keep talking: the family on your school's agenda4 – keep talking! we encourage school...

keep

talkingthe family on your school’s agenda

five conversation guides for principals

to use with school groups

A PRODUCT OF THE LAB AT BROWN UNIVERSITY in partnership with RMC RESEARCH CORPORATION

The LAB, a program of The Education Alliance at Brown University, is one of ten educational

laboratories funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Educational Research and

Improvement. Our goals are to improve teaching and learning, advance school improvement,

build capacity for reform, and develop strategic alliances with key members of the region’s

education and policy making community.

The LAB develops educational products and services for school administrators, policymakers,

teachers, and parents in New England, New York, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Central to

our efforts is a commitment to equity and excellence.

Information about LAB programs and services is available by contacting:

RMC Research Corporation, based in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, is a LAB partner organization.

Copyright © 2001 Brown University. All rights reserved.

The Northeast and Islands Regional Educational Laboratory

Phone: (800) 521-9550

E-mail: [email protected]

Web: www.lab.brown.edu

Fax: (401) 421-7650

LAB at Brown University

The Education Alliance

222 Richmond Street, Suite 300

Providence, RI 02903-4226

RMC Research

Corporation

Table of Contents

Five Critical Topics ........................................................................................ 3

Using the Conversation Guides ................................................................... 4

Conversation Guide 1: ACHIEVEMENT ....................................................... 5

Put your energy where it counts

Conversation Guide 2: FAMILY PARTNERS................................................ 13

Combine your strengths

Conversation Guide 3: LEARNING ENERGY.............................................. 21

Know your school’s “personality”

Conversation Guide 4: CONNECTIONS .................................................... 29

Find new links to families

Conversation Guide 5: ACTIVITIES ............................................................ 37

Integrate everyone’s efforts

Bibliography................................................................................................. 45

Resources..................................................................................................... 47

The Participating Schools ........................................................................... 48

keep talking 1

Wednesday afternoon. 3:25 p.m.

The school is quiet. Most students have left for home. The principal looks up at the

clock. Five minutes to staff meeting. She picks up her folder and decides to take

the long walk to the meeting room. She needs time to think.

There are six topics on today’s agenda. One of them is family involvement. She

mentally calculates that she’ll have about 15 minutes to cover it, if she’s lucky.

And if things go the way they usually do, the conversation will center on problems

teachers are having with individual parents and how tough it is to get parents to

care. In short, a gripe session.

As she walks through the halls, the principal lets her mind roam. She notices a poster

on the wall announcing the spring concert. The spring concert took place two weeks

ago.

It occurs to her that the building is quieter after hours than it used to be. The play-ground rebuilding committee once brought a lot of excitement and sense of purpose

to the school. She misses that spirit and energy. She adds up the number of com-

plaints she has heard from parents lately. Some are serious, some are minor. Sure,

you can’t please everyone all the time. But maybe there’s something going on here.

Maybe these are signs that the school isn’t being careful enough about its relation-

ships with families.

She stops briefly in the library, takes out the agenda, and starts crossing out discussion

topics. She jots down a few questions about the one topic left. Feeling a rush of energy,

she strides to the meeting room and opens the door. “Good afternoon, everyone,” she

says with enthusiasm that catches the others off guard. “I’d like to suggest a change in

the agenda for today’s meeting. We have something important to talk about.”

2 the family on your school’s agenda

For three years, the staff of the Northeast and Islands Educational Laboratory at Brown University (The LAB) has

studied family partnerships in several New England schools. They discovered that even the best schools find it

hard to create achievement-focused family programs. It is even more difficult to keep them going. Relation-

ships require maintenance and sustained energy. Leaders must keep the family and community on every

agenda and encourage staff members to foster them on a daily basis.

In elementary and middle schools, the principal must step in as cheerleader to build enthusiasm, keep things

optimistic, and support teachers so they can nurture family relationships. Sometimes the issue is philosophical

and principals need to help teachers believe in the potential of family partnerships. Other times, the principal

simply needs to keep reminding the group of its essential goals, give some structure to the process, and make

sure everyone follows through. The school board and community outside of the school building also need to be

involved in this process. But most importantly, partnerships falter when they are not sharply focused on every

school’s primary goal: the highest possible levels of student learning and achievement.

These five conversation guides are based on the LAB’s work in schools and will help principals

facilitate discussions about family partnerships. They are designed to encourage teachers,

parents, and administrators to talk about family and community partnerships in a different way.

keep

talkingthe family on your school’s agenda

keep talking 3

Five critical topicsBased on current research and study in the field, researchers from the LAB have identified five

topics that are critical to achieving effective family partnerships that support student learning.

When partnerships fail, these are usually the areas administrators need to consider.

Achievement: put your energy where it countsThe ultimate goal of every school is the highest possible achievement for all students.

Do your family programs contribute directly to high academic standards and expectations?

Family partners: combine your strengthsNo teacher can know everything about every student nor provide all of the necessaryeducational support. Do your teachers build relationships with families to offer each child the

strongest possible foundation for learning?

Learning energy: know your school’s “personality”Every school has its own personality. Is your school an academically exciting place to be?

Is it warm and welcoming?

Connections: find new links to familiesFamilies’ lives are complex, their social webs are intricate. For families you have not yet reached,

have you looked for the people in their lives who might provide the connections you need?

