1. www.wvpc.edvantia.org West Virginia Parent Connections A Parental Information and Resource Center (PIRC) WV Title I Director’s Conference October 23, 2007 Anita Deck, Project Director and Southern Regional Resource Partner Dr. Teddi Cox, Title I Director, Preston County and Eastern Regional Resource Partner Amanda Harsh, Northern Regional Resource Partner

2. www.wvpc.edvantia.org 2 Purpose of PIRCs Provide information to parents in ways that will enable them to assist their children and reap the academic benefits noted by research

3. www.wvpc.edvantia.org 3 West Virginia Parent Connections (WVPC) Goals Improve the capacity of both parents and educators to collaborate meaningfully and effectively

4. www.wvpc.edvantia.org 4 WVPC Goals (cont.) Disseminate information in appropriate and user-friendly formats to parents and educators focused on supporting children’s educational development and achievement Leverage local, state, and federal resources to optimize parent involvement initiatives

5. www.wvpc.edvantia.org 5 Strategies Regional Resource Partners—Northern, Eastern, and Southern Technical assistance cadre

6. www.wvpc.edvantia.org 6 Strategies (cont.) Proven early childhood education program— Parents As Teachers Searchable Web-based repository of information and resources

7. www.wvpc.edvantia.org 7 Disseminate information and services statewide Provide intensive services to 24 targeted districts Strategies (cont.)

8. www.wvpc.edvantia.org 8

9. 9 Partners National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL) Center for Literacy Studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville West Virginia Parent Training and Information project

10. www.wvpc.edvantia.org 10 Parents As Teachers Program to help parents understand their role in encouraging their child's development from birth 19 programs in WV Funded through DHHR and/or district

11. www.wvpc.edvantia.org Eastern Regional Report Dr. Teddi Cox

12. www.wvpc.edvantia.org 12 Commonalities Request for teachers to be trained in how to work with parents/families Helping parents understand Response to Intervention (RtI)

13. www.wvpc.edvantia.org 13 District Needs ePD for teachers due to high turnover rate Providing mileage reimbursement to parents and offering child care Getting more parents to volunteer in the schools

14. www.wvpc.edvantia.org 14 District Needs (cont.) Cultivate and support their parent coordinators as leaders Getting parents trained to help other parents/families

15. www.wvpc.edvantia.org 15 District Needs (cont.) Implementing a PAT program Helping single parents who do not have time to help their child with school work or attend school functions

16. www.wvpc.edvantia.org 16 Greatest Challenge Parents are not literate themselves. How do you help parents help their child?

17. www.wvpc.edvantia.org Northern Regional Report Amanda Harsh

18. www.wvpc.edvantia.org 18 Commonalities Need resources on NCLB, SES, and School Choice Request for parent trainings

19. www.wvpc.edvantia.org 19 District Needs Parent trainings on 21 st Century WV CSOs and content area subjects Effective communication training

20. www.wvpc.edvantia.org 20 District Needs (cont.) Parent trainings on 21 st Century Learning Skills Appraisal of parent involvement programs

21. www.wvpc.edvantia.org 21 Greatest Challenge Effective communication about parental involvement between districts and schools

22. www.wvpc.edvantia.org Southern Regional Report Anita Deck

23. www.wvpc.edvantia.org 23 Commonalities Request for teacher trainings on effective parental involvement strategies Request for parent trainings on helping with content specific homework

24. www.wvpc.edvantia.org 24 District Needs Effective parental involvement activities Jumpstarting PTO/PTA programs Strategies for involving families with classroom work

25. www.wvpc.edvantia.org 25 District Needs (cont.) Funding and expanding existing PAT programs Appraisal for parental involvement programs Coordinate family support network

26. www.wvpc.edvantia.org 26 Greatest Challenge Engaging hard-to-reach parents and families in an active role in their child’s education

27. www.wvpc.edvantia.org 27 What Really Matters Through PIRCs and the WVPC –Improved home-school communication –Improved student achievement –Improved school achievement –Increased parental involvement in school planning, review, and improvement –Increased school readiness

