Family Engagement 5 Year Plan Development

1
Family Engagement 5 Year Plan Development

• Presented by Social Entrepreneurs, Inc.

• Requirements and Resources

2
Introduction

• The overarching goal of the project is to
• Improve the graduation rates at our schools
  through enhanced parent involvement and family
  engagement
• Over the next 5 months, we will begin the
• Planning process that engages stakeholders to
  develop a plan that is specific, actionable, and
  that builds on local assets and challenges

3
What is Family Engagement?

• Parents work with schools and their children
  to benefit their childrens educational outcomes
  and future success. (Hill et al, 2004)
• the participation of parents in regular, two-way
  and meaningful communication involving academic
  learning and other school activities. (NCLB
  107th Congress, 2002, section 910 para 3).
• Parent involvement is the support and
  participation of parents at home, in the
  community, and at the school site that directly
  and positively affect the educational performance
  of all children. (San Diego County Office of
  Education)

4
What is Family Engagement?

• According to Joyce Epstein at The Johns Hopkins
  University, schools can foster parent engagement
  across a number of realms
• Parenting - helping all families establish
  supportive home environments for children
• Communicating establishing two-way exchanges
  about school programs and childrens progress
• Volunteering restructuring and organizing
  parent help at school, home or other locations
• Learning at home providing information and
  ideas to families about how to help students with
  homework and other curriculum-related materials
• Decision making having families serve as
  representatives and leaders on school
  committees.  
• America's Promise Video

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What We Know about Family Engagement

• Numerous studies show the importance of family
  engagement in improving educational outcomes
• Parent involvement looks different in high school
• Some types of family engagement activities are
  more successful than others
• Some families are more readily engaged than
  others
• Youth want involvement from their parents

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What We Know about Family Engagement

• Academic Socialization is Most Important
• Communicating parental expectations for education
  and its value or utility
• Linking schoolwork to current events
• Fostering educational and occupational
  aspirations
• Discussing learning strategies
• Making plans for the future
• (Multiple studies, presented by Hill,
  December 8, 2009)

7
The Problem

• Parents see two very different school systems in
  America one that is largely fostering academic
  achievement in their students and another that is
  not one that is effectively engaging parents in
  the academic lives of their children and another
  that is failing to do so.
• -One Dream Two Realities, Bridgeland et al.

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The Problem

• In national research
• Regardless of their income, race, ethnicity or
  school their children attend, parents share
  common beliefs about the importance of education
  today.
• 74 of parents with a child in a low-performing
  school, 78 of parents with a child in a
  moderate-performing school, and 86 of parents
  of a child in a high performing school agree that
  an education leading to college is very important
  to them.
• 66 of parents of a child who attends a
  high-performing school said their childs school
  is doing a very good job preparing students for
  college, in contrast to just 18 of parents from
  low-performing schools.
• Only 15 of low-performing school parents say
  that their childs school does a very good job in
  challenging students, and only 14 say it does a
  very good job in keeping students engaged. In
  contrast, 58 of high-performing school parents
  say their childs school challenges its students,
  and 53 say it keeps students engaged.
• -One Dream Two Realities, Bridgeland et al.

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Planning Overview

• Develop a specific and focused plan to address
  parent involvement at your school
• Plan must be targeted for students and families
  that can benefit most from the interventions
• Include parent and student input
• Must be completed by May 27th
• Implementation support from Washoe County,
  potentially other sources as well
• Long-term outcome is Graduation

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Planning Overview

• Based on facts
• Address real issues
• Be measurable
• Be actionable
• (Process is iterative and organic!!!)

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Key Dates and Milestones

• Our Project Calendar

Meeting 1 February 4 Meeting 2 March 1 Meeting 3 March 30 Meeting 4 April 27 Meeting 5 May 18 Presentation June (TBD)
Overview Formalize Definition Develop goals Plan for more voices (student, parent, etc). Research Presentation Anne Henderson, Harvard Understand assets and barriers Begin strategies Document processes to include parents in planning Modify if needed Further develop strategies Determine resources needed Complete and enhance all sections of the plan Share plans with the WCSD leadership an d other community partners
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How Will We Involve Students and More Families in
the Planning Process?

• Meetings
• Surveys
• Focus Groups
• Community Café
• Interviews

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Suggested Activities to Outreach to Students and
Families

• Meeting Invitation to Parents
• Student Survey
• Student Focus Group
• Student Interviews
• Teacher Survey
• Teacher Focus Group
• Teacher Interview
• Parent Survey
• Parent Focus Group
• Parent Interviews (Call parents, and ask them to
  answer your questions. Record the results. See if
  theyd be willing to call a few more people)
• Hold a Community Café for teachers, parents, and
  youth.

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Plan Requirements

1. A definition of family engagement that is shared
   by families, schools and community partners
2. Strategies for reaching out to and engaging
   families of students most at risk for academic
   failure
3. Use of research and innovation to develop
   engagement strategies that connect families to
   student learning
4. Creation of family engagement pathways for
   continuous family involvement
5. Strategies for building the capacity of schools,
   districts and community partners to promote
   family engagement in education
6. Strategies for leveraging and connecting
   community and other relevant resources

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Resources Available

• Planning meetings
• Plan template and other materials
• Your team members
• Your school students and family members
• Your Parent Involvement Facilitator (PIF)
• SEI, Education Alliance and United Way
• Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP), United
  Way Worldwide
• Research and resources developed by Anne
  Henderson and others at the Annenberg Foundation
  for School Reform
• Tools and templates (Americas Promise, Annenberg
  Foundation, etc).

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How We Know We are Making a Difference

• Creating a focused and detailed plan
• Documenting our process
• Making changes and modifications as needed to
  improve the plan (and plan implementation)
• Building opportunities to measure

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Questions Answers