Activities: integrate everyone’s effortsDo you find yourselves with plenty of family activities but no sense of a cohesive plan?

You may need to assess the purpose and focus of these activities to make sure everyone is

pulling in the same direction.

11

33

44

55

22


3 – ACT.

Each conversation guide offers ideas on “next steps” to

make sure your discussion doesn’t end there. Make definite

plans with the group to take action based on your discussion,

to reconvene at some point to check on progress, and to

assess the effectiveness of your actions. Some of the actions

you take can be implemented immediately. Some may

need planning and development, funding, or the participa-

tion of others such as the school board, parent organizations,

student groups, or community groups. However extensive

your new ideas may be, be sure they connect to student

achievement and that you assess their impact on practices

that affect student achievement.

4 – KEEP TALKING!

We encourage school administrators to keep these guides

handy and use them often and with different groups. Keep

talking and thinking about how the school’s family programs

integrate with the school’s educational mission.

2 – TALK.

Each conversation guide starts with a story. Ask participants

to read the story and informally answer the questions related

to it. This will help set the context for talking about your own

challenges. Then move on to the main discussion questions;

there are separate questions for faculty/staff and parent

groups. Select one or two questions that seem most interest-

ing and appropriate to you and your school community and

go into them in depth. Faculty/staff and parent groups may

choose to meet separately at first. However, it is important to

work towards blending their thinking through joint discussions

over time.

1 – PLAN.

As principal, think ahead to opportunities for discussion about

family partnerships: regular staff meetings, school improve-

ment team meetings, grade-level planning sessions, retreats,

parent organization meetings, or even informal conversations.

Also, think about choosing a time for including students in

discussions. For each meeting, select one of the five conver-

sation topics and plan to make it the main agenda item.

Considerations of all five topics is critical to achieving effec-

tive partnerships that support student learning. There is no

“right” way to start the conversation about effective partner-

ships. Schools should begin with the area that seems most

important to them. Each conversation is designed to take

about an hour — long enough for substantive discussion

and short enough to fit into a typical meeting time.

Using the conversation guides

conversation guide

1

ACHIEVEMENT

keep talking 7

Achievement:put your energy where it counts

Time is too short, and the stakes too high, for parents and teachers to

spend energy on activities that result in limited returns. They already

manage highly demanding days. They may have little time or patience

to do more. To enhance family programs, parents, staff members, and

community representatives must commit their time and choose their

activities wisely. That means making sure every activity and every hour

volunteered contributes to the big picture of enhancing student learn-

ing and achievement.

Schools can be a guiding influence as parents, community members,

and teachers make decisions about how they spend time (both at

school and at home) to enhance children’s learning. Administrators

who promote a mission-like focus on learning and who put achieve-

ment on the agenda of every school group and every individual can

build a shared understanding of a powerful common goal. Activities

that do not directly support this goal can be adjusted or eliminated;

those that do support the goal can be improved and expanded. Over

time, parents, staff members, and the community will begin to feel that

their valuable time has been well-spent and that everyone is working

toward the same goals.

11


1A story about achievement

We heard the news, and once again it was not good. Our school’s reading scores were among the

lowest in the city. The scores were average at the lower grades but dropped dramatically by the eighthgrade. It didn’t make sense: as teachers, we thought we were doing everything right. We attended work-

shops on how children learn, identified grade-level curriculum changes, and renewed our efforts to see

more students completing their homework. Why didn’t that all work?

One morning, I was staring out the window, wondering why we weren’t doing better, when a parent

came in. I know Mrs. Marcello pretty well. She volunteers at the school, helping with student projects andthe home-school newsletter. She helps me in the classroom when I need it. She had read about the test

scores in the newspaper and wanted to know how she and other parents could help. Sadly, I told her I

just didn’t know. She already does so much for the school; how could we ask for more?

Mrs. Marcello told me how much she likes the school, that she feels welcomed and appreciated there. Butwhere she really needs some advice is with her son’s homework. Night after night, she is frustrated. How is

she supposed to help him? Is it enough to make sure he gets it done? Or should she be helping him learn,

coaching and supporting him through the material? “I need to know how to do it,” she said. Mrs. Marcello’s

comments stayed with me for days. At our next staff meeting, we made a list of things we need to do to

improve the reading scores. One teacher said we need a more comprehensive plan that involves all staff.

I was pleasantly surprised when another teacher suggested that we should include families in our plan;others were also wondering about how to get parents more involved with student learning.

We put together a small team to draft a plan for improving students’ reading skills. In addition to studying

our language arts curriculum alignment, we will look at all activities for administrators, families, students,

and teachers to make sure they have higher expectations and focus on learning. We made a list of how

people, including parents, spend their time in service to the school. So much energy is spent on things notrelated to academic achievement! Some activities support the school, but not in ways that matter the most.

keep talking 9

1Questions about the

achievement story

�� Did anything sound familiar to you in this story?

How is this situation like, or not like, the one in your school?

�� Do you think this school’s new efforts will make a difference?

Why or why not? What would you do to address their

literacy problem?

�� What other kinds of administrative, staff, and family

support would make this literacy initiative work?

What attitudes would need to change for improvement

to really occur?


