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Family involvement

The standard
The rationale
Annotated bibliography

The standard

Staff development that improves the learning of all students provides educators with knowledge and skills to involve families and other stakeholders appropriately.

The rationale

At its best, the education of young people is a partnership between the school, the home, and the community. Effective partnerships, however, require leadership, a compelling purpose for their work, and a set of mutually agreed-upon goals. Educators who wish to strengthen the bonds among those individuals and organizations who contribute to the education and welfare of a community's youth must be knowledgeable about various ways in which families and community members can be involved meaningfully in the affairs of the school for the benefit of students.

Different types of partnerships require different sets of knowledge and skills. School and district-level administrators are responsible for forging a consensus on mission and goals and the underlying values and beliefs that support their work. They also must be able to engage the community in a way that sustains this collaborative work over a sufficient period of time to realize the intended improvements. Leaders who are successful at these tasks see consensus building with the broader school community as an important part of their work, are skillful in communicating in clear, direct language (both orally and in writing), and are effective in conducting meetings that balance task achievement and relationships. These leaders are both clear about their own values and beliefs and respectful of the values and beliefs of others. Such work requires a capacity to convey authentic interest in the perspectives of others, to listen deeply and honor others' points of view, and to identify areas of common interest.

Teachers who establish partnerships with the families or other caregivers of their students must understand the cultural backgrounds of their students and the unique challenges those families may be experiencing. Teachers must be able to communicate clearly and respectfully with family members and demonstrate a genuine interest in the welfare of the child and family. They must be skillful in conducting meetings with caregivers that create a sense of teamwork between the home and school as well as delineate appropriate and manageable ways for providing support for a student's learning at home. In addition, teachers must demonstrate sensitivity to ways in which caregivers may be most appropriately involved in schools as classroom volunteers or committee members.

Technology provides teachers and administrators with important tools for this work. While not applicable in all communities or with all families, some schools have strengthened their connections with families and the community by posting school news and homework assignments on school or district web sites and by easing communication with teachers by providing e-mail or voice mail access to families. Other schools are increasing the availability of computers to all students by working with community organizations such as libraries and churches. While Internet-based communication may seem like a pipe dream in schools where teachers still do not have ready access to telephones or copy machines, the availability of such technology is growing at an increasing rate and should be available to virtually all schools.

Annotated bibliography

NOTE: When resources in this list are available on the web, a link is provided. Many of these publications are available through the NSDC Bookstore.

Ames, C. (1995). Teachers' school-to-home communications and parent involvement: The role of parent perceptions and beliefs (Report No. 28). Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI: Center on Families, Communities, Schools, and Children's Learning. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 383 451)
Order from web site of the Center on Families, Communities, Schools, and Children's Learning: http://www.csos.jhu.edu/p2000/ivory.htm

This study is part of a longitudinal project examining the relationship between parent involvement and specific types of teacher practices, namely school-to-home communications. Sampling 35 elementary school teachers from four Midwestern school districts in small cities and rural areas, and a control group of 34 teachers from different schools in the same district, the study evaluated the teachers' use of home-to-school communications and assessed parent involvement. The study found that parents' overall evaluation of the teacher, their sense of comfort with the school, and their reported level of involvement was higher when they received frequent and effective communications. Children's motivation, attitudes toward parent involvement, and perceptions of their parents' level of involvement were more positive when their parents received frequent communications from the teacher.

Bernhardt, V. (1998). Data analysis for comprehensive schoolwide improvement. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education, Inc.
Order from the NSDC Bookstore.

Victoria Bernhardt analyzes barriers schools face data analysis, describing how and why to gather data. She defines and describes the importance of four major measures of data (demographics, perceptions, student learning, and school processes), exploring the interactions of these measures that allow schools to determine what they need to do to prevent failures and to increase student learning. Also she describes how to communicate the results of comprehensive data analyses to the community and how to use the results of data analyses for schoolwide improvement.

