Engaging Families in the Education of Neglected and Delinquent Youth in Residential Care

1. Engaging Families in the Education of Neglected and Delinquent Youth in Residential Care Trina W. Osher, M.A. Huff Osher Consulting, Inc. David M. Osher, Ph.D. American Institutes for Research

2. Huff Osher Consulting, Inc. 2 Challenges to family involvement -- ______ ______ ______ ______

3. Is this the Education System We Want for Our Youth?

4. Huff Osher Consulting, Inc. 4 Stop the School to Prison PipelineChristine A. Christle, EDJJ 2004 Presentation Suspension reinforces truancy, interferes with educational progress, doesn't deal with underlying problem, creates or exacerbates the failure cycle - no way to get caught up, decreases the opportunities to learn appropriate, replacement behaviors, and perpetuates a cycle of violence (Costenbader & Markson, 1998) Collaboration Exchange of Information (transfer of records prior to a student’s move from one place/jurisdiction to another) Joint Program Planning for improved outcomes Feedback after each change of placement/program Specific pre-release programs (clinical plan, social skills, survival skills, independent living skills, pre-employment training, safety plans and law-related education). {Edgar et al., 1987; Maddox et al., 1984; Nelson, Rutherford & Wolford, 1987) (Coffey & Gemignani, 1994;)} Suspension reinforces truancy, interferes with educational progress, doesn't deal with underlying problem, creates or exacerbates the failure cycle - no way to get caught up, decreases the opportunities to learn appropriate, replacement behaviors, and perpetuates a cycle of violence (Costenbader & Markson, 1998) Collaboration Exchange of Information (transfer of records prior to a student’s move from one place/jurisdiction to another) Joint Program Planning for improved outcomes Feedback after each change of placement/program Specific pre-release programs (clinical plan, social skills, survival skills, independent living skills, pre-employment training, safety plans and law-related education). {Edgar et al., 1987; Maddox et al., 1984; Nelson, Rutherford & Wolford, 1987) (Coffey & Gemignani, 1994;)}

6. Huff Osher Consulting, Inc. 6 Children and Youth Don’t Exist in Isolation “If we are really going to keep families safe, we need to do that in the context of communities and family.” Viola P. Miller Commissioner, Tennessee Department of Children’s Services

7. Huff Osher Consulting, Inc. 7 PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT The term ‘parental involvement’ means the participation of parents in regular, two-way, and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities, including ensuring— that parents play an integral role in assisting their child’s learning; that parents are encouraged to be actively involved in their child’s education at school; that parents are full partners in their child’s education and are included, as appropriate, in decision making and on advisory committees to assist in the education of their child. No child Left Behind Sec. 1902 Definitions

8. Huff Osher Consulting, Inc. 8 Who Has Responsibility for Family Involvement? Families, administrators, school staff, students, and, in many cases, the courts. What is the educational administrator’s role? Administrators are usually responsible for implementing policies that make the facility accessible to and hospitable for families. Educational leader should ensure that students have access to their families and that families have access to their children. What should families do? Get involved. Don’t wait to be asked. Offer to help the school.

9. Huff Osher Consulting, Inc. 9 Research Base for Family Involvement Family involvement is key to improving school and mental health outcomes and reducing disparities. Parental efficacy and positive attitudes toward mental health services correlate with … a parent’s assessment of his or her ability to meet an improvement goal. Professionally or agency-driven interactions between professionals and families can work against self-efficacy and empowerment, particularly for caregivers who already feel socially stigmatized of marginalized.

10. Huff Osher Consulting, Inc. 10 Parent Perceptions Matter Even after controlling for diverse variables (e.g., the educational and employment levels of both parents, child’s grade, gender, and race) the strongest predictor of parent involvement was the parent’s perceptions of teacher outreach. Parent involvement was highest when parents perceived their child’s teacher as: Valuing their contribution to their child’s education,; Trying to keep them informed about their child’s strengths and weaknesses; and Providing them with specific suggestions to help their child. “Parents’ Perceptions of Teacher Outreach and Parent Involvement in Children’s Education.” Patrikakou, Evanthia N., and Weissberg, Roger P. in Journal of Prevention & Intervention in the Community (The Haworth Press, Inc.) Vol. 20, No 1/2, 2000 pp. 103-119.

