Strengthening the Connection Between School & Home by Solution Tree

STRE NGTHE NING THE CONNECTION BETWE E N SCHOOL & HOME

g n i n e h t g n Stre n o i t c e n n the Co l o o h c S n e Betwe & Home “Ricardo and Kym LeBlanc-Esparza have written the best summary to date of the benefits of strong parental participation in schools. Ricardo brings his extraordinary success in using family engagement as the primary vehicle to create dramatic change in challenging school settings, while Kym brings the experience of making sure that all students get the benefits of positive parental involvement. . . . This book provides educators with tools that can make improved family participation a reality in all settings.” —Joseph DiMartino, Founder and President, Center for Secondary School Redesign, West Warwick, Rhode Island

L E B L A N C - E S PA R Z A | L E B L A N C - E S PA R Z A

In this Essentials for Principals series book, the authors describe the pivotal role family engagement plays in student achievement. Strengthening the Connection Between School & Home provides numerous strategies for reaching out to and involving family members—both in their children’s learning and in the life of the school. Among the many reproducible checklists, surveys, and handouts are sample scripts in Spanish and English to guide school personnel when phoning parents about both difficult and good news. This valuable resource also highlights issues that may arise when working toward greater family involvement in high-poverty schools. K–8 school leaders will learn how to: • Get past their own misconceptions and stereotypes about school-home relationships • Structure effective parent-teacher and parent-principal conferences • Reach out for support to community leaders and businesses • Plan successful family-school events and teacher home visits • Use media and technology to increase family engagement • Connect with hard-to-reach families Visit go.solution-tree.com/leadership to download the reproducibles in this book. solution-tree.com

Strengthening the Connection Between School & Home R I CA R DO LE B L A N C- E S PA R Z A A Joint Publication

ISBN 978-1-935543-30-5 90000 >

9 781935 543305

K Y M LE B L A N C- E S PA R Z A

Copyright © 2013 by Solution Tree Press Materials appearing here are copyrighted. With one exception, all rights are reserved. Readers may reproduce only those pages marked “Reproducible.” Otherwise, no part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without prior written permission of the publisher. Essentials for Principals is a registered trademark of the National Association of Elementary School Principals. 555 North Morton Street Bloomington, IN 47404 800.733.6786 (toll free) / 812.336.7700 FAX: 812.336.7790 email: info@solution-tree.com solution-tree.com Visit go.solution-tree.com/leadership to download the reproducibles in this book. Printed in the United States of America 16 15 14 13 12

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data LeBlanc-Esparza, Ricardo. Essentials for principals : strengthening the connection between school and home / Ricardo LeBlanc-Esparza, Kym LeBlanc-Esparza. -- 2nd ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-935543-30-5 (perfect bound : alk. paper) 1. Home and school. 2. Parent and child. 3. School principals-United States--Handbooks, manuals, etc. I. LeBlanc-Esparza, Kym. II. Title. LC225.L35 2013 371.19’2--dc23 2012029974 Solution Tree Jeffrey C. Jones, CEO Edmund M. Ackerman, President Solution Tree Press President: Douglas M. Rife Publisher: Robert D. Clouse Editorial Director: Lesley Bolton Managing Production Editor: Caroline Wise Senior Production Editor: Edward Levy Copy Editor: Rachel Rosolina Proofreader: Elisabeth Abrams Text Formatter: Amy Shock Cover Designer: Amy Shock

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TABLE OF CONTENTS Reproducible pages are in italics. About the Authors

1 2

Introduction

The Importance of Family Engagement

Challenges of Family Engagement Family Concerns

3 5

Educator Attitudes and Assumptions

Principal Attitudes and Assumptions

Conclusion

Creating a Family-Friendly School

Eleven Strategies for Welcoming Families

Strategy 1: Pay Attention to First Impressions

Strategy 2: Observe and Interact

Strategy 3: Prioritize Your Efforts

Strategy 4: Narrow Your Focus Strategy 5: Take a Leading Role

Strategy 6: Create a Faculty Handbook

Strategy 7: Reach Out to Community Leaders Strategy 8: Set Expectations for Students Strategy 9: Work With the PTA

Strategy 10: Encourage Volunteers

Strategy 11: Establish Family Centers Conclusion

Sample Note of Appreciation From Principal to Volunteer

3 vi

STRENGTHENING THE CONNECTION BETWEEN SCHOOL & HOME

Improving Communication With Families

Communicating With Hard-to-Reach Families Set Precise Goals

Create a Detailed Agenda Use Education Plans

Understanding Academic and Affective Communication Creating Successful Conferences Scheduling Formats

Preparation and Structure Atmosphere

Parent-Principal Conferences Using Media and Technology School Websites Social Media

iTunes, YouTube, and Skype

Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Messaging Call-In and Auto-Dialer Services Telephoning