Decker, L. (1996). Teacher's manual for parent and community involvement. Alexandria, VA: National Community Education Association. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 402 000)
Order by calling NCEA 703-359-8973 Fax: 703-359-0972

To be successful in the primary mission of educating the community's children, educators need to know a great deal about the community and the families from which the children come. The focus of this manual is the crucial role the classroom teacher plays in parent and community involvement efforts. The text covers demographics and trends influencing public education, changing attitudes, what the research is saying, a framework for parent involvement, principles for successful strategies and programs for reducing home-school barriers, implementation strategies, building bridges between home and school, and school volunteer programs.

DuFour, R. & Eaker, R. (1998). Professional learning communities at work: Best practices for enhancing student achievement. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Order from the NSDC Bookstore.

Rick DuFour and Robert Eaker offer recommendations for those who seek to transform their schools into professional learning communities as characterized by mutual collaboration, emotional support, personal growth, and a synergy of efforts. References to and brief summaries of directions for curriculum, teacher preparation, school leadership, professional development, school-parent partnerships, and assessment practices are included, along with sample vision statements.

Epstein, J. (1995). School/family/community partnerships: Caring for the children we share. Phi Delta Kappan, 76(9), 701-712.
Order through Phi Delta Kappa. Contact Terri Hampton at 800-766-1156

Joyce Epstein summarizes the theory, a framework, and guidelines that can assist schools in building partnerships. She presents research indicating that partnerships between the school and families do not exist automatically but must be built over time.

Epstein, J. (1997). School, family, and community partnerships: Your handbook for action. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, Inc.
Order from Corwin at http://www.corwinpress.com

Joyce Epstein gives instructions for how to design a positive, permanent program for your school and community that will help everyone focus on student learning and school success. The book covers six types of involvement for partnership programs and describes the challenges and likely results with each reader to help decide which level of involvement is right for their school. The program was created at Johns Hopkins University and has been field tested for more than 12 years.

Giles, H. (1998, May). Parent engagement as a school reform strategy. New York, NY: ERIC Clearinghouse on Urban Education. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 419 031)
Read at http://www.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed419031.html

Hollyce Giles identifies the characteristics of successful school reform initiatives, such as (1) viewing the school and community as an ecology, (2) building relationships based on common concerns, (3) acknowledging the role of power in school-community relationships, (4) fostering the collaborative leadership of principals, (5) developing and training parents and educators as leaders, and (6) monitoring and evaluating progress.

Henderson, A. & Berla, N. (1994). A new generation of evidence: The family is critical to student achievement. Washington, DC: Center for Law and Education.
Order from Center for Law and Education's web site: http://www.cleweb.org

This annotated bibliography reviews 66 research studies that examine the impact of engaging families on student achievement. The authors conclude that taken together, the studies in this report strongly suggest that when schools support family involvement at home and at school, children do better in school, and the schools get better. Children from low-income families and diverse backgrounds gain most and approach the grades and test scores expected for middle-class children. Some of the benefits documented are higher grades and test scores, better attendance, more homework done, fewer placements in special education, more positive attitudes and behavior, higher graduation rates, and greater enrollment in post-secondary education.

Johnson, R. (1996). Setting our sights: Measuring equity in school change. Los Angeles, CA: The Achievement Council. Order from The Achievement Council's web site: http://www.achievementcouncil.com

Ruth Johnson identifies six roles for data: (1) improving the quality of criteria used in problem solving and decision making; (2) describing institutional processes, practices, and progress in schools and districts; (3) examining institutional belief systems underlying assumptions and behaviors; (4) mobilizing the school community for action; (5) monitoring implementation of changes; and (6) accountability.

Newmann, F. & Wehlage, G. (1995). Successful school restructuring: A report to the public and educators. Madison, WI: Center on Organization and Restructuring of Schools, 37-48.
Order from Document Service, Wisconsin Center for Education Research 1025 W. Johnson St., Room 242, Madison, WI 53706 608-263-4214

Fred Newmann and Gary Wehlage present research concerning the conditions that enhance student learning and enable schools to function as professional communities. The structural conditions include shared governance that increases teachers' influence over school policy and practice, interdependent work structures which encourage collaboration, staff development that enhances technical skills consistent with school missions, deregulation that provides autonomy for schools, small school size, and parent involvement. Other conditions presented are effective human resources and leadership, external standard setting, school and teacher autonomy, and parent involvement.