Families and Collaboration

1. Families and Collaboration Meeting the Challengefor Diverse Populations Denise R. Johnson New Dominion Alternative Center

2. Today’s Meet

3. Today’s Objective • Build trusting collaborative relationships among teachers, families, and community members • Recognize, respect, and address families’ needs, as well as class and cultural difference • Embrace a philosophy of partnership where responsibility is shared

4. Families and teachers might wish that the school could do the job alone. But today’s schools need families and today’s families need the schools. In many ways, this mutual need may be the greatest hope for change. “ • Rich, 1987

5. A significant knowledge base suggests that to enhance learning outcomes, productive home- school collaborations are essential (Lewis &Henderson, 1997).

6. While most educators agree with the value of family involvement, putting such relationships into action can be challenging.

7. Benefits of Working with Parents as Partners • Shared educational goals • Maximizes opportunities for the student to learn • Builds social capital • Parent and educator perspectives leads to a better understanding of the student • Blaming can be avoided when a child exhibits learning and behavior difficulties

8. Challenges for Diverse Families and Educators Demographics of students served is rapidly changing Family structures and values are more varied Service providers are child focused and have limited training on family interaction

9. Challenges for Diverse Families and Educators • Suspicion about treatment from educators • Lack of responsiveness to parental needs • Lack of supportive environment and resources (e.g., poverty, limited access to services)

10. Challenges for Diverse Families and Educators • Transportation • Day care issues • Illness of caregiver or other family • Language differences • Economic, emotional, and time constraints

11. Challenges for Diverse Families and Educators • Tendency to blame parents for student academic/behavioral performance • Use of jargon • Lack of sensitive/aware personnel • Lack of linguistically/culturally diverse materials • Inflexible scheduling

12. Engaging Families at All Levels • It is never a good idea to ignore family lack of involvement • Even under the most frustrating conditions, educators still must continue to build respectful relationships

13. Engaging Parents At All Levels • Differentiating family supports is just as important as differentiating instruction • One size does not fit all • Multiple approaches are needed to engage parents, grandparents, single parents, foster parents, older siblings, teen parents, military parents, incarcerated parents, etc.

14. Tier Model for Differentiating Strategies to Maximize Family Engagement Indicated: 3rd Tier Universal: 1st Tier Selective: 2nd Tier Special efforts for a few families. Additional supports to boost some families. Opportunities afforded to all families.

15. Universal Strategies for ALL Families • Create a welcoming environment • Solicit family input • Provide an orientation • Establish ongoing communication • Sponsor social activities

16. Selective Strategies to BOOST Some Families: • Connect families with each other • Offer families education and training • Translate materials • Solicit family input • Recruit family members to serve on advisory groups

17. Strategies for Hard to REACH Families • Tailor approaches to each family • Repair relationships between the student and his/her family

18. Reflection: Personal Attitudes Toward Families Provide examples of each • Do I accept parents as they are, or do I try to change them to “fit” a predetermined parent role? • Do I try to build relationships, or do I stay aloof in my interactions with family members? • When I tell parents that I will do something, do I follow through? •  Am I always trying to teach parents something, inform them of something, or instruct them about something, or do I also try to learn from them and about them?

19. Fostering Positive Relationships • Educators must meet parents where they are, not where they think parents should or could be. • Everyone should assume that each party is doing the best he or she can. • This means that judgments must be suspended and an effort made to understand the family’s perspective.

20. Ways To Model Positive Attitude • Listen to one another’s perspective • View differences as strengths • Focus on mutual interests • Solicit input (e.g., ideas and opinions about the child, concerns, goals, and potential solutions to problems)

21. Ways To Model Positive Attitude • Make shared decisions about a child’s educational program and goals • Demonstrate a willingness to address conflict • Refrain from finding fault

22. Dealing With Conflict Differences are to be expected, because parents and teachers observe children in their respective settings. A win-win attitude in the presence of conflict is essential to fostering positive relationships. Educators demonstrate a win-winattitude when they state a desire to work toward resolution and discuss what can be done at home and at school to achieve goals for the student.

23. Reflection: Building Trust with Students Provide examples of each • What extra effort have I made to enhance the involvement or connection to school for the student? • How can my relationship with the student be enhanced so that the student wants to invite the caregiver to attend back-to-school night or parent-teacher-student conferences? • Does the student feel it is his or her school (i.e., has a sense of belonging)? • Do I convey appreciation for parents’ ideas and input about their child?

24. Practices that Build Trust and Create a Welcoming Climate • Greeting families by name and initiating positive contact when they first enter the school • Maintaining a point of contact between home and school • Preparing print materials in multiple languages. • Checking the tone and content of messages school personnel convey • Providing prompt responses to parent concerns

25. Practices that Build Trust and Create a Welcoming Climate • Making contact at the first sign of a concern • Offering group activities such as information-sharing sessions) to encourage families and staff to become acquainted • Reaching out to parents through positive telephone calls • Offering to meet parents at their convenience • Asking parents to report good news to the school

26. Practices that Build Trust and Create a Welcoming Climate • Be an active listener • Use solution-oriented language • Express concern for the student • Try not to start off by reciting a laundry list of problems that the child might have • Most families do not want to hear what is wrong with their children, but want to hear specific behavioral descriptions of what their children are doing

27. Practices that Build Trust and Create a Welcoming Climate • Help parents view their children as learners • Phrase communication in such a way that a message of hopefulness is evident. Negative messages such as, “Your child is having trouble,” or “Your child is not motivated” may encourage caregivers to give up hope instead of trying to help by becoming involved. • Include students in communications whenever possible.

