Welcoming Atmosphere Walk-Through Tool Kit

Welcoming Atmosphere Toolkit for Schools Donna K. Marino, Parent Resource Coordinator Middletown School District Middletown, CT (860) Web: middletownschools.org, “Parent Resources”

CT State Department of Education Capitol Region Education Council CT PIRC SERC Middletown School District

“It doesn’t matter how many structured activities a school creates, parents must feel welcomed, accepted, respected, and validated at their school and by school leaders. That atmosphere is something that has to be ingrained rather than something contrived by events that are primarily intended to be scored or counted.” “It doesn’t matter how many structured activities a school creates, parents must feel welcomed, accepted, respected, and validated at their school and by school leaders. That atmosphere is something that has to be ingrained rather than something contrived by events that are primarily intended to be scored or counted.” - a Connecticut principal

Key Concept Every family functions as a home learning environment, regardless of its structure, economic level, ethnic or cultural background. Consequently, every family has the potential to support and improve the academic achievement of its children.

Do School-Family-Community Partnerships Matter? Impact of School-Family Partnerships Students with involved parents, no matter what their income or background, are more likely to: –Earn higher grades and test scores, and enroll in higher-level programs –Be promoted, pass their classes and earn credits –Attend school regularly –Have better social skills, show improved behavior and adapt well to school –Graduate and go on to postsecondary education

Do School-Family-Community Partnerships Matter? Impact of School-Community Partnerships –Upgraded school facilities –Improved school leadership and staffing –Higher quality learning programs for students –New resources and programs to improve teaching and curriculum –Resources for after-school programs and family supports –Increased social and political capital of participants

Why do parents get involved? Parent Role Construction Parental Efficacy School Invitingness Parental Involvement Student Achievement Adapted from Hoover-Dempsey (1997) and Lanthier, Wright-Cunningham, Edmonds (2003)

Karen Mapp The “Joining” Process  Welcoming  Honoring  Connecting

Theoretical Model OVERLAPPING SPHERES OF INFLUENCE OF FAMILY, SCHOOL, AND COMMUNITY ON CHILDREN’S LEARNING External Structure Force B Experience, Philosophy, Practices of Family Force C Experience, Philosophy, Practices of School Force D Experience, Philosophy, Practices of Community Force A Time/Age/Grade Level Reprinted with permission: Epstein, J. L., Sanders, M. G., Simon, B. S., Salinas, K. C., Jansorn, N. R., & Van Voorhis, F. L. (2002). School, Family, and Community Partnerships: Your Handbook for Action (Second Edition). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. See Handbook, page 164, for the internal structure of this model.

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Parental Involvement Definition Participation of parents in regular, two-way, and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities, ensuring– –That parents play an integral role in assisting their child’s learning; –That parents are encouraged to be actively involved in their child’s education at school; –That parents are full partners in their child’s education and are included, as appropriate, in decision making and on advisory committees to assist in the education of their child

What is the Welcoming Atmosphere Walk-Through?  An action team will coordinate a tour of the school.  The team will look at the elements of the school that let parents and community members know they are welcomed partners in the school  Based on their observations, the team will complete a Welcoming Atmosphere Commendation/Recommendation Form highlighting the welcoming aspects of your school.

What is the Purpose? Each school has different goals it hopes to achieve as a result of this walk-through. Examples:  Examining how inviting the school appears to its diverse community. diverse community.  Looking at strategies that can be employed to make the school more inviting to the families/community. the school more inviting to the families/community.  Trying to increase parent involvement.

What are the Components? The Physical Environment: Parking areas, classroom, lobby, hallways, etc. School-wide Practices and Policies: Interview with principal/administrative staff. Welcoming School Staff/Public Relations: Observations in the main office, hallways, and places open to the public; listen and look for inviting friendly tones.

What are the Components? Written Materials: Newsletters, parent handbook, flyers, and other materials distributed by the school. Web Sites and telephone message lines are also included, if applicable. Procedures and Policies: An interview with the principal highlighting events and procedures: open house, conferences, resources…

Who will do the Welcoming Atmosphere Walk-Through? Twelve people is the suggested size of the walk-through team: four staff members, eight parents/community members. To complement the team you may consider a custodian, secretary, a bus driver, a cafeteria worker, a neighbor, a community leader, an English as a second language parent, and /or others who represent the various cultures in your community and school.

Pre and Post Actions to Consider  How will you create buy in for the Welcoming Walk – Through process?  What are the conditions that need to be in place for the de-briefing sessions to be successful?

Pre and Post Actions to Consider  Who will communicate the results?  To whom will you communicate the results?  How will the recommendations be implemented?  How will you know if the recommendations are implemented?

THE KEYS TO SUCCESSFUL SCHOOL-FAMILY-COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS EPSTEIN’S SIX TYPES OF INVOLVEMENT PARENTING: Assist families with parenting and child-rearing skills, understanding child and adolescent development, and setting home conditions that support children as students at each age and grade level. Assist schools in understanding families. COMMUNICATING: Communicate with families about school programs and student progress through effective school-to-home and home-to-school communications. VOLUNTEERING: Improve recruitment, training, work, and schedules to involve families as volunteers and audiences at school or in other locations to support students and school programs. LEARNING AT HOME: Involve families with their children in learning activities at home, including homework and other curriculum-related activities and decisions DECISION MAKING: Include families as participants in school decisions, governance, and advocacy through PTA/PTO, school councils, committees, action teams, and other parent organizations. COLLABORATING WITH COMMUNITY: Coordinate resources and services for students, families, and the school with businesses, agencies, and other groups, and provide services to the community. Reprinted with permission: Epstein, J. L., Sanders, M. G., Simon, B. S., Salinas, K. C., Jansorn, N. R., & Van Voorhis, F. L. (2002). School, Family, and Community Partnerships: Your Handbook for Action (Second Edition). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. 4 Type 1 Type 2 Type 6 Type 5 Type 4 Type 3

Next Steps  Who will you involve?  What do you hope to accomplish?  What are you’re next steps?