Parents Role in Preparing Students for the Future

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Parents Role in Preparing Students for the Future

• Presented by
• Caroline Allen, President
• Michele Morrow, President-elect

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What is Parent Involvement?
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The 3 Essential Components

• Family involvement occurs in all the contexts
  where children and youth live and learn and
  should be part of a broader complementary
  learning approach.

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The 3 Essential Components

• 2. Family involvement matters from birth through
  adolescence but changes as children mature.

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The 3 Essential Components

• Family involvement must be
• co-constructed and characterized by mutual
  responsibility among families, schools, and other
  institutions and stakeholders.

Source Harvard Family Research Projects series,
Family Involvement Makes a Difference
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Working together

• Families and schools, but what about the business
  community?
• Impact
• Determine parents schedule flexibility
• Time off
• Help families find creative strategies for
  involvement even in the face of difficult work
  schedules

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Working together

• Trust
• Shared values
• Continuous communication
• Mutual respect
• Attention to all parties needs and expertise
• greater benefit to children

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Working together

• Family and community engagement is often seen as
  an add-on. There hasnt been a whole-hearted
  acceptance of the fact that family involvement is
  a strategy that must be seen as part of the
  instruction core and not something that is
  separate.
• Karen Mapp, Harvard Graduate School of Education

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Working Together

• Pennsylvania Parent Information and Research
  Center

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Data Driven results

• There is a positive and convincing relationship
  between family involvement and student success,
  regardless of race/ethnicity, class, or parents
  level of education.
• A New Wave of Evidence The Impact of School,
  Family, and Community Connections on Student
  Achievement, Anne T. Henderson and Karen L. Mapp

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Finding 1

• Involvement programs that link to learning
  improve student achievement.

• Family nights on math or literacy.
• Family-teacher conferences that involve students.
  
• Family workshops on planning for college.

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Finding 2

• Speaking up for children protects and promotes
  their success.
• Become knowledgeable about the operations of
  schools and the laws that govern those
  operations.
• Be confident about their ability to work with
  schools.
• Expect only the best from their children and for
  their children.
• Join PTA.

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Finding 3

• All families can contribute to their childrens
  success.
• Teaching their children the importance of
  education.
• Finding out what their children are expected to
  know and to be able to do and reinforcing lessons
  at home.
• Sending their children to school ready to learn
  every day.

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Principals and teachers must support parent
involvement by

• Making parent involvement a priority.
• Recognizing and removing barriers to parent
  involvement.
• Sharing decision-making power with parents and
  community members.
• Working to understand class and cultural
  differences.

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Finding 4

• Community organizing gets results.
• Provide expanded learning opportunities.
• Build broad-based support for increased school
  funding.
• Provide quality after-school programs.

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• PTA National Standards for Family-School
  Partnerships

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Standard 1

• Welcoming all families into the school
  communityFamilies are active participants in the
  life of the school, and feel welcomed, valued,
  and connected to each other, to school staff, and
  to what students are learning and doing in class.

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Standard 2

• Communicating effectivelyFamilies and school
  staff engage in regular, two-way, meaningful
  communication about student learning.

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Standard 3

• Supporting student successFamilies and school
  staff continuously collaborate to support
  students learning and healthy development both
  at home and at school, and have regular
  opportunities to strengthen their knowledge and
  skills to do so effectively.

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Standard 4

• Speaking up for every childFamilies are
  empowered to be advocates for their own and other
  children, to ensure that students are treated
  fairly and have access to learning opportunities
  that will support their success.

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Standard 5

• Sharing powerFamilies and school staff are equal
  partners in decisions that affect children and
  families and together inform, influence, and
  create policies, practices, and programs.

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Standard 6

• Collaborating with communityFamilies and school
  staff collaborate with community members to
  connect students, families, and staff to expanded
  learning opportunities, community services, and
  civic participation.

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Early Childhood

• Parents as Teachers (PAT)
• an international early childhood parent education
  and family support program serving families
  throughout pregnancy until their child enters
  kindergarten, usually age 5.

