Measure of School Family and Community Partnership, Essay Example

Measure of School, Family, and Community Partnerships

The purpose of this paper is to develop and implement inventories to assess the level of partnership at the target school as it pertains to the classroom, school, family, and community.  The rubric tool will use Epstein’s (2009) six types of involvement as its foundational base when evaluating the strengths, challenges, and future strategies in each key area.  These types include:  Parenting, in which schools help families create home environments which support learning practices; Communicating, in which both schools and families work to create effective communications tools and techniques regarding student progress and school activities/programs; Volunteering, in which schools actively recruit and organize parental assistance; Learning at Home, in which schools provide parents with effective strategies to assist their children in achieving learning goals at home; Decision Making, in which parents are included in school decisions and encouraged to take a proactive role within the educational environment; and Collaborating with Community, in which schools seek ways to effectively link family practices and educational goals with resources and services within the community (Epstein et al., 2009).  A comprehensive evaluation of the target school will allow teachers, parents, administrators, and members of the greater community to collaborate towards a common goal:  the improvement of student learning and an increased sense of belonging and community within the school.

An Understanding of Partnership

Epstein (2009) and colleagues suggest that family and community involvement within the school is one of the best ways to improve students’ classroom experiences and individual learning goals.  Although parents and teachers generally work to advance the same set of goals, their progress can be stymied by the traditional power structure of the educational setting wherein teachers and administrators dictate how these learning goals will be accomplished.  It is crucial that all schools work to instill strong feelings of partnership between these groups that emphasize the responsibilities which all involved adults have in preparing students to succeed at school and beyond (Epstein et al., 2009).  One of the greatest barriers to creating enduring school/family partnerships occurs when schools and teachers compartmentalize their job as one that simply involves educating students without looking at these same students as children and young people with needs which extend belong lesson plans and curriculum (Epstein et al., 2009).  As Epstein and colleagues (2009) point out, it is vital for our perspective on educating and parenting to merge so that we no longer view teachers’ roles as entirely separate from parents’ roles because “when parents, teachers, students, and others view one another as partners in education, a caring community forms around students and begins its work” (Epstein et al., 2009, p. 9).

When parents, teachers, administrators, and communities find common ground and work together to form strong partnerships, this sends a positive and consistent message to students that they and their learning goals are highly valued.  Additionally, these partnerships emphasize how family, schools, and community can overlap and thereby extend their sphere of influence thus further encouraging students to succeed in a series of supportive environments which echo each others’ goals and approaches (Epstein et al., 2009).  As Epstein and colleagues (2009) write, partnerships enable schools to become more family-like and families to become more school-like by working under the assumption that “if children feel cared for and if they are encouraged to work hard in the role of student, they are more likely to do their best to learn to read, write, calculate, and learn other skills and talents and to remain in school” (p. 10).

School Background

The target school used for this measure is a small private high school located in an upper-middle class neighborhood.  The student to teacher ratio averages at 10:1, and the school prides itself on creating a nurturing environment that also encourages students to develop critical thinking skills and creativity along with skills in core subject areas.  The school is unique in that it has a very low turnover of staff, with many of its teachers and administrative staff having been at the school since its inception ten years ago.  The majority of the school’s students are from upper-middle class families from the surrounding area, although the school does provide several scholarships per year for students with an exemplary academic record and strong financial need.

The school has a number of extracurricular activities in the area of sports and the arts; however, its primary focus is on academic activities, scholastic achievement, and a curriculum developed to prepare students to enter college.  There are few transfer students at the target school, and the majority of students remain at the school over the duration of their high school career, an aspect which helps to build a sense of community, familiarity, and collaboration within the school environment.  The participation of families in school events tends to be high, especially in areas such as fund raising and academic support; however, most parents work full-time and some concerns have arisen regarding conflicts between work schedules and school obligations, resulting in fewer parent volunteers than would be ideal.  Questions have also been raised within the school regarding its insularity:  although students are encouraged to develop interests outside of school through volunteerism and co-operative education programs, these activities most often occur within the immediate community with the result that few students have much exposure to other areas of the city and other groups of people beyond their tight-knit school group.  The target school currently does not have an Action Team for Partnerships (ATP) plan in place, but would greatly benefit from an evaluation which seeks to identify areas in which they could more actively involve parents and the community.  This would help to create an environment which better emphasizes collaboration amongst families, school, and the community.  This would encourage an approach to partnership which echoes Epstein and colleagues (2009) who write, “Some say of partnerships:  This is not hard work, but heart work.  Not more work, but the work.  Not harder work, but smarter work to mobilize all available resources that will contribute to student success” (p. 5).