36 36

Creating Successful Events Family Events Home Visits

Print Communication

Conclusion

Assessing Our Schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s School-Family Communication System Personalized Education Plan

Making the Most of Conferences

42 43

Sample Script for Phone Call to Parent: Difficult News

Sample Script for Phone Call to Parent: Student Success Sample Parent Homework Help Tips

Sample Beginning-of-the-Year Letter From Principal to Parents

Ta b l e o f C o n t e n t s

vii

Sample Beginning-of-the-Year Letter From Teacher to Parents Do’s and Don’ts for Home Visits

Teacher and Staff Survey Organizing the Data

54 54

Establishing Goals and Benchmarks Generic Benchmarks

Goals for Families

Goals for Teachers

51 52

Developing a Family Engagement Plan PTA Implementation Guide

Goals for the District

Launching Your Plan

Progress Monitoring

Conclusion

Teacher and Staff Survey of Family Engagement Sample Cover Letter for Parent Survey Parent Survey on Family Engagement

62 63

Carta de Muestra Para la Encuesta Para Padres

Cuestionario Para Padres de Familia, Participación Familia

Volunteers in Our School

Final Thoughts

References

Index

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ABOUT THE AUTHORS Ricardo LeBlanc-Esparza has been a public school educator since 1983, serving as a classroom teacher and coach, athletic director, and administrator in high-poverty schools, grades K through 12. He is currently an elementary principal in the Hillsboro (Oregon) School District. Ricardo was born the son of migrant farm workers, raised in Grandview, Washington, and graduated from Central Washington University with a bachelor of arts in education and a master of science degree. During Ricardo’s nine-year tenure as principal of Granger High School, in Granger, Washington, the school’s graduation rate went from less than 50 percent to 90 percent, and from 10 percent student attendance at parent-teacher conferences to 100 percent. Granger High was recognized by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction in Washington in 2004 and 2006 as a model high school and in 2007 and 2008 was selected by the Center for Secondary School Redesign and the National Association of Secondary School Principals as a National Showcase High School. The community itself moved from having the highest reported crime rate per capita in Washington’s Yakima Valley to the lowest. Ricardo was named 2002, 2005, and 2007 Principal of the Year by the South Central Athletic Conference Principals’ Association, 1996 Athletic Director of the Year by the Mid-Valley Athletic Directors’ Association, and 1990 Coach of the Year by the Region 4 Coaches Association. He has given dozens of presentations and has written for numerous educational publications. Kym LeBlanc-Esparza has been a public school educator since 1988, serving as a classroom teacher, curriculum specialist, and central office administrator. She began her career in Las Cruces, New Mexico, as an elementary teacher working with English learners in a Title I school. In 2001, she opened Hulstrom Options K–8 School, and served as principal for nine years. During her tenure, Hulstrom was given the John Irwin Award of Excellence, bestowed on the top 8 percent of schools in Colorado. Kym served two years as executive director of K–12 schools in Adams 12 School District, a large Denver metro area district. Presently, she is the superintendent of the Newberg (Oregon) School District.

STRENGTHENING THE CONNECTION BETWEEN SCHOOL & HOME

Kym holds a bachelor’s degree in education from New Mexico State University and a master’s degree in educational administration and curriculum studies from the University of Texas. A student at Harvard University’s Leadership Institute, she completed her doctorate in educational leadership at the University of Northern Colorado in 2007. To book Ricardo or Kym for professional development, contact pd@solution-tree.com.

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INTRODUCTION This Essentials for Principals guide deals with a subject that is of high importance yet often poses significant challenges to school leaders: engaging families in the education of their children. According to a meta-analysis conducted by John Hattie (2009) as well as research studies conducted through Michigan State University (Tableman, 2004), the most accurate predictor of a student’s achievement in school is not income or social status, but the extent to which the student’s family is able to create a home environment that encourages learning, to communicate high but reasonable expectations for their child’s achievement, and to become involved in their child’s education at school and in the community. For many years, organizations such as the Harvard Family Research Project and the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) have also supported research on the benefits of family and community engagement on student achievement and overall school achievement (Westmoreland, Rosenberg, Lopez, & Weiss, 2009). The research has shown strong positive connections between family engagement and student success. If improving student achievement were not enough of an incentive to developing a family-engagement plan, No Child Left Behind (2001) requires all Title I schools to develop and implement such a plan. Leaders acknowledge the very real challenges to the development of effective family engagement in education. One of those challenges arises from the constantly changing landscape of today’s public schools. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (2010), since 2001 there has been a 4 percent increase in U.S. children from poverty, single-parent households have increased by 4.5 percent, students speaking a language other than English in their home has increased to 20.5 percent, and one in six students attends a high-poverty school. Research tells us that children from low-income families are less likely to be read to regularly (Barton & Coley, 2007). In fact, 62 percent of parents from the highest-income quintile read to their children every day, whereas only 36 percent of parents from the lowest quintile read to their children daily. How can schools ensure that families, particularly families of poverty, feel welcome in the life of school? What degree and what types of family engagement lead to a positive school climate and higher student achievement? And what should school leaders do to bring this about? The purpose of this Essentials for Principals guide is to help you, as the school leader, address these questions in light of current research on effective family engagement and use the answers to design an effective, productive family program that meets the needs of your school. Before we begin the journey, we feel the need to preface this advice with a little background about ourselves. Kym is one of four children of college-educated, middle-class parents who were well

