Making the Connection:
Engaging Families to Improve
Outcomes for Students with Disabilities
2013
ecac
Empowering Families … Improving Lives
 Parent
Training
and Information
Center (PTI)
 NC
Family to
Family Health
Information
Center (F2F)

Individual Assistance

Workshops on a variety of topics

Toll free Parent Info Line

Lending Libraries

Newsletters

Information packets

Parent-to-Parent Support

Assistance to parent groups
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2012
The North Carolina State Improvement Project
Improving Instruction For Students With Disabilities
PURPOSE:

To improve the quality of
Instruction for students with
disabilities.
GOALS:

Improve basic skills
performance.

Increase the percentage of
qualified teachers of students
with disabilities.

Increase graduation rates and
decrease dropout rates.

Improve parent satisfaction
and Involvement with, and
support of, school services.

Improve the quality of
teachers instructional
competencies
www.ncsip.org
2012
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Why does your work with families
make a difference?

Families’ involvement in their
children’s education stands
out as one of the greatest
predictors of growth and
well-being for students with
disabilities.
Elliott & Mullins, 2004; Resch et al., 2010
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2012
Parent
Involvement
Benefits
When parents are actively
engaged in their children’s
learning, students usually
benefit in the following ways:
New Wave of Evidence: The Impact of
School, Family and Community
Connection on Student Achievement,
Anne Henderson and Karen Mapp

Earn higher grades and better test
scores;

Enrolled in higher-level programs;

Promoted more and pass more of
their classes;

Earn more class or course credits;

Attend school more regularly, and
drop-out less;

Have better social skills and
demonstrate better behavior; and

Go on to postsecondary education
or other productive life choices.
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2012
Schools that succeed in engaging families from very
diverse background share three key practices.

They focus on building trusting,
collaborative relationships.

Schools recognize, respect and
address family’s needs, as well as
cultural and class differences.

They embrace a philosophy of
partnership where power and
responsibility are shared.
Ann Henderson and Karen Mapp (2002)
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2012
The “Joining” Process
Karen Mapp (2003)

Describes how schools can
successfully develop a
culture that honors and
validates parents as true
partners in their child’s
educational development
that results in improved
student learning.
1.
2.
3.
Welcoming
Honoring
Connecting
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2012
Welcoming

Families are made to feel
a part of the school
community

School facilities are welcoming.

Staff, parents and visitors greet
each other in genuinely friendly
ways.

School leaders, staff and parent
groups are easily accessible.

School staff are responsive to the
different backgrounds and
cultures of families.
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2012
Honoring

Family members are
genuinely respected and
affirmed for the
contributions they make.

The school community has a
philosophy of true partnership,
where power is shared.

Parents are given a real voice
in governance, with
representation from a diverse
group of families

The school solicits and listens to
ideas and is responsive to
diverse needs of families.
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2012
Research indicates…
 School
personnel often treat
poor families from a deficit
perspective that becomes a
barrier to family involvement.
 Strengths-based
approaches
can foster the school-home
connection.
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2012
Recognize the Roadblocks to
Parent Engagement
2012

Time

Not feeling welcomed

Not knowing how to contribute
(whether at school or with child)

Educational background

Not understanding the system

Childcare

Transportation

Language

Special needs

Economic and other needs
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Connecting

School staff and families put
children at the center.

Work together on education
issues designed to improve
educational opportunities for
the children.

School program/ events are
linked to improved student
learning
2012

Equip parents with skills on how
to help their children learn at
home.

Families know that school staff
care about their students and
have high expectations.

School staff develop
relationships with families.
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Every family functions as a home learning
environment, regardless of its structure,
economic level, ethnic or cultural
background. Consequently, every family
has the potential to support and improve
the academic achievement of its children.
~Unknown
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2012
What do the numbers tell us?
School-aged children in the US

32% are members of a single parent
household

18% live below the federal poverty
level

22% are members of an immigrant
family (at least one parent)

6% do not live with either parent

41% do not have internet access

31% do not have a computer at home
Teacher Demographics in the US

80% are White

79% are female

Median Age is 46%

56% have a master’s degree
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2012
To begin…

You MUST identify the
meaning of the word
“family” in your school

And…design your
approach to include the
families you don’t know
not just the ones you do.
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2012
It’s ALL in the APPROACH…
The transmission approach

Is NOT effective in parent
involvement programs
Knowledge emanates from an
authority
 The parent is an empty vessel,
which the educator fills.
 One size fits all.

The transaction approach

Cooperative interactions between
educator and parent works!
Opportunity to create a
“dialogue” between educators
and parents
 Meeting parents “where they
are”
 Partnership and true
collaboration.

