- OVERVIEWS OF CURRENT PRACTICES
(based on interviews with all secondary school principals)
- SUGGESTED STRATEGIES/PRACTICES FOR ACHIEVING GOALS
(strategies, actions needed at schools, actions needed by district)
The Joyce Epstein model or its equivalent has been widely adopted as a useful categorization of the various types of family involvement. Since
Worcester Public Schools (WPS) have chosen the Epstein model as a way of organizing and communicating about the districtıs efforts to involve
families, we use this model throughout this document. A seventh type regarding professional development for educators is also included:
- Type I - Parenting
- Type II - Two-Way Communication Between School and Family
- Type III - Volunteering in School
- Type IV - Learning at Home
- Type V - School Decision-Making
- Type VI - Collaboration with the Community for Resource Utilization
The recently issued MDE model adds:
- Type VII-Educator and Staff Development in Parent, Family and Community Involvement
We stress that the purpose of ³increasing and sustaining family involvement² is improved student development and academic achievement. Family
involvement is not an end in itself. While all seven types of involvement are crucial to our goals, we emphasize Type I, Parenting and Type IV,
Learning at Home. Research shows these to be the most important. But improvements in these require attention to all the other types. Further, the
reality of hectic family lives and work schedules is such that many family members cannot be involved during the day at their childrenıs school.
Schools must be prepared to accept the level of family involvement that each family is capable of providing and build from there.
We have used ³family² rather than ³parent² throughout the report because we agree with most researchers and consultants in the field who urge
emphasis on all members of the family that may support a studentıs development and education.
Our suggestions are based on 20 years of research demonstrating that, when families are involved in their childrenıs learning, children perform better
in school. This research has shown that the effects of family involvement are potent throughout childrenıs school years. While families are clearly
more involved in their childrenıs school experience when the children are young, research supports the importance of family involvement during the
middle school and high school years.
The Family Involvement Committeeıs suggestions are based on:
- Review of a wide array of publications and websites, some of which are discussed further in this text. These documents attest to the fact that
schools can be effective in instituting family involvement policies and practices not only at the elementary school level, but also at the secondary levels.
- Personal experience and observation and on what those on the ³front lines² - educators and family members - have told us about their
experiences in involving families, including interviews with the principals of all WPS secondary schools and suggestions received from participants in
a half-day district-wide family involvement workshop.
It is important to note that our suggestions are intended to complement, not replace, the programs now in place. These are summarized very briefly in
the CURRENT PRACTICES for each Type in Part Four of this report.
Before presenting our suggestions for consideration, we wish to acknowledge that expanding family involvement in childrenıs educations is not an
easy process. Schools must be aware of impediments to family involvement. A chart in the Family Involvement Toolkit lists nine Roadblocks to
Parent Involvement that make FI difficult for many of the families who are the clients of our secondary schools. These roadblocks are virtually
identical to those identified through committee memberıs contacts with families and educators in Worcester. They are:
- Lack of time. Feeling they have nothing to contribute. Not understanding the system.
- Lack of child care. Language and cultural differences. Feeling intimidated.
- Lack of transportation. Scheduling conflicts/difficulties. Not feeling welcome.
Overcoming these obstacles requires time and resources well beyond what is currently available. Only with full backing and participation from all of
the constituents involved will goals for family involvement be realized.
We hope that this report will be useful to each secondary school and to CAB administrators. All the committee members listed below stand ready to
help in action planning and implementation.
Faculty Involvement Committee
PART TWO - SUGGESTED GOALS
(statements of conditions that would exist if 100% successful)
Type I - Parenting, defined as:
- Providing basic physical needs - health, safety, nutrition, clothing, and housing.
- Providing developmental needs - discipline, guidance, character development, resiliency.
- Instilling and reinforcing their studentıs belief that education is important.
Goal for Type I
1) All Worcester families understand, accept responsibility for, and strive to provide basic physical and developmental needs.
(We have agreed to note that effective parenting can be very difficult for some families living in poverty. We view it as beyond the scope of our
committee (or WEP) to speak to economic justice issues such as living wages, jobs without benefits, housing cost inflation, etc. Perhaps WEP can
help people to help themselves by developing resiliency for families as well as students and by avoiding perpetuating or generating dependency.)
