Strategies for Engaging Parents in SES

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Strategies for Engaging Parents in SES
2008 NCLB School Choice Leadership Summit
Jessica Taylor- FDOE, Beth Varn- Hernando, Nick
Matzirakis- Sunshine, Karyn Lindsay-
Florida PIRC of FND, Shawn Williams- Florida PIRC
at USF Wednesday, June 25, 2008
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Strategies for Engaging Parents In SES

• Notification Requirements
• Outreach Activities
• Provider Fairs
• Parental Involvement

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Intent and Spirit of Parent Outreach

• Districts, schools, and providers must ensure
  that parents understand their NCLB Choice Options
  and are able to make informed decisions to best
  meet the needs of their children.

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Building Awareness of SES through Notification

• Notification officially comes from each district
  to eligible families. This notification is the
  first step in increasing parental awareness of
  the SES program.

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Notification Requirements

• NCLB requires districts to notify eligible
  families regarding SES both prior to and after
  the start of the school year. This notification
  must include
• Informational Letter
• Application Form
• Provider Directory

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Enrollment- The Districts Responsibility

• We suggest that providers not enroll students
  because
• Parents must be notified of all options under
  NCLB
• Parents must be given an unbiased description of
  all SES providers
• There are certain eligibility requirements (SINI
  school and Free or reduced priced lunch)
• Children may only enroll in SES or school CWT,
  not both

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SES Enrollment Over the Years
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Districts Parental Outreach Activities

• Mailings and Notices
• School Staff Training
• Informational Meetings
• Partnering with Community or Faith-Based
  Organizations
• Mass Media

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Hernando County2007-2008

• 10 - Title I Schools
• 11 - SES Providers
• 5,142 Eligible Students
• Full-funding for 704 Students
• Enrolled over 1,000 Students in SES

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Hernando Countys Outreach Examples

• SES Ambassadors!
• Challenged each school to enroll 100 students
• SES Flyer in the Free and Reduced Lunch
  Application

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Hernando Countys Provider Fair

• SES Provider Fair Check List
• What works for Hernando County!

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Provider Fairs Best Practices for Districts

• Advertise fairs well in advance and send reminder
  notices
• Utilize marketing materials printed in various
  languages
• Organize multiple fairs for each location/zone
  Dress-up tables and presentation areas
• Restrict providers marketing efforts at fairs to
  designated areas (not outside the school)

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Provider Fairs Best Practices for Districts

• Provide overview of SES program (presentation
  style) prior to allowing parents to meet with
  providers
• Utilize a lottery system to designate providers
  table assignments at fairs/events
• Combine provider fairs with other school
  functions such as Open Houses or Orientations
• Districts should facilitate SES enrollment
  (providers should not have forms)

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Provider Fairs Best Practices for Providers

• Properly train staff members on ethical behavior
  and best practices for effective marketing
• Promote professional standards for staff
  attending fairs (proper attire and communication
  skills)
• Provide literature in multiple languages
  (Spanish, Creole, etc.)
• Dress-up tables and presentation

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Provider Fairs Best Practices for Providers

• Engage bilingual staff to assist with parents
  language needs
• Spend less time selling and more time educating
  A good program will sell itself
• Acknowledge parents needs during the fairs
• Proactively provide answers to common questions
  about your program (rate per session, number of
  sessions, tutor qualifications, program
  locations, subjects offered, etc.)

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Best Practices for Provider Fairs
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SES Parent Involvement Requirements

• Parents must actively request to have their child
  participate in SES by completing an enrollment
  form
• Parents must be a part of the development of
  their childs SLP
• Parents must be notified of their childs
  academic progress through SES through Providers
  regular progress reports

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Why is Family Involvement Important?

• Research indicates that children experience
  increased academic success when their families
  are effectively involved in their education
• The evidence is consistent, positive, and
  convincing Families have a major influence on
  their childrens achievement in school and
  through life.When schools, families, and
  community groups work together to support
  learning, children tend to do better in school,
  stay in school longer, and like school more.

Henderson, A.T., Mapp, K. L. (2002). A New
Wave of Evidence The Impact of School, Family,
and Community Connections on Student
Achievement., 7.
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What Specific Benefits will Children Experience?

