Families as Partners in Learning
What does this mean
Why does it matter?
Why should we care?
How do we do it?
A few definitions before we start
• Partnership
• Education / Learning
• Families
We need a change in focus: From
Families
Students
School/Teachers
3
We need a change in focus: To
Social
Political
Resources
Cultural
School – Early
Childhood
Service
Child
Community
Family
Services
Economy
Labour
Markets
4
Where do we do most of our learning?
Source: Banks, J et al, 2007, Learning in & out of school in diverse environments
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The research in unequivocal…Kids do better at school
when parents are involved in their child’s schooling
• High performing schools have high levels of family and
community involvement
• This holds equally true for ‘high poverty’ schools as it does
for white, middle class schools
• In fact, family participation in education has been found to
be twice as predictive of students’ academic success as
family socio-economic status
– Greatest impact in areas of highest disadvantage
– Holds true across ALL levels of education – all ages, all stages
Benefits for children & young people
•
•
•
•
Higher grades and test scores
Higher self-esteem
Improved social competence
Concerns are sorted more quickly when parents have a
positive relationship with staff
• Improved school graduation rates
• Increased enrolment in post secondary education
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Benefits for families
• Their children do better at school and achieve more
• Families show more sensitivity to their children’s social,
emotional and intellectual developmental needs
• Families are better able to help & encourage their children
• Use more complex language with their children and
encourage their children to verbalize more
• Have more information about their children’s education
• Build their own confidence & skills
• Build trust in educational institutions
Benefits for schools
• Improved student achievement
• Families bring skills which complement the teacher’s skills &
expertise
• Improved communication to and from families
• Improved community support
– Increased public support for schools
• Families contribute their time which frees up teachers to do more
with students
• Improved student behaviour
• Parents can give help & advice on how to reach other parents
• Improved teacher morale
Family-School Partnerships Framework : What
does it look like?
7 key dimensions:
A. Communicating
B. Connecting learning at home and at school
C. Building community and identity
D. Recognising the role of the family
E. Consultative decision-making
F. Collaborating beyond the school
G. Participating
Note: This framework builds on the work of Joyce Epstein and the National Network
of Partnership Schools
Impact on student learning
• Connecting learning at home and at school has the
greatest effect on student achievement
• This is often one of the hardest things for schools to do as
teachers need to explicitly connect with families around
curriculum/programs
• The challenge here is to broaden thinking beyond
homework and families monitoring compliance with
homework
Barriers to the formation of Partnerships: School
perspective
• Belief systems
• Perception that families don’t understand the school, the education
system, its constraints etc
• Perception that families don’t care about their children / don’t know how
to parent and therefore are likely to add little (if any) value
• Lack of knowledge of the positive research findings on the part of schools
& parents
• Little understanding of how to effectively engage with families and little
preparation for this role
• Structural constraints
• Reporting and communication from a deficit model ie what’s not going
well
• Language & cultural differences are not understood by schools and no
strategies to involve ‘hard to engage’ families
What might get in the way of families partnering
with schools?
• Believe an authoritarian Principal / teacher is to be valued so leave
them to get on with the job
• Feel they have little to offer
• Concerns about their ability to help (time commitment required etc)
• Unsure of their role or what they have to offer
• Embarrassed about own education level / language abilities
• Feel unwelcome / intimidated / talked down to / not understood by the
school or its parent organisations
• Teacher's assumptions of parental disinterest or inability to help with
children's schooling
•
Carry own baggage from their school years
What can families do?
• Use everyday opportunities to educate
– It’s the little things we do everyday, not the occasional special, event, that
are of most value
• Take an active interest in what’s going on at school - ask
your children what they are learning
• Encourage your child to read – at all ages
• Show how you use maths and science in everyday
applications
What else can families do?
• Be aware of the possibilities offered by technology
• Visit the school, classrooms, attend parent-teacher
interviews, ask questions
• Show interest in your child’s homework and assignments
• Raise concerns early with the teacher
• Show that you value education
• Have high expectations of your child and your child’s school
What next – Establishing a Partnership Action Team
• Your school may choose to establish a Partnership Action
Team (PAT), which reports directly to School Council or
one of the School Council sub-committees.
• The PAT develops a Family-School Partnerships Program
For further information
• Education Regeneration & Community Partnerships
Division, DEECD
(www.education.vic.gov.au/)
• Family-School & Community Partnerships Bureau
(www. familyschool.org.au)