28. Be flexible in accommodating parents and families • Schedule specific dates for parent-teacher conferences and offer meeting times during and after school • Use locations, such as home or a local library to hold parent-teacher conferences • Offer child supervision during meetings • Provide options for transportation • Supply interpreters/liaisons for ESOL population • Create flexible school office hours so parents may come by before or after work

29. Be flexible in accommodating parents and families • Provide feedback in a comfortable environment • Keep number of professionals to a minimum • Ask about child’s strengths and weaknesses • Remember that the child is an individual • Use conflict resolution strategies to clarify any contentious issues

30. Reflection: Are families considered a resource? Provide examples of each Do you/your school personnel: • Help families maintain a sense of power, dignity, and authority in rearing their children? • Demonstrate mutual respect, critical reflection, and caring? • Find opportunities for families to provide input and make decisions about their children’s learning?

31. Technology for Parent, Teacher, and Student Collaboration at NDAC • As the use of technology in our parents’ and students’ lives changes, so should the way we communicate with them and keep them informed and involved in their education.

32. Technology for Parent, Teacher, and Student Collaboration at NDAC • Telephone conference • E-mail • Text message • Virtual teacher plan book • School/class webpage • Educational social media • Class blogs

33. Technology for Parent, Teacher, and Student Collaboration at NDAC • Phone conference

34. Technology for Parent, Teacher, and Student Collaboration at NDAC

35. Edmodo • Secure • Collaborate • Share content • Homework • Grades • Class discussions • Notifications

36. Email • johnsorj@pwcs.edu • Text message • 703-361-9808

37. Lesson Plans

38. Technology for Parent, Teacher, and Student Collaboration at NDAC • New Dominion - Start Page • http://newdominion.schools.pwcs.edu/

39. Implications For families: • Learn school policies, procedures, and practices • Develop and define family roles in relation to the student

40. Implications For professionals: • Involve influential family/community members • Conduct home visits • Make communication reciprocal • Craft goals consistent with values • Be aware of cultural diversity

41. Implications For educational programs: • Provide transportation/meeting flexibility • Assign interpreters for families (long term) • Develop materials for different languages/ cultures • Look for opportunities to work with community institutions

42. Involving Families Checklist Does your school: • Used welcoming strategies (e.g., personal invitations in native language, translators)? • Planned for logistical barriers (e.g., daycare, transportation)? • Invited family assistance and input when addressing school-based concerns? • Kept the focus of interaction child centered and solution oriented (e.g., what can be done to foster the child’s progress)? • Offered fun events that also may meet a family need (e.g., raffles, contests, meals)? Used community outreach (e.g., meet in neutral sites, home visits)? • Identified influential family and community members who will spread good messages about the school? • Surveyed families to determine the reason for noninvolvement? • Examined family recruitment procedures to ensure they are appropriate?

43. Thank you!

44. Sources • Christenson, S.L., & Sheridan, S.M. (2001). Schools and families: Creating essential connections for learning. New York: Guilford Press. • Comer, J. P., Haynes, N. M., Joyner, E. T., & Ben-Avie, M. (1996). Rallying the whole village: The Comer process for reforming education. New York: Teachers College Press. • Epstein, J.L. (2001). School, family, and community partnerships: Preparing educators and improving schools. Boulder, CO: Westview.

45. Sources Hoover-Dempsey, K. V., & Sandler, H. M. (1997). Why do parents become involved in their children’s education? Review of Educational Research, 67(1), 3–42. Liontos, L. B. (1992). At-risk families and schools: Becoming partners (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. EA 023 283). Eugene, OR: ERIC. National P. T. A. (2000). Building successful partnerships: A guide for developing parent and family involvement programs. Bloomington, IN: National Educational Service.

46. Sources Al-Hassan, Suha & Gardner, Ralph, III, Involving Immigrant Parents of Students with Disabilities in the Educational Process. TEACHING Exceptional Children, v34 n5 2002 Arcia, E., & Gallagher, J. J. Who are underserved by early interventionists? Can we tell? Infant-Toddler ntervention, v3, 1993 Zhang, Chun & Bennett, Tess, Facilitating the Meaningful Participation of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Families in the IFSP and IEP Process. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, v18 n1, 2003

47. Sources About. (2012, December 3). Retrieved December 3, 2012, from Edmodo: http://about.edmodo.com/ Friend, M., & Cook, L. (2010). Interactions: Collaboration Skills For Professionals. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc. Planbook. (2012, December 3). Retrieved December 3, 2012, from Planbook: http://planbook.com/signin.html Teen Chat Acronym Decoder. (2012, December 3). Retrieved December 3, 2012, from Teen Chat Decoder: http://www.teenchatdecoder.com/ TodaysMeet. (2012, December 3). Retrieved December 2012, 2012, from TodaysMeet: http://todaysmeet.com/EDSE662