Parents, Families and Family Engagement Michael Brown Minnesota Department of Education December 2,...

Parents, Families and Family Engagement

Michael Brown

Minnesota Department of Education

December 2, 2015

“Leading for educational excellence and equity. Every day for every one.”

• Importance of Definitions, Meanings• Role of Theory• Understanding Families• Family impact• Models of Family Engagement• Family Engagement as a Systemic, Integrated

Part of Your Collaborative PreK-3 Work• Discussion

Overview

education.state.mn.us 2

“One of the most challenging aspects of family engagement training is the varying methods and definitions used to describe what exactly is meant by family engagement.”

– Dostaler and Cannon (October 2011). Developing a family engagement training strategy.

• Family– Changes in families?

• Engagement– Different than involvement?– What does it include or not include? For example, is

parenting education part of family engagement?

Start with:Definitions and Common Understandings


• “Two or more people who are committed to each other and who share intimacy, resources, decision-making responsibilities and values.”

– David Olson, John DeFrain, Linda Skogrand

Marriage and Families: Intimacy, Diversity, and Strengths 7th ed, p. 5-6.

• “A circle of care and support offering enduring commitment to care for one another related either biologically, emotionally or legally and takes into account those who the ‘client’ identifies as significant to his/her well-being.”

• Dostaler and Cannon (October 2011). Developing a family engagement training strategy. P. 7

Family


• Parents who are “involved” serve the school’s agenda by doing the things educators ask or expect them to do – volunteering at school, parenting in positive ways, and supporting and assisting their children at home with their schoolwork – while knowledge, voice and decision-making continue to rest with the educators (Pushor, 2001).

Parent Involvement or Engagement


“And even when schools and programs do engage families, they typically focus on asking parents to support the work of the school or program through activities such as serving on committees, helping with homework, fundraising, and volunteering to lead programs.”


• Family engagement means building relationships with families that support family well-being, strong parent-child relationships, and ongoing learning and development of parents and children alike. It refers to the beliefs, attitudes, behaviors, and activities of families that support their children’s positive development from early childhood through young adulthood. Family engagement happens in the home, early childhood program, school, and community. It is a shared responsibility with all those who support children’s learning. (OHS, PFCE Framework)

Family Engagement


What influences our work with families?• Beliefs, experiences, etc.• Skills, attitudes, dispositions• Theory (cognizant or not)• Other __________________• Other __________________

What influences our work when we create family engagement plans, strategies, etc.?

Influences


Ecological Theory: Development in Context


• It is a multilevel and multi-component concept generally defined as a relational resource, such as personal and community networks, sense of belonging, civic engagement, norms of reciprocity and trust, which determines the quality of life, including our well-being and good health

– Health Promotion International, Vol. 29 No. 2

Theoretical Influences:Social Capital


The family’s role in constructing social capital:• Financial capital (wealth or income)• Human capital (parents’ education and cognitive

resources they can share with children)• Social capital (relations between children and

parents which reflects the time, effort, resources, and energy parents invest in their children)

Belcher et al., (2011). Family Capital: Implications for Interventions with Families.

Theoretical Influences:

Family Capital


Both cognitive and character skills are crucial to success in economic and social life.• Character skills include perseverance (“grit"), self-

control, trust, attentiveness, self-esteem and self-efficacy, resilience to adversity, openness to experience, empathy, humility, tolerance of diverse opinions, and the ability to engage productively in society.

• Absence of quality parenting (stimulation, attachment, encouragement, and support) is the true measure of child poverty.

Fostering and Measuring Skills: Interventions That Improve Character and Cognition

James J. Heckman and Tim Kautz


An effective strategy for promoting human development should be based on three factually based insights:

1. The powerful role of families in shaping skills;

2. The multiplicity of skills required for successful functioning in society. A core set of skills promotes success in many aspects of life. Different tasks require different skills in different levels and proportions. People tend to pursue the tasks where their skills give them comparative advantage;

3. The technology of skill formation: that skills together with investment beget further skills.

Heckman


Research on the topic of talent development has linked it to four factors:

1. Early experience

2. Coaching

3. Practice

4. Motivation

Parents play a central, if not critical, role in enacting all four factors.

Witte et al., (2015). Roeper Review, 37(2), 84-96

Talent Development


• Developmental relationships are close connections through which young people develop the character strengths to discover who they are, gain the ability to shape their own lives, and learn how to interact with and contribute to others. These relationships are characterized by five essential actions, each of which is described from the perspective of a young person:

Developmental RelationshipsSearch Institute


1. Express Care: Show that you like me and want the best for me.

2. Challenge Growth: Insist that I try to continuously improve.

3. Provide Support: Help me complete tasks and achieve goals.

4. Share Power: Hear my voice and let me share in making decisions.

5. Expand Possibility: Expand my horizons and connect me to opportunities.

Developmental Relationships


• Family-Centered Approach• Family Strengths

– empowerment

• Diversity• Cultural Competence• Collaboration vs Compliance• Other _______________

