Exam 2 Parent Teacher Comm
What are some arrangements that should be made for meetings?
- Appropriate temperature - Large enough room to accommodate the group - Greet parents - Involve parents in an icebreaker - Have group leaders facilitate open discussions - Thank presenters and acknowledge their contribution during parent trainings and meetings At the end of training and meeting sessions, announce instructions for future meetings
What are some ways to establish a positive climate amongst parents and participatns of parent education programs?
- Bingo card - Scrambled name tags - Favorite personal items - Play 'Who Am I" - Pair introductions - Play "I've Got A Secret"
What are some informal methods to determine parents'/families' needs? Explain these methods.
- Brainstorming sessions o Choose a recorder of everything being discussed o Encourage all members (or parents) to contribute ideas o Members choose 3-6 ideas that most interest them for a potential parent education program - Open-ended questions o Ask parents to respond to topics o What do I want to know about my school? My community? What would I like to do for my school? For my community? - Question box o Some parents are hesitant to make suggestions at meetings o Put the box in place where parents can make comments anonymously o Also might be helpful to have a digital suggestion box § We might get more parents commenting as well as it's more anonymous for parents
What are some of the types of parent education meetings? (Formats for parent trainings or meetings)
- Buzz sessions - Brainstorming - Workshops/centers - Observations/field trips - Role-playing - Dramatizations/short plays - Colloquies - Debates - Book reviews - Audiovisual presentations - Symposiums - Lectures
How do you make school-based programs happen?
- Focus on an identified need (from needs assessment usually) - Explore community resources and funding (funding not necessary) - Use resources from the school, district, and community to begin the program
What are the three major sources of funding for school-based programs?
- Government grant (federal or state) - Private foundation awards - Local school budgets (local school boards are most stable funding source for school programs)
What are the platforms we can use when developing a program?
- Group discussions - Using Technology - Webistes - Email - Social Network
What are some classical methods of family involvement?
- Open houses - Parent-teacher conferences - Home visits - Parent liaisons - Positive communication - Home-school handbooks - Homework resource centers - Family gatherings - Special programs for students
The 6 Types of Involvement
- Parenting - Communicating - Volunteering - Learning at home - Decision making - Collaborating with the community
Why can engaging parents be difficult?
- Parents are under a lot of stress (lack of money, illness, unemployment, arguments) - Parents may not be able to get involved during times of hardship - Parents feel out of their element in the school setting - Teachers do not know parents' interests, strengths, and abilities (can't help with homework)
How should we establish group roles for parent education programs?
- Provide descriptions of group roles - Discuss roles early in the year - Encourage parents to participate for atleast two years in the group so group roles can be maintained
How to reach parents who are hesitant to get involved with the school?
- Schools must reach out to parents - Principals and teachers must greet parents o Particularly at drop off and pick up times and in the classroom o Parents should be provided personalized messages when appropriate
What are the five leadership styles?
- Servant Leadership - Strategic Leadership - Visionary Leadership - Autocratic Leadership - Transformational Leadership
What are some current examples of family involvement?
- Updated parent information regarding best way to communicate - Teachers provided additional time to engage with parents - Digital technology used to reach out to parents - Teachers use student information systems to keep families informed about attendance, grades, or missing assignments (should be easy to use for families) - Schools create content to provide guidance to parents about assignments
It can be helpful for leaders to provide parents with guidelines to follow. (leadership in family ed) 1. What might these guidelines include? 2. What is the intention of these guidelines? 3. What is the leaders goal in these situations?
1. Can include handouts about communication skills or descriptions of group roles 2. Intention of these handouts would be to allow people to become the most productive participants in groups that they can 3. The leader's goal in these situations is to create an environment that guides the members in achieving their objectives
Continuum can start with a _______ who has no training to an _______ who has extenseive training in a particliar area.
