1. Connecting the Dots with the National
Standards for Family-School Partnerships
March 13, 2014
2. Sherri
You’d Be Surprised to Know.. I’m half hippy, half clown
Favorite SongDangerousby Big Data
CollectionsTiaras
Favorite JobWorking with familiesRetirement Dream
Somewhere in Europe…In a castle!
Favorite Show
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Favorite Color
Pink!
3. Who are you?
Stand up if you know the National Standards
for Family-School Partnerships
Sit down if you think this outfit is adorable
Stand up if you currently belong to a PTA
Stand up if you have ever heard of PTA
4. National PTA’s Definition of
Effective Family Engagement
National PTA worked with the
leading researchers to develop a
formal definition of effective family
engagement.
There are three components.
5. National PTA’s Definition of
Effective Family Engagement
A Shared Responsibility in which:
• Schools and other community agencies
and organizations are committed to
engaging families in meaningful and
culturally respectful ways, and
• Families are committed to actively
supporting their children’s learning and
development.
6. National PTA’s Definition of
Effective Family Engagement
Cradle to Career:
• Continuous across a child’s life,
spanning from Early Head Start
programs to college and career.
7. National PTA’s Definition of
Effective Family Engagement
Across Contexts:
• Carried out everywhere that children learn –
o Home
o Pre-kindergarten programs
o School
o After-school programs
o Faith-based organizations
o Community programs and activities
8. Key Finding
Programs and interventions that engage
families in supporting their children’s
learning at home are linked to higher
student achievement. Family involvement
at home appears to have the greatest
effect on student achievement.
(Mapp and Henderson)
9. Why is Family Engagement
Important?
No matter what their family income or background may be, students
with involved parents are more likely to:
Henderson, A., & Mapp, K. (2002). A new wave of evidence: The impact of school, family, and
community connections on student achievement. Austin, TX: Southwest Educational Development Laboratory.
Have better social skills
Have better social skills
Pass their classesPass their classes
Attend school regularly
Attend school regularly
Earn higher grades and test scores
Earn higher grades and test scores
Graduate and go on to postsecondary educationGraduate and go on to postsecondary education
10. Effective Parent Involvement
Improves Achievement
New research shows that meaningful family and community
engagement is one of five essential ingredients for effective school
reform:
Bryk, A.S., Sebring, P.B., Allensworth, E., Luppescu, S., & Easton, J.Q. (2010). Organizing schools for improvement:
Lessons from Chicago. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Instructional guidance
Instructional guidance
Student centered learning climate
Student centered learning climate
Professional capacity
Professional capacity
Parent-school-community ties
Parent-school-community ties
(Principal) leadership as the driver for change(Principal) leadership as the driver for change
11. We know that family engagement is
important.
So, how do we engage all families in
their children’s education?
16. Standard 2:
Communicating Effectively
• Use all communication channels: social media, cable television,
newspapers, radio, automated phone systems, text messaging,
school and PTA web sites, etc.
• Identify parents, community members, organizations and businesses
that can help facilitate home-school communication
• Communicate in languages and formats that will best inform all
families
• Sponsor events that encourage interaction between educators and
families in a fun, social way
• Use all communication channels: social media, cable television,
newspapers, radio, automated phone systems, text messaging,
school and PTA web sites, etc.
• Identify parents, community members, organizations and businesses
that can help facilitate home-school communication
• Communicate in languages and formats that will best inform all
families
• Sponsor events that encourage interaction between educators and
families in a fun, social way
Getting StartedGetting Started
18. Standard 3:
Supporting Student Success
Link all events to student learning, including activities
focused on making all families feel welcome. For example:
Work with school leadership to conduct workshops
on interpreting standardized test data
Collaborate with teachers to provide fun, family-
centered events focused on topics such as literacy,
study skills, individual curriculum areas, and
college and career planning
Getting Started
22. • Identify how PTA can support the school improvement plan
• Provide opportunities to interact with your elected officials
• Conduct an annual family survey or focus groups to get on
current and potential school programs and policies
• Diversify PTA in membership and leadership
• Sponsor a school accountability meeting to inform families
about school programs, services, and performance data
• Invite parents to share concerns and ideas through a
suggestion box in the front office
Standard 5:
Sharing Power
Getting Started
24. Standard 6:
Collaborating with Community
• Identify your goals and determine opportunities for
community collaboration that will help you to achieve your
desired results for family engagement and student learning
• Leverage individual community connections and
encourage connected individuals to take the lead on forging
and sustaining the collaboration on behalf of the PTA/school
• Bring partners together around a shared vision
• Recognize partners and thank them whenever you can
Getting Started
26. Tools to Use: National Standards
Implementation Guide
An explanation of the National
Standards, action steps, and
resources to aid PTA leaders,
parents, educators, the
community, and students in
working together for the
educational success of all
children.
