Involving Families – Achieving Results Presented by Dr. Michele Anciaux Aoki, Consultant on School-Family-Community Partnerships

Partnerships: A Normal Part of School Life  Partnerships should be a normal, expected part of school life – no matter who is there. Yet, most schools barely succeed with the "easy to reach" families and fail miserably with the "difficult to reach" ones.  Using the nationally recognized model for School, Family, Community Partnerships developed by Dr. Joyce Epstein at Johns Hopkins University, schools can achieve the results they seek. Note: Some of the content in this presentation is based on a training in 1999 by Dr. Joyce Epstein at the National Network of Partnership Schools, Johns Hopkins University.

What the (International) Research Says  Families vary in their involvement  Parents care about success for their kids  Students need multiple sources of support to succeed  Teachers and administrators are initially resistant to partnerships But become supportive when they see results  Schools must reach out to involve families Most families won’t do it on their own

From Ordinary to Excellent Programs  Have you ever heard people say: “If we just had parent involvement here, we’d have greater achievement.” What kind of achievement are you looking for? Which kind of parent involvement is needed? Where’s the link?  Different types of involvement yield different results  Identify the Hurdles - Face the Challenges  Select activities that produce results

What Are You Looking For?            

Keys to Successful School- Family-Community Partnerships Joyce Epstein Framework: Six Types of Involvement Parenting Communicating Volunteering Learning at Home Decision Making Collaborating with Community

Parenting              

Communicating              

Volunteering              

Learning at Home            

Decision Making              

Collaborating with Community              