1. Building Relationships & Trust among Families & Schools

2. O BJECTIVES Identify parents’ role in promoting school success Consider the barriers to parent involvement and home-school collaboration Identify what you can do to help facilitate home-school connections and foster trust among families & schools

3. W HY C ARE ABOUT H OME -S CHOOL R ELATIONSHIPS ? Is the basis for positive home-school collaboration Promotes communication & conflict resolution Promotes children’s academic and social- emotional success

4. P ARENT I NVOLVEMENT Parents enhance learning at home & school by: – Valuing, – Mentoring, – Helping, – Doing Academic Support for Learning Motivational Support for Learning

5. P REDICTORS OF P ARENT I NVOLVEMENT Parent’s confidence in their ability to influence child’s performance & experience Parental value of skill mastery Perceptions of the value of involvement Own school history (ghosts? baggage?) Eccles & Harold; Cullerton-Sen

6. G HOSTS IN THE S CHOOL C LOSET Consider a child you work with who is having difficulties at school or who does not want to go to school.

7. W HAT ARE THE B ARRIERS TO I NVOLVEMENT ?  Parent Characteristics  Child Characteristics  Community  School/ Teacher Characteristics Eccles & Harold

8. W HAT ’ S IN THE S UIT C ASE ? In any interaction, there is a relationship. YOU SCHOOL CHILD PARENT

9. What’s Our Role? Building Bridges

10. HOME- SCHOOL REL YOU SCHOOL PARENTS SCHOOL SUCCESS

11. P ARENT C ONSULTANTS Providing Information Preparing/Coaching (e.g., Active Listening) Support/ Validation YOU Academic Support Motivational Support PARENTS Understand home context Shared communication & responsibility SCHOOL

12. P ARENT A DVOCATES YOUPARENTS SCHOOL

13. S CHOOL L IAISON Provide Information Reframe Resistance Emphasize knowledge & interest of Families Problem Solve Encourage Parent Initiate Positive Contact Value P resources Invite P assistance Academic Support Motivational Support YOU SCHOOL PARENTS

14. C ONFLICT R ESOLUTION “Pseudo Conflicts” – Misunderstandings – Misattributions – Passive Listening Christensen & Hirsh, 1999

15. 4 P ARTS OF N EGOTIATION Separate Person from issue Focus on mutual interests Generate multiple solutions prior to decision making Consider all possibilities & decide using objective criteria Fisher & Ury, 1981

16. A CTIVITY Think about your current role in your agency. Write down 3 specific ways you can help build more trusting P-S relationships & support learning at home. Idea Sharing

17. T HANK Y OU ! Crystal Cullerton-Sen, Ph.D. crystals@umn.edu