27. Tools to Use: National Standards
Assessment Guide
Allows schools to rate
themselves on their progress
in meeting the Standards.
One of PTA’s most
popular tools!
28. National PTA Standards for
Family-School Partnerships
Examples of Best Practices
• Boston Public Schools Uses the Standards as a Part of
their Training for Principals and School Staff
• Indiana PIRC Embedded the Standards into their
Curriculum for Statewide Parent Leadership Academies
• Kansas has Integrated the Standards in their State’s
Guidelines for School Improvement Plans
• California PTA is using the Standards to develop parent
leaders to serve on local school accountability
committees, aligned with state funding laws
30. PTA Programs
• PTA National Standards for Family-School
Partnerships
• Family Reading Experience, Powered by Kindle
• Take Your Family to School Week Grants
• School of Excellence
31. Where Do We Go Now?
Stand up if you already engage every family in
your school or school district and you don’t
have any work left to do.
Sit down if you think this have been the
greatest presentation on the PTA National
Standards you’ve ever seen!
Stand up if you got an idea today you want to
take back to your local school
Stand up if you learned something new today.
33. Sherri Wilson
Senior Manager Family and
Community Engagement
National PTA
703-518-1244
swilson@pta.org
www.PTA.org
@PTAswilson
Editor's Notes
[SAY]
Let me tell you a little bit about my very good friend Sherri!
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[SAY]
It’s time for a Stand Up Poll! When I call out each item, stand up if it applies to you. If you stand up, stay up! Don’t sit down until I tell you to!
[Click to advance each bullet]
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[ASK] By a show of hands, how many of you have heard of family engagement before?
[ASK] What do you think it means?
(Take 3-4 responses, responding in a positive way to each answer)
[SAY] Family engagement is a research-proven approach to supporting student success. But the research shows not all family engagement has the same impact. Some family engagement strategies are more effective than others.
That’s why the National PTA worked with the leading researchers in this field to develop a formal definition of effective family engagement. There are three components…
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[SAY] First, family engagement is a shared responsibility. So what does that mean? That means that schools, community agencies and organizations working with families, and the families themselves – all play a role in student success.
Schools and the community organizations must engage families in meaningful and culturally respectful ways. And families must be committed to supporting their children’s learning and development.
Did anyone notice that we aren’t using “Parent” engagement or “Parent” involvement? This definition, especially the importance of engaging families in meaningful and culturally respectful ways, has really helped to inform our shift to always saying family engagement. We know that many families have varying family structures – and the students’ caregiver or educational support system may include another relative or adult. Using family engagement is inclusive of all families – every child. It welcomes anyone who is caring for the student to be involved in supporting learning and development.
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[SAY]
Second, effective family engagement spans from cradle to career.
Family engagement should be continuous across a child’s growth from Early Head Start programs to college and career.
This includes an enduring commitment from parents and families, and recognizing that parents’ roles change as children mature into young adults.
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[SAY]
Third, family engagement should be integrated across contexts. That means it should it should be carried out everywhere that children learn – including:
Home
Pre-kindergarten programs
School
After-school programs
Faith-based organizations
Community programs and activities.
Remember how the first two parts of the family engagement definition were a shared responsibility from cradle to career? This slide really sums up how families, schools and community partners collaborate throughout a child’s growth from infancy to adulthood to support student learning. Each of these destinations is a place where families can be engaged in meaningful ways to support student learning, as well as social and emotional development.
[ASK] Any questions so far?
(Answer any questions…)
[SAY]
So now that we know what family engagement is – let’s talk about why it’s so important.
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Why is Family Engagement Important?
The research is clear…
When families are invovled at home and at school, children do better in school.
Why is Family Engagement Important?
No matter what their family income or background may be, students with involved parents are more likely to:
Earn higher grades and test scores
Pass their classes
Attend school regularly
Have better social skills
Graduate and go on to postsecondary education
In a groundbreaking study on school improvement, family engagement was identified as a key ingredient for school turnarounds.