1Questions about achievement

for teachers and administrators

First think about all the ways in which families currently spend time in your school and support

their children. Then talk about one or more of these questions in depth.

�� How many of these activities directly impact student achievement?

Do parents spend time on activities that distract them from helping students achieve?

Do parents understand how their efforts contribute to student achievement?

�� How often, and in what ways, does the staff talk about student achievement?

Does progress toward achievement come up in every staff meeting, grade-level

planning session, or school improvement team meeting?

How does the team communicate to families about what is happening in the

classroom? Are major decisions about family activities made in consideration of

how they will contribute to achievement?

When and how do you bring parents and students into the discussion about the

school’s curriculum and how activities in the classroom improve student learning?

How are expectations conveyed? How can you help them become natural

partners in your efforts?

�� What has each teacher done to forge a productive partnership with each family?

How is each teacher communicating with each family?

What is each teacher talking about at parent/teacher conferences?

What do teachers write about in their teacher newsletters?

keep talking 11

1Questions about achievement

for parents

Make a quick list of the ways you support your child’s learning and how you support the school

(volunteering, fundraising, etc.). Then talk about one or more of these questions in depth.

�� Which of these activities are most rewarding for you?

Why?

Can you describe how each activity is linked to student learning?

Which ones might you drop in exchange for more time to help children learn?

�� What kind of support would help you be a better learning partner with your child

and the teacher?

What would help you with homework?

What would you like to know about the teacher’s learning goals for your child?

What would you like to know about how children develop and change over time so that you

can understand your own child better?

�� What is your relationship with your child’s teacher(s)?

Do you feel like you have the right to ask questions? Do you feel you can be honest when

you have a difference or a concern?

How does the teacher inform you about the class learning goals and how they relate toyour child? Are these goals clear to you? Are these goals also clear to your child?

Do you let the teacher know you want to help your child learn, but might need some adviceon how to do it?

If your relationship with the teacher could stand some improvement, who can help bring the two

of you together? Other parents, another teacher, a family resource staff person, the principal?


1Follow-through on achievement

for teachers, administrators, and parents

�� TAKE ACTION

As a result of your discussions today, make specific plans to collect more information

(if needed) or institute new activities to address the issues you’ve raised.

For example, you may want to ask the different groups in the school to assess their own

activities in order to make connections between what they do and how it contributes

to student achievement. Or you may want to consider identifying a focused, achieve-

ment-related goal (such as improved reading scores) and challenge individuals and

groups to apply their energy to supporting that goal. For example, instead of just con-

ducting the annual fundraiser, the parent group might target the purchase of new

literacy materials or books as the goal of the fundraiser.

�� MEET AGAIN

Set a specific date to get back together, discuss what has happened in the meantime,

and assess the impact of your actions. Think of this as a continual cycle of identifying

issues, taking action, assessing impact, and modifying your actions based on what

you’ve learned.

�� MEET WITH OTHERS

Plan to meet with other parents, staff members, students, administrators, school board

members, and community representatives to tell them about your ideas, encourage

their support, and get them to help.

conversation guide

2

FAMILY PARTNERS

keep talking 15

Family partners:combine your strengths

How many teachers really believe that parents can be their partners in

working with children to achieve academic goals? Some teachers are

not comfortable talking to parents. Others keep parents informed just

well-enough, through conferences and report cards. But as educators

are required to reach higher standards, they need all the partners they

can find, especially family members who can help teachers under-

stand how their children learn best.

Parents know their children’s personalities, learning styles, and develop-

mental histories better than any teacher can. A parent understands

what motivates a child to act, what kind of support he or she needs,

and what kinds of problems he or she struggles with most. Those insights

are invaluable to teachers looking for new ways to make learning con-

nections to their students.

22


2A story about family partners

Today’s grade-level teachers’ meeting started out as usual (with people venting and complaining)

but ended up somewhere totally unexpected.

The topic was parent-teacher conferences. No one is looking forward to them. They take a lot of time

and energy and don’t seem to accomplish much. When a student is doing well, there’s not much to say

to parents. When a student is having difficulty, it’s hard to get that message across and even harder to

suggest ways to improve the situation. I bet if you polled the teachers here, most would say that most

parents don’t have the knowledge or skills to support academics at home, even though we’re all familiarwith the research and current thinking that links parent involvement to student achievement.

We were going over all the things we do to reach out to parents — progress reports and report cards,

quarterly meetings with parents whose children are having the most trouble — when one of the teachers,

Mr. Schroeder, spoke up. “When you think about this,” he said, “it looks like we do a lot of telling parentswhat to do. Suppose we asked them for advice we could use?”

The comment stopped the conversation cold. But it reminded me of when a parent from my class, Mrs.

Gibbs, told me that her daughter Sacia spent a great deal of time with her friend Dana, another child in

my classroom. Mrs. Gibbs told me that Sacia sometimes helps Dana with his homework. So I started pairing

Dana and Sacia together for in-class activities. Dana actually stayed in his seat the entire time and com-pleted the assignment. Sacia seemed to become more confident and began contributing more in class.

I learned a little bit about my students from Mrs. Gibbs, something I could apply in the classroom.

