Supporting Parent Involvement

1. Supporting Parent Involvement • Susan Ortley • Jeanette Verdeur • EDG 643

2. What Great Principals Do...Chapter Review • Loyal to Whom? • Focus on Behavior • Base Every Decision on Your Best Teachers • In Every Situation, Ask Who is Most Comfortable... • Whitaker, T. (2003)

3. What Great Principals Do...Chapter Review Multi-Voting • Review a series of statements from the text on the hand-out provided. • How you would prioritize these excerpts? Place a sticker next to the posted statements that you consider to be the most important. • Discuss the most “relevant”, citing real life examples when possible.

4. Supporting Parent Involvement Research Parent Involvement and Student Achievement: Key summary points from a 2005 Meta-Analysis conducted by William H. Jeynes 1.How does the academic achievement of students whose parents are actively involved in their education compare to that of their counterparts whose parents are not involved? • parental involvement is associated with higher student achievement outcomes when measuring grades, standardized tests, teacher ratings • holds true for minority students

5. Supporting Parent Involvement Research 2. What is the particular influence of specific aspects of parental involvement? • facets of parental involvement that required a large investment of time, such as reading and communicating with one's child • the more subtle aspects of parental involvement include parental style and expectations 3. Which aspect of parental involvement has the greatest impact on academic achievement? • parental expectations

6. Supporting Parent Involvement Research 4. Do the effects of parental involvement hold for racial minority children? • The effects of parental involvement tended to be larger for African American and Latino children than they were for Asian American children. However, the effect sizes were statistically significant for all three of these minority groups. The results highlight the consistency of the impact of parental involvement across racial and ethnic groups.

7. Supporting Parent Involvement Research 5. Do parental involvement programs work? • parental involvement has a significant impact across various populations • schools should adopt strategies to enhance parental engagement in their children's schooling • facets of parental involvement that can help the most: • -time-intensive parental involvement activities such as reading to one's children and communicating with them • -subtle involvement activities like parental style and expectations.

8. Supporting Parent Involvement Research • Given the substantial influence of parental involvement, educators should consistently encourage parents to become more involved in their children's schooling. • Jeynes, William H, (2005) Parental Involvement and Student Achievement: A Meta Analysis

9. Supporting Parent Involvement Best Practices Action Research on Meaningful Family Involvement by Parents, Teachers, and Students: Using the Telling Strategically Barbara D’Emilio Development of trusting relationships between families and school staff that focus on the well-being of the child and the child’s family. • These relationships are achieved by • listening to and sharing stories • identifying priorities and needs • designing programs and policies

10. Supporting Parent Involvement Best Practices Elements that are essential to creating a school environment conducive to meaningful family involvement: • valuing diversity as a strength; • effectively involving parents in real classroom work; • positively addressing family resources, schedules, language differences, literacy level • including learning opportunities in the school for personal and professional growth for families.

11. Supporting Parent Involvement Best Practices Top Five Reasons Schools Need to Engage Parents 5. Research shows that students with involved parents are more likely to: • earn higher grades; attend school regularly; have better social skills; adapt well; go on to post-secondary education. 4. Parents have a genuine desire to help their children. 3. Parents’ voices and ideas add important dimensions to school decisions. 2. Schools that have engaged parents have improved teacher morale. 1. Positive student outcomes occur when educators and parents communicate effectively. PA Department of Education Publication

12. Supporting Parent Involvement Best Practices

13. Supporting Parent Involvement Best Practices www.teachertube.com/.webloc

14. If relationships improve, schools get better.... Fullan What would you do if.....? • Parents report to you that other parent volunteers are talking about children and confidential situations that they observe while in the building. • Parents insist that their child is tested for the gifted program or demand placement of their child in accelerated programs. • Parents request that their multiracial child be transferred to another school in the district that has more white children because their child is being picked on at school.

15. Facilitating a School CommunityIncluding All Parents When stakeholders create a plan, it is their solution... • How is facilitation of a parent and school community like the Wizard of Oz? Discuss at your tables - use chart paper to create a way of sharing your thoughts with the group. • Have fun!

16. “All principals would like their teachers to initiate contact with parents. Teachers who do this – and do it effectively -see the rewards; often, talking with parents leads to improved student behavior or effort. Furthermore, teachers who initiate communication when it is needed reduce the chance that they will receive unpleasant calls from concerned or angry parents. Calling parents sooner rather than later avoids the “Why didn’t I know?” response that makes teachers feel defensive. Thus, calling parents first makes sense to many staff members in our schools.” ….page 59 Supporting Parent InvolvementConnecting to the Text using a Double – Entry Journal

17. Supporting Parent Involvement Resources • D’Emilio, B. (2002)DPenn GSE Perspectives on Urban Education,Volume 1, Issue 2 Fall 2002. www.urbanedjournal.org • Jeynes, William H, (2005) Parental Involvement and Student Achievement: A Meta Analysis. Retrieved November 2, 2009. http://www.hfrp.org/publications-resources/browse-our-publications/parental-involvement-and-student-achievement-a-meta-analysis • PA Department of Education(2009). Top Five Reasons Schools Need to Engage Parents. • Whitaker, T. (2003) What great principals do differently; fifteen things that matter most. Larchmont, NY.: Eye on Education.

18. Thank You