A Research-to-Practice Study

Research suggests parent training leads to positive outcomes for children; however, many studies lack methodological rigor and so more evidence is needed (Mattingly et. al., 2002) The Incredible Years (Webster-Stratton, 2007) is an evidence-based parent training program

Effectiveness indicated through several large studies with adequate research design. School based study indicated parents who attended program had higher levels of parent involvement (Reid, Webster-Stratton, & Hammond, 2007).

Practitioner Participation Facilitators supposed to attend three-day training Program is a minimum of 24 hours direct training and approximately 6-8 hours of planning per week – many school psychologists may perceive as being too time intensive given their other responsibilities (Curtis et. Al., 2008). Parent Participation Difficult to get parents to commit to attend entire program Ex., Reid study – majority of parents attended less than 50% of 14 sessions.

A shorter, universal program will be more feasible for practitioners to implement Parent participation will increase Will still see positive impact on parental involvement in childs school

Six caregivers (four biological mothers, one grandmother, one aunt) Three Caucasian, three African-American Four teachers Elementary school in urban school district 263 students grades pre-K-5 18% AA 7% Hispanic 67% Caucasian 95% economically disadvantaged

Facilitated by two doctoral level school psychologists and doctoral intern One facilitator had been trained and gave two hour training to other facilitators Recruited all parents in grades K-2 through flyer sent home Group was 2 hours once/week for 4 weeks Beverages & snacks provided each session Parent incentive for attendance provided (raffle for gas cards)

Content: The Incredible Years: Parents and Children series – Supporting Your Childs Education (Webster- Stratton, 2007): Session one – Promoting Reading Skills Session two – Dealing with Childrens Discouragement Session three – Fostering Good Learning Habits and Routines Session four – Parents showing interest in school and homework

Quasi-Experimental Pre-post measurement of parent involvement using portion of parent and teacher questionnaires (INVOLVE-P, INVOLVE-T)* Parent satisfaction measurement via program evaluation Matched control group * unpublished questionnaires downloaded and used with permission from ing-clinic/forms.asp

100% attended 3 out of 4 sessions Parent questionnaire data (INVOLVE-P) indicates small group effect size (.15) Evaluation questionnaire indicates high level of satisfaction Example of parent feedback: Q: What part of the program was most helpful to you? A: Being able to view and discuss the different techniques that can assist me in being more productive & successful in aiding my childs learning.

3 of 5 pre and post questionnaires returned; no control groups completed Small Group Effect Size –.18 Individual effect sizes varied – Parent (negative) Parent (medium) Parent (medium)

Parent participation still low (possible reason: during the day) Parents who attend are already involved (low effect size) No conclusions drawn due to insufficient number of subjects, lack of control group School psychologist participation limited Offered training to 4 practitioners/interns; only one practitioner attended; one intern facilitated. Difficulty collecting data teacher

Curtis, M., Lopez, A., Castillo, J., Batsche, G., Minch, D., & Smith, J. (2008). The status of school psychology: demographic characteristics, employment conditions, professional practices, and continuing professional development. Retrieved June 25, 2008 from mocq365sp_status.aspx mocq365sp_status.aspx Mattingly, D., Pristlin, R., McKenzie, T., Rodriguez, J., & Kayzar, B. (2002). Evaluating evaluations: The case of parent involvement programs. Review of Educational Research, 72,

Reid, J., Webster-Stratton, C., Hammond, M. (2007). Enhancing a classroom social competence and problem-solving curriculum by offering parent training to families of moderate- to high-risk elementary school children. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology,36, Webster-Stratton, C. (1992, revised, 2002). The Incredible Years: Parents and Children Series. Seattle: University of Washington.

Marybeth Auletto – Johnstown school district, Johnstown, OH – Elisha Eveleigh – Intern in Columbus City School District – Jack Wisnewski – School Psychologist – Columbus City School District –