Mr. Schroeder’s idea sounded good to me. I suggested, “Why don’t we ask each parent to tell us some-

thing about their child that could help us teach. It could be about the child’s friends, what the child likes to

do outside of class, or how the parent gets through to their child. Even one piece of information might beuseful. After all, parents know their own children better than we do and want the best for them.” Some

teachers expressed great skepticism that my idea would reap any benefits.

keep talking 17


family partners story


What comments have you heard about parents’

ability to help with educating their children?

Why do you think many teachers have their doubts?

�� Do you think the idea of asking parents for some

information about their children will work?

Why or why not? What alternative ideas would you

suggest to accomplish the same goal?

�� What are some of the biases and prejudices (cultural,

philosophical, educational) that the skeptical teachers

in the story might be working from?

How can teachers and staff members work together

to assess their own biases and help each other work

through them?


2Questions about family partners


�� How well do you know the parents of your students?

What do you know about their professions and jobs, their own educational experiences,

and their feelings about you and your school?

From talking with them, what have you learned about their beliefs about education and

their goals for their children?

Are there cultural differences between you and your students’ families? Are your

expectations the same? If not, how can you address those differences in order to reach

mutual expectations?

�� What have you observed about how your students and their parents interact?

How does each parent talk with his or her child? What do they like doing together?

What have you gathered about their relationships? What seems to work best between

them?

What kinds of strategies do parents use to motivate, reward, and discipline their children?

How have you seen parents be “good teachers” for their children?

What strategies have you seen that might work well for you?

Think about sitting down with parents on an individual basis, talking about your

observations, and asking for advice on how to work with the child.

keep talking 19

2Questions about family partners

for parents

�� How would you describe your relationship with your child’s teacher?

Do you feel like equals, sharing information about your child? Does the teacher hear

your ideas?

Do you understand the teacher’s expectations for you and your child?

What questions or issues were unresolved? Do you and the teacher agree on which

issues need to be addressed? If not, what can you do? Is there someone else who

could help you communicate with the teacher?

�� What kinds of advice might you share with your child’s teacher?

What could you tell the teacher about your child’s overall temperament and personality,

times of day when he or she is most energetic, the kinds of environments in which he or

she works best, the kinds of intellectual challenges he or she most enjoys, the child’s

personal interests, the kinds of support he or she likes and doesn’t like?

Ask the teacher to report back to you on whether he or she has noticed the same things,

or how your child might behave differently in class than at home.

Ask your child about how school is going. Is there something he or she says that you

should share with your child’s teacher?


2Follow-through on family partners


�� TAKE ACTION



For example, you may want to conduct an assessment of parent/teacher conferences

to find out how different teachers approach them, or convene an informal “storytelling

evening” where parents are invited to tell stories about their successes and struggles

and where teachers hear more about their students.

�� MEET AGAIN



issues, taking action, assessing impact, and modifying your action based on what

you’ve learned.





conversation guide

3

LEARNING ENERGY

keep talking 23

Learning energy:know your school’s “personality”

The feeling of a school can be as unique as the feeling of a home,

museum, or even the corner market. A visitor can sense, just by walking

in the door, what a school is like and what it values.

Some of the clues come from the way the school looks: is it bright,

clean, and colorful? But the most important clues come from the way

people talk and interact: do they show a love of children and a love

of learning? Do they challenge the minds of children in exciting, age-

appropriate ways? Do they display the work of students as a measure

of pride and a symbol of what children are learning?

Before parents will embrace your school and its mission, they must feel

like they belong. When things get busy, it’s easy to overlook some of

the small things that make a big impression on parents. Posters and

signs stay up long after the events they announced. Teachers forget

to greet visitors warmly, or provide a moment of patient help. Parents

can’t find someone to speak with them in their primary language.

Sometimes, the big things are overlooked, like working hard to make

sure parents feel connected to what their children are learning.

33


3A story about learning energy

I couldn’t understand it. I kept hearing that Greenville Elementary School, where my two children attend kindergar-

ten and sixth grade, was the least chosen school in a district where families have school choice. As a parent, I have

always had wonderful experiences at the school. I feel welcomed to help at the fall book fair and often do projects

for teachers during evenings because I work every day. But by the time children reach second or third grade I have

noticed their families stop helping out and coming into the school.

I began asking parents of older children how they felt about the school. They said the school is good for their kids but

they didn’t feel welcome. There are rules and regulations that they do not understand. Several said the people in the

front office at the school at times have not been friendly. Many think their children’s teachers feel they don’t care

about how well their kids do, but parents reacted, “I do care. I just don’t know how to help my child learn when they

get all this homework. Their school work is so different now.”

I brought my concerns to my daughter’s sixth grade teacher, Maria, who grew up in my neighborhood. I was surprised

that she said that many teachers are asking the same question: how do we help parents feel more comfortable

being here?

In late fall, Maria and I decided to start a family-school committee with the sole purpose of improving the climate in

the building. I convinced several of my friends to join me, and asked them each to bring a friend. Maria recruited four

teachers to volunteer for the committee even though we meet Saturday mornings. We have now met eight times

and made some progress in making the school a friendlier, more welcoming environment for all.