• Enhanced parent involvement can lead to
  many positive outcomes.
• Benefits for students include
• Higher grade point averages and scores on
  standardized tests or rating scales
• Enrollment in more challenging academic programs
• More classes passed and credits earned
• Better attendance
• Improved behavior at home and at school
• Better social skills and adaptation to school

Henderson, A.T., Mapp, K. L. (2002). A New
Wave of Evidence The Impact of School, Family,
and Community Connections on Student
Achievement, 24.
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How do Providers and Districts Benefit from
Engaging Parents?

• If you effectively engage families, your
  students will demonstrate greater academic gains
  and success. Students will be more likely to
  arrive to tutoring sessions on time, regularly,
  and prepared to learn.

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First Steps to Engaging Parents

• Know your audience!
• As mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act of
  2001, students that receive SES must qualify for
  free or reduced price lunch. Many of these
  families face challenges that may prevent them
  from becoming involved in their childs tutoring
  sessions.

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Barriers SES Parents May Face

• Lack of transportation
• Difficult work schedules
• Cultural differences
• Lack of financial resources
• Limited educational background

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Barriers SES Parents May Face

• Negative experiences when parents were in school
• Limited proficiency in the English language
• Limited literacy levels
• Potentially poor perception of SES due to past
  experiences
• Little understanding of the SES programs and
  potential benefits for their child

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How Can Tutors Engage Parents?

• Two-way Communication
• Parents must receive frequent, consistent, and
  regularly scheduled communication from tutors
  about their childs progress
• progress reports
• phone calls
• home visits
• conferences
• Contact parents to report on the negative AND the
  positive
• Make positive comments about the child every time
  you speak to the parent

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Two-way Communication

• Contact parents early to discuss problems
• Collaborate with parents to determine how you can
  work as a team to solve the problem.
• Show parents you care about their child!
• Listen to parents about their childs needsthey
  are the first experts!
• Consistently communicate with your students
  teachers
• Teachers and providers must work together with
  parents to encourage success.

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More Ideas for Engaging Parents

• Find out from parents about a childs interests
  and talents
• Use this information to plan your tutoring
  sessions.
• Maintain regular communication with parents via
  audiotape or written journals
• Share students work with families
• Be persistent in reaching parents
• It may take several phone calls or letters to
  reach a parent.
• Dont give up! Parents will eventually see how
  much you care.
• Survey parents to determine their needs and what
  times they are available for conferences

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More Ideas for Engaging Parents

• Encourage regular attendance
• Follow up with childrens families after they
  have missed tutoring sessions.
• Follow up with childrens school teacher or site
  facilitator.
• Be creative and flexible with scheduling
  conferences (Offer multiple times and locations)
• Invite parents to attend a tutoring session
• Encourage parents to read at home with their
  child
• Help children make take-home learning games to
  bring home and share with their families
• Celebrate and share every success experienced by
  each child with his or her family!

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Ways Providers Can Engage Parents

• Involve parents in organizing and planning for
  your programs
• Encourage and respect parental input/feedback
  during the SLP development
• Survey parents to assess their needs and
  expectations
• Speak positively about parents and family
  involvement with your tutors
• Ensure that your tutors are working to engage
  families in SES

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Ways Providers Can Engage Parents

• Surpass requirements and aim for excellence by
  offering parent conferences, phone calls home,
  newsletters, attendance at school advisory, etc.
• Provide parents with strategies and activities to
  do at home with children
• Invite parents to schedule an observation of a
  tutoring session (5-10 minutes)

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Parent/Family Involvement Resources

• Title I Parent Involvement http//www.fldoe.org/f
  lbpso/pi.asp
• USDE After school Training Toolkit
  http//www.sedl.org/afterschool/toolkits
• On the Road to Reading - A Guide for Community
  Partners Involving Families in Tutoring
  Programs http//www.ed.gov/pubs/RoadtoRead/part4.
  html
• Working Together School-Family-Community
  Partnerships A Toolkit for New Mexico School
  Communities
• http//www.cesdp.nmhu.edu/toolkit/index.html
• Dr. Ruby Payne http//www.ahaprocess.com

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Parental Information and Resource Centers (PIRCs)

• Florida PIRC of Family Network on Disabilities of
  Florida (FND)
• Please visit their Web site at
  http//www.fndfl.org/projects/pirc/index.asp
• Florida PIRC at University of South Florida (USF)
  
• Please visit their Web site at
  http//www.floridapirc.usf.edu

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Contact InformationJessica
TaylorProgram SpecialistBureau of Student
AssistanceFlorida Department of Education, Suite
316Phone [phone] E-mail
jessica.taylor_at_fldoe.orgWebsite
www.fldoe.org/flbpso