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School-Family-Community Partnerships. Erik M. Hines, M.Ed EDCP 665 University of Maryland, College Park. Objectives. At the end of the class session, you will be able: - To understand the framework of School-Family-Community Partnerships
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School-Family-Community Partnerships Erik M. Hines, M.Ed EDCP 665 University of Maryland, College Park
Objectives • At the end of the class session, you will be able: - To understand the framework of School-Family-Community Partnerships - To identify the six types of involvement used in School-Family- Community Partnerships - To understand how School-Family- Community Partnerships are implemented
School-Family-Community Partnerships (SFC) • SFC involves the effort of parents, teachers, administrators, and community agencies • SFC involves viewing our students/clients as individuals. We have to view them as children or individuals and not as another student or client assigned to our case load. • SFC involves a vested interest in our students and clients. We have to view our students or clients as investments to contribute to society.
School-Family-Community Partnerships "Every school will promote partnerships that will increase parental involvement and participation in promoting the social, emotional, and academic growth of children." (Goal 8 – Goals 2000, Educate America Act) (U.S. Department of Education, 1994)
Theory of SFC • Overlapping Spheres of Influence • Involves the family, school, and community • Recognizes that these entities can have an impact on student/client learning and development • Frequent interaction and communication can send a message of the value to the student or client about their welfare, academic, and individual needs (Epstein, 1987)
Models of Overlapping Spheres of Influence • External Model • The school, families, and communities can be drawn closer together or farther apart • School, families, and communities conduct practices that are independent of each other as well as jointly to facilitate the learning and development of the student/client • Internal Model • Interpersonal relationships between school, families, and communities • Social interactions between SFC at the individual and institutional level
School-Family-Community Partnerships Six Types of Involvement
Type 1: Parenting • Framework • Help all families establish home environments to support children as student • Sample Practices • Family support programs to assist families with health, nutrition, and other services • Challenges • Provide information to all families who want it or who need it, not just to the few who can attend workshops or meetings at the school building • Enables families to share information about culture, background, and children’s talents and needs • Redefinitions • “Workshop to mean more than a meeting about a topic held at the school building at a particular time; “workshop” may also mean making information about a topic available in a variety of forms that can be viewed, heard, or read anywhere, anytime
Type 2: Communicating • Framework • Design effective forms of school-to-home and home-to-school communications about school programs and their children’s progress • Sample Practices • Conferences with every parent at least once a year, with follow-ups as needed • Language Translators • Challenges • Review the readability, clarity, form, and frequency, of all memos, notices, and other print communications • Consider parents who do not speak English well, do not read well, or need large type • Redefinitions • Communications about school programs and student progress to mean two way, three way, and many
Type 3: Volunteering • Framework • Recruit and organize parent help and support • Sample Practices • School and classroom volunteer program, to help teachers, administrators, students, and other parents • Challenges • Recruit volunteers widely so that all families know that their time and talents are welcome • Make flexible schedules for volunteers, assemblies, and events to enable employed parents to participate • Redefinitions • “Volunteer” means anyone who can support school goals and children’s learning or development in any way, at any place, and at any time-not just during the school day and at the school building
Type 4: Learning at Home • Framework • Provide information and ideas to family about how to help students at home with homework and other curriculum-related activities, decisions, and planning • Sample Practices • Information for families on skills required for students in an academic subject and client regarding personal life decisions • Challenges • Coordinate family-linked homework activities, if students have several teachers; include family in the activities of client such as career decision making • Redefinitions • “Help” at home to mean encouraging, listening, reacting, praising, guiding, monitoring, and discussing- not “teaching” or “preaching” at the person
Type 5: Decision Making • Framework • Include parents in school decisions, developing parent leaders and representatives • Sample Practices • Independent advocacy groups to lobby and work for school reform and improvements as well as individuals with disabilities • Challenges • Offer training to enable leaders to serve as representatives of other families, with input from and return of information to all parents • Redefinitions • “Decision making” to mean a process of partnership, of shared views and actions toward shared goals, not a struggle between conflicting ideas
Type 6: Collaborating with the Community • Framework • Identify and integrate resources and services from the community to strengthen school programs, family practices, and student learning and development • Sample Practices • Ensure equity of opportunities for students , clients, and families to participate in community programs or to obtain services • Redefinitions • “Community” to mean not only the neighborhoods where students’ homes and schools are located but also neighborhoods that influence student and learning development.