1. Layperson 3. Expert
Name this meeting format: 1. These are most useful to demonstrate programs and curricula to parents 1. The main ingredient is active participation 2. On the other hand, these do not require parents to be actively involved 2. Essentially, these are just groups throughout the room that parents can go through to learn a variety of topics 2. All subgroups gather in various areas of the room 2. More than one of these might be visited, as time allows 2. These are helpful because they reduce the group size and participants can select topics of interest 2. They also ensure that presenters don't necessarily get anxious because they're talking to smaller groups of people
1. Workshops and 2. Centers
The teacher leader model standards consists of how many domains?
7 domains
What can leadership and family education be considered along?
A continuum
Based on research, what plays a more critical role than a family's background to students' progress?
A teacher's involvement with the family.
What do professional learning communities allow teachers to do?
Allows them to work together to develop positive and strong beliefs about parents and their children.
- Seeks to have complete control of an organization or school - Rigid and unwilling to listen to other individuals - They tend to work with individuals who will not resist change - These leaders are often seen as negative - However, they are effective in some situations such as schools in need of direction o In these situations, they can bring order and structure to the school
Autocratic Leadership
At which stages in their children's lives are parents most open to parent education?
Birth to three years old
Name this meeting format: - Brings stimulating new ideas or acknowledges expertise - Review can be given by presenter or several presenters - Open group discussion follows
Book Review Discussions
Name this meeting format: - All contributions are accepted - Facilitates the production of a variety of ideas - Guarantees a safe environment to share - The objective is quantity of ideas
Brainstorming Sessions
Name this meeting format: - A way to get all member or parents to participate in a discussion - Requires smaller groups (2-8 parents per group) - Smaller groups arranged in a variety of different ways o Proximity of the chairs (who you're sitting near) o Common interest among participants or parents o Counting off into smaller groups - Session time is limited o Does not allow for a thorough examination of issues or topics - Brings forth ideas from all participants
Buzz Sessions
Who are these characteristics of? - Stakeholders (parents, teachers, childcare providers, and staff) who believe in parent involvement - Parents are encouraged to participate based on their interests and time - An open-door policy and climate that responds to parent concerns - Pairing children new to school with classmates to learn routines - Conferences with available childcare at convenient times for parents - A feel of family, schools, center, and community joined together
Characteristics of effective collaboration between parents, the school, and the community
§ Schools can integrate services and resources of the community, such as agencies that focus on children's well being
Collaborating with the Community (6 types)
What supplies the support that families need?
Collaboration between schools and social agencies. Teachers and principals can refer families to social services, recreation districts, libraries, museums, and other public agencies for support. All families needs a sense of community.
Name this meeting format: - A panel discussion by an expert panel - Chairperson interjects questions and comments during the presentation - Allows for information pertinent to the audience's interests to be discussed - Can also include two sets of panels: expert panel and a lay panel - This allows experts to give advice
Colloquies
Name this parent engagement program: - Recognized that children's behavior was determined by their environment - Focused on collaboration between parents and schools to improve children's wellbeing - Based on three principles needed to develop a climate for schools, children, and parents to thrive o Consensus o Collaboration o No fault - Place the child at the center - Three teams plan and work to develop a school climate that nurtures children o The School Planning and Management Team o The Student and Staff Support Team o The Parent Team
Comer School Development Program
§ Schools need to do this effectively about children's progress as well as about schools programs that are being implemented § Teachers must discover the best type of this to reach particular parents
Communicating (6 types)
- Welcome sign (in multiple languages) - Family Center (with tech) - Developing curricula (parents can do this) - Parent education classes - Open door to children's classroom - Bulletin board (kids' accomplishments, weekly events, notes) - Volunteer opportunities listed - Evening workshop - Class greeter (child chosen) - Open forum with principal (weekly opportunities) - School website (literary activities and parent blog access) - Activities planned for all cultures - Special programs for parents of students with disabilities - After-school rec program - Parent advisory board - Funds invested in parent involvement - Parent involvement facilitators or family resource specialists
Components of an Ideal School-Based Program
Name this meeting format: - Variation of the round table meeting - Two circles with everyone facing the middle - One circle inside of the other circle - Small group (inside circle) discuss the issue and those in the larger group (outside circle) listen - After 5-10 minutes discussion opened to entire group - Allows for more discussion It also requires the outer group to listen to the inner group
Concentric Circles
Allows the leader to see necessary changes in the future before anyone else
Contextual Intelligence
Name this parent engagement program: - Helped parents become more confident when interacting with schools o Used several activities such as role playing - Parents must view themselves as worthwhile participants to interact with school staff - School personnel must respect parents and recognize their importance - Perseverance, patience, and true interest were the most important factors in overcoming parents potential reluctance to get involved in the school setting - Understanding, support, and interest usually encourage parents to take the first step toward collaborating with teachers - Acknowledge the impossibility of reaching all parents
Cooperative Communication Between Home and School
Name this meeting format: - An effective means of presenting an issue that is of a pro-and-con nature - Present opposing views of the issue
Debates
§ Schools can include parents in school and classroom levels of this
Decision Making (6 types)
Name the platform: o Used to give information and receive parents responses and questions o Can send these to groups or individuals
The process of adult development enhanced through participation. One way of involving parents is through this.