11. Huff Osher Consulting, Inc. 11 Logic Model for Family-driven and Youth Guided Care

12. Huff Osher Consulting, Inc. 12 Bottom Line Learning is social process that depends upon the ability of the student to attend and the teacher to personalize Emotions and social emotional capacities affect learning and teaching Relationships and social and emotional capacity provide a foundation for learning and transition planning Contexts affect emotions and relationships There are measurable conditions for learning that affect the ability of students to attend and teachers to personalize These conditions for learning are particularly important for students in correctional settings

13. Huff Osher Consulting, Inc. 13 How NOT to Involve Families:Some Examples But, I’m the doctor – But, we already made a decision – But, we didn’t mean now – We don’t do it that way --

14. Huff Osher Consulting, Inc. 14 The Challenge of Education in Correctional Environments

15. Huff Osher Consulting, Inc. 15 What Are The Conditions and Capacities for Success?

16. Huff Osher Consulting, Inc. 16 Why Be Concerned with Conditions for Learning and Family Involvement in Correctional Settings? Key to addressing the educational needs of students Key to ensuring that these students have the same opportunities to achieve as students in community schools Necessary for successful return to the community

17. Huff Osher Consulting, Inc. 17 Bottom Line Families often know students strengths and needs Families may have other critical information Families are necessary to successful transitions Family Efficacy and Trust are related to positive outcomes

18. Huff Osher Consulting, Inc. 18 Low Achieving Students & Students Who are at Risk-- Particular susceptibility to: Low Teacher Support Negative Peer Relationships Chaotic & Reactive Environments Poor Instructional and Behavioral Practices Family-school conflict or disconnect

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20. Huff Osher Consulting, Inc. 20 Factors To Consider In Working With Families Geography, transportation, financial resources, time Family members’: Skills and knowledge; Experiences with education or other systems; History; and Culture and language Characteristics of the institution Security Staffing Court restrictions Look in the Guide for a list of opportunities to involve families (pages 7-8).

21. Huff Osher Consulting, Inc. 21 What Families Say Helps Them Get Involved Culturally comfortable settings Trust building Communication mechanisms Outreach strategies Family support services See the Guide for specific suggestions (pages 11-13). Consulting with families of students being served will help an institution’s leaders choose strategies best suited to their specific families and that can work in their setting.

22. Huff Osher Consulting, Inc. 22 Take Advantage Of Family Visits To Engage Them In School Activities Give tours of the school on visiting day. Open a family resource center in the school where: families can pick up information relevant to their child’s education and transition to a community school; and teachers can explain the curriculum and what students have been working on. Display samples of student work in the visiting area. Give each student a packet of their recent work and coach them to review it with their family on visiting day. Look in the Guide for strategies that administrators say are working in their facilities – see page 14

23. Huff Osher Consulting, Inc. 23 Suggestions for Smooth Transition Home Include the student’s family in transition planning from the start. Help the family gather necessary information. Help them foster relationships with their community school education program BEFORE the student makes the transition.

24. Huff Osher Consulting, Inc. 24 Involving Families in Evaluation to Determine If Outcomes are Improving Give families and youth a significant role in designing the questions and methods of getting feedback that is meaningful, culturally appropriate, and family friendly. Hire and train families and youth to collect the data, to make follow-up calls when surveys are not returned, conduct phone interviews, and moderate focus groups. Ask families to support objective data by adding their personal testimonies when it is time to report on the program’s or institution’s impact.