Expected Results Six Types of Involvement
Parenting • Student/Client • Positive personal qualities, habits, beliefs, and values as taught by family or agency • Parents • Awareness of own and other’s challenges in parenting • Teachers/Administrators/Counselors • Understanding of student/client diversity • Awareness of own skills to share information on child development
Communicating • Student/Client • Awareness of own progress and actions needed to or maintain grades or personal skills • Parents • Responding effectively to student/client problems • Teachers/Administrators/Counselors • Appreciation and use of parent network for communication
Volunteering • Student/Client • Increased learning of skills that receive tutoring, assistance, or targeted attention from volunteers • Parents • Gains in specific skills of volunteer work • Teachers/Administrators/Counselors • Greater individual attention to students and clients, with help from volunteers
Learning at Home • Student/Client • Self Concept of ability as learner • Parents • Awareness of student or client as learner • Teachers/Administrators/Counselors • Satisfaction with family involvement and support
Decision Making • Student/Client • Understanding that student and client rights are protected • Parents • Shared experiences and connections with other families • Teachers/Administrators/Counselors • View of equal status of family representatives on committees and in leadership roles
Collaborating with the Community • Student/Client • Awareness of careers and options for future education and work • Parents • Knowledge and use of local resources by family and student/client to increase skills and talents to obtain needed services • Teachers/Administrators/Counselors • Openness to and skill in using mentors, business partners, community volunteers, and others to assist students and clients as well as augment teaching practice
Four factors that promote Community Involvement • High commitment to learning • A Principal, President, Administrator that focuses on community involvement • A working school/client service climate • Two-Way Communication between schools and community partners
The Purpose of Action Team for Partnerships (ATP) • A branch or section of the School Improvement Team • Coordinates, writes, and implements plans to produce results for students/clients, families, and for the school/university/community agency as a whole • Comprised of case workers, students, deans, assistant principals, agency counselors, social workers, business and community partners, parents and other family members • Members of ATP work together to produce and maintain a climate of good partnerships at a particular institution through review of institutional goals; designing, selecting, implementing and evaluating partnership activities; and improving partnership programs
What does an ATP look like? • Consists of 6 to 12 members • Two teachers, two parents, an administrator, parents, student (1-2 at high school level) PTA president, and school secretary • Two rehabilitation counselors, an administrator, a former client, • Parents, professors, two administrators (provost and dean), a student representative from each collegiate level (freshman, sophomore, etc), representatives from the college community (office of residence life, financial aid, each academic area, etc), and a representative from the student health center
What does an ATP look like? (cont’d) • Business partners • Faith-based organizations • Civic and cultural organizations • Community agencies
The Function of an ATP • Create, implement, coordinate activities • Monitors progress, solves problems, publicizes activities • Reports on the school’s partnerships to the School Council/School Improvement and community • Recruits other members of the academic, institutional, and community settings to assist in family and community involvement activities
Function of an ATP (cont’d) • Organizes work by using the six types of involvement as its point pf reference • Create a One Year Action Plan for improving partnerships at your particular institution • Utilize leadership, chairs, co-chairs, and committee members to delegate responsibilities • Establish goals and guidelines for teamwork, including how team members will communicate, discuss ideas, solve problems, and make decisions • Create a budget according to the needs of the One Year Action Plan • Meet regularly at least once a month; preferably for 1-2 hours
Function of an ATP (cont’d) • Recognize and celebrate of all involved parties in the SFC partnership • Evaluate the progress to improve the quality of implementation and the strength of results from various involvement activities • Gather and collect new ideas • Create a New One Year plan to ensure continuation of SFC at your institution
Principals, Provost, Agency Administrators • Connect the ATP to the SIP or governed body of an institution • Serve as a chair on a committee • Allocate funds for partnership activities • Guide ATP in creating periodic reports to the governing body for accomplishments and improvement • Work with local community agencies and entities to obtain resources beneficial to the institutions, families, and community
School Counselors and Rehabilitation Counselors • Serve as chairs, co-chairs, or leaders • Expertise in working directly with family, students, clients, and community agencies • Facilitate meetings that will guide the agenda of SFC partnerships to work efficiently for the benefit of the students and clients
Developing an Effective Team • Selecting or electing members who have a commitment to SFC partnerships • Understand your team members • Have clear, concise, and measurable goals • Minimize conflict • Establish rules and procedures • Take action
Conducting Team-Training and End-of –Year Celebration Workshops
Team-Training Workshops • Preplanning • Review your handbook and any other resources that may assist you • Time • Six to eight hours • At least three hours in the morning to present background information for ATP to be successful • Three hours in the afternoon to create a draft of the One Year Action Plan
Team-Training Workshops (cont’d) • Materials • Audio/visual aids • Handouts • Agendas • Workshop Evaluation • School Improvement plan and school policies • Other Services • Stipends • Continuing education credit • Door prizes • Child care for parents • Transportation
End-of-Year Celebration Workshops • Recognize the progress of ATPs in regards to SFC partnerships • Organized as a breakfast, luncheon, dinner • Range from a couple of hours to a full day • Display table and exhibits of videos, information on SFC partnerships • Explain the direction and future goals of the ATPs for the following year