1. FAMILY INVOLVEMENT
Creating Home-School Partnerships So That All Children Succeed
Anne Thompson
Miami-Dade County Public Schools
Office of Parental Involvement

2. A New Wave of Evidence:
The Impact of School, Family and Community Connections on Student Achievement
By Anne T. Henderson
and Karen L. Mapp

3. Overall Finding: When families are involved at home and at school --
Children do better in school, and the schools get better

4. If Parents are Involved, Students from All Backgrounds Tend To:
Earn higher grades and test scores
Enroll in higher-level programs
Be promoted and earn credits
Adapt well to school and attend regularly
Have better social skills and behavior
Graduate and go on to higher education

5. Finding #1: Link to Learning
Parent and community involvement that is designed to improve student learning has a greater effect on achievement.

6. Parent Impact: Middle-High School
Greatest impact on student achievement:
High expectations for student success
Discussing plans for future education
Helping students prepare for college
Monitoring progress
Knowledge of courses and classes
(Catsambis, 1998; Ho and Willms, 1996)

7. Finding #2: Programs Work
Parents will attend workshops on helping children
Parents will use this information to help their children
Students will do better as a result

8. Finding #3: Advocacy is Protective
The more families can be advocates for children and support their progress, the better their children do, and the longer they stay, in school.

9. What are Advocates? 1. Know how system works
2. Work with school staff to plan for children’s future
3. Guide children through the system
4. Know where to get help
5. Speak out for other
parents

10. Finding #4: All Families Contribute
Families of all backgrounds are involved at home.
Talk about school
Help plan for higher education
Keep focused on learning and homework.
Encourage their children

11. Finding #5: Working with Community Groups Gets Results
Upgraded school facilities
Improved school leadership and staffing
Higher quality learning programs
Resources to improve teaching and curriculum
Funding for after-school programs and family supports
(Lewis, Mediratta and Fruchter, 2002)

12. Findings #6-8: Practices that Work to Engage All Families
Focus on building personal relationships
Reach out and remove barriers
Address class and cultural differences

13. Parents Are More Likely to Become Involved When:
Parents understand that they SHOULD be involved
Parents feel CAPABLE of making a contribution
Parents feel INVITED by the school and their children
(Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler, 1997)

14. Where does your School Fall?
Partnership School: We do WHATEVER IT TAKES to work with families so all students succeed
Open-door School: We offers lots of ways for parents to be involved
Come-if-we-call School: Parents are welcome when we set the terms
Fortress School: Parents belong at HOME

15. What can YOU do?
Encourage conversations with other parents about how their children learn, what seems to help them.
Organize small gatherings at home, church, community centers or schools nearby; invite parents to talk about what they consider important in education. Keep inviting!
Don’t give up on parents.
Keep working with teachers and other personnel to establish connections between families and the school.
Keep showing respect for each family, no matter what your feelings are about how good or bad they are as parents.
Encourage parents who have concerns to talk to the teachers, counselors or principals. Offer to go as support with them if they feel embarrassed or shy.
Remember: it’s all about the children!

16. We need a new vision for parent involvement
A vision that matches the reality of the 21st Century