1. Statewide Title I Network May 17, 2012 Ruth Anne Landsverk, DPI Family-School Community Partnerships Coordinator 608-266-9757 ruthanne.landsverk@dpi.wi.govruthanne.landsverk@dpi.wi.gov Evaluating Family-School-Community Partnerships

2. WHY Evaluate Partnerships? “What gets measured, gets done.” To assess the effectiveness of present efforts and policy (req’d for Title I schools) To improve partnership efforts by reflecting on partnership goals and activities To understand how partnerships support student learning and school goals To sustain partnership programs

3. WHO should evaluate partnerships? Partnership Action Team Title I Advisory Team Small group of parents, teachers, an administrator and other school staff (school counselor, school social worker, school psychologist/nurse) Others: Representative of the School Improvement Team Parent group leader/liaison

4. Three major areas to evaluate Implementation: What worked as planned? What didn’t? Why not? How can we tweak it? Outreach: How many families did you reach? How many new families participated? Progress: How are families’ behaviors/attitudes changing? How has it improved student performance? How are staff practices changing?

5. Questions for Schools to Ask Which activities are well-planned and promote student success? How many and which families feel welcomed by the school? How many and which families feel comfortable talking with teachers and sharing ideas with the school? Are more families involved every year? Which practices/programs need to improve?

6. Tips for evaluating well Begin with the end in mind. What do you want to accomplish? Mark short and long-term goals Share successes with partners, school staff, parents, and community Adjust early; don’t wait to improve Include multiple viewpoints: students, parents, school staff, community members

7. Examples of Simple Evaluations (short- term) Attendance, sign-in sheets Documenting policies and plans Suggestion box results Phone surveys Website suggestions Numbers of family contacts made by staff Workshop evaluation forms Anecdotal evidence

8. Simple evaluations CAN: Provide evidence that practice occurred (compliance) Gauge attendance, satisfaction with an event Identify which families are participating Simple evaluations CANNOT indicate if behaviors changed or student learning increased.

9. Evaluating Long-Term Results: “Evidence of Effectiveness” School data: Did the effort improve student attendance, behavior, tests or grades, grade progression, graduation? Family satisfaction survey: improved school climate, increased parent knowledge? Building community: # of community partners or volunteers, services and funds donated, use of website/facility/service.

10. Looking to Sustain Your Effort? Combine stories with evaluation data! Stories: Bring data to life Show how and why program was successful Move people to action. Use anecdotes, written survey or evaluation comments, or parent/teacher observations to drive home your success.

11. National Network of Partnership Schools Evaluation Process 1. Form a Partnership Action Team 2. Complete One-Year Action Plan: Identify 3-4 school goals and design several activities to help reach goals Identify how the team will measure results for each goal 3. Conduct End-of-Year Evaluation Lays groundwork for improvement next year

12. When S hould Schools Evaluate? Start of School Year: Measuring Your Partnerships survey During School Year At each monthly team meeting take 10 mins. to reflect on strengths and weaknesses of activity Mid-Year How is our team/staff working together? End of School Year Devote one full meeting to completing Annual Evaluation of Activities

13. What are Title I School Districts required to evaluate? Annual review of parent involvement programs to: Content and effectiveness of parent involvement policies Effectiveness at improving the academic quality of schools served under Title 1 Identify barriers to parent involvement, especially for parents who are economically disadvantaged, disabled, minority, or limited English/literacy. Based on the results of the evaluation, design more effective strategies for parent involvement.

14. What must Title I Schools evaluate? Involve parents, in an organized, ongoing, and timely way, in the planning, review, and improvement of programs for parent involvement, including The planning, review, and improvement of the school parent involvement policy and The joint development of the schoolwide program plan.

15. Make Time/Take Time to Evaluate School teams that make evaluation a priority report that they have: Fewer obstacles to developing partnerships More collegial support Higher-quality partnership programs More likelihood of using results to improve plans and activities for next year.

16. School Story: Washington Elementary, Oshkosh Action Team subcommittees reflect school goals: student achievement, school safety & climate, and partnerships Use data to identify gaps in student achievement and student behavior. Activities designed to involve families in closing the gaps Annually evaluate and revise school family involvement policy Survey families: family learning nights, CLC, and Gallup school perceptions survey

17. Washington Elementary, Oshkosh (cont’d) “Very helpful” evaluations combined with action resulted in: 20% gain from Fall to Spring in student reading proficiency High-80s% of students proficient or above in WKCE scores at three grades Resulted in grant awards of $500,000: Spotlight School award CLC 21 st Century grant School of Recognition grant.

18. Other Wisconsin schools have evaluated: Middle school families on how to make transition to middle school easier Staff & family attitudes toward schools/funding; community focus groups What parents need to help students apply or prepare for post-high school What topics families need more information on to help children learn For sample surveys, visit DPI VISTA Google Page: https://sites.google.com/a/dpi.wi.gov/dpi-vista-project/resources-1/surveys https://sites.google.com/a/dpi.wi.gov/dpi-vista-project/resources-1/surveys

19. Examples of Evaluations DPI: Measuring Your Partnerships National Network of Partnership Schools Title I Family Involvement Toolkit New Jersey Self-Evaluation Tool: http://www.preventchildabusenj.org/njpirc/documents/parent_ involvement_self_evaluation_toolkit.pdf http://www.preventchildabusenj.org/njpirc/documents/parent_ involvement_self_evaluation_toolkit.pdf Connecticut Family-School Compact 10-Step Process: http://schoolparentcompact.org/pdf/Tool_10.pdf http://schoolparentcompact.org/pdf/Tool_10.pdf Harvard Family Research Project: www.hfrp.orgwww.hfrp.org

20. Evaluation Resources Statewide Title I Network Parent Inv. Toolkit http://dpi.wi.gov/titleone/parent_index.html http://dpi.wi.gov/titleone/parent_index.html National Network of Partnership Schools www.partnershipschools.org www.partnershipschools.org Harvard Family Research Project: http://www.hfrp.org/evaluation http://www.hfrp.org/evaluation NEA Family-School-Community Partnerships 2.0 http://neapriorityschools.org/wp-content/ http://neapriorityschools.org/wp-content/ uploads/2011/11/Entire_PSC_Profiles_Interactive.pdf USDE Evaluating Family Engagement Strategies http://www.nationalpirc.org/engagement_webinars/webinar-8/evaluating-family- egnagement-strategies.pdf http://www.nationalpirc.org/engagement_webinars/webinar-8/evaluating-family- egnagement-strategies.pdf

21. Group Question What successes and challenges do districts or schools in your CESA face in evaluating family- school-community partnerships? What ideas can your table come up with to address the challenges? Share practices with each other and the group.