In order for parents to better understand what is happening at the school, we now have volunteer translators for

parent conferences and school-family events. The principal posts a big monthly calendar in English and Spanish of

before- and after-school events so visitors can plan to come. To show what the children are learning, each classroom

posts student work outside its doors, and each week a different class puts up new work outside the front office. More

families showed up for the multicultural language-arts celebration this spring than ever before. I even hear people

talking about the school in the local market. Maria says the teachers are taking great pride in showing their students’

work in the halls every week and are soliciting and getting more parents to come into their classroom to help out.

keep talking 25


learning energy story

�� Did anything in this story sound familiar to you?

How is Greenville’s situation like the one in your school?

How is it different?

�� Do you think the changes Greenville Elementary made

will make a difference?

Why or why not?

What would you do to address some of their problems?

�� Greenville Elementary seemed to be thinking mostly

about parents.

What could they have done to be more welcoming

to the entire community?


3Questions about learning energy


In your mind, take a long, thoughtful walk through your school. Then talk about one or more

of these questions in depth.

�� What does it feel like to walk through the halls?

Can one see and hear evidence of high energy and focused learning? Does it seem

too loud or too quiet? Well organized or over controlled? Energetic or chaotic?

Cheerful? Dark? What color are the walls? What is on them?

Describe the overall impression, then describe the feeling you want your school to have?

�� How do visitors know that the school is about learning and what children can do?

Do you display a variety of student work? Are the children proud of their displayed

work? Do you change it often to keep it fresh, to show that you’re constantly learning

and exploring?

�� What “rules of conduct” do you live by, if any?

Does everyone in the school — students, teachers, the principal, the support staff — live

by “house rules” of respect, friendliness, helpfulness, and basic good manners? How is

this displayed to others?

Do teachers and administrators share a spirit of camaraderie and commitment to

common goals? Do you communicate with students and families in the same spirit?

Do visitors see energetic people focused on learning?

How do you feel when you visit other schools? How do students and staff members in

other schools greet you? What aspects do you like that you could bring back to your

school?

keep talking 27

3Questions about learning energy

for parents

Take a tour of the school during regular hours. Then talk about one or more of these questions in depth.

�� How would you describe the feeling of the building?Use as many descriptive words as you can. Is it businesslike, warm, sterile, chaotic,

exciting? Share some of your own reactions when you come into the school. Do you

look forward to it? Is it a place where you like to spend time?

�� Can you tell whether people are focused on learning at the school?How do teachers and students seem to feel about learning? Are the walls full of students’

writing, artwork, and projects? Does the student work change from weekto week? When

the teachers and principal write or talk to you, how do they focus on academics and

learning? How do they work with you to find ways to support your children in their learning?

�� How would you describe the culture of your school?When you see teachers and administrators talking with each other, do you get a sense of

a team working together? Do they respect each other? Do they seem to have healthy,

productive relationships? How do you see teachers and administrators interacting with

children? With respect, kindness, and support? How does this school’s culture compare

to others you have been in?

�� How can your opinions and concerns be heard?If you see a problem, do you feel comfortable bringing it up? Does the school invite you

to speak up and offer ideas?

What are some new ways parents (individually or in groups) can freely express themselves?

Are students asked to offer ideas? Does the school provide the services and resources

you need to be part of the school (like a parent coordinator, regular newsletter, parent

resource room, translators, etc.)?


3Follow-through on learning energy


�� TAKE ACTION



For example, you may want to create a small group as a welcoming committee during

certain times of the day, poll parents on ways the school could be more responsive to

their specific needs about student learning, or develop more effective and exciting

ways to demonstrate and display the work that students are doing in the classroom.

�� MEET AGAIN




you’ve learned.





conversation guide

4

CONNECTIONS

keep talking 31

Connections:find new links to families

Teachers need all the support they can get to reach each child. Some-

times the connection might not be directly between teacher and par-

ent, especially at a time when diverse cultures, languages, ethnicities,

and individual experiences make each parent-teacher relationship a

unique challenge. Connections may happen through parents’ friends,

acquaintances, family members, and other community contacts. Prin-

cipals and district personnel can help connect school staff members to

community resources.

Some teachers may think asking for help — from a translator, another

parent, an agency representative — is a sign of weakness, an admis-

sion of failure. In fact, it’s a display of courage and commitment. Every

parent can be reached; it may just take a few different connections to

get there. Success lies in learning whom parents trust, being confident

in making contact with those people, and knowing that it may take a

few attempts before finding the right individual(s) to build productive

connections.

44


4A story about connections

The families of my fifth graders have certainly changed in recent years. Our principal recently told us that eleven

different languages are spoken by families from our school. That may be one reason why I’m having such a hard time

connecting to some parents, getting them to talk with me about my concerns for their children’s educational develop-

ment. For many of my students, English is a new language. I’m already concerned that I’ll have to recommend retain-

ing eight or nine of them. I need the parents’ support at home so the children will learn English and catch up in our system.

It’s even hard to get some parents to come in for a conference. Some only show up when I withhold the report

card. Often at conferences, the child serves as translator (and who knows what my clever fifth graders are really

telling their parents!).

Everyone is so busy. I hate to bother anyone, but I decided to talk to Karen, a veteran fifth grade teacher who

always has a smile and whose students are among the highest performing in the school. Her class has the same

profile as mine, with children from the Islands, Middle East, and Asia. She talked about feeling the same way, and

how she found some answers. First, she told me about a district social worker who offers to give teacher workshops

on the parent-child interactions in different cultures. The social worker can also supply a translator (a parent volun-

teer) who will come to conferences and other important meetings. She mentioned a homework club, partially

funded by the board of education, at the youth center downtown. Teachers can e-mail homework assignments

to the after-school staff at the center who can speak directly with parents when they pick up their kids. Karen

suggested that I ask the principal if there are resources in our budget or grant funds to pay for outside assistance.