Other Key Terms


Example of View of Family Engagement


The changing family:• Size, structure, diversity• Role of women and men in

the workplace• Rise of single parenthood• Rising cost of living for

families• Downward mobility• Pressure from digital

technologies

Understanding Families


• Most of the social and economic policies in the U.S. do not explicitly address, or take into account, the growing importance of families as sources of human capital and determinants of individual success. (p. 2)

• Among the 60 percent of the population that lacks a college degree, family formation and family stability have declined drastically. (p. 3)

Strengthening Ties


• American marriage today is becoming a class-based and class-propagating institution. In upscale America, marriage is thriving: most people marry, fewer than 10 percent of children are born to unmarried mothers, and most children grow up through age eighteen living with their two married parents. Among the more privileged, marriage clearly functions as a wealth-producing arrangement, a source of happiness over time, and a benefit to children (p. 4)

Strengthening Ties


• “Research shows that parents have the greatest influence on children’s language and literacy development.”

– A Governor’s Guide to Early Literacy: Getting all Students Reading by Third Grade, p. 14.

“Over 50 years of research links the various roles that families play in a child’s education—as supporters of learning, encouragers of grit and determination, models of lifelong learning, and advocates of proper programming and placements for their child—

Research Says Families are Important


with indicators of student achievement including • student grades, • achievement test scores, • lower drop-out rates, • students’ sense of personal competence and

efficacy for learning, and • students’ beliefs about the importance of

education.”• Karen Mapp and Paul Kuttner, p. 5. Partners in Education:

A Dual Capacity-Building Framework for Family–School Partnerships.


1. Students achieve more, regardless of socio-economic status, ethnic/racial background or the parents' education level.

2. Students have higher grades and test scores, better attendance, and complete homework more consistently.

3. Students have higher graduation rates and greater enrollment rates in post-secondary education.

4. Educators hold higher expectations of students whose parents collaborate with the teacher.

Benefits (MI Dept of Ed)


5. Student achievement for disadvantaged children not only improves, but can also reach levels that are standard for middle-class children. In addition, the children who are farthest behind make the greatest gains.

6. Children from diverse cultural backgrounds perform better when parents and professionals collaborate to bridge the gap between the culture at home and at the learning institution.

7. Student behaviors such as alcohol use, violence, and antisocial behavior decrease as parent involvement increases.

Benefits


8. Students will keep pace with academic performance if their parents participate in school events, develop a working relationship with educators, and keep up with what is happening with their child's school.

9. Junior and senior high school students whose parents remain involved make better transitions, maintain the quality of their work, and develop realistic plans for their future. Students whose parents are not involved, on the other hand, are more likely to drop out of school

Benefits


“According to research, the most accurate predictor of a student's achievement in school is not income or social status, but the extent to which that student's family is able to:

1. Create a home environment that encourages learning.

2. Communicate high, yet reasonable, expectations for their children's achievement and future careers.

3. Become involved in their children's education at school and in the community”

• MI Dept of Education, “Collaborating For Success” Parent Engagement Toolkit, p. 6


A study published in 2007 in the Journal of Human Resources indicates that schools would be wise to invest in parent involvement. This report points out that regular parent involvement at home increases student achievement at a rate equal to a $1000 increase in per-pupil spending. When parents are empowered to talk with their child about his or her interests, studies, and school classes, children succeed. The research then suggests that investing in parent involvement pays. (p. 7)

Parent and Family Involvement: A Guide to Effective Parent, Family, and Community

Involvement in North Carolina Schools


“Families matter for virtually every child and

youth outcome.”• Pekel et al., 2015

In Conclusion


The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)“Don't ever let somebody tell you…”


Wanda Pratt


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YV7sbaHWlaQ

Kevin Durant – NBA Player of the Year


“Parents are children’s first and most important teacher.”

Sometimes the statements are not as bold:

“Parents are a child’s first teacher.”

The Importance of Parents:What We Say


• “A person who teaches, especially in a school.” Oxford English Dictionary

• What does one have to do to teach in a school?• Why the requirements?• Skills, knowledge, traits, dispositions, etc.• Does teacher quality matter?• What is the expected outcome of teaching?

What is a Teacher?


What is learning?• knowledge or skill acquired through experience,

study, or being taught.• Add beliefs and attitudes?

How is adult and child learning similar/different?

How do we know when a parent has “learned” something?

What is important for parents/families to know?

Learning


• How does a parent learn to teach?

• What is our role in helping parents enhance their teaching/parenting skills?

Parents and Teaching


Dr. Karen Mapp on the Recipe for School Improvement


Stanton Elementary Hosts Family Engagement Roundtable


These are examples:

• Hoover-Dempsey & Sandler Model of Parental Involvement

• Parent, Family, and Community Engagement (PFCE) Framework

• Epstein’s Model for Parental Involvement• CRAF-E4

Explore Family Engagement Models


Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler (HDS) Model


Parents’ decision to become involved is based on three general factors: • Parents’ beliefs that participating in their children’s

learning is a part of their responsibility (i.e. parental role construction) and their evaluation of their capabilities in that regard (i.e. parenting self-efficacy),

• Parents’ perception of invitations or demands from schools and teachers and from their children to be involved, and

• Demands on parents’ time and energy that may conflict with involvement activities (e.g., caring for other children, extended family responsibilities, demanding or inflexible work schedules).