Inventory of Present Practices

In order to develop a comprehensive profile of the strengths and challenges of current partnership practices within the target school, I reviewed Epstein and colleagues (2009) questionnaire “Starting Points: An Inventory of Present Practices of School, Family, and Community Partnerships” with all teachers and administrative staff.  This was not difficult, as the target school’s staff is small:  ten full-time teachers, a principal, vice-principal, guidance counsellor, and two administrative assistants, all of whom take part in the school’s weekly review meetings.  It was during one such meeting that we discussed the issue of partnership and completed the questionnaire as a group.  Much discussion, debate, and brainstorming ensued, especially once we determined that there were many major areas in which the school lacked a consistent and positive approach to developing partnerships; this issue will be addressed further in the “Strengths, Challenges, and Future Strategies” portion of this paper.  Each type of involvement will be divided into three sections:  those areas which are already very well implemented with all families; those areas which have had a good start with many families; and areas that need improvement.

Type 1:  Parenting

Very well implemented with all families

The target school currently collects information from families regarding their children’s strengths, needs, personality traits, goals, and hobbies and extracurricular activities.  This information is gathered through a detailed questionnaire that is part of each student’s enrolment package.  The information in the questionnaire is added to when parents meet with the guidance counsellor prior to the student beginning at the target school.  The school also encourages all parents to visit the school throughout the year; given that we understand our parents have busy schedules, the administration welcomes visits with 24 hours notice and is happy to take parents on tours and allow them to sit in on classrooms so that they might observe teaching styles, student participation, and get an overall idea of the school’s approach and philosophy.

Good start with many families

The target school has offered parental workshops on improving students’ scholastic achievement on several occasions in the past.  Although these workshops have not focused specifically on adolescent development, informal discussions between teachers and parents did touch on common adolescent behaviors as these two groups shared information and strategies for working with teens.  The target school’s library has a large section which deals with teen issues, parenting issues, and information about how to better improve one’s relationship with their teenage children.  This includes a number of relevant books (fiction and non-fiction) and DVDs (including a number of documentaries about parenting issues).  Although parents are welcome to borrow from our library, more could be done to ensure that all parents are aware of the resources we have to offer as well as the fact that they have full borrowing privileges.

Needs improvement

The target school currently has no home visiting program in place, and does not sponsor neighborhood meetings.  Currently, parents in need of information from the school are expected to telephone or visit, a set-up which is not particularly conducive to building greater understanding between families and the school.

Type 2:  Communicating

Very well implemented with all families

The target school currently has formal parent conferences twice a year, during which time teachers provide information to parents about their child’s academic progress.  It is standard, as well, for teachers to provide information about state test scores which allow parents to compare their child’s academic achievements and the school’s overall results in relation to state-wide test scores.  The target school has a monthly newsletter which is created by teachers, administrative staff, and senior students.  The newsletter includes a calendar of upcoming events, student activities, detailed information about curriculum, volunteer opportunities, and samples of student writing.  The target school provides detailed information about course selection at the end of every academic year in anticipation of the upcoming school year.  Information about school and community activities are also provided on a regular basis and is generally mailed home to parents as well as given to students in-class.

Good start with many families

All teachers at the target school have access to telephones and the Internet, both of which are used to communicate with interested parents regarding their child’s academic progress.  Currently, these types of communication are generally limited to those families which take the initiative to contact the school/teacher and those students who are experiencing academic or other difficulties which necessitate contact with parents.

Needs improvement

The target school has not investigated the possibility of acquiring language translators for parents because we have not yet identified any families who may need this service.  Further investigation of parents’ language needs should be completed, rather than merely assuming that parents will ask for help if they need it.  The target school does not currently have a school website or an automated telephone system which provides information about homework and other messages.  Teachers and administrative staff have email addresses which need to be made available to parents for communication purposes.

Type 3:  Volunteering–Involvement At and For the School

Very well implemented with all families

The target school currently encourages all parents to get involved in school activities including chaperoning trips and events, assisting teachers in the classroom, giving career-related talks, leading clubs, and attending school events.  Several parents have taken responsibility for organizing other parents into an informal volunteer network.  When parents are unable to volunteer at the school, we provide other opportunities for volunteerism such as helping with fund raising in their places of employment and the community.

Good start with many families

The target school intermittently conducts surveys to identify the interests and strengths of parent volunteers in order to match them up with appropriate teachers/programs/events.  The school occasionally sends out thank you letters to acknowledge volunteers.  The school has been trying to vary the days and times which our school events are held at so that more parents can attend.

Needs improvement

The target school has no established training program for volunteers, instead recruiting and working with parents on an informal ad-hoc basis.  There is no dedicated room for volunteer work and resources.