Karen also said sometimes it just takes making the right personal connection. She told me a story about one mother

with whom she had a pleasant relationship but not very productive conversations. Language was clearly a barrier.

She noted that this mother lit up whenever she saw another of the mothers coming to pick up her children at release

time. Their conversations were animated and warm. Karen met with both mothers during conferences as a way of

smoothing the language difference and making everyone more comfortable. It worked wonders: Karen says she

now looks forward to meeting with these parents, not only to cover important educational ground but to enjoy

talking with them!

keep talking 33


connections story


Are there similar cultural and language barriers

in your school?

What are some of the other kinds of barriers you

encounter in communicating with parents?

�� What did you think of Karen’s suggestions?

Are they practical?

How would they work in your school?

What might work better?

What else would work in your school?


4Questions about connections


�� How does your school actively engage a full range of partners in decision-making,

planning, and implementation?

Are you aware of, and sensitive to, how the diversity of your parent constituents affects

school planning? Do students get involved?

How, and when, do you talk about who can be helpful, especially in making strong

connections to the many sectors of your school community?

�� Teachers: take an informal inventory of each family who has a child in your classroom.

With which families do you feel you have a strong, productive relationship? With which

families is the relationship tenuous?

With how many families do you have no relationship at all? Think about preparing a

“plan of action” specifically designed for each family. Identify the barrier(s): are the inter-

personal, philosophical, language-based, or just a problem of time and scheduling?

What people and programs might make good connectors for the least connected

families? What have you observed about these families that might give you clues about

access points?

Ask students about their families’ interests. How can your principal or school improvement

team help with this situation?

�� What have other educators in your building done to make connections?

What strategies have really made a difference? What district and community resources

have others found helpful for connecting to families? Share some stories among your-

selves that demonstrate both the problems and the solutions.

keep talking 35

4Questions about connections

for parents

�� Describe some of the reactions you have to your relationships with your children’s teachers.

Is there a sense of openness, honesty, respect, and working toward the same goals?

If not, what is keeping that relationship from developing? Identify some of the barriers

and talk about some possible solutions.

�� How could you communicate better with the teacher?

What are some things you would like the teacher to know—about your child, about your

family, about your own concerns with education, about your own experiences with

education, about other connections you have to the community, about your goals for

your child?

Who are some of the people you might invite to join conversations with the teacher to

make sure communication is smooth and everyone’s needs are addressed?

�� How might you and other parents participate in school to make sure the school

represents and is responsive to the whole community?

How could you help make connections between the school and parents who are

uncomfortable coming to the school? In what ways might you volunteer to work on

school improvement teams, join parent-teacher organizations, or serve on school

advisory councils? Would you be willing to volunteer time at the school so that every-

one gets to know each other better? To make your participation easier, how might

groups of parents work together to address your issues with the school?


4Follow-through on connections


�� TAKE ACTION



For example, you may want to try a few “pilot” projects where teachers identify families

with whom they want a stronger connection and seek out the people and organizations

who might supply that connection. Or your school might do informal, descriptive study of

the social, cultural, and personal characteristics that might be strengths or barriers to

strong relationships and communication.

�� MEET AGAIN




you’ve learned.



members, and community representatives to tell them about your ideas, encourage their

support, and get them to help.

conversation guide

5

ACTIVITIES

keep talking 39

Activities:integrate everyone’s efforts

Some schools have lots of family involvement activities, and yet they

are getting little in return from them. Schools may have too many acti-

vities that overwhelm and over-schedule members of the community.

Some may be doing the same things year after year, losing perspective

on the purpose and using up valuable energy. In other schools, activities

may be uncoordinated, with participants and volunteers unaware of

what everyone is doing — and why.

Take stock of all of the activities in which your parents engage, and

determine whether those activities are really paying off. Is there any

duplication of effort? Are some activities and groups working at cross-

purposes? Does each activity have a clear purpose and a connection

to essential school goals, such as improved student performance? Are

there others in the community who could participate in activities to

broaden the conversation and support?

55


5A story about activities

I’m a family resource coordinator. I just finished five frustrating years in an urban school where no one really under-

stood the purpose of my position. The principal gave me no support and actually resented it when I introduced new

ideas. The teachers were no more supportive. One said, “I already have too much to do. I can’t do another parent

meeting on math. Why don’t you do a workshop on discipline. They really need that.”

At my new school, one of my first assignments is to coordinate the Home-School Compact committee. The Compact

is a document signed by each teacher, student, and parent identifying each group’s responsibilities for learning. The

Compact fits into the principal’s vision of bringing more parents into their children’s learning and creating supports for

that to happen. She has supported the committee’s work by giving staff members release time and resources to

have the Compact printed in three languages. She has talked with teachers about how the Compact will be a

vehicle for improving conversations about children’s work.