Empowerment
Who might provide background information to the parents? (leadership in family ed)
Experts in the field
- 6 types of involvement schools can implement to increase collaboration among schools, families, and the community - Developed by Epstein - These help schools develop a school family engagement program
Family Engagement Framework
- Focuses on recognizing the family as an active agent in their child's life and education
Family engagement
What should you base school-based programs on?
Family strengths
How are school based programs developed?
From the needs assessments that have been conducted by teachers and leaders to determine the needs of the families they serve.
Name the platform: o Most meetings involve these o Range from short discussions to formal presentations
Group Discussions
Help the groups develop and maintain the existence and quality of the group
Group-building and maintenance roles
- Include enrichment projects or simultaneous learning to classroom - Parent coordinators or family specialists can keep track of these activities - Parent volunteers can help with record keeping of these - Still need to follow confidentiality rules with regards to student learning - Talk to parents to determine how these activities are viewed o Joy, threat, or a burden for families - Adapt the program based on parents desires or needs - Teachers provide bags, backpacks, or any other resources the family might need to engage in these
How to implement home-learning activities
In parent trainings, which type of meeting is used most often and why?
Informal meetings because they elicit the most participation from parents.
Person who has a vision, who cares for others, who plans ahead is inclusive, and most of all, is not afraid of change.
Leader
A skill that helps in all facets of human interaction; the action of leading or guiding; important for the good of an organization suchg as a school or a classroom
Leadership
§ Schools can provide activities for parents to use for their children to do this § Need to be mindful not the overwhelm the family
Learning at Home (6 types)
Name this meeting format: - A talk prepared by an expert or lay presenter - No interruptions or questions allowed during the presentation - Can include some or no interaction between participants and the speaker - May be questions afterwards - Excellent for dissemination of specific information - Speakers must know subject and present unbiased material
Lectures
o Parents as active partners and educational leaders at home and school o They participate in both aspects
Level 1 (9 levels)
o Parents as decision makers o Beyond active involvement at home and at school to decision making o Parent might serve on a school board, a site-based management team, an advisory council, or a policy committee in their efforts to work with decision making
Level 2 (9 levels)
o Parents as advocates o Advocates for the school and fund raisers o Examples of some of these roles in advocacy are special education programs, many of which began because of advocacy work from parents and families o It might be parents setting up a booth to raise money or writing letters to a local newspaper
Level 3 (9 levels)
o Parents as volunteers or paid employees § Allows parents to view school operations to learn about the curricula that's being implemented in the school for children as well as to become acquainted with other school staff o Schools should have specific guidelines on duties and responsibilities
Level 4 (9 levels)
o Parents as liaisons between school and home to support homework and school activities o Not involved in advocacy at this level o Interested in the school because it educates their children
Level 5 (9 levels)
o Parents support the educational goals of the school and encourage their children to study at home o Parents not active in the sense of being in the school o Might be in level six because they're too busy to be engaged or they don't remember schools fondly from their own experiences § For these reasons they prefer to keep their distance from school o Schools should reach out to make them feel welcome
Level 6 (9 levels)
o Parents as recipients of support from the school o Schools reach out to families more than any other agency, and they can offer a variety of supports § Family literacy classes, a crisis nursery, before and after school programs, family resource rooms, clothes exchanges, free meals for children, as well as parent education classes
Level 7 (9 levels)
o Parents as members of parent education classes § Might be about child development § Might be highlighting the importance of language development for children o Encourage talking and reading to young children in order to develop that language
Level 8 (9 levels)
o Parents as representatives and activists in the community o Parents with knowledge of community offerings o Solicit help and information from organizations o Such offerings may help families who are experiencing homelessness, parents who are on drugs, families who need employment, children who need protection, or children who need extra homework help o Parents in this level strengthen the school's ability to call upon community resources because they have that knowledge
Level 9 (9 levels)
Name this meeting format: - Used to learn about children and education in general - Active viewing of a classroom by a parent - Discuss objectives beforehand and analyze afterwards - These are not those typically thought of for children because these are for parent trainings - Families are engaged for a specific purpose
Observations and Field Trips
§ Schools can help parents learn child and adolescent development § Helps families have a supportive home environment § Ex: family workshop or a parenting class
Parenting (6 types)
Who must mentor teachers to become leaders?