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2012
Remember, Research Shows…

The most effective family
engagement / involvement
activities are what the parent
does at home.
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2012
What Parents Say…
 Tell
us what our kids do.
 Show
us how to tell if our kids are doing well.
 Explain
 Show
how you teach skills, reading and math.
us some strategies to help our kids.
 Tell
us how our children will be assessed.
 Let
us know how we can help you.
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Anne Henderson, Annenberg Institute for School Reform
2012
Reaching Out to Diverse Families
 Actively
welcome students and families.
 Involve
family / community who speak the native language.
 Recruit
staff volunteers who speak the same language.
 Invite
families to celebrate the school’s diversity.
 Give
parents a “school roadmap to learning”
 Hold
classes for non-native English speakers.
 Meet
families where they are.
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2012
Instructions vs. Instruction
2012
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2012
What type of information or support do teachers
need to effectively encourage involvement by
providing instruction not instructions?
This teacher’s response to a
question from a father is a
great example of effective
communication and
instructions.
Let him read for 15
minutes, and have him
read out loud so you can
hear him. And when he
makes mistakes, don’t say
“No, you know better than
that…” go in there and
say…”I think you’ve
misread this” and “Let’s go
over this”.
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2012
Families may need information and guidance in
how to create language rich environments and
interactions

Consider family culture and
language differences when
creating strategies / activities.

Activities should help families
see that reading and
conversation about books can
be FUN.

Technology is both a barrier to
family interactions and an
effective tool in creating
activities.
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2012
Examples of Instruction:

Echo Reading


Choral Reading


You and your child read the same text aloud together. Choral
reading should be done at least 2x per week.
Partner Reading


You read one line and the child reads the same line after you.
Increase the number of lines you read as the child’s reading
improves. Try to echo read at least one story each week
You and your child take turns reading. Start by reading one
sentence and asking the child to read the next sentence. As the
child’s fluency improves, you read one page and he/she reads a
page. Partner read once a week.
Repeated Reading

Read the same book or story more that once in the same week.
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Remember…

When you read with your
child, use as much
expression as you can so
your reading sounds like
speaking and the story
comes alive.
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2012
Effective activities at home should be
designed to:
Engage the family
 Reinforce current
classroom instruction
 Review or practice basic
skills
 Challenge students who
are ready to move
forward

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2012
Reading and Math Activities at Home can be
FUN and we know they make a difference in a
student’s education.

Remember, families
say they need
INSTRUCTIONS on
how to help their
child at home.
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2012
Be creative with instructions for parents!
TRY…

Giving families step by step tip sheets explaining
how to support reading or math at home

Making “short videos” - modeling how to read with a
child

Inviting families to a “make it and take it” event at
school and create tools for helping with reading and
math

Providing “words you should know” definitions so
parents are talking the same language.
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2012
Be creative with instructions for parents!
TRY…

Creating fill in the blank math
stories to teach families how to
use these at home

Developing Q & A documents
giving parents questions to
explore with their child

Sending home a weekly
activity and directions… either
by tweet, email, phone tree,
website, and with the child.
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2012
And don’t forget about using technology
when appropriate
2012

Developing a “shared work”
site such as Big Tent

Offering skill building
conference calls or webinars

Communicating by tweet, email,
website, etc.

Using a BLOG to connect and
educate families

Maintaining an electronic
calendar of assignments and
activities
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THINK about…



Working with building
leadership to ensure that all
school wide parent events are
welcoming and useful for ALL
families
Making home activities relate
to the parent’s work, culture,
family history or hobbies

Identifying and using cultural
mentors

Using partners such as faith
based and community
organizations

Creating parent to parent
support and educational
opportunities
Providing opportunities for
families who do not read or do
math well to be successful at
helping their child at home
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2012
Are families of children with disabilities considered
when planning BIG EVENTS in the building?
Family Literacy / Math Nights
 Sports and Stories
 Meet the Press
 What am I eating?
 How does my family use Math?
 Book fair events
 Career math spotlight

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2012
ecac will also be your PARTNER!
 We
are creating
Activity instructions
 Templates
 Flip videos and other
tools

 Let
us know what will
be helpful!
SIPParents@ecacmail.org
2012
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In summary…

Parents impact the
individual child’s learning

True collaboration is a
process rather than an
event

The outcome should be
parents who feel they are
a valued and important
part of their child’s
education.
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
The old way of thinking
was that parent
involvement was all about
parents. The new way is
that it’s about student
success.
Joyce Epstein
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2012
Sources…

Achievement Gaps: Family and Community engagement (2008)

Henderson, A.T., Mapp, K.L., & Davies, D. , Beyond the Bake Sale:
The Essential Guide to Family / School Partnerships. (2007)

Iowa School Boards Foundation, Family, School, and Community
Connections: Improving Student Learning (2007)

Edwards, Caitlin C., & Da Fonte, Alexandra, The 5-Point Plan:
fostering Successful Partnerships with Families of Students With
Disabilities. Teaching Exceptional Children (Jan/Feb 2012)

National PTA / building successful Partnerships, Barriers to Parent
Involvement: Roadblocks and Detours.
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2012
Sources…

New Mexico Public Education Department (NMPED) and the Center for the
Education and Study of diverse Populations (CESDP), Professional
Development Tools: Improving Communication, Module 2.

Project Appleseed, the Campaign for Public School Improvement, (2008)

Rutgers University, Strategies for Effective collaboration with Parents, Schools
and Community members, (Presentation 2009)

Bringing Literacy Home, KaiLonnie Dunsmore and Douglas Fisher, Editor

SEF Research Report: A New Majority: Low Income Students in the South

Parents Helping Parent Wyoming
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2012