Educational Champion Training

MODULE 1:

Beliefs, Expectations and Aspirations

© National Center for Youth Law, April 2013.  This document does not constitute legal advice or representation.  For legal advice, readers should consult

their own counsel.  This document may be reproduced for non-commercial purposes provided any reproduction is accompanied by an

acknowledgement.  All other rights reserved.

1

APRIL 2013 2

Why Focus on Beliefs, Expectations and Aspirations?

Research shows that high parental aspirations and expectations

for academic performance are correlated to children’s success in

school.

High parental aspirations and encouragement, specifically

discussions of college planning and college attendance, are

strongly associated with continued HS attendance, higher test

scores and college enrollment.

A parent’s own sense of self-efficacy affects his/her ability to be

a “good parent.”

APRIL 2013 3

What you think and say can have an impact on how the child feels about education.

Know that your belief in the child’s ability to succeed in school,

and your high expectations and aspirations for the child, can

help build up the child’s self-confidence and improve his/her

performance in school.

When you are talking to the child about school, be aware that

your words may impact how the child thinks and feels about

education, and about his/her own ability to do well in school.

REMEMBER: if you believe that you have the ability to help

the child in school, then you will help the child in school.

APRIL 2013 4

Tell the child that you believe education is important.

Let the child hear you express excitement about school

and interest in learning new things.

Talk to the child about the ties between school and the

future – like getting to go to college, having good job

options, and being financially secure.

APRIL 2013 5

Show the child that you believe education is important.

Keep a folder or scrapbook of the child’s best schoolwork.

This will show the child that you value his/her hard work

and achievements.

If your schedule allows it, think about signing up to

volunteer in the child’s classroom or at a school event.

Attend school meetings and events.

APRIL 2013 6

Other ways to show the child that you believe education is important.

When something the child is learning in school

comes up in daily life, talk about it with the child.

This will help the child understand that what s/he is

learning in school is important.

Encourage the child to read every day.

APRIL 2013 7

A NOTE FOR Birth Parents and Education Rights Holders

NOTE FOR BIRTH PARENTS WHO ARE EDUCATIONAL

CHAMPIONS: If the child does not currently live with you and

you are not sure whether your case plan allows you to

volunteer at school or attend school events, be sure to check

with your attorney or social worker first.

NOTE FOR EDUCATIONAL CHAMPIONS WHO DO NOT HOLD

EDUCATIONAL RIGHTS: If you do not hold education rights,

reach out to the person who does to talk about participating

in school meetings. If the education rights holder is the

child’s birth parent, check with the social worker for the best

way to do so.

APRIL 2013 8

Let the child know that you believe s/he has the ability to do well in school.

Here are some examples of things you can say to

the child:

“I know learning _____ is hard work, but I believe

you can do it.”

“I know that your goal is to get into college, and I

am confident that you can do it.”

“You came up with a very interesting idea for your

project. I think you’ll do a great job on it.”

APRIL 2013 9

Regularly praise the child for his/ her hard work, improvements and success in school.

Here are some examples of things you can say to the

child:

“Great job with your homework this week!”

“I’m very proud of you for working so hard on this

assignment.”

Let the child hear you compliment his/her hard work,

improvement, and successes in front of other adults.

APRIL 2013 10

Setting educational goals for younger children.

Here are some things you can say to a younger

child:

“What kinds of things do you want to learn to do by the

end of this school year?”

EXAMPLES: learn to read a book with chapters, learn

multiplication tables

“Let’s set a goal for something you want to do this

week.”

EXAMPLES: get 90% on my math quiz, practice all of my

spelling words

APRIL 2013 11

Setting educational goals for older children.

Here are some things you can say to an older child:

“What classes would you like to take next year and why?”

“Have you thought about taking any honors or AP

(Advanced Placement) classes?”

“What is your goal GPA (grade point average) for this

year?”

For long-term goals, help the child develop smaller, more

manageable steps.

APRIL 2013 12

Keep a positive attitude. Be encouraging.

If the child is struggling in school, he or she may

feel frustrated or sad about school. It is important

that you:

Always keep a positive attitude; and

Encourage the child to always keep a positive

attitude.

APRIL 2013 13

Focus on improvement and problem-solving.

Help the child focus on how to problem-solve and improve

the situation.

FOR EXAMPLE, if the child is struggling in a specific subject, here

are some ways you can help the child focus on improvement:

Talk to the child about the situation, and let him/her know you are

there to help figure out a solution.

Review the child’s work in that subject. Look at the

questions/assignments the child did well on, and the ones with

which the child struggled. Try to determine why the child

struggled.

APRIL 2013 14

For Education Rights Holders.

Know your rights as the educational decision maker for the child.

As the person who legally holds education rights for the child,

you can make decisions regarding such issues as:

changing school placement,

requesting school records,

consenting to psychological testing, and

requesting meetings with teachers (to name just a few).

Don’t hesitate to ask the Court or your attorney if you have

questions about your right to advocate for the child.

APRIL 2013 15

Consider getting input from other adults involved in the child’s life.

Especially if the child does not live with you, you may want

to ask other adults in the child’s life for support and

feedback in making education-related decisions.

EXAMPLES:

If you are not the child’s caregiver right now, think about

inviting the child’s caregiver to attend parent-teacher

conferences.

You may also want to consider inviting tutors, coaches, or

other adult family members to school meetings.

APRIL 2013 16

My Goals:

What I will do: How often I will do this:

__________________ ___________________

__________________ ___________________

__________________ ___________________

__________________ ___________________

__________________ ___________________

__________________ ___________________

APRIL 2013 17

Resources.

This PowerPoint, Tip Sheets, Mentoring Modules, and supporting materials can

be found at: www.foster-ed.org.

If you have questions about the materials, please contact: info@fostered.org.

Other Resources:

Action Information Sheet: A Parent’s Vision and High Expectations are

Powerful, written by the Minnesota Parent Center

High Expectations, guidelines written and translated by

ExpectMoreArizona.org

A New Wave of Evidence, written by the National Center of Family &

Community Connections with Schools