Five “essential supports” were identified in this study, including school leadership, parent-school and community ties, professional capacity of the faculty, student-centered learning climate, and instructional guidance.
This study identified parent involvement as one of the five “key ingredients” to school improvement in low-income, urban schools.
Elementary schools with strong parental involvement were 10 times more likely to improve in math and four times more likely to improve in reading than schools weak on this measure.
The study also demonstrates that, for school improvement to be successful, schools must treat parental involvement as an integral part of the school improvement process, rather than just an “add-on” activity.
All of the research today underscores the need for families to be engaged in their children’s education. The question is how do we get there?
[SAY]
In 1997 National PTA convened the many different stakeholders whom we represent to develop the National Standards for Family-School Partnerships, which for the first time, articulated what family engagement should look like at the school level.
In 2001, National PTA updated the Standards, and now these are in use by school, PTA and community leaders nationwide as a framework for thinking about, structuring, and assessing family engagement:
Standard 1: Welcoming all families into the school community
Standard 2: Communicating effectively
Standard 3: Supporting student success
Standard 4: Speaking up for every child
Standard 5: Sharing power
Standard 6: Collaborating with community
The National Standards for Family-School Partnerships is the foundation for all of our programs. We ask ourselves:
How does this program help the PTA and school work together to welcome all families? And we design tools to facilitate that.
We think about the tools local PTAs might need to communicate effectively about the program or the educational messages they are trying to convey through the program. And we design turn-key templates to help with that.
We make sure that in some way – we are providing families with the information they need to support student success and we make sure there is always a take-home component as learning doesn’t stop in the classroom.
We ensure our programs provide information that empowers families to speak up for their child’s needs – and take a seat at the decision-making table – sharing power with school decision-makers.
And finally, we aren’t the experts in everything and we certainly don’t want to recreate the wheel. We bring in experts – experts like Mothers Against Drunk Driving, experts like Safe Routes to School, experts like America’s Promise and MALDEF – and we connect their expertise and resources to our PTAs.
So how can you and your school partner use these Standards to more effectively engage families? Let’s explore each standard to learn more.
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Standard 1: Welcoming all families into the school community
Under Standard 1, families are active participants in the life of the school, and feel welcomed, valued, and connected to each other, to school staff, and to what student are learning and doing in class.
As I share the standards with you, I’ll also give you some helpful goals and questions to think about.
Goal 1: Creating a Welcoming Climate
Develop personal relationships
Create a family-friendly atmosphere
Provide opportunities for volunteering
Goal 2: Building a Respectful, Inclusive School Community
Respect all families
Remove economic obstacles to participation
Ensure accessible programming
As you think about your school or schools in your district, consider these questions:
How welcoming is the school environment? Are there welcome signs inside and outside the school, written in all the languages of the school community?
Is office staff friendly?
Are relationships between families and teachers strong?
Do the school’s polices and programs reflect, respect and value the diversity of the families in the community?
[SAY]
Thank you for sharing all that you’re doing! Here are a couple of other suggestions from the National PTA’s Standards for Family-School Partnerships Implementation Guide, which you can find on our Web site at pta.org – when you click on “Family Engagement.” Hopefully you’ll see some ideas you’ll want to add to your “Take-home” column!
What PTA Leaders Can Do
Establish a PTA welcoming committee
Greet other parents at school activities and events
Sit with someone you don’t know and find out their interests or potential contributions
Recruit bilingual parents or use translation headsets
Offer family activities at low or no cost
Consider child care and transportation solutions
Host events in varying community locations or formats
What School Leaders and Staff Can Do
Work with PTA to develop customer service guidelines for all staff
Set up a parent help desk or visitor welcome center
Conduct meet-and-greet walks in the neighborhoods where students live
Use a professional development day to address assumptions about race, class, and culture
Explore potential of a family resource center in the school
Be accessible and available
Show families they are welcomed and valued
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Standard 2: Communicating effectively
Under Standard 2, Communicating Effectively, families and school staff engage in regular, two-way, meaningful communication about student learning.
Goal 1: Sharing Information Between School and Families
Use multiple communication paths
Survey families to identify issues and concerns
Have access to the principal
Provide information on current issues
Facilitate connections among families
As you think about your school or schools in your district, consider these questions:
Are communication materials informative, regular, and accessible by all families?
Is there a school policy for teacher communication with families?
Are there translators?
Is there a policy for family communication with teachers?
Does the school and PTA provide opportunities for families and staff to share information in a variety of ways (e.g., e-mail, home visits, phone calls, printed materials)?
