Engaging Families in Learning and Planning Susan H. Peele, M.Ed. February 22 – 23, 2013

 Introduce yourself to your friend on the right and the left ….counting by 3’s from the center seat.  Share your response to each of the following questions: ◦ 1. What has been your most successful means of communicating with families? ◦ 2. Why do you this it is effective? ◦ 3. What has been your biggest challenge when it comes to communicating with families? ◦ 4. How can those challenges be addressed? SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS! ACTIVITY

Research demonstrates and suggests that family involvement in education matters for student success. Family engagement improves - – School readiness; – Student achievement; – Social skills; – School attendance; – Academic performance and; – Attitudes about school. The Facts

By creating a seamless system of strategies that places families as a core partner in the learning process children will learn and grow and the partnership… – Results in a shared responsibility in supporting family engagement; – Provides guidance that reflects each person’s role and responsibility in promoting productive home-school communication – Provides strategies so that parents and educators enter into conversations/conferences with shared expectations and an increased ability to work together to improve children’s educational outcomes.

Family engagement does not happen in a vacuum; It takes the committed actions of both families and providers/teachers working together; Through shared responsibility programs and teachers reach out to and engage families in meaningful ways; Through shared responsibility families do their part to actively support their children’s learning and developing;

Home-School communication predicts positive outcomes for children and schools; Parent-teacher conferences is an opportunity for parents to learn from teachers and teachers to learn from parents; Teacher efforts to better understand the aspirations and perceptions of families can help them feel respected and build trust.

 For Families ◦ YOU are the child’s first and most important teacher; ◦ YOU and your child’s school have something in common – both want the child to learn and do well; ◦ YOU have valuable information about your child’s  Talents,  Interests,  Learning styles,  Non-school learning opportunities, and  Strengths and needs ◦ YOU may learn something new about how your child learns; ◦ Family – Teacher conferences are a great way to start talking. Tips for Productive and Effective Engagement

Ways for Families to Be Involved ACTIVITY

For Teachers – Before The Conference – Send invitations Send information about conferences and meetings – Flyers – Notes – Phone calls – Community meetings – Provide information about time, purpose and alternative scheduling options Tips for Productive and Effective Engagement

– Review the child’s progress Be prepared to go over the child’s progress Focus on learning - what the child is doing (not what they are not doing) Focus on next steps (scaffolding) Think about what you would like to learn about the child from the parent Share program and curriculum goals and objectives with the parent More Tips…..

Prepare thoughts and material More Tips….. Create a list of key issues you want to discuss about the child’s progress and growth Prepare a portfolio of work samples and examples and walk the parents through it Prepare suggestions that may assist and ask for ideas from the family and be ready to accept their ideas and thoughts Be prepared to make a plan with the parents for Next Steps Be prepared to arm parents with knowledge and suggestions for how to help their children learn Admit to challenges (without being judgmental or critical)

 Send reminders Send reminders the week before the conference Written invitation Telephone call Include an outline/agenda to prepare parents Provide alternative scheduling options with contact information More Tips ….

 Create a welcoming environment  Make the classroom (if meeting there) comfortable by providing adult size seating, if possible;  Be sure displays include work by all of the children; and  Provide a private space for the conference. More Tips ….

 For Teachers --During the Conference ◦ Discuss progress and growth  Start with the positive  Reference to typical development – not other children  Focus on “progress” toward learning goals and identify the goals that need to be addressed ◦ Use examples  Walk parents through data and observations  Use portfolio samples ◦ Ask questions and listen actively  Solicit family input about strengths and needs  Ask about their hopes and dreams for their child More Tips ….

Share ideas for supporting learning – Provide suggestions and strategies that can be used at home – Provide/offer supportive materials Seek solutions collaboratively – Avoid judgments about “what” parents should do --- emphasize how “we” can work together to address learning and resolve any problems. More Tips …

Make a “Next Steps” plan – Spend time discussing how you and the family will support the child, – Be specific What will you do How long will you do them How will you check in with one another about progress Establish lines of communication – Describe how you will communicate (notes, phone, letters, , etc.) – Schedule a way and time to follow up More Tips ….

For Teachers – After the Conference – Follow up with families (Thank you’s are powerful!) Phone call or note – Thank you for attending – Ask if they have further questions or concerns and – Send home materials, if promised Contact parents who did not attend – Offer to reschedule and/or – Offer alternative ways to communicate about their child More Tips

 Communicate regularly  Communicate ongoing with positive news and updates on progress and challenges  Inform families about other opportunities for their involvement  Connect in-class activities  Create instructional practices that are responsive to what you learned about family culture, learning environment, and child strength and needs. More Tips …

 B est intentions assumed  E mphasis on learning  H ome-school collaboration  E xamples and evidence  A ctive listening  R espect for all  D edication to follow-up “BE HEARD” - For a Great Parent- Teacher Conference

Resources Biddle, Julie K. (2012) The Three Rs of Leadership, HighScope Press, Ypsilanti, Michigan. Child Care Information Exchange, (September/October 2003) Bruno, Holly Elissa, Hearing Parents in Every Language: An Invitation to ECE Professionals. Dodge, Diane Trister, Colker, Laura J., Heroman, Cate. (2002) The Creative Curriculum® for Preschool, Fourth Edition. Teaching Strategies, Inc. Washington, DC. Graham-Clay, Susan (2010 ) Communicating with Parents: Strategies for Teachers. Harvard Family Research Project (2010) Cambridge, MA. Henderson, A., Mapp. K. I.., Johnson, V., & Davies, D. (2007) Beyond the bake sale: The essential guide to family-school partnerships. New York: The New Press Lawrence-Lightfoot, S. (2003). The essential conversation: What parents and teachers can learn from each other. New York: Ballentine Books NAEYC – Young Children (2009) Communications Skills for Challenging Conversations, a training for program administrators