1 1 M. Elena Lopez Senior Consultant Harvard Family Research Project Family Engagement for High School Success Toolkit Family Engagement for High School Success: Creating a Plan of Action

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Today’s Conversation Research Base Toolkit Development Relevance for After-School Programs Strategic Decisions Questions & Comments

Research Base Supportive parenting is important for the educational attainment of all youth. – Even if youth do well in academics and have no behavioral problems, those with poor relationships with families tend to drop out of high school. Englund, M., Englund, B. & Collins, W.A. (2008). Exceptions to high school dropout predictions in a low-income sample: Do adults make a difference? Journal of Social Issues, 64 (1),

Family strengths are associated with positive youth outcomes. – The behaviors and supports families can provide consist of close and caring relationships, monitoring, being involved, and setting a good example. Moore, K.A., Whitney, C. & Kinukawa, A. (2009). Exploring the links between family strengths and adolescent outcomes. Research Brief Publ Washington D.C.: Child Trends.

Certain types of family involvement matter most for student achievement and positive development. – “Academic socialization:” communicating expectations, actively planning for beyond high school, and providing additional work and enrichment beyond school. Hill, N. E. and Tyson, D. F. (2009). Parental involvement in middle school: A meta-analytic assessment of the strategies that promote achievement. Developmental Psychology, 45 (3),

Toolkit Development AT&T invests in high school retention and workforce readiness. United Way Worldwide pilots Family Engagement for High School Success. Harvard Family Research Project provides technical and evaluation support.

Relevance for After-School Programs Walks you through iterative planning and implementation processes. 1.Building a Community of Partners* 2.Defining the Focal Populations 3.Defining Outcomes 4.Identifying Obstacles 5.Developing Strategies 6.Measuring Progress and Results 7.Communicating Your Initiative *Contents of planning section.

Shares promising practices. – Student and family participation in planning – Leveraging community resources – Using online student data systems Contains tools for planning, implementation and evaluation. Relevance for After-School Programs

Strategic Decisions Defining focal population. Shaping family engagement efforts. – Alignment with student outcomes – Understanding obstacles Clarifying partner roles. Identifying actionable data.

Focus efforts on defined group of students and their families.

Align family engagement efforts with student outcomes.

Understand obstacles.

Clarify roles and responsibilities of schools and relevant community organizations. – Training – Outreach – Activities – Data collection and analysis – Communication

Identify and collect actionable data. - Information about whether your strategies have been implemented as planned - How many families you have reached - Whether families are making progress toward desired outcomes

Afterschool Evaluation 101 is a how-to guide to help OST program directors who have little or no evaluation experience develop an evaluation strategy.