One of the most promising things about the Compact is using it to unite activities at the school and at home. For

example, a monthly Compact Moment highlights one of the “responsibilities for learning” such as “coming to school

ready to learn” or “completing homework on time.” Student council members perform skits to illustrate the message

of the Compact Moment. A parent newsletter article includes suggestions about how families can better meet those

responsibilities. Banners with the Compact Moment are displayed in classrooms. Each teacher has been asked to talk

about what the Compact Moment means to him or her and lead a discussion with students about what it means to

them. What’s so unique about this is how we’re trying to reinforce one set of important ideas with many activities.

It’s exciting to see how much students, staff members, and parents are talking about the Compact. Students have

said they think their peers are taking homework more seriously. We hear parents talking about it among themselves,

as if a new common language around student work is starting to take hold. Teachers tell stories about the great

discussions they are having with students about expectations, and some feel homework completion has improved

(even though there is still a lack of effort and quality from some students). They are now talking about starting a

homework club and improving the homework help line. I think the Compact is working, and I like the feeling of

cohesion that seems to be developing in the school.

keep talking 41


activities story


What are some of the same kinds of issues you

face in your school?

What are some of the big differences?

The home-school compact used in this school is a

very specific tool used to coordinate activities. Do

you have a similar tool in your school? If so, what

are its strengths and weaknesses? If not, would a

compact be possible and/or useful?

What else might work?


5Questions about activities


Make a list of all the ways your school currently asks parents to be involved.

�� Do you have a plan that links these activities and keeps parents working on

common, and critical, goals?

What are the goals of each of these activities? What are their actual outcomes?

Are there some activities that “burn parents out” for little reward, either to themselves or

the school? Are there some activities that keep parents from focussing on the important

topic of academics and student achievement?

Has your school unwittingly created “pockets” of parent activity that operate indepen-

dently of each other?

�� If you had to start fresh with three or four goals for family involvement, what

would those goals be?

How do your current activities serve those goals? What changes should you make to

promote the more important goals, eliminate activities where necessary, and better

support the activities that do serve the goals?

�� Which untapped family/community resources could help your school and your students?

Some schools rely on the same parents and community members all the time. Who else

could be brought into the circle?

What could you say to bring them on board?

What skills and strengths do they have that your school needs?

In which individuals have you seen real, but unrealized, potential? How can you work to

recruit and involve them more fully?

keep talking 43

5Questions about activities

for parents

�� Have you ever thought that the school is missing great opportunities by not

involving you and other parents in better ways?

What are those ways? What kinds of things do you like doing in relation to the school

and your children that you could do more often?

What should the school know about your interests and skills (your profession, your personal

or family history, your hobbies and talents) that could be applied there as well? Find ways

to express these interests and skills, either to your child’s teacher, the principal, or parent

advocates at the school.

�� Do you sometimes wonder why you are being asked to do certain things for theschool — what value do those activities really have? What other activities could

better support your school’s goals?

Is it clear to you why certain activities are held year after year, and if the reasons are

important ones? For example, does the annual fundraiser — for example, selling t-shirts —

contribute meaningfully to the school’s goals? Get in the habit of asking teachers and

the principal why certain activities are important, and if they connect critical school

goals related to student achievement.

�� Has anyone asked non-parents how they might be involved in the school?

What is the reputation of your school “on the street”?

How do the media represent education and your school to the community?

Is there a plan to involve community members to support student learning—including

health clinics, social service agencies, churches? How could new activities be integrated

into the school’s plans and goals?


5Follow-through on activities


�� TAKE ACTION



For example, you may want to write a set of short, simple questions that groups can use

to assess the purpose and value of their activities (What do we hope to accomplish with

this activity? How does it contribute to core school goals? How do we know it’s working?).

Or, you may want to create an “activity map” that lists and relates all family activities —

How does each serve school goals? How do efforts compare to outcomes? Where are

we duplicating effort?

�� MEET AGAIN




you’ve learned.



members, and community representatives to tell them about your ideas, encourage their

support, and get them to help.

keep talking 45

Bibliography

The conversation topics in this guide are based on current research in

family-school-community partnerships and extensive study in the field.

The following are selected research articles about partnerships.

Baker, A.J.L., & Soden, L. (1998). The challenges of parent involvement research. (ERIC/CUE Digest Number

134). New York: ERIC Clearinghouse on Urban Education.

Blackfelner, C., & Ranallo, B. (1998). Raising academic achievement through parental involvement. Chicago,

IL: Saint Xavier University.

Catsambis, S. (1998). Expanding the knowledge of parental involvement in secondary education: Effects on

high school academic success. (Report No. 27). Baltimore, MD: Center for Research on the Education of

Students Placed at Risk.

Clark, R.M. (1990, Spring). Why disadvantaged students succeed: What happens outside of school. Public

Welfare, 17-23.

Clark, R.M. (1993). Homework-focused parenting practices that positively affect student achievement. In N.

Chavkin (Ed.), Families and schools in a pluralistic society (pp. 85-105). Albany, NY: State University of New York

Press.

Comer, J.P., Ben-Avie, M., Hayes, N.M., & Joyner, E.T. (Eds.). (1999). Child by child: The Comer process for

changing education. New York: Teachers College Press.

Dauber, S., & Epstein J. (1993). Parent attitudes and practices of involvement in inner-city elementary and

middle schools. In N. Chavkin (Ed.), Families and schools in a pluralistic society (pp. 53-71). Albany, NY: State

University of New York Press.