Type II, Family/School Communication, defined as:
- Effective written, communications; personal contacts including outreach; welcoming climate
- Parents treated as equal partners in the educational process
Goal for Type II
2) As a result of school and community outreach and communications, family members believe that they are respected partners in the educational process, understand and accept responsibility for their part in the process, and feel competent and confident about working with the school. Cultural, language and other roadblocks are overcome.
3) There is one-on-one, non-confrontational family communication with at least one teacher with the appropriate balance between good and bad news. Families know who that contact person is and how to get in touch with them.
4) All schools and all staff provide a welcoming environment and view students and family members as respected clients for their services.
Type III Volunteering in Schools, defined as:
4)Recruit and organize parent help and support.
Goal for Type III
5)Schools utilize families in a variety of school activities both in and outside the classroom, based on good information as to each familyıs interests
and ³fund of knowledge² and effective outreach.
Type IV - Learning at Home, defined as:
Guiding families to monitor, assist, interact on study habits and other learning activities. The family role is not to ³teach² subjects but to encourage,
listen, react, praise, guide, discuss work.
Goal for Type IV
6) Each family has a set of skills to help their studentıs learning. Families emphasize the importance of education and monitor, assist and interact on
study habits and other learning activities. Families recognize that the family role is not to teach subjects but to encourage, listen, react, praise, guide.
Type V School Decision Making, defined as:
Include parents in school decisions, developing parent leaders and representatives. Ensure participatory roles in PTOs, school councils, other
committees
Goals for Type V
7) Many family members, reflecting the diversity of the student body, are involved in meaningful ways in the governance of the school
8) School site councils are an important component of planning and facilitating family involvement. Family representatives reflect the diversity of
the student body..
Type VI Community Resource Utilization, defined as:
Identify and integrate resources and services from the community to strengthen school programs, family practices and student learning and development.
Goal for Type VI
9) Schools have knowledge about resources available to families in the community and draw on or refer families to community resources to meet family needs.
Type VII Professional Development, defined as:
Educator and staff development in family and community involvement
10) School leadership, instructional and non-instructional staff fully recognize the need for family involvement as a key to educational achievement. All school personnel have the knowledge and interpersonal skills to meaningfully involve families in the educational process, including interacting with traditionally hard-to-reach families in culturally appropriate ways that recognize the level of readiness of the family members.
Before going into specific strategies and recommended practices that will make the goals a reality, we felt it important to suggest some guiding
principles for implementing the goals..
1) School Committee Family Involvement Resolution.
The entire school and the community in general must get behind and support the family involvement agenda. Thus, we suggest that the School
Committee adopt a ³Family Involvement Resolution² similar to that of the Chicago Public School Board of Trustees, adopted on 9/24/97. Such a
resolution would reinforce existing School Committee orders and the family involvement goal in the WPS GOALS 2000-2001 strategic plan, which
states under Strategic Goal IV,
³To increase the number of families who are actively involved in their childrenıs education.²
The Chicago resolution appears to be based on the Epstein model:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Chicago Public Schools supports the development, implementation and regular evaluation of a
parent involvement policy and program in every school that will involve parents at all grade levels in a variety of roles. The parent involvement
programs will be comprehensive and coordinated in nature. They will include, but not be limited to, the following components of successful parent
involvement programs:
- Regular, two-way, meaningful communication between home and school.
- Promotion and support of responsible parenting.
- Recognition that parents play an integral role in assisting student learning.
- A welcoming atmosphere for parents in the school and active solicitation of parentıs support and assistance for school programs.
- Inclusion of parents as full partners in the decisions that affect children and families.
- Availability of community resources to strengthen school programs, family practices and student learning.
The Board of Trustees supports professional development opportunities for all Chicago Public School staff members to enhance understanding of
effective parent involvement strategies. The Board also recognizes the importance of administrative leadership in setting expectations and creating
a climate conducive to parent participation.
2) Coordination at the District Level. We suggest that the WPS Central Administration maintain a district wide coordinator for family
involvement with a family involvement committee to provide for information exchange among schools, seek and share information about successful
practices nationwide and maintain an information center and web page.