Type 4:  Learning at Home–Involvement in Academic Activities

Very well implemented with all families

The target school provides information to families regarding skills required in all subject matters and how parents can best support their children’s learning at home.  The target school also provides summer learning packets at the end of each school year and helps students plan for their futures through college/career information sessions and preparatory courses.

Needs improvement

The target school does not currently have a schedule of interactive homework.  There are no family nights held at the school which focus on literacy, grade level requirements, or learning resources on the Internet.

Type 5:  Decision Making–Participation and Leadership

Very well implemented with all families

The target school currently has parent representatives on the School Council and includes parent representatives in professional development events related to the School Council.  Our parent representatives act as a link between the school and families for providing important information about decisions at the school.

Good start with many families

The target school has an active but somewhat informal parent organization which is run by several dedicated parent volunteers and meets somewhat sporadically.

Needs improvement

The target school does not currently use email or surveys to obtain information and feedback from parents regarding school policies.  Parents are also not involved in the hiring process.  The school does not currently have an Action Team for Partnerships (ATP) in place.

Type 6:  Collaborating with the Community

Very well implemented with all families

The target school provides information about summer programs and other learning opportunities for students within the community.  The target school also runs after school activities that are staffed by parent volunteers with links to the local business community to build potential job skills.  The target school also has a cooperative education program that links students with part-time jobs in the community, many of which take place at parents’ places of business.

Good start with many families

The target skill encourages students to forge links with social service and faith-based organizations within the community in order to give back to the community through volunteerism.

Needs improvement.

The target school does not currently offer a resource directly of community agencies and services.  There is no alumni or inter-generational program at the school.  The school building is not used by the community after school hours.  There are currently no partnerships with counselling, job training, and other agencies to provide ‘one-stop’ shopping for families.

Strengths, Challenges, and Future Strategies

Type 1:  Parenting

Strengths

In discussing “Starting Points: An Inventory of Present Practices of School, Family, and Community Partnerships,” our staff was in agreement that the greatest strength of our school lies in its small size and family-like atmosphere.  While staff recognized that there were many Parenting areas which could be further encouraged and developed, they agreed that this area had largely been overlooked because it was assumed that parents didn’t need these types of resources because no one had specifically asked for them.

Challenges.

Staff acknowledged that they need to take a more proactive role in investigating how better we can serve families by providing more parenting resources.  This will require a level of communication that goes beyond daily greetings to parents who bring their children to school, especially because at the high school level many students provide their own transportation to and from school, thereby limiting the contact between staff and parents to school events and parent-teacher interviews.

Future strategies

The parental workshops which have been conducted in the past could provide an excellent opportunity to expand on its initial emphasis on academic achievement to encompass information on adolescent development and parenting support.  The teachers and parents who participated in these workshops showed a great deal of interest in discussing problems and successes which they had personally experienced with their teens, demonstrating that there is a need in our school community for further parent-to-parent support groups and workshops which focus specifically on adolescent development issues.  As well, our past workshops have been intermittent; going forward, it would be helpful to have a regular and consistent schedule of workshops planned at the beginning of the year so that parents can express their interest and rearrange their schedules to accommodate attendance at these workshops/support groups.  Going forward, our staff was in agreement that we need to expand our initial questionnaires and parent interviews on a consistent and regular basis.  This could involve follow-up questionnaires which remind parents of the resources available to them while also enquiring as to what specific information they would be most interested in having access to.  Given our relatively small student body, home visits to all students on an annual basis would provide an excellent opportunity for encouraging a deeper relationship between families and the school.

Type 2:  Communicating

Strengths

The small size of the target school allows for an intimate level of communication with most families.  Academic success is one of the primary concerns of parents, and we have developed a number of ways to communicate information regarding academic progress, the college application process, and tutoring opportunities.  These include parent-teacher interviews, telephone conversations with interested parents, and face-to-face meetings when requested by the parent.  Our monthly newsletter provides comprehensive information about all areas of the school including academic information, volunteer and community opportunities, and representative samples of our student work.  Additionally, several of our parents are involved in preparing and distributing the newsletter and our senior students gain valuable hands-on experience in creating and publishing the newsletter.

Challenges

The majority of our parents work full-time, often in competitive and high-power positions which require a great deal of time and commitment.  Although our parents are invested in their children’s success, strategies need to be developed to increase the kinds of communication which occur between school and families.  Currently, we tend to communicate with parents primarily when there is a specific problem that needs to be addressed rather than when there is good news to share.

