CDE Online Seminar Family, School, and Community Partnering High Impact Strategies:
Communicating and Designing Homework “Two-Way” 2014-2015; Revised 9.13.14
INSTRUCTOR:
ADDRESS:
EMAIL:
PHONE:
FACILITATOR:
Cathy Lines, Ph.D.
1560 Broadway, Suite 1175
Denver, CO 80202 clines1@comcast.net
303-506-0484
Cindy Dascher (dascher_c@cde.state.co.us)
COURSE CREDIT:
DATES & TIMES:
.5 Graduate Credit (Adams State University for a fee) OR 8 Hours Continuing Education
OR Audit for Course Information (no credit)
September 29 – October 13, 2014
January 12 – January 26, 2015
Online via Blackboard (Expectation of 4 hours online activity per week for the 2week long course for a total of 8 clock hours of activity)
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
The goal of this course is to provide Colorado pre -12 educators with knowledge and resources to effectively practice effective two-way family communication and homework design. These “high impact” strategies can be seen as keys in supporting multi-tiered family-school partnering to support success for every student. “High impact” can be defined as educational practices that are “easily implemented, with significant results” and which directly and positively affect student achievement, helping close the achievement gap
(Dougherty and Kraft, 2014). The strategies are framed within a Multi-Tiered System of
Supports (MTSS), which includes every student including those with disabilities, and the
National Standards for Family-School Partnerships (PTA, 2008). Assignments integrate research reading, resource review, video discussion, slide viewing, self-assessment, and professional action planning. There is online discussion to share ideas. Individual application to specific sites, situations, and needs is intentionally embedded in the course so as to foster sustainable and relevant partnering practices. Evidence-based adult learning principles (Trivette, Dunst, Hamby, & O’Herin, 2009) are utilized throughout the course.
If a course participant is a member of a team, committee, group, faculty, or organization, it is suggested that this information be also communicated to colleagues and/or assigned activities/projects shared with them, so that a common knowledge base is established. The course is designed to provide practical resources for the effective implementation of recent statewide family-school partnering initiatives such as seen in the Colorado Model
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CDE Online Seminar Family, School, and Community Partnering High Impact Strategies:
Communicating and Designing Homework “Two-Way” 2014-2015; Revised 9.13.14
Evaluation System for Principals and Teachers, Individual Academic and Career Plans
(ICAP), READ Act, and truancy/behavior intervention planning.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:
 Cite key research findings that support family-school partnering for student success and specifically, how effective communication and homework design support achievement;
 Define the National Standards of Family-School Partnerships as they might be implemented at a site or situation and specifically Standard 2, Communicating
Effectively, and Standard 3, Supporting Student Success;
 Assess communication and homework practices for effectiveness;
 Develop practical, multi-tiered, data-based action plan for two-way communicating and designing homework;
 Apply existing and/or developed communication and homework resources to site or situation within the context of data-based action planning;
 Share resources and planning with colleagues.
TEXTS, READING AND INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES:
This course highlights specific information and resources from broader texts, as well as various online sites. Included here are primary texts and online resources from which specific information has been extracted. Specific article links are provided in each unit.
Supplementary resources are provided within the course.
Texts:
 Colorado Department of Education. (2009). Response to intervention (RtI) family &
community partnering: “On the team and at the table” toolkit. Denver, CO:
Author. Retrieved from http://www.cde.state.co.us/rti/FamilyCommunityToolkit.htm
.
 Redding, S., Murphy, M. & Sheley, P. (2011). Handbook on family and community
engagement. Lincoln, IL: Academic Development Institute/Center on
Innovation and Improvement. Retrieved from http://www.schoolcommunitynetwork.org/downloads/FACEHandbook.pdf
.
Websites:
 Colorado Department of Education, Family and Parent Resources http://www.cde.state.co.us/resourcesforparents
 Colorado Department of Education, Response to Intervention (RtI)/Multi-Tiered
System of Supports (MTSS) Family, School, and Community Partnering http://www.cde.state.co.us/rti/family
 Family Involvement Network of Educators (FINE)/Harvard Family Research Project http://www.finenetwork.org
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CDE Online Seminar Family, School, and Community Partnering High Impact Strategies:
Communicating and Designing Homework “Two-Way” 2014-2015; Revised 9.13.14
 Flamboyan Foundation http://flamboyanfoundation.org
 Homework Lady http://www.homeworklady.com
 National Parent Teacher Association http://www.pta.org
 State Advisory Council for Parent Involvement in Education (SACPIE) http://www.cde.state.co.us/sacpie
 TIPS (Teachers Involving Families in Schoolwork) http://www.csos.jhu.edu/p2000/tips/index.htm
 Working Together: School, Family, and Community Partnerships http://www.cesdp.nmhu.edu/toolkit/index.asp
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Each unit consists of four required components.
1.
Readings - Research Summaries, Articles, Presentation Packets: Participants are expected to read assigned material.
2.
Research Reviews: Participants are expected to review assigned resources so as to develop effective communication and homework practices.
3.
Assignments: Participants are expected to complete and submit assigned activities/projects for each unit, utilizing reviewed reading and resources. Survey completion, video discussion, action planning and data collection/analyses, product development are examples. Assignments are intended to be applicable to course members’ site or situation, with the goal of immediate and integrated usefulness.
4.
Discussion: Participants are expected to post comments on the Discussion Board each week in order to share their ideas and then, also, respond to others. A specific topic will be posted by the instructors the first week, based on readings, resources, and assignments. During the second week, participants are to pose a topic for colleagues in the class and respond to others’ queries, comments.
Note: Optional supplementary resources are provided for individual exploration as might be relevant.
GRADE DISTRIBUTION AND SCALE:
Grade Distribution:
 Assignments o Unit/Week One: 40%
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CDE Online Seminar Family, School, and Community Partnering High Impact Strategies:
Communicating and Designing Homework “Two-Way” 2014-2015; Revised 9.13.14 o Unit/Week Two: 40%
 Discussion Board Participation o Unit/Week One: 10% o Unit/Week Two: 10%
Grade Scale:
This course will be graded Pass/Fail. The grade will be determined by the following criteria:
Submission of at least 80% of the required assignments and discussion participation completed with 100% accuracy, by identified dates. Assignments are reviewed for accurate completion, with instructor feedback provided.
ONLINE TECHNOLOGY:
The online module will be delivered via Blackboard Academic Suite. Each participant will need Internet capability in order to access the course materials and interactions with other class participants. Instruction as to how to log into the course will be sent with your registration confirmation.
COURSE SCHEDULE/OUTLINE:
UNIT ONE/WEEK ONE: Family, School, and Community Partnering High Impact
Strategies Overview
During Unit One, each participant will:
 Identify applicable research and resources supporting effective family-school partnering “high impact” strategies;
 Assess current multi-tiered partnering practices, in relationship to the National
Standards for Family-School Partnerships, Standards 2 and 3; summarize data into strengths, challenges, and priorities;
 Explore and assess current homework and communication class/school/district policies at site or situation;
 Apply a relevant resource to site or situation.
UNIT TWO/WEEK TWO: Two-Way Communication and Homework Design
During Unit Two, each participant will:
 Identify applicable research and resources supporting two-way communication and homework design for specific site or situation;
 Assess current communication and homework practices;
 Develop a multi-tiered action plan for two-way communication and homework design, using data and resources, and possible application to individual learning plans such as in IEPs or ALPs;
 Design a sample two-way communication or homework tool for site or situation, to support action plan implementation.
The contents of this course were developed under a grant from the Department of Education. However, these contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement from the Federal
Government.
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