Is it is easy and convenient for parents to contact teachers and provide feedback to the school around policies and issues of concern?
[SAY]
Thank you for sharing all that you’re doing! Here are a couple of other suggestions from the National PTA’s Standards for Family-School Partnerships Implementation Guide, which you can find on our Web site at pta.org – when you click on “Family Engagement.” Hopefully you’ll see some ideas you’ll want to add to your “Take-home” column!
Here are some ideas to get you started:
Use all communication channels: cable television, newspapers, radio, automated phone systems, text messaging, school and PTA web sites, school and PTA newsletters, social media, etc.
Identify parents, community members, organizations and businesses that can help facilitate home-school communication.
Communicate in languages and formats that will best inform all families.
Sponsor events that encourage interaction between educators and families in a fun, social way.
We have many other recommendations on our Web site at pta.org under Family Engagement and in the National Standards for Family School Partnerships Implementation Guide section.
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Standard 3: Supporting student success
Under Standard 3, families and school staff continuously collaborate to support students’ learning and healthy development both at home and at school, and have regular opportunities to strengthen their knowledge and skills to do so effectively.
Goal 1: Sharing Information About Student Progress
Ensure parent-teacher communication
Link student work to academic standards
Use standardized test results to increase achievement
Share school progress
Goal 2: Supporting Learning by Engaging Families
Engage families in classroom learning
Develop family ability to strengthen learning at home
Promote after-school learning
As you think about your school or schools in your district, consider these questions:
Do parents have regular opportunities to learn what students are doing in class?
Is student achievement data used to inform and improve teaching and learning?
Do parents have opportunities to learn how to work with their child?
Are parent education and other courses or training for parents available (e.g. GED, college credit, family literacy, ESL)?
[SAY]
One really important way PTA could support student success is to link all events to student learning, including those activities focused on making all families feel welcome. For example, you could work with school leadership to conduct workshops on interpreting standardized test data.
Or collaborate with teachers to provide workshops for families on topics such as study skills, individual curriculum areas, and college and career planning.
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Standard 4: Speaking up for every child
Under Standard 4, families are empowered to be advocates for their own and other children, to ensure that students are treated fairly and have access to learning opportunities that will support their success.
Goal 1: Understanding How the School System Works
Understand how the school and district operate
Understand rights and responsibilities under federal and state laws
Learn about resources
Resolve problems and conflicts
Goal 2: Empowering Families to Support Their Own and Other Children’s Success in School
Develop families’ capacity to be effective advocates
Plan for the future
Smooth transitions
Engage in civic advocacy for student achievement
As you think about your school or schools in your district, consider these questions:
Are families consulted about major decisions?
Do the PTA and school support leadership opportunities for all families?
Does school leadership and other school staff believe that parents should be partners in education?
Do parents know how the local school and district operate and how to raise questions or concerns about school and district programs, policies, and activities? Do they understand their rights and responsibilities under federal and state law?
Are parents prepared to monitor students’ progress and guide them toward their goals through high school graduation, postsecondary education, and a career?
[SAY]
Thank you for sharing all that you’re doing! Here are a couple of other suggestions from the National PTA’s Standards for Family-School Partnerships Implementation Guide, which you can find on our Web site at pta.org – when you click on “Family Engagement.” Hopefully you’ll see some ideas you’ll want to add to your “Take-home” column!
Getting Started: A PTA and School Collaboration
Host information sessions about special programs; reach out to under-represented populations to ensure access and equity for all students.
Involve families in ongoing training on topics such as being an effective advocate for your child, identifying and supporting learning styles, resolving difficulties, and fostering student achievement.
Share the school’s policy and procedures for resolving concerns frequently.
Promote any successful changes fueled by family engagement.
Facilitate family participation in school committees and other community groups.
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Standard 5: Sharing power
Under Standard 5, families and school staff are equal partners in decisions that affect children and families and together inform, influence, and create policies, practices, and programs. This is often one of the hardest standards to achieve.
Goal 1: Strengthening the Family’s Voice in Shared Decision Making
Have a voice in all decisions that affect children
Address equity issues
Develop parent leadership
Goal 2: Building Families’ Social and Political Connections
Connect families to local officials
Develop an effective parent involvement organization that represents all families
As you think about your school or schools in your district, consider these questions:
Do the PTA and school support leadership opportunities for all families?
Does school leadership and other school staff believe that parents should be partners in education?