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4 Components of PAT

• Home visitation
• Group meetings
• Developmental screenings
• Resource and referral the program

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Results

• Increases parent knowledge of early childhood
  development and improve parenting practices
• Provides early detection of developmental delays
  and health issues
• Prevents child abuse and neglect
• Increases children's school readiness and school
  success

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Transition to Kindergarten

• Best practices
• Sending letters home
• Inviting families to an open house
• Teachers conducting home visits

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Results

• Improved academic achievement
• Especially helpful for low-income children
• Increased parent-initiated involvement

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Elementary School

• Examples of best practices
• Host a Welcome School Walk Through
• Give families tools to support their childrens
  learning.
• Create a family resource room.
• Implement 2 family involvement activities each
  quarter.
• Exhibit student work throughout the school and
  community.
• Use surveys, visits and conversations to find out
  what parents goals are for their children

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Middle School

• Greatest impact of student achievement
• High expectations for student success
• Discussing plans for future education
• Helping students prepare for college
• Monitoring progress
• Knowledge of courses and classes
• Knowledge of social issues

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High School

• Academic rigor for all students
• Shared standards for rigor in all courses.
• Uniform course content and teaching quality are
  monitored and supported.
• All students are offered college prep and AP
  classes, plus tech/career courses with academic
  content.
• Every students progress is closely monitored.

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High School

• Network of Timely Supports
• An adult mentor is available to every student.
• Advisories inform students and families how to
  reach academic and career goals.
• Academic and technical courses coordinated with
  higher education requirements
• Timely, short-term interventions allow students
  to catch up quickly.
• Many strategies offered to improve students
  test-taking skills.

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High School

• Culture of College Access
• All students/families exposed to college
• Parents involved in planning and supporting goal
  of attending college
• Information on required test/courses, aid,
  admissions, and colleges given in 9th grade.
• Community members, graduates, and college reps
  show students/families value of college.
• College office gives information, pplication
  help, and college counseling.

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High School

• Effective Use of Data
• Staff track 4-5 year graduation rates, percent
  applying/attending college
• PSAT and SAT/ACT test-taking rates monitored.
• High school GPA/GED scores and test scores
  analyzed
• Data on financial aid and test scores are
  received by all students.
• School keeps track of graduates experiences and
  retention rates in colleges.

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High School

• Parents Key Partners
• 9th grade summer bridge program welcomes whole
  family, sets goal of 4 year college
• Advisory system/adult mentor main contact for
  families to monitor progress
• Data shown on whats needed for college
• Exhibits of student work, window on classroom
• Parent nights, workshops, and assistance with
  financial aid applications
• College fairs and trips to colleges
• Source Anne Henderson, Beating the Odds
  Involving Families in College Pathway Programs

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Fact 1

• Students with involved parents do better in
  school
• Earn higher grades and test scores
• Better attitudes, behavior an attendance
• Graduate and enter post-secondary education
• Source The Childrens Aid Society

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Fact 2

• Parent Involvement is actually a better predictor
  of academic success than standardized test
  scores.
• Better for students
• Better for parents
• Better for teachers
• Source The Childrens Aid Society

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Fact 3

• Parent Involvement is defined as any of a
  variety of activities that allow parents to
  participate in the educational process at home or
  in the school.
• School/parent dialogue, volunteering and advocacy
  efforts
• At home, it is captured in a family process,
  any behaviors, activities or attitudes on the
  part of parents that support childrens learning.
• Source The Childrens Aid Society

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Fact 4

• Degrees and types of favorable parent
  involvement vary widely, but all work to support
  positive student outcomes.
• Source The Childrens Aid Society

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Fact 5

• Parental involvement declines with the age of
  students.
• Source The Childrens Aid Society

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Fact 6

• Socioeconomic status affects parent involvement.

Source The Childrens Aid Society
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Fact 7

• Teachers and schools can overcome barriers to
  parent involvement by reaching out and building
  trusting relationships.
• Source The Childrens Aid Society

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Conclusion?

• Parents Matter!

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Resources

• Pennsylvania Parent Information and Resource
  Center
• www.center-school.org/pa-pirc
• Beyond the Bake Sale The Essential Guide to
  Family/School Partnerships by Anne T. Henderson,
  Karen L. Mapp, Vivian R. Johnson, and Don Davies,
  ISBN 978-1-56584-888-7
• Harvard Family Research Project
• www.hfrp.org
• SEDL, www.sedl.org

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Contact Information

• Pennsylvania PTA
• 4804 Derry St.
• Harrisburg, PA 17111
• Phone [phone]
• caroline.allen_at_verizon.net
• mmorrow_at_papta.org