Davies, D. (1996, February). Partnerships for student success. (Available from: Center on Families, Communi-

ties, Schools and Children’s Learning, 3505 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD, 21218).

Dryfoos, J.G. (1994). Full-service schools: A revolution in health and social services for children, youth, and

families. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers.


Bibliography

Epstein, J.L., & Sanders, M.A. (2000). Connecting home, school, and community: New directions for social re-

search. In M. T. Hallinan (Ed.), Handbook of the sociology of education. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum

Publishers.

Epstein, J.L. (1996). Advances in family, community and school partnerships. New Schools, New Communities,

12(3), 5-13.

Henderson, A.T., & Berla, A. (Eds.). (1997). A new generation of evidence: The family is critical to student achieve-

ment. Washington, D.C: National Committee for Citizens in Education.

Keith T.Z., Keith P.B., Troutman, G.C., Bickley P.G., Trivette, P.S., & Singh, K. (1993). Does parental involvement affect

eighth-grade student achievement? Structural analysis of national data. School Psychology Review, 22(3), 474-496.

Lee, V.E., & Croninger R.G. (1994, May). The relative importance of home and school in the development of

literacy skills for middle-grade students. American Journal of Education. 102, 286-329.

Maynard, S., & Howley, A. (1994). Parent and community involvement in rural schools. Charleston, WV: ERIC

Clearinghouse on Rural Education and Small Schools.

Roderick, M., & Stone, S. (principal investigators). (1998). Changing standards, changing relationships: Building

family – school relationships to promote achievement in high schools. Chicago: University of Chicago, School of

School Service Administration.

Shartrand, A.M., Weiss, H.B., Kreider, H.M., & Lopez, M. (1997). New skills for new schools: Preparing teachers in

family involvement. Cambridge: Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard Family Research Project.

Thorkildsen, R., & Stein, M.R. (1998). Is parent involvement related to student achievement? Phi Delta Kappan

[Online], (22). Available: www.pdkintl.org/edres/resbul22.htm.

Wang, M.C., Haertel, G.D., & Walberg, H.J. (1998). Effective features of collaborative, school-linked services for

children in elementary schools: What do we know from research and practice? Retrieved July 18, 2001 from the

World Wide Web: http://www.temple.edu/LSS/pub98-2.htm

keep talking 47

Resources

National Parent and Family Involvement Program Standards. National Parent

Teacher Association. www.pta.org/programs.

Teacher Education in Parent/Family Involvement Training. National Parent Teacher

Association. www.pta.org/programs.

Center for Law and Education. www.cleweb.org. Resources linking parents,

educators, students, and advocates for high quality education.

National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education. www.ncpie.org. Resources

for developing effective family/school partnerships in schools.

National Parent Information Network. www.npin.org/about. Information on

parenting and how parents can support their child’s learning.

National Network of Partnership Schools. www.csos.jhu.edu/p2000. Resources for

building comprehensive programs of strong school-family-community partnerships.

In addition, many other publications about family-school-community partnerships can be

ordered free of charge from the U.S. Department of Education by calling 1-800-USA-LEARN

or online www.ed.gov/pubs.


The participating schools

The LAB and RMC Research Corporation wish to thank the four schools that

participated in the study of family and community involvement.

Martin Luther King, Jr. School, Hartford, Connecticut

Rogers Magnet School, Stamford, Connecticut

Fletcher School, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Lawrence Family Development Charter School, Lawrence, Massachusetts

Keep talking was developed and written by RMC Research Corporation

for The Lab at Brown University.

Authors: C. Ralph Adler, Susan Frankel, Cynthia Harvell

Editing: Tom Crochunis Design: Sherri King-Rodrigues Production: Patricia Hetu

Copyright © 2001 Brown University. All rights reserved.

This publication is based on work supported by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI),

Department of Education, under Contract Number ED-01-CO-0010. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or

recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views

of OERI, the U.S. Department of Education, or any other agency of the U.S. Government.

Adeline Becker

Executive Director,


Mary-Beth Fafard

Interim Executive Director,

The LAB at Brown University

Ana Helvia Quintero-Alfaro

Judith Rizzo

Theodore S. Sergi

David B. Sherman

Ruby Simmonds

Jill Tarule

Carole Thomson

Alicia Smith Wallace

David Wolk

Vincent L. Ferrandino

Chair,

LAB Board of Governors

Marjorie M. Medd

Vice Chair,

LAB Board of Governors

J. Duke Albanese

Leslie Averna

Paul Crowley

Roseanne DeFabio

Nicholas Donohue

David Driscoll

Rachel Drown

Cesar Rey Hernandez

Harold Levy

L. Maria Sotelo Mann

Edward McElroy

Peter McWalters

H. ‘Bud’ Meyers

Richard Mills

Gregory S. Nash

Elizabeth Neale

Basan Nembirkow

C. Patrick Proctor, Sr.

Regional Governing Board Members

The Northeast and Islands Regional Educational Laboratory

a program of The Education Alliance at Brown University

NORTHEAST AND ISLANDS REGIONAL EDUCATIONAL

LABORATORY AT BROWN UNIVERSITY


222 Richmond Street, Suite 300

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Phone: 800.521.9550

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