1. The Why, What, and How of Effective Family and Community Engagement Karen L. Mapp, Ed.D. Harvard Graduate School of Education 1

2. Why is family and community engagement so important to children’s development and achievement?

3. Family Engagement Faster Literacy Acquisition

4. The National Center for Family Literacy Reviewed the scientific literature on parent involvement in the acquisition of reading from kindergarten to third grade. The analysis used either quasi-experimental or experimental studies using control groups. Their analysis found that parents’ engagement in reading activities has a large effect on children’s reading performance. The mean weighted effect size of.68 equates to a ten-point gain on a standardized tests.

5. Family Engagement Faster Literacy Acquisition Higher Grades and Test Scores Enrollment in higher level programs Promoted on time and earn more credits Better social skills and behavior Adapt better to school and attend regularly Enroll in post-secondary institutions

6. Community Engagement Upgraded school facilities Higher quality learning programs Improved leadership and staffing Enhanced and expanded social networks Resources for after-school and family supports Increased social and political capital Leadership development of youth and families

8. Cultivating Effective Engagement Why has it been difficult to cultivate and sustain effective family and community engagement initiatives that support student development and achievement?

9. Cultivating Effective Engagement The various stakeholders have not had the opportunity to develop the collective capacity to engage in effective engagement initiatives.

10. Definition of Capacity Connections - social capital, the internal and external relationships and the strength and structure of these connections Capabilities - the specific types of human capital, skills, knowledge and know how Confidence - the types of individual self-efficacy Cognition - beliefs, assumptions, values, and world-views - Higgins, 2005

11. Where do we start?

12. With a Paradigm Shift FromTo Focus on programsFocus on relationships Deficit-based and adversarial Asset-based and collaborative Random actsSystemic Individual responsibility Collaborative, shared responsibility Compliance driven Learning and outcomes driven ServiceDevelopmental One-time projectsSustained Initiatives

13. The Bottom Line: We have to shift from seeing families and the community as part of the problem to an essential part of the solution.

14. Q and A