1. Sam Redding sredding@centerii.org Center on Innovation & Improvement www.families-schools.org www.centerii.org Family and Community Engagement

2. Handbook on Family and Community Engagement Published in September 2011 36 experts contributed chapters Partnered with U. S. Department of Education – Title I Download free at: www.families-schools.orgwww.families-schools.org Purchase published version from Information Age at: www.infoagepub.com www.infoagepub.com

3. What Is Family Engagement? 1. Families engaged with own children. 2. Families engaged with families of other children. 3. Families engaged with their childrens school.

4. Comprehensive Family Engagement Leadership, structures (teams), systems (processes) Doing many things well over time Ongoing conversation Engaging families intentionally, with purpose Connecting to student learning (academic, social, emotional) Adopting a school community approach People intimately attached to the school Relationships among all membersleaders, teachers, staff, parents, students, volunteers Roles and responsibilities Knowing each familys story

5. Student Learning Outcomes Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning What the research tells us Strong link between family and school learning Curriculum of the Home Parental aspiration for children Self-efficacy perception Parents Students

6. Curriculum of the Home Parent-Child Relationship Daily conversation about everyday events Showing affection Family discussion of books, magazine, newspapers, TV, internet Family visits to libraries, museum, zoos, etc. Encouragement to try new words

7. Curriculum of the Home Routine of Family Life Formal study time at home A daily routine that includes time to eat, sleep, play, work, study, and read A quiet place to study and read Family interest in hobbies, games, educational activities

8. Curriculum of the Home Family Expectation and Supervision Priority given to reading, school work over television, video games, recreation Punctuality – children expected to be on time Children expected to do their best and accept responsibility for what they do Concern for correct and effective use of language Parental knowledge and discussion of what is watched on TV and viewed on the internet Parental knowledge of school achievement and personal growth

9. Other Considerations about Parents William Jeynes: aspirations and expectations Kathleen Hoover-Dempsey: self-efficacy perception The Ongoing Conversation about expectations and obligations – every opportunity Reaching Parents: Three Types of Parent Relationships with Children and with School Distressed Families Child-Centered Families Parent-Centered Families

10. Lessons Learned Leadership matters Principal Team Correlation with success: regular meetings, well-attended, and focus Cliques are counterproductive Continuity and sustainability are necessary but difficult Cult of the charismatic leader The new New Thing

11. Lessons Learned Direct interaction focused on student learning is paramount Home visits and home gatherings Parent-child activities (home links) Focused, three-way, linked parent-teacher-student conferences Open house that includes role of parents at home The work never takes a back seat Purposeful activity rather than simply more activity

12. Building Blocks for Strong School Communities Shared Leadership: Building strong, distributed leadership for family and community engagement. Goals and Roles: Setting family and community engagement priorities and defining the roles of lead­ers, teachers, parents, and others in meeting goals. Communication: Promoting communication among leaders, teachers, parents, students, and others and providing information and guidance for them. Education: Providing education and professional development for leaders, teachers, parents, and others to advance their knowledge and skills relative to the roles they play in family and community engagement. Connection: Bringing together people and groups to advance the goals of family and community engagement and sharing their experiences. Continuous Improvement: Establishing policies, systems, and procedures to evaluate and continu­ously improve family and community engagement efforts.

13. Resources www.families-schools.org Indicators in Action

14. Suggested School Practice From Handbook on Family and Community Engagement