28. www.wvpc.edvantia.org 28 What Did We Promise to Deliver? Improve the capacity of parents and educators to collaborate effectively Disseminate research-based information to parents and educators Increased parent and educator understanding Participate in networks to optimize parental involvement and leverage resources more efficiently

29. www.wvpc.edvantia.org 29 Parental Involvement Activities Teacher trainings –Classroom strategies –Take-home activities –Meaningful parental involvement –Book study

30. www.wvpc.edvantia.org 30 Parental Involvement Activities (cont.) Parent trainings –Homework help –21 st Century Learning Skills –21 st Century WV CSOs –Technology –Volunteering

31. www.wvpc.edvantia.org 31 Parental Involvement Activities (cont.) District trainings –Transitions –Creating a parent volunteer program –User-friendly materials –Strategies for meaningful parental involvement

32. www.wvpc.edvantia.org Using the Instruction and Learning Appraisal to Guide Planning Parental Involvement Programs Dr. Teddi Cox

33. www.wvpc.edvantia.org 33 Background on Edvantia and School Improvement Framework

34. www.wvpc.edvantia.org 34

35. www.wvpc.edvantia.org 35 Framework Rubrics Levels of Implementation No implementation Emerging implementation Partial implementation Substantial implementation Full implementation

36. www.wvpc.edvantia.org 36 Developing Parental Involvement Rubrics Resources and research –NCLB –Title I –Epstein, Henderson, Walberg –SEDL –Harvard Family Research Project

37. www.wvpc.edvantia.org 37 Developing Parental Involvement Rubrics (cont.) –West Virginia Framework for High- Performing Schools –West Virginia Content Standards and Objectives –21 st Century Learning Skills 21 st Century Partnerships

38. www.wvpc.edvantia.org 38 Framework Rubrics School-Family-Community Connections 21 st Century Partnerships School-Family-Community Connections—21st Century Partnerships No Implementation Emerging ImplementationPartial Implementation Substantial ImplementationFull Implementation Developing Relationships: School-Family Administration and/or teachers conduct two meetings or fewer per year with parents/family. Meetings are held at the school at times convenient to school personnel. Administration and/or teachers conduct at least three meetings per year with parents/family. Parents/family have input as to the meeting schedule. All meetings are held at the school. Administration and teachers conduct four meetings/conferences per school year with parents/family. Parents/family have input as to meeting schedule and at least one meeting is held outside the school environment. Administration and teachers meet regularly (at least bimonthly) with parents/family to discuss classroom issues and any ideas to promote student achievement. Parent/teacher meetings and conferences are held at various times and locations in the community, providing a neutral independent space and time. Administration and teachers meet regularly (at least once a month) with parents/family to discuss classroom issues and any ideas to promote student achievement. Parent/teacher meetings and conferences are held at various times and locations in the community, providing a neutral independent space and time. Student- led conferences are common. Meetings are seen as opportunities to build mutual respect and understanding. School facilitates accommodations for family involvement that may include transportation and translators.

39. www.wvpc.edvantia.org 39 Interview Process Administrators Teachers Students Parents Community members

40. www.wvpc.edvantia.org 40 Document Review Five-Year Strategic Plan Parent Volunteer Program Parent-Teacher Conference Logs Parent or family trainings Newsletters Web site

41. www.wvpc.edvantia.org 41 Tackling Parental Involvement Issues

42. www.wvpc.edvantia.org 42 What barriers exist that keep parents from being involved in their child’s education? What are some ways to cross these barriers?

43. www.wvpc.edvantia.org 43 What tools/skills do districts/schools need to develop parent involvement programs?

44. www.wvpc.edvantia.org 44 What tools/skills do parents need to become involved at the school or in the district?

45. www.wvpc.edvantia.org 45 The contents of this presentation were developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government. WVPC at Edvantia Edvantia is a nonprofit corporation committed to helping client-partners improve education and meet federal and state mandates. Schools, districts, and state education agencies—as well as publishers and service providers—rely on Edvantia’s core capabilities in research, evaluation, professional development, and technical assistance to help them succeed. ©2007 by Edvantia, Inc.