1. Children in the Budget: Welcome Part One: Family & Community Engagement Webinar Presented by: Dr. Joyce Epstein, PhD - Director Center on School, Family and Community Partnerships Johns Hopkins University Thursday, June 14, 2012 at 2 p.m. EST

2. PARTNERSHIPS THEN and NOW How to Develop Programs of Family and Community Engagement to Increase Student Success Joyce L. Epstein, Ph.D., Director © Center on School, Family, and Community Partnerships Working Together for Student Success

3. How Can Educators and Parents STRENGTHEN and SUSTAIN HEALTHY SCHOOLS? What do we mean by a HEALTHY SCHOOL? 1.We mean a safe and nurturing PLACE. A welcoming school environment for ALL A Partnership School A “family-like” school and “school-like” families An EXCELLENT school that students, teachers, parents, and others WANT to attend and support Other ideas...?

4. What do we mean by a Healthy School? 2. We mean a place that produces positive RESULTS and helps students develop to their full potential. Academic Results Intellectual Development Curricular and Other Achievements Commitment to Role of Student High Graduation/Low Dropout Rates College or Career Plans & Actions Physical Health Good Nutrition, Exercise Prevention of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Drug Use/Abuse Good Attendance Emotional Growth Positive Attitudes about School Self Concept, Behavior, Good Relationships with Peers, Friends, Family, Teachers Appreciation of Others OTHER RESULTS FOR STUDENTS?

5. Everyone wants EXCELLENT and SUCCESSFUL SCHOOLS and STUDENTS. How will we reach these goals?

6. Not only THAT partnerships contribute to good schools and successful students But also WHAT is needed in an excellent partnership program? and… HOW to organize and sustain high-quality and equitable programs to engage ALL families and the community in goal-linked ways. What is important to know about school, family, and community partnerships? We must think in new ways about leadership for partnerships at the district and school levels?

7. For America’s Promise Communities, this means: KNOWING Understand the research base that connects family and community involvement to results for students: A TTENDANCE A CHIEVEMENT A TTAINMENT

8. KNOWING is not enough. New directions also require: TAKING ACTION Apply research-based approaches to develop SUSTAINABLE PROGRAMS that engage ALL PARENTS and COMMUNITY partners in ways that promote student success : END DROPOUT ( A TTENDANCE) COMPLETE HIGH SCHOOL ( A chieve) PREPARE FOR COLLEGE AND CAREERS ( A ttain Aspirations/Meet Expectations)

9. THEN Parent involvement NOW School, family, and community partnerships DEFINITION

10. THEN Up to parents Organized by one person or just a few NOW Part of school and classroom organization Organized by an Action Team for Partnerships RESPONSIBILITY

11. Action Team Structure Pasco High School Pasco, Washington, 2011 2-3 teachers 2-3 parents/family members Principal Others (nurse, counselor, parent liaison, community partners, after-school program) 1-2 students at high school level In each school...

12. 12 What does an Action Team for Partnerships do? Phalen Lake Elementary School St. Paul, Minnesota ATP MEMBERS work together to... Review school goals. Select 2 academic goals; 1 non-academic goal; and goal to ensure a welcoming school climate. Write a One-Year Action Plan for Partnerships to involve families and the community in ways that contribute to the selected goals and student learning and development. Implement and evaluate the quality of the activities – outreach to families, responses, and results. Continually improve partnership plans, program, and practices.

13. Action Team for Partnerships: Structure G (Focus on Goals) School Improvement Team or School Council ACTION TEAM for PARTNERSHIPS (ATP) Improve Reading PRACTICES from SIX TYPES to meet this goal Create a Climate for Partnerships PRACTICES from SIX TYPES to meet this goal Improve Student Behavior PRACTICES from SIX TYPES to meet this goal Improve Math PRACTICES from SIX TYPES to meet this goal Academic goal Non-Academic goalPartnership goal EXAMPLE

14. THEN Incidental or accidental Off to the side NOW Framework of 6 types of involvement Goal-oriented Part of comprehensive school Improvement PROGRAM DESIGN

15. Framework of Six Types of Involvement

16. THE KEYS TO SUCCESSFUL SCHOOL-FAMILY-COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS EPSTEIN’S SIX TYPES OF INVOLVEMENT PARENTING: Assist families in understanding child and adolescent development, and in setting home conditions that support children as students at each age and grade level. Assist schools in understanding families. COMMUNICATING: Communicate with families about school programs and student progress through effective school-to-home and home-to-school communications. VOLUNTEERING: Improve recruitment, training, work, and schedules to involve families as volunteers and audiences at school or in other locations to support students and school programs. LEARNING AT HOME: Involve families with their children in learning activities at home, including homework and other curriculum-related activities and decisions DECISION MAKING: Include families as participants in school decisions, governance, and ADVOCACY through PTA/PTO, school councils, committees, action teams, and other parent organizations. COLLABORATING WITH COMMUNITY: Coordinate resources and services for students, families, and the school with businesses, agencies, and other groups, and provide services to the community. Type 1 Type 2 Type 6 Type 5 Type 4 Type 3

17. Solve Challenges to Involve ALL Families

18. CHALLENGES NOW “Realities” Solutions sought Solutions found Solutions shared Strengths model and prevention programs THEN “Barriers” Diverse racial, economic, linguistic, cultural backgrounds Family structures Mobile, migratory, or homeless families. Deficit model and treatment programs

19. THEN PreK-K Separate groups of parents Isolated activities NOW All grades, PreK-12 All groups in an integrated program, PTA, Special Ed., After-School, others Sense of community IMPLEMENTATION

20. THEN School by school decisions NOW Multi-level leaders: School, District State, Organizations, and Federal Meet requirements for official policies on family involvement “Nested” networks

21. District Program of Partnership DISTRICT-LEVEL ACTIVITIES DIRECT FACILITATION of SCHOOLS PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM GOALS A District Leader for Partnerships conducts... ORGANIZATIONS also may guide schools as districts do.