- from Park & Holloway, p. 107

Study on fathers looking at role identities:

provider, teacher, protector, disciplinarian, caretaker,

supporter, and co-parent. Olmstead et al. (2009) Fathering, Vol. 7, No. 3, 249-268.

How do we learn/understand our roles? (note, they can be implicit or explicit)

What are different roles for various family members?

Parenting Roles


• Research suggests that parents’ self-efficacy beliefs can be central to their parenting practices.

• With poor parental self-efficacy, there is an increased susceptibility towards learned helplessness and thus a poor motivation to address difficulties

• It is a fragile experience that can be disrupted by maternal mood, particularly postnatal depression

• It can be enhanced by stronger informal social support

Parenting Self-Efficacy


• Self-efficacy is a predictor of optimistic, authoritative and consistent interaction in parent-child interactions

• Parenting self-efficacy influences parenting competence and adjustment; and it may be more difficult for parents with low self-efficacy to manage effectively challenging situations

– Iran J Psychiatry 2012; 7: 57-60

Parenting Self-Efficacy


• Parenting self-efficacy refers to “parents’ perceived ability to positively influence the behavior and development of their children”

• A large body of literature links PSE to markers of parental competence such as sensitivity, consistency, and the use of non-punitive discipline with children ranging from infancy to adolescence

– Journal of Applied Communication Research, 42:4, 409-431,


Parent, Family and Community Engagement Framework


• PROGRAM ENVIRONMENT: Families feel welcomed, valued, and respected by program staff.

• FAMILY PARTNERSHIPS: Families work with staff to identify and achieve their goals and aspirations.

• TEACHING AND LEARNING: Families are engaged as equal partners in their children’s learning and development.

• COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS: Communities support families’ interests and needs and encourage parent and family engagement in children’s learning.

PFCE Framework (Program Impact Areas)


• FAMILY WELL-BEING: Parents and families are safe, healthy, and have increased financial security.

• POSITIVE PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIPS: Beginning with transitions to parenthood, parents and families develop warm relationships that nurture their child’s learning and development.

• FAMILIES AS LIFELONG EDUCATORS: Parents and families observe, guide, promote, and participate in the everyday learning of their children at home, school, and in their communities.

PFCE (Outcomes)


• FAMILIES AS LEARNERS: Parents and families advance their own learning interests through education, training and other experiences that support their parenting, careers, and life goals.

• FAMILY ENGAGEMENT IN TRANSITIONS: Parents and families support and advocate for their child’s learning and development as they transition to new learning environments, including EHS to HS, EHS/HS to other early learning environments, and HS to kindergarten through elementary school.

PFCE (Outcomes) cont.


• FAMILY CONNECTIONS TO PEERS AND COMMUNITY: Parents and families form connections with peers and mentors in formal or informal social networks that are supportive and/or educational and that enhance social well-being and community life.

• FAMILIES AS ADVOCATES AND LEADERS: Parents and families participate in leadership development, decision-making, program policy development, or in community and state organizing activities to improve children’s development and learning experiences.

PFCE (Outcomes) cont. 2


Epstein’s Six Types of Involvement


• Culturally Responsive, Anti-bias Framework of Expectation, Education, Exploration, and Empowerment.

• This framework was designed to help early childhood practitioner’s engage with racially and ethnically diverse families in a manner that adopts the principles of cultural responsiveness and antibias.

CRAF-E4


• Principle 1. Inviting families to participate in decision making and goal setting for their child.

• Principle 2. Engaging families in two-way communication.

• Principle 3. Engaging families in ways that are truly reciprocal.

• Principle 4. Providing learning activities for the home and in the community.

CRAF-E4


• Principle 5. Inviting families to participate in program-level decisions and wider advocacy efforts

• Principle 6. Implementing a comprehensive program-level system of family engagement.

CRAF-E4


For example, visit the Family Engagement page on the MN PreK-3 webpage:

Strategies:Know Where to Find Information


http://mnprek-3.wikidot.com/engaged-families

For example:

Visit the San Francisco Unified School District website:

Strategies:Review Plans from Other Organizations


http://www.sfusd.edu/en/family-and-community-support/office-of-family-and-community-engagement.html

Search Institute

1. Listen first to families rather than just developing and sending messages that don’t resonate or motivate.

2. Focus on building relationships with families, rather than only providing programs.

3. Highlight families’ strengths, even amid challenges, rather than adopting and designing approaches based on negative stereotypes.

Strategies:Incorporate Recommendations


Search Institute, cont.

4. Encourage families to experiment with new practices that fit their lives, rather than giving them expert advice on what they need to do.

5. Emphasize parenting as a relationship more than a set of techniques.

6. Broaden coalitions focused on young people’s success to actively engage families as a focal point for strengthening developmental relationships.

Incorporate Recommendations Based on Research/Best Practice


Strategies:Use Visuals to Convey Message


• For example, the National Implementation Research Network– http://nirn.fpg.unc.edu/

Strategies:Utilize Implementation Science


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Parents, Families and Family Engagement Michael Brown Minnesota Department of Education December 2,...

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