Parent Involvement/ Engagement in

First Nation schools

My ExperienceInside of Teepee. Photography by Fay Zoccole, 2013.

Presentation Bundle

• My own stories• Definition and benefits of Parent

Engagement• First Nation students: What’s it like• Barriers that impede Parent

Engagement• Two Popular Theories: Which theory

works best?• ConclusionSweetgrass braid. Retrieved from: www.allipacha.com

My own story

Veronica Davis. Photograph by Mike Davis. 1978.

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Grandpa Jeno Meshake. Photograph by Mike Davis.

1978.

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Rene Meshake. Photographed by Joan Meshake, 2012.

Mom and dad. Photographed by unknown, 2012.

Definitions: Parent Involvement & Engagement

• Involvement: Parents support their children through communication with teacher and support for their child.

• Engagement: Parents that are fully engaged and actively participate in school-sponsored activities or help their children in ways visible to their children and others

Mother and daughter. Photograph by Fay Zoccole, 2007.

First Nations students: What’s it like?

• Education gaps• No special education

supports and services

Zoccole kids in Weagamow. Photograph by Fay Zoccole, 2007.

What do students want/need?

• A safe place to learn• To know there culture• Nice teachers• Library with lots of books• Extra-curricular activities• Role models from their

communities

Fancy -shaw dancer. Photograph by Fay Zoccole, 2007.

What do parents want?

• They want their children to be successful.

• Access to resources for special needs children.

• They want their children to develop their own talents.

Zoccole kids and me. Photograph by Fay Zoccole, 2006.

What do teachers want?

• Parents to be involved• Supports for students with special

needs• Professional development: How to

work with First Nation families?• Learn about community protocols

and expectationsKokum Zoccole and Aaryn. Photograph by Fay Zoccole, 2013.

Barriers that impede parent engagement

• Residential school experience• Teacher’s negative

assumptions• Heavy use of professional

jargon• Meetings not planning around

needs of parent/families• Clash of cultures

Teepee in Marten Falls. Photograph by Fay Zoccole, 2012.

What does a school that nurtures relations with First Nation parents look like?

• Classrooms and hallways• Parents are recognized as

equal partners• Supportive and utilizing of

language revitalization• Parents, elders and senior

students are part of staff meetings

• First Nation teachersLearning literacy by utilizing the medicine wheel. Photograph by Fay Zoccole, 2011.

Which theory works best?

Parenting

Communication

Parent volunteering

Learning at home

Decision Making

Collaborating

Epstein’s Parental Involvement Framework

Criticism: What’s wrong with this theory?

• Parents are not partners in the school

• Parents are positioned in subservient ways

Theory 2: Kellaghan, Sloane, Alvarez & Bloom

Support families

Parental Education Programs

Parenthood Education

Parent Involvement & Parent Participant Programs

School. Clip Art Pictures. Retrieved from : www.embroyoniccjourney.blogspot,com.

Find the strength in communities and students

Matt and Aaryn. Photograph by Fay Zoccole, 2007.

Conclusion

1. Teacher needs to work with parents to reach students.

2. View parents as equal partners in their child’s education.

3. The school serves the families.

4. Focus on the strengths of students and community.

5. Questions?

Teacher Parents StudentsJust a teacher. Photograph by Fay Zoccole,

2013. Ojibway Parents. Photograph by Sylvia Davis,

2012.Davis kids. Photograph by Sylvia Davis, 2012.

References

Assembly of First Nations. (2012). The National Panal on First Nation Elementary and Secondary Educationn for Students on Reserve.

Balli, S. J. (1996, Winter). Family Diversity and the Nature of Parent Invovlement. Education Forum, 60(131725), 1-6.

Beader, A. (2010, February). Stepping Into Students' Worlds. Educational Leadership, pp. 56-60.

Becker, J. M. (2011). A five-year Follow-Up: Teachers' Perceptions of the Benefits of Home Visits for Early Elementary Children. Early Childhood Education, 191-196.

Bower, J. &. (2011). Can the Epstein Model of Parental Involvment Work in a High-Minority, High-Poverty Elementary School? A Case Study. ASCA Professional School Counseling, 77-87.

Bryan, J. &. (2008, December). Strengths-Based Partnerships: A School-Family-Community Partnership Appraoch to Empowering Students. ASCA, pp. 149-156.

Cairney, T. (2000). Beyond the Classroom Walls: the rediscovery of family and community as parents in education. Educational Review, 52(2), 163-174.

Epstein, J. & Sanders, M. (2006). Prospects for Change: Preparing Educators for School, Family and Community Partnerships. Peabody Journal of Education, 81(2), 81-120.

Kellaghan, T., Sloane, K., Bloom, B., & Alcarez, B. (1993). The home environment and school learning. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.