc.org Strong partnerships are the key to our children’s success.

2. Overview • Taking parent engagement to scale • PBIS/MBI Key Indicators • RTI Essential Component • PIRC – “real life” examples • Questions

3. Reflection What was parent involvement like when you were growing up? Take a minute to reflect. Please share with the group either via chat box or over the phone.

4. No Child Left Behind Act(NCLB) of 2001 The federal government for the first time offered a definition of parent involvement: Regular, two-way and meaningful communication about student learning and other school activities, including: • Assisting their child’s learning; • Being actively involved in their child’s education at school; • Serving as full partners in their child’s education and being included, as appropriate, in decision-making and on advisory committee to assist in the education of their child; and • Public Law 107-110, Title I, Section 9109 (32) • Every Title I school must have a school parent compact, developed with and approved by parents, that describes how the school and parents will build a partnership to improve student achievement.

5. Research supports positive outcomes for students when families are actively engaged in school partnerships. MBI efforts emphasize strategies to engage families and community partners at the universal, targeted and intensive support levels. Promoting positive behavior through family and community partnerships

6. Improved grades and test scores Improved attitudes, self-esteem and behavior Better attendance, fewer dropouts and suspensions, more post-secondary education Greater motivation and more positive attitudes toward homework Greater understanding about how schools work Improved communication between parents and children about schoolwork and other topics Increased involvement with learning opportunities at home When parents are involved, there are: Adapted from Christenson, 1996

7. Greater reports of job satisfaction Higher rating of teaching skills from both parents and administrators Higher rating of skill effectiveness Decreased feeling of isolation Increased willingness of communities to support schools through taxes Improved classroom behavior through increased knowledge of children’s family, cultural, and community contexts When parents are involved, there are: Adapted from Christenson, 1996

8. The evidence is now beyond dispute: When schools and families work together to support learning, children tend to succeed – not just in school, but also throughout life. The importance of family involvement Henderson and Berla, 1997

9. CONSIDER THE TRIANGLE WHEN DEVELOPING STRATEGIES… GOAL: Have a personal contact with ALL parents. FEW WILL REQUIRE A HOME VISIT SOME WILL NEED INDIVIDUALLY SCHEDULED TIME MOST WILL ATTEND OPEN HOUSE

10. MBI Key Indicators • MBI Training • MBI Team Process • Proactive Support Systems (Best Practices) • Evaluation Process (Data-Based Decision Making) • Family and Community Involvement

11. RTI Essential Components • Evidence-Based Curriculum and Instruction • Ongoing Assessment • Collaborative Teaming • Data-Based Decision Making • Fidelity of Implementation • Ongoing Training and Professional Development • Community and Family Involvement • Strong Leadership

12. Questions ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

13. What is a PIRC? • Parent(al) Information &Resource Center • DOE funded • At least one in each state and each of the US territories http://www.nationalpirc.org/ • All have an early childhood component • Primary focus- building capacity around family, school, community partnerships

14. Feedback Poll Do you currently work with your state PIRC?

15. Family Engagement Is…The National Family, School, and Community Engagement Working Group • A shared responsibility • Continuous • Happens wherever children learn • Critical for student success • Essential for school improvement • Advocating for educational opportunity and quality

16. Research Discussion Activity Read the research summary excerpt Reflect: How is this information relevant to our work? Who needs to know this? We will have a share out

17. MetLife Survey of the American Teacher Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. MetLife Survey of the American Teacher: Transitions and the Role of Supportive Relationships, 2004-2005. A Survey of Teachers, Principals and Students. Surveys of new teachers find that“the biggest challenge they face as a teacher is communicating with and involving parents,” and that they felt“least prepared to engage families in supporting their children’s education.”

18. The Joining ProcessKaren Mapp Don’t leave it to random acts of parent involvement, plan consciously and conscientiously!!! Welcome Honor Connect

19. Four Versions of Family-School Partnerships A- Fortress School B- Come-if-We-Call School C- Open-Door School D- Partnership School Henderson, Mapp, Johnson & Davies, Beyond the Bake Sale: The Essential Guide to Family-School Partnerships, 2007

20. Family Friendly Walkthroughs This is a fantastic way to start a conversation about the “friendliness” of your school. The areas evaluated by the walkthrough team are: • physical environment of the school, • school-wide policies & practices, and • communication between school & home.

