Family Involvement to Engagement:

1. Family Involvement to Engagement: Working toward increasing minority family involvement and engagement in one elementary school Jennifer Garcia

2. Groundwork Research has shown that family involvement/engagement: • Improves student success in the classroom • Increases teacher morale • Fosters stronger communities • Positively impacts behavior/Improves behavioral issues • Improves attendance • Decreases the overall dropout rate These improvements occur regardless of background (cultural, racial or economic).

3. Topic Sentence I am studying the lack of minority family involvement and engagement in one elementary school because I want to find out how to better serve these families so they feel a part of the school and have a say in their children’s education in order to help my readers (teachers and administrators) understand their stories in order to implement better policies and practices to work with these families.

4. Researcher Disclaimer My interest in the topic is due to the fact that I will be working on the PTA exec board and want to achieve one of the set goals of increasing the number of minority families who are actively involved and engaged in their students’ education.

5. Which Minorities? For the general purpose of my research, minorities are defined as those with low SES and/or are from a different cultural/ethnic background than the dominant culture of the school. In this particular study the group we will be looking at are those who are different culturally/ethnically from the dominant Caucasian culture in the school.

6. Involvement vs. Engagement Much of the literature uses these terms synonymously but they are two very different things. Debbie Pushor breaks it down like this: Involvement refers to what parents DO in the school setting such as volunteering to help, going on trips, participating in events in schools. Engagement refers to how the teachers, parents and administrators work together to make decisions about a child’s education. (http://www.debbiepushor.com/parent/engagement)

7. Stakeholders The stakeholders who should have a vested interest in this topic are: • Students—Success and increased confidence; when parents are involved students are less likely to fall behind in studies and less likely to be labeled as LD, ED, AD, ADHD, etc. and placed in special education • Parents—as parents become more involved they are able to better understand the goals of the school and can create connections with other families • Teachers—increased morale and more parental support when needed • Administrators—more support for the school • Community members—increased involvement leads to less dropout rates which could have an impact on crime in the nearby community

8. Theory In order to understand and formulate clear plans to implement in order to increase family involvement, conflict theory and cultural capital. Conflict Theory—this theory is used because it focuses on class lines. Since one of the definitions of minority does have to do with economic status using this theory will help understand the inequities in funding for Title I schools.

9. Theory Cultural Capital looks at many of the different categories which minorities fall under including racial lines, class, culture and educational levels. These four classifications have a clear impact on perceptions by all stakeholders and impact family engagement.

10. What the Literature Says • Despite family SES, parental involvement and/or engagement can positively impact student success • Schools should be sure to provide a variety of ways to reach out to involve families • Students who have families who are actively engaged (and involved) are less likely to be labeled as those needing special education. • Stakeholders must understand what the expectations are of other stakeholders to have a successful program

11. Action Research Plans In order to gain information for analysis to use to better inform administrators/teachers about family engagement the researcher will continue to lay the groundwork to gain trust from families. The researcher will use a mixed methods approach that is less structured and less formal. Quantitative—Number of minority families who pay PTA dues will be looked at for at least one year prior to this year. Additionally the number of minority families involved at different activities will be tracked.

12. Action Research Plans Through the use of surveys the researcher will gain information regarding the understanding of what family engagement is on the part of teachers, administrators and parents. Through informal interactions and observations the researchers will inquire why families are not involved or what motivates those families who are involved.

13. Questions for Stakeholders For Teachers: • How do you define family involvement? • Is family involvement different from family engagement? • What do you see is the role of families in the education of students?

14. Questions for Stakeholders For Families • How do you define family involvement? • Is family involvement different from family engagement? • What do you see is the role of families in the education of students? • How are you involved in your child’s education? • Are you involved with PTA? • Have you volunteered for an event at school?

15. References • Chrispeels, J. & Gonzalez, M. (2005; 2006). No Parent Left Behind: The Role of Parent Education Programs in Assisting Families to Actively Engage in Their Children’s Education. Retrieved on 7/23/12 from http://leadership.education.ucsb.edu/files/pdf/JCREVPIQEElementaryJournal4.pdf. • Domina, T., (2005). Leveling the Home Advantage: Assessing the Effectiveness of Parental Involvement in Elementary Education. Sociology of Education 2005, Vol. 78, 233-249. Retrieved on 6/16/12 from http://soe.sagepub.com/content/78/3/233 • Epstein, J. L., (2005). Attainable Goals? The Spirit and Letter of the No Child Left Behind Act on Parental Involvement. Sociology of Education, 2005:78, 179-182. Retrieved 6/16/12 from http://soe.sagepub.com/content/78/2/179.refs.html • Henderson, A. & Mapp, K. (2002). A New Wave of Evidence: The Impact of School, Family, and Community Connections on Student Achievement. National Center for Family and Community Connections with Schools at the SEDL, Austin, TX. • Marquez, J. A. & Bermudez, A. B. (1996). An Examination of a Four-Way Collaborative to increase Parental Involvement. The journal of Educational Issues of Language Minority Students, Summer 1996 (v. 16). • National PTA National website at www.pta.org • Pushor, D. (n.d.). What is the difference between parental involvement and engagement? • Redding, S., Murphy, M., & Sheley, P. (2011). The Handbook of Family and Community Engagement. Retrieved on 7/23/12 from http://www.adi.org/SchoolCommunityNetwork/downloads/FACEHandbook.pdf. • The Center for Public Education. (2011). Back to School: How Parent Involvement affects student achievement. Retrieved on 7/19/12 from http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/Main-Menu/Public-education/Parent-Involvement/Parent-Involvement.html • Wells, D., Glass, J., Hill, J., Allen, K., Campbell, M. & Welch, P., Building Bridges Between School and Home: Stories of Success from Lawrence County, Tennessee. Retrieved from http://www.tnspdg.com/resources/products/Building%20BridgesFINAL32pg.pdf