22. Reaching Results

23. THEN Parent outcomes Public relations Focus on a few parent leaders NOW Student achievement and success in school Link practices to results for all students, parents, teachers, and community RESULTS

24. Annual, Written Action Plans for Partnerships Linked to School Improvement Plans and Goals for Student Success: ATTENDANCE ACHIEVEMENT ATTAINMENT

25. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL EXAMPLE for a One-Year Action Plan to IMPROVE READING ACHIEVEMENT TYPE 1 Workshops for parents on various ways to read aloud with young children TYPE 2 Parent-teacher-student conferences on reading goals and on reading progress TYPE 3 Reading-partner volunteers, guest readers of favorite stories, and other organized, ongoing read-with-me activities TYPE 4 Weekly interactive reading homework activities for all students to read aloud for a family partner, show links of reading and writing PTA/PTO support for a family room or parent center to provide information on children’s reading, and to conduct book swaps, make book bags for read-at-home programs, and sponsor other reading activities TYPE 5 Donations from business partners of books for classrooms, for the school library, or for children to take home TYPE 6 …AND MANY OTHER IDEAS FOR EACH TYPE OF INVOLVEMENT Apply six types to improve outcomes: ACHIEVEMENT (in SPECIFIC subjects). ATTENDANCE, ATTITUDES, ATTAINMENT – READY FOR COLLEGE/CAREERS

26. Evaluate PROGRESS

27. THEN Minimal or Optional For “compliance” Focus on parents NOW Essential Evaluate quality, results, and progress of programs and practices Focus on student achievement and success in school EVALUATION

28. THEN Success stories shared locally, if at all NOW Success stories shared nationally and internationally to benefit all “Networking” to improve programs NETWORKING

29. THEN Labels for HAVE and HAVE NOTs, DO and DO NOTs “Blame game” Finger-pointing NOW ACTION to involve ALL families Title I guidelines to communicate in languages parents understand EQUITY ISSUES

30. BUDGETS for PARTNERSHIPS THEN $$ Not well allocated Fragmented spending NOW $$ For goal-linked activities in schools’ annual plans to engage all families Capacity building and program development

31. THINK-QUICK ACTIVITY WHICH CHANGE from THEN to NOW do YOU think is most important for improving YOUR program of family and community involvement? and WHY? EQUITY – ALL Families All Grade Levels Framework-6 Types ACTION TEAM Structure Definition LINK to SCH GOALS EVALUATION Networking Budgeting RESULTS for STUDENTS

32. Which components are needed in all SCHOOL programs of partnership ? Establish an Action Team for Partnerships (ATP). Write an Action Plan for Partnerships each year linked to school improvement goals. Use the Framework of Six Types of Involvement so that parents become involved in varied ways. Allocate a budget for planned activities.  Allocate time for monthly meetings of the ATP.  Evaluate and improve the partnership program each year. LET’S REVIEW: WHERE IS YOUR PROGRAM ON THE WAY FROM THEN to NOW? District and organization leaders for partnerships guide schools in this work.

33. Research-based tools, training, publications, and on-going studies. On-going technical assistance from NNPS Facilitators by phone, e-mail, monthly e-briefs, website, newsletters. Coordinated planning and evaluation tools to meet Title I requirements for family involvement. Networking opportunities to share best practices with hundreds of schools, districts, states, and organizations across the country. What should members expect from NNPS? ARE YOU READY to organize and evaluate your partnership program?

34. 34 NNPS Authors THIRD EDITION! Corwin Press Eye on Education NEW-MARCH 2012! TEXT Westview Press-2011 Eye on Education Back to Search Results Corwin Press

35. 35 FROM NNPS 2011 FROM NNPS NEW 2012 MORE NNPS PUBLICATIONS FROM NNPS TIPS SAMPLERS Research and Involvement Activities in READING, MATH SCIENCE, ATTENDANCE, BEHAVIOR COLLEGE and CAREER and guides for PRESCHOOL Programs MIDDLE SCH Programs HIGH SCHOOL Programs Interactive Homework Elem Math K-5 Middle Grades Language Arts 6-8 Science 6-8 See TIPS RESOOURCES on the NNPS website

36. Questions? What questions do you have about...... using research-based approaches to strengthen programs of school, family, and community partnerships?... how YOUR school, district, state, or organization may work with NNPS to improve your partnership program?... other questions?

37. For more information and membership forms, visit NNPS at www.partnershipschools.org Dr. Joyce Epstein, Director Center on School, Family, and Community Partnerships Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 410-516-8807 jepstein@jhu.edu © Epstein, J. L. (2012). Baltimore, MD: National Network of Partnership Schools at Johns Hopkins University.