PROPOSAL OF NEW STRATEGIES TO INCREASE PARENTAL / CARER ENGAGEMENT IN ALEXANDRIA PARK COMMUNITY SCHOOL PROFESSIONAL LEARNING: ACTION LEARNING TEAM BY BETHANY SWEENY, JUSTIN RICHTER, MADALYNE MCEWEN, MOHAMED ABDULKHALEK AND NICOLE DRYDEN

Alexandria Park Community School Located in Alexandria, metropolitan area of Sydney 548 Enrolments (ACARA, 2014) Junior, middle and secondary school 17% Indigenous background (ACARA, 2014) 76% language background other then English (ACARA, 2014)

Established Parental Engagement Reading Carnivals Excursions Fundraising events (school discos, bbqs) P&C Working bees School canteen – currently at risk of closing (indicating low parental engagement) (NSW Department of Education & Communities, 2015)

Community Centre The Community Centre attached to the school includes extra services such as: Food co-op Aboriginal Educational Council Community gardens Community clothing and household item swap (NSW Department of Education & Communities, 2015).

STRATEGY 1 Alexandria Park Community School (APCS) Partnership with the South Sydney Rabbitohs Strategy: In partnership with APCS, the South Sydney Rabbitohs will be running a NRL Community Carnival Program over a 12-week period. Purpose: The intention of this strategy is to maximise opportunities for the involvement of APCS parents in their child’s education, focusing on sport as a vehicle to achieve an increase in parental participation.

Aim Parents: Improving parental and community involvement with the school and their children’s education Maximising opportunities to be involved in their child's education through participation in APCS sporting activities. Students: Improving the health and well-being of students, including self- esteem and confidence Improving general skills such as teamwork, leadership and communication Promote and support positive learning experiences that foster success

Description The strategy aims to build upon the existing sports development project (in partnership with the National Aboriginal Sporting Chance Academy- NASCA), by inviting parents into the program. Focus= community/parent involvement Through the existing strategy APCS has created close ties with the South Sydney Rabittohs Players from the South Sydney Rabbitohs will drive the program, along with staff and parents from APCS.

Cont. The NRL Community Carnival Program will be operated over a 12-week period, running outside of school hours to allow greater access to parents. Parents will have the opportunity to participate in the activities as well as mix with teachers and other parents who are apart of APCS.

STRATEGY 2 Class Website What do parents want? Information on homework Assessment calendars Pictures and blogs Options for communication (Parent-teacher and parent-parent)

Class Calendar

STRATEGY 3 Cultural parent discussion group led by parents / teachers Barrier to participation: A major barrier to low numbers of parents involved in P&C meetings is a language barrier. The lack of participation of non- English speaking parents attending P&C meetings.

Strategies to Enable Participation A direct approach from an existing member of staff or through the interpreter service that can speak the same language. Engage the parents by allowing them to create an event that celebrates their cultural traditions.

Cont. Smaller P&C meetings once every month will be organised. Specifically tailored to provide information to these parents and to incorporate their ideas into other P&C meetings.

How to assess the success of the strategies?

Methodology Strategy 1 – Partnership with the South Sydney Rabbitohs  Instruments: - Survey consisting of open and closed questions. - Attendance role.  Participants: Parents, Students & Teachers.  Setting: School playground or Alexandria Park.  What to Research? Qualitative Data:  Degree of enjoyment experienced by students, parents, teachers and other staff.  Teachers’ and parents’ perspectives on how well the program is run.  Parents’ views and comments on how the program increases the likelihood of engagement in their child’s education. Quantitative Data:  Used to measure number of attendance.

Methodology Strategy 2 – Class Website  Instruments: - Online Survey with a combination of open and closed questions. - Access / view rates.  Participants: Parents, Students & Teachers.  Setting: Online – linked to school website.  What to Research? Qualitative Data:  Degree of convenience expressed by parents.  Parents’ opinions on how easy it is to access and use the website.  What parents’ feel are difficult to use within the website.  Parents’ views and comments on how the website increases the likelihood of engagement in their child’s education. Quantitative Data:  To measure how often each parent accesses the website.  To measure the duration of each parent’s access to the website.  Record of the parents’ activities on the website.

Methodology Strategy 3 – Cultural Parent Discussion Groups  Instruments: - Survey written in English as well as the language for the specific group. - Attendance role.  Participants: Parents and supervising volunteer teacher / staff member.  Setting: School library or Alexandria Park Community Centre.  What to Research? Qualitative Data:  Degree of how comfortable the parents who do not speak English felt.  Whether the parents felt that the discussion group was useful and convenient for them.  If parents could discuss useful information about their child or not.  Parents’ views and comments on how the discussion group increases the likelihood of engagement in their child’s education. Quantitative Data:  Used to measure number of attendance.

References Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2014). My School: Alexandria Park Community School, Alexandria, NSW. Retrieved 28 May, 2015, from ndriaParkCommunitySchool/41184/ ndriaParkCommunitySchool/41184/2014 NSW Department of Education & Communities. (2007). NSW Public Schools: Alexandria Park Community School. Retrieved 28 May, 2015, from ord&code= ord&code=8556 NSW Department of Education & Communities. (2015). Alexandria Park Community School: Community Opportunity Success. Retrieved 28 May, 2015, from