Principals
Who assists parents with acting on the information? (leadership in family ed)
Principals/leaders
Who do principals look for to work with teachers and families?
Professionals; however, they shouldn't forget parents.
The behavioral characteristic of a person occupying a particular position; influences the action of the person and others' expectations of the person
Role
Name this meeting format: - The dramatization of a situation where people put themselves into designated roles - Very informal - Used to demonstrate a problem or develop sensitivities to a situation - Often used to develop empathy o Ex: parent-child relationship or teacher-principal relationship o Have person assume opposite role - Participants are free to communicate their feelings and attitudes during this
Role-Playing
Name the meeting format: - True open discussion - All members encouraged to participate - Suggestions for leaders who are facilitating these discussions o They should select a good topic, prepare materials, motivate interactions between participants, keep accurate time, and make sure to maintain respects among parents and other participants - Problems can emerge o Might have domination of a discussion from particular group of parents o Some parents might withdrawal from the conversation or the group o Might be lack of preparation for the discussion
Roundtable Discussions
- Programs that facilitate learning for families within the school - A program that provides goals and objectives for family engagement through different themes based in a school - Recognize the stresses families face - Acknowledge and value cultural and linguistic practices - Collaborate with community agencies when developing and implementing these
School-based programs
Name this type of leadership: - Sharing leadership between themselves as the leader and others - Seek to meet the needs of families first - This might include conducting a needs assessment of the families they serve to get an idea of how they can help - Also look for opportunities to help families with their immediate physical needs, as well as additional ways to involve them in school - Examples of these type of leaders: o Mother Teresa and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Servant Leadership
Name the platform: o Use this to keep families informed of upcoming trainings and meetings for parent education meetings o Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, or Twitter
Social Network
Why can it be good for parents to lead their own groups? (leadership in family ed)
Sometimes, more change occurs if parents form their own suggestions and act upon their own suggestions.
Allows the leader to change past practices to new and intellectually stimulating ones
Strategic Intelligence
Name this type of leadership: - Preparing others for future change - Setting goals using a plan is crucial - Seek help from teachers and parents to create a plan to increase family involvement - Examples of this might be a leader who plans a visit to the library to lead parents in getting a library card, selecting materials, and so that they begin to visit the library regularly
Strategic Leadership
Name this meeting format: - A formal presentation by several speakers - Each presenter develops a specific talk that typically lasts between 5-15 minutes about their element of the topic - Similar to a lecture but information is given by several lecturers - Shares expert information with parents
Symposiums
Roles that initiate and keep the group discussion meaningful and ongoing
Task-oriented roles
o Been developed by 10 organizations and they consist of 7 domains o These are essential domains that teachers need to have in order to pursue leadership roles in their school o There is also a teacher's self-assessment tool that's associated with these that teachers can take to self-evaluate their knowledge and competence to serve in leadership roles
Teacher Leader Model Standards
Name the program: - Program developed using an $800,000 grant that was provided to NYC to develop strategies for parent involvement - Developed strategies for parent involvement - Found ten factors important to family involvement programs
The Parent Involvement Program
Where do school-based programs origninate from?
