Title: A study… Name Department of Early Childhood Education, University of Taipei ABSTRACT We discuss how a research-based model of the parental involvement process may be applied to a school. We focus on how one urban elementary school is using such a model and related measures to develop and test interventions designed to increase the incidence and effectiveness of parental involvement. This application serves as an example of how school districts can use theory- and research-based information to guide parental involvement policies and practice. “I think the research is absolutely vital to what we’re doing because (it tells us that)…you can correlate parent involvement with student achievement….If you don’t have the (parental involvement) piece, it has a direct impact on test scores, and test scores have an effect on everything.” –School Principal INTRODUCTION Ten years ago, Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler (1995, 1997) offered a theoretical model of the parental involvement process to answer two critical questions: Why do parents become involved in their children’s education? How does their involvement influence children’s educational outcomes? They identified relevant constructs and processes, focusing on those most salient from parents’ perspectives and potentially amenable to change. Next, Hoover-Dempsey, Sandler, and colleagues launched a study to develop measures of model constructs and test model-driven hypotheses (Hoover-Dempsey & Sandler, 2005). Across four studies, with data from 2,150+ parents of elementary and middle school children in 25+ public schools in a socioeconomically diverse metropolitan public school system in the mid-south, they produced reliable and valid measures for all model constructs and empirically validated many model constucts and processes (Walker, Wilkins, Dallaire, Sandler, & Hoover- Dempsey, 2005). The opportunity to apply the model occurred through collaboration with a public, urban elementary school which was seeking to develop an evidence-based parental involvement intervention to satisfy federal guidelines and enhance parents’ support of their children’s success in school. The school selected the Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler (1995, 2005) model to guide the development of interventions that would increase the incidence and effectiveness of parental involvement and support increases in student achievement in the school. Since the time of initial contact concerning application of the model to the school’s parental involvement plans, there has been ongoing consultation among school, intervention, and research staff. INTERVENTIONS Following consultation among school, intervention, and research lab staff, several specific interventions were developed. Some have been piloted during the ’06-’07 academic year. All will be implemented during the ’07-’08 year. STUDENT EDUCATION ENHANCEMENT PLAN (SEEP) The SEEP is an electronic conferencing tool designed to foster a partnership between teachers and parents in establishing individualized student learning goals. Teachers and parents use drop-down menus of assessment data to facilitate conversations about student progress on state performance indicators. Teachers, parents, and students identify steps they will each take to achieve specific learning goals and record any potential challenges to learning. After completion, a copy of the SEEP is given to the Program Coordinator, who works individually with parents to develop a Parent Enhancement Plan (PEP). The SEEP intervention targets Level 1 (e.g., personal motivations, invitations) of the model. INTERVENTIONS DISCUSSION REFERENCES This collaboration provides an informative example of how a school can use research-based models of parental involvement to enhance the effectiveness of parental involvement and assess its effects on student attributes that lead to academic success and student achievement. Given recent federal and state mandates (e.g., No Child Left Behind Act of 2001) that require schools to use research-based practices, this intervention program represents a first step in developing comprehensive parental involvement programs that are grounded in theory and empirical research. Importantly, this intervention also includes validated measures of program outcomes to assess effects on parental beliefs and behaviors as well as student attributes and measures of achievement. Results from these intervention efforts may guide the adoption of parental involvement program policies to be implemented district- and state-wide. For more information about this and related projects, please see our website: school/index.htmlhttp:// school/index.html Hoover-Dempsey, K. V., & Sandler, H. (1995). Parental involvement in children’s education: Why does it make a difference? Teachers College Record, 97, Hoover-Dempsey, K.V., & Sandler, H.M. (1997). Why do parents become involved in their children's education? Review of Educational Research, 67, Hoover-Dempsey, K.V., & Sandler, H.M. (2005). Final Performance Report for OERI Grant # R305T010673: The Social Context of Parental Involvement: A Path to Enhanced Achievement. Presented to Project Monitor, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, March 22, Shepard, K. W. (2007). In-service training to support and enhance teachers’ invitations to parental involvement. Thesis submitted to fulfill requirements of M.S. degree, Psychology, Vanderbilt University. Walker, J. M., Wilkins, A. S., Dallaire, J., Sandler, H. M., & Hoover-Dempsey, K. V. (2005). Parental involvement: Model revision through scale development. Elementary School Journal, 106, Many thanks for support from: Vanderbilt University, Peabody College Small Research Grants Program ( ); Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, through Grant #R305B to Vanderbilt University ( ); Hamilton County, Tennessee Department of Education. INTERVENTIONS PARENT ENHANCEMENT PLAN (PEP) The PEP is designed to equip parents with the specific knowledge and skills necessary for helping their children achieve learning goals identified in the SEEP. The Program Coordinator and parents work together individually or in small-group workshops on strategies to aid student learning. The PEP intervention targets Level 1 (e.g., personal motivation, invitations) and Level 2 (mechanisms). “You have to have a model…for guiding your behavior….When you have a theoretical framework, it helps you understand specifically what factors you have to work on. You’re not out there just fishing in the dark….Plus, you have a way to do the research because your variables are identified and it’s much clearer what it is you’re doing.” –Intervention Program Director MEASURES The participating school is located in an urban area in a mid-south city. It serves over 350 families that are predominantly African American (88.3% African American, 9.3% Caucasian, 2.4% Hispanic and Asian/Native American) and from lower socioeconomic backgrounds (81% of students receive free/reduced price lunch). The school employs about 25 classroom teachers and 10 support staff. Parents and teachers of 4 th -5 th grade children are being targeted for intervention and assessment. PARTICIPANTS Consistent with the model and intervention purposes, the following scales will be administered at the beginning and end of each school year to measure the impact of the parental involvement intervention program on parent and student outcomes (Hoover-Dempsey & Sandler, 2005; Walker et al., 2005). The Parent Questionnaire assesses parents’ motivations for becoming involved (Level 1), parents’ involvement activities (home-based and school-based), the mechanisms that parents employ during involvement (Level 2), and parents’ perceptions of student outcomes related to parental involvement (Level 4). The Student Questionnaire assesses students’ perceptions of parents’ use of parental involvement mechanisms (Level 3) and students’ proximal outcomes (Level 4).