Are families full partners in making decisions on issues that affect their children at school and in the community?
Do you believe your PTA represents the needs and concerns of all families?
[SAY]
Thank you for sharing all that you’re doing! Here are a couple of other suggestions from the National PTA’s Standards for Family-School Partnerships Implementation Guide, which you can find on our Web site at pta.org – when you click on “Family Engagement.” Hopefully you’ll see some ideas you’ll want to add to your “Take-home” column!
Here are some ideas to get you started:
Use all communication channels: cable television, newspapers, radio, automated phone systems, text messaging, school and PTA web sites and or newsletters, etc.
Identify parents, community members, organizations and businesses that can help facilitate home-school communication.
Communicate in languages and formats that will best inform all families.
Sponsor events that encourage interaction between educators and families in a fun, social way.
We have many other recommendations on our Web site at pta.org under Family Engagement and in the National Standards for Family School Partnerships Implementation Guide section.
[CLICK TO NEXT SLIDE]
Standard 6: Collaborating with community
Under Standard 6, families and school staff collaborate with community members to connect student, families, and staff to expanded learning opportunities, community services, and civic participation.
Goal 1: Connecting the School with Community Resources
Link to community resources
Organize support from community partners
Turn the school into a hub of community life
Partner with community groups to strengthen families and support student success
As you think about your school or schools in your district, consider these questions:
Are families aware of resources in the community that link to learning?
Are students organized to provide a service to the community?
Is the community engaged in supporting learning through such opportunities as service learning and internships?
Are community members included in planning and implementing programs and policies?
[SAY]
As you are developing your plan for the year, you will see obvious opportunities and gaps that will require community collaborations.
It’s important to recognize that – every person in your school – staff, students, PTA leaders/members, and families – every person has their own community connections. When you share your plan with these stakeholders, you’ll see quite easily – community connections emerge. That’s an opportunity to encourage new PTA member involvement and leadership. If someone has a connection, ask them to forge the collaboration, and encourage them to take the lead building and sustaining the relationship.
Be sure to bring partners together around a shared vision and recognize them whenever you can.
Some other ideas might be:
Host a community resource fair that highlights programs that support the cultural, recreational, academic, health, social, and other needs of families.
Reach out to senior/retired citizens and invite them to volunteer at the school.
Work with the local newspaper or media to promote special events that are happening at the school.
Invite school alumni to volunteer time to the school.
Sponsor an annual Give Back Day to encourage students to implement community service projects.
[ASK]
What has your PTA or school done?
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National PTA also offers a number of tools to help local units to implement the National Standards.
The Implementation Guide includes an explanation of the National Standards, action steps, and resources to aid PTA leaders, parents, educators, the community, and students in working together for the educational success of all children.
The National Standards Assessment Guide allows you to rate yourself on your progress in meeting the Standards.
It is one of PTA’s most popular tools!
I’d like to share some best practices as school districts, PIRCs, and states have implemented the National Standards. These provide great examples of how the standards can be put into action.
Professional Development: Boston Public Schools in Massachusetts is using PTA’s National Standards for Family-School partnerships as part of their training blueprint for principals and other school staff. The district plans to provide professional development linking instruction to family engagement. Alabama’s Department of Education also uses PTA National Standards to guide their training and vision of meaningful parental involvement.
Parent Leadership Academies: Indiana’s Parental Information and Resource Center has embedded PTA’s National Standards for Family School Partnerships into their curriculum for statewide parent leadership academies. In addition, all 25 schools participating in the parent leadership academies are surveyed on their school-family partnerships using PTA’s National Standards.
Turning around Struggling Schools: In Kansas, PTA’s National Standards for Family-School Partnerships have been integrated into the state’s guidelines for school-improvement plans. In their school improvement plans, schools must describe how they will use at least two of PTA’s National Standards as part of their comprehensive goals for school improvement.
National PTA offers programs to help state and local PTAs use the Standards…
If your PTA is looking for help to implement programs that include the standards, you might consider implementing one of National PTA’s Programs on family engagement. The programs include:
PTA National Standards for Family-School Partnerships
Take Your Family to School Week Grants
Phoebe Apperson Hearst Family-School Partnership Award
Three for Me (Engagement Tool)
[SAY]
It’s time for a Stand Up Poll! When I call out each item, stand up if it applies to you. If you stand up, stay up! Don’t sit down until I tell you to!
[Click to advance each bullet]
[Click to next slide]