The need to create partnerships with families.
What is the purpose of a needs assessment?
To begin a parent education program that's aligned to the interests and needs of families that we serve.
- Leader inspires others to accomplish and achieve goals through positive energy - They have a high commitment to their vision - They inspire and motivate others - Two important competencies that these leaders have o Contextual intelligence o Strategic intelligence - These leaders always looking for ways to move the organization or school ahead and to change with the times - They are also able to use technology to enhance communication and partnerships with parents
Transformational Leadership
True or false. Engaging parents when their children are young is important. Engaging them from the beginning can reduce or eliminate their resistance.
True
True or false. Professional learning communities (PLC) allow teachers to work together to develop positive and strong beliefs about parents and children.
True
True or false. Teachers must acknowledge the impossibility of reaching all parents.
True
Name the platform: o Allows parents to interact with the convenience of flexible schedules and immediate feedback o Video conferencing allows meetings to occur virtually so more parents can participate o About 95% of Americans own a cellphone, so it's helpful to use this when we're developing a parent education program
Using Technology
- Involves the creation of an idea to challenge the status quo - Thinks about the organization in a broad sense and guide it in a new direction with imagination, creativity, and charisma - They take risk, motivate, and communicate effectively with others - In terms of family engagement, they think outside the box for family engagement to find new ways of enhancing family engagement
Visionary Leadership
§ Schools must engage parents as this § Communicate opportunities for this at the beginning of the year § Provide training and flexible schedules when we're discussing these opportunities
Volunteering (6 types)
When can we conduct a needs assessment?
We can conduct a needs assessment prior to implementing a parent education program. We can also conduct a needs assessment when the parent education program is ongoing to get a sense of whether or not it's well aligned to the interests and needs of families
Name the platform: o Teachers can develop these to inform parents about school events o They can also provide links to articles about education and child development, as well as other topics that have been identified as part of our needs assessment as an interest or a need for the parents and families we serve
Websites
How are many school-based programs started?
With grants. Plans for financing must be determined before grant funds run out.
After the interests have been assessed, what do we need to consider when developing the program?
o (1) The content to be taught § What have parents identified based on the needs assessment with regard to their interest and their needs? o (2) Changes in behavior/attitude of parents or participants that we're really trying to have occur with our parent education program
Families are more apt to become involved if...
o A positive climate is established with our parent education program o Parents are recognized as having something to contribute to the program o The curriculum addresses parents' needs/concerns o Parents discover the need for change on their own o Different approaches are used to teach parents and if we use technology
What are the steps of developing a needs assessment?
o Determine families' interests and needs/concerns o Hold brainstorming sessions with parents (to elicit ideas regarding their interest and needs) o Develop a basic list of parents' interests and needs/concerns (based upon brainstorming session) o Give the list to a trial group of parents (and have them add any ideas regarding their interest and needs) o Construct a needs assessment tool that lists possible topics (that parents have identified as having interests or needs with) o Disseminate the needs assessment (or questionnaire) o Choose items that received the most requests o Develop a program to meet parents' needs
What are some examples of group-building and maintenance roles?
o Encourager o Harmonizer o Listener o Follower o Tension breaker o Compromiser o Standard setter o Observer o Recorder o Gate keeper
What are some examples of task-oriented roles?
o Initiator o Facilitator o Information giver o Information seeker o Clarifier o Orienteer o Energizer o Opinion giver o Summarizer
What happens in a productive group for a needs assessment?
o Members listen to one another o Discuss subject at hand rather than random topics o Ideas and suggestions are welcome o Everyone has a chance to state views o An agenda is used and followed o Members use problem solving steps
What are some of the domains assessed by the self-assessment tool? (for teacher leader model standards)
§ Collaboration and communication § Professional learning and growth § Instructional leadership § School community § Advocacy