25. Huff Osher Consulting, Inc. 25 Engaging Families For Program Improvement and System Change Identify governance boards, planning councils, advisory groups, and working committees where family input would be desirable. Recruit, train, and support families who serve in this capacity. Seek family input when developing any plans to improve family involvement in an institution or program. Demonstrate genuine respect for family members, warmly welcome their collaboration, and generously provide support to make the partnership work. Look in the Guide for a list of strategies that work (page 10).

26. Huff Osher Consulting, Inc. 26 Relationships Are Key Establishing communication with a student’s family may require some creative effort and persistence. Don’t assume that the family is not interested just because you don’t get a response right away. Use more than one strategy to reach out to each family such as: Sending a message in the mail; Making a phone call; and Trying to meet them in person the next time they visit their child at the facility. Look in the Guide for a list of specific questions to ask families about communication (page17).

27. Huff Osher Consulting, Inc. 27 Families Expect Programs To Be Therapeutic and Family Friendly Families Want Students to Have High-quality education, not simply one that pushes all students toward a GED regardless of their abilities and goals; Staff who are qualified and experienced; Vocational education assessments and training; Creative but rigorous alternative learning strategies; Social skills training; Qualified professional mental health services; and Staff who treat their children with dignity and respect.

28. Huff Osher Consulting, Inc. 28 What Youth Say About Involving Their Families “My mom and me agreed on everything and that was one of the biggest factors in getting through my treatment.” “Family support is a strong issue, and they have to be involved in the treatment.” “There should be some information for the parents to encourage them to want to be involved.” “If the child gives up the parent or support needs to want it for them. It’s sad to see the parent give up.” Blamed and Ashamed: the treatment experiences of youth with co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders and their families Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health

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30. Huff Osher Consulting, Inc. 30 Universal Strategies for All Families1st Tier Create a welcoming environment Solicit family input Provide an orientation Establish ongoing communication Sponsor social activities

31. Huff Osher Consulting, Inc. 31 Selective Strategies to Boost Some Families2nd Tier Connect families with each other Offer families education and training Take advantage of family visits to their child Recruit family members to serve on advisory groups

32. Huff Osher Consulting, Inc. 32 Intensive Strategies for Hard to Reach Families3rd Tier Tailor approaches to each family Repair relationships between the student and their family Hire Family Liaisons to work with families 1:1

33. Making the Paradigm Shift to Family, and Youth Driven Practice

34. Huff Osher Consulting, Inc. 34 PARADIGM SHIFT: The Changing Role for Families and Youth

35. Huff Osher Consulting, Inc. 35 PARADIGM SHIFT: The Changing Role for Families and Youth

36. Huff Osher Consulting, Inc. 36 How Do We Make Practice Family-driven? A change in vocabulary is not enough to transform practice. Communities, agencies, providers, and families need training, technical assistance, and on-going support to make the paradigm shift. State and national policies must encourage, support, and sustain: The conditions that are necessary for it to happen; and The capacities that must exist for it to happen. A systemic approach to improving conditions and capacities

38. Huff Osher Consulting, Inc. 38 Example of Conditions and Capacities to Support Family Involvement Conditions Accurate information is available in formats families can use. Families are given copies of data and reports with clear explanations. Professionals use commonly understood language without being condescending. Professionals support data-based decisions made by families. Capacities Families know how to “read” data and reports and are able to use information to make choices that best meet their needs. Families know how to ask for information and explanations. Professionals know how to access and allocate funds to implement data-based decisions made by families.

39. Huff Osher Consulting, Inc. 39 What Does It Take to Involve Families in Systems Change? A safe, welcoming, and supportive environment; Sharing all information with everyone; and Resources to support family involvement such as funds for transportation, child care, and training events.

40. Huff Osher Consulting, Inc. 40 Find the Balance

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42. Huff Osher Consulting, Inc. 42 Where Can You Get More Information? Look in the Guide for lists of: References Resources and Other centers for technical assistance and information www.neglected-delinquent.org www.cecp.org systemsofcare.samhsa.gov www.tapartnership.org