Future strategies

Given the busy schedules of many of our parents, it would be helpful to develop an Internet presence that could further facilitate communication between the school and families.  The creation of a school website could be incorporated into our technologies course as a potential senior project.  Additionally, a column in our school newsletter which addresses parent questions could further strengthen the partnership between families and the school.  Our staff was in agreement that we need to move away from a dynamic which only focuses on family/school communication when students are exhibiting academic, social, or disciplinary trouble.  One suggestion was to incorporate journals in all homeroom classes which serve to remind students about their homework and upcoming school events while also serving as a communicative link with parents, who would be required to sign the journal every day to acknowledge that they’re aware of their child’s obligations.  Teachers could also use this journal to express positive information about each student.

Type 3:  Volunteering–Involvement At and For the School

Strengths

The small, family-like school environment has resulted in a base of informal parent volunteers who are highly dedicated and free with their time and resources.  Those who cannot volunteer in-person often provide other kinds of assistance (such as allowing students and teachers to use a corporate print shop to publish our monthly newsletter).

Challenges

It has been the target school’s habit to only recruit parents on an as-needed basis.  This can lead to a lack of stability and an inability to meet all of our school’s needs because when volunteers are required at the last minute there are not always parents available to fill these positions.  Additionally, some conflict can occur in the classroom with parent volunteers who are unfamiliar with what their role should be due to lack of training.

Future strategies

A formal training program that offers structure and guidance from administration and teachers would help to establish the expectations for our parent volunteers.  Further, a more consistent approach to acknowledging the help of and need for volunteers would demonstrate our appreciation of such volunteers, perhaps through an annual volunteer recognition event.

Type 4:  Learning at Home–Involvement in Academic Activities

Strengths

Parents at the target school are very interested in the academic aspect of their children’s school experience and feel empowered to ask many questions about how best to support their children’s learning goals.  College planning sessions are held four times per year and are among the school’s best attended events.

Challenges

The time constraints of parents coupled with the independence of adolescence can act as a barrier to encouraging parents to work one-on-one with their children at home.  This activity is often outsourced among our families to tutors and private after school educational support programs.

Future strategies

Interactive homework in all grades would be an excellent way of encouraging families to engage in educational activities at home.  Creating calendars or handouts which stress the positive academic outcomes which can occur from learning at home would appeal to our parents, who are highly motivated to see their children achieve good grades and eventually attend college.  Our well-attended college information nights would provide a good opportunity to offer information and instruction regarding the ways that parents can support their children academically at home.

Type 5:  Decision Making–Participation and Leadership

Strengths

Those parents who choose to volunteer their time on the School Council and in our parent organization are incredibly dedicated and forge an important link between families and the school.  Their ability to connect with other parents and serve as an informal communication link between families and the school lessens the burden on administration and teachers substantially.

Challenges

The informal nature of our parent organization means that the bulk of the work rests on too few people.  As well, because all parents are not involved in this process, we cannot be certain that the needs and concerns of all parents are being addressed.

Future strategies

All staff was in agreement that an ATP would help to clarify parent roles and parent involvement in school policy issues.  This would include using set terms for parents to serve on the School Council and Parent Organization as well as developing a plan to survey all parents in order to obtain their feedback regarding school policies.

Type 6:  Collaborating with the Community

Strengths

The school has managed to develop some effective collaborations with parents who have links in the business community which have strengthened our cooperative education program.

Challenges

The school is located in an affluent neighborhood which has few social service agencies.  Many of our families have already established sources for resources such as health care, job skills, and counselling leading many staff members to question whether a resource guide and other strategies are necessary within this environment.

Future strategies

A more concentrated effort is needed from staff and parents to develop volunteerism skills within the student body.  This should include looking beyond our immediate community to other communities which may have a pronounced need for our help (i.e. food banks, tutoring opportunities for students at elementary schools in low-income neighborhoods).  It would also be helpful to directly ask parents and students whether they have a need for a resource directory rather than assuming that they don’t because no one has ever asked for it before.

Conclusion

This assessment has illustrated several key areas which need to be addressed in order to facilitate a stronger partnership between families, the school, and the community.  Although the target school already has a number of informal partnerships in place, these do not allow for all families to participate and tend to be somewhat disorganized and irregular in occurrence.  As well, staff tends to assume that parents do not need assistance if they do not ask for it, an approach which overlooks those parents who may not feel comfortable taking the first step in establishing a relationship with school staff.  A comprehensive one-year Action to Partnership (ATP) plan would provide an excellent way to develop concrete plans for each of Epstein’s six types of involvement with the goal of strengthening existing partnerships and building new ones.

References

Epstein, J.L., Sanders, M.G., Sheldon, S.B., Simon, B.S., Clark Salinas, K., Rodriguez Jansorn, N., VanVoorhis, F.L. … Williams, K.J. (2009). School, family, and community partnerships: Your handbook for action (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.