21. Family Friendly Walkthrough Sample Questions • The office is located near the school entrance and is clearly marked for visitors. • The school offers workshops for parents to help them understand the classroom curriculum and how they can help their children learn at home. • The school has a system in place for ongoing assessment and feedback from parents regarding the school climate.

22. Reframing family engagement . . . Achieving Excellence and Innovation in Family, School, and Community Engagement. Webinar 1: Transforming Schools Through Family, School, and Community Engagement. Retrieved, August 13, 2010 from http://www.hfrp.org/family-involvement/projects/achieving-excellence-and-innovation-in-family-school-and-community-engagement-webinar-series

23. No Child Left Behind and Parent Involvement Mandates • School-Parent Compact • District Policy • School Policy • Report Cards • Parent Choice • State Review • Home-School Communication

24. How well are we doing in meeting these mandates? Between 2003-2006 the U.S. of Education monitoring of 53 State Education Agencies for Title I parent requirements revealed that 72% were not in compliance

25. Parents are part of the solution for improved student learning S O L I D Foundation Strategies to fit your school’s purpose and plan

26. Assess Plan Implement What is Solid Foundation?

27. What is a school team? Shared Leadership The school team can be a school improvement team or other school-based team that includes the principal, teacher representatives, parent representatives, and parent facilitator. Parents are an important part of this team.

28. An Evidence-based Foundation A study of 129 low-performing schools in Illinois showed that Solid Foundation: Significantly improved student achievement on State tests Compared with the control group Compared with all elementary schools in Illinois From:Redding, Langdon, Meyer, & Sheley, M. (2004). The Effects of Comprehensive Parent Engagement on Student Learning Outcomes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Family Research Project

29. PIRCs that are using Solid Foundation Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas Iowa Massachusetts Montana Nebraska New Hampshire Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Dakota Vermont Virginia Wyoming

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31. Parent Teacher Home Visit Project

32. Parent Teacher Home Visit Project • Ends the cycle of blame • Builds trust and respect • Instills cultural competency • Increases personal and professional capacity

33. Parent Teacher Home Visit Project The increased communication, trust and support results in: • Increased student attendance rates. • Increased student test scores. • Decreased suspension and expulsion rates. • Decreased vandalism at school site.

34. PTHVP in Montana • Libby- district-wide, started with pre-k to k transition year • Poplar- suicide and dropout prevention in 8-9th grades & kindergarten transition year • Helena- early childhood transition, pre-k to k • Great Falls- pilot, elementary, train the trainer for other LEAs • MBI Summer Institute- exposure to school teams from the around the state

35. Impact of Partnering with MBI • Increased training capacity- MBI Summer Institute and regional trainings • Increased exposure for programs • MBI has “primed the pump” in schools • Leveraging resources- council, coaches, professional development • Expanded networks

36. On the Horizon • Have coaches trained in Solid Foundation and PTHVP • Sustainability- embedding SFC policies, programs and practices within MBI • Cooperation? Coordination? Collaboration?

37. Questions ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

38. Resources Referenced in this Presentation • Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP) http://www.hfrp.org/ • Solid Foundation http://www.adi.org/solidfoundation/ • Parent Teacher Home Visit Project http://www.pthvp.org/ • National PIRC Coordination Center, http://www.nationalpirc.org/ your state PIRC • Ohio Department of Education, Virtual Tour of a Family Friendly Partnership School CD http://www.ode.state.oh.us/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.aspx?Page=3&TopicRelationID=428&Content=87296 • Department of Education Webinar Series http://www.hfrp.org/family-involvement/projects/achieving-excellence-and-innovation-in-family-school-and-community-engagement-webinar-series • Beyond the Bake Sale: The Essential Guide to Family-School Partnerships, Henderson, Mapp, Johnson & Davies,