3) Coordination at the School Level. We suggest that each school designate a family involvement coordinator, reporting to the principal, who will
help to organize the schoolıs family involvement efforts
4) School Action Teams for Family Involvement.
An outside body such as our Family Involvement Committee should not dictate the way in which individual schools meet the goals outlined
above. Every school is unique and therefore must determine the particular needs of its families and school personnel. Therefore, we suggest that each
school establish a Family Involvement Action Team to develop, with assistance from the WEP Committee and appropriate community organizations
to develop and implement an Action Plan. The Action Plan should define an array of strategies and actions to build on present practices and move the
school towards the ten goals. The Action Teams should monitor implementation and review and revise the Action Plan at least annually. Teams should
include several family members. The Action Team should work closely with the School Site Council. The Action Plan should be integrated with the
School Improvement Plan. A model for Family Involvement Action Teams is described in the Joyce Epstein article suggested as a resource in
Principle 5, Information Resources.
5) Information Resources
Schools need information resources to establish effect Action Teams and to, more generally, meet WEP goals. From a large array of publications, the
WEP Family Involvement Committee has selected four that we recommend be provided to each schoolıs Family Involvement Action Team:
- Family Involvement Toolkit, 5/00, Center for Youth Development and Learning; 165 pages
- Family and Community Involvement Guide,11/00, Massachusetts DOE; 19 pages
- Building Partnerships, 2000, National PTA; 237 pages
- School/Family/Community Partnerships, 5/95, Joyce Epstein in Phi Delta Kappan, 12 pages
6) Cultural and Ethnic Sensitivity
Action plans for each school must be tailored for each of that schoolıs major ethnic groups, based on available demographic data and understanding of
ethnic/cultural norms, and must deal adequately with limited English language capabilities. Ongoing professional development should be provided to
assist this process, with family members included in some of the workshops.
7) Information Technology Utilization
New technologies will be necessary to meet family involvement goals in the current climate. These include schoolsı use of voice mail and e-mail and
updated web information on community resources, parenting and other issues. The web offers a vast amount of information from organizations that
facilitate family involvement and about the programs of other school districts. However, more traditional methods for communication must be
retained since many families will not possess the technology necessary for these methods to be utilized.
8) Community Resource Utilization
Schools will not be able to provide for all families needs alone. There will need to be full use of community, neighborhood and faith group resources. Priority needs include outreach to hard-to-reach families and education and
inspiration on parenting.
9) Employer Support.
The WPS will need to work with employers (business, nonprofit, government) to urge that family members have some leeway in their schedules to
take meaningful roles in their childrenıs educations. Worcester workplaces can help to inform family members as to the importance of family
involvement in childrenıs education. Employers should be encouraged to provide facilities for information sessions for employees who are parents on
family involvement. And employers should support the WPS ³career passport² initiative to make it clear that school records are an important
consideration in hiring decisions.
10) Indicators of Results
Schools need to establish benchmarks and monitor and evaluate the success of their efforts in each category. This includes the development of
indicators - qualitative and quantitative - for each goal. We urge that a collaborative process be used to develop a set of indicators to be used by each
school. School Action Teams may wish to develop additional indicators. The Family Involvement Committee will develop suggestions for indicators.
PART FOUR:
OVERVIEWS OF CURRENT PRACTICES
(based on interviews with all secondary school principals)
SUGGESTED STRATEGIES/PRACTICES FOR ACHIEVING GOALS
(strategies, actions needed at schools, actions needed by district)
Part 4 consists of a section for each of the seven types of family involvement with:
- from Part 1, a short definition of what that type involves,
- a brief overview of current practices,
- from Part 1, a restatement of the goals for that type
- columns for implementation strategies, actions for schools, and actions for the district
Part 4 should be viewed as a menu of opportunities to consider, not a rigid prescription of what is to be done. As we state under Principle 4, School
Action Teams for Family Involvement, ³Every school is unique and therefore must determine the particular needs of its families and school
personnel. Therefore, we suggest that each school establish a Family Involvement Action Team to develop, with assistance from the WEP Committee
and appropriate community organizations to develop and implement an Action Plan. The Action Plan should define an array of strategies and actions
to build on present practices and move the school towards the ten goals.²
Family Involvement