STRENGTHENING THE CONNECTION BETWEEN SCHOOL & HOME

informed and fairly involved in their children’s education. She was educated in both public and private schools and was involved in programs for high-ability students. Ricardo’s experience of living in a family that escaped poverty into middle-class life, his current work in a high school with 94 percent of its students eligible for free and reduced lunch, and his work with teen moms in grades nine through twelve have given him particular insight into the subject of engaging families of poverty in the process of educating their children. Given our two very different experiences and perspectives, we have included information on schools that are comprised of low as well as high percentages of at-risk populations, and low as well as high percentages of students of poverty. Although the strategies listed in this book will work for all types of schools, we point out where there are key differences when working with high-poverty schools. We begin in chapter 1 by looking at the importance—and the challenges—of family engagement, and at steps school leaders can take to let families know they are welcome and appreciated—beginning with an examination of their own assumptions and attitudes. Communication is one of the keys to successful family-engagement efforts. How many problems and headaches could the principal avoid with effective and clear communication, either face to face or employing 21st century technology? Chapter 2 contains eleven strategies for improving school-home communication and creating a family-friendly school. In chapter 3, we discuss the practical steps involved in planning, building, and implementing communication with families in a variety of forms, including home visits, conferences, media and technology, and family events, and offer suggestions for communicating with families who are hard to reach. Chapter 4 looks at setting goals for, implementing, launching, and progress monitoring a family engagement plan for your school. A note on terminology: the use of the terms family and family engagement are not meant to exclude or marginalize other adults who actively support a child’s education. Many children in our public education system are being raised by grandparents, aunts, uncles, and even older siblings— and some by other caregivers who fulfill the parental role. We do not believe that these relationships are any less important or effective, or that they in any way lessen a child’s ability to succeed. A child needs an adult who cares for that child, takes an interest in that child’s life and education, and articulates to him or her the importance of getting a good education. We have also consciously chosen the term engagement. The research clearly states that any kind of increased family interest and support has a positive impact on student achievement; however, it is also clear that true family engagement, not just occasional involvement, produces the best results for all concerned—school, family, students, and community (Ferlazzo, 2009). As in all publications in the Essentials for Principals series, this guide is intended to be a practical reference used on a continuing basis rather than a book to read once and put on a shelf. It includes many reproducible samples, checklists, and handouts—also available at go.solution-tree.com /leadership—that you can either use as is or adapt to your school’s specific family-engagement efforts. We are sure that you will find this Essentials for Principals guide a useful tool for you and your staff as you strive to improve the effectiveness of family engagement in your school.

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Improving Communication With Families In the 1990s, a survey was administered to educators in twenty-nine different states regarding what they consider to be vital skills when working with families (Nathan & Radcliffe, 1994). In 2011, Education Oasis conducted a similar study and identified the same skills (Advice from Teachers, 2011). Educators must be able to: •• Conduct effective conferences •• Consult with families when a student has a problem •• Communicate with families about student progress •• Help families understand class goals, strategies, and methods of assessment The foundation of all these skills is effective communication. Communication should occur in a variety of forms, including face-to-face meetings, written notices, and where feasible, technologyassisted formats. Consider the messages that each of these actions might send to a family (Educational Research Service, 1999b): •• The principal makes evening hours available for appointments with working families. In the school’s monthly newsletter, the principal prints accessible phone numbers and invites families to call during certain hours. •• A teacher fails to return a parent’s phone call. •• Important information about school events is published on the school website but is not conveyed to families in any other way. •• Two weeks before the child begins kindergarten, the family receives a welcoming phone call from the child’s teacher. In a ten-minute conversation, the teacher asks, “Tell me what I should know about your child. Do you have any questions or concerns about your child’s

CHAPTER

STRENGTHENING THE CONNECTION BETWEEN SCHOOL & HOME

An effective, successful communication system begins with a review of current communication vehicles and an understanding of the messages they send intentionally or unintentionally to families. As the old saying goes, “Sometimes what you don’t say is every bit as important as what you do say.” It is a worthwhile exercise to ask someone from outside to take a look at your school’s messages. It could be an educator or simply a community member. For example, in a typical urban school district there may be more than a hundred languages spoken. While working in a community like this can be a challenge, it should not be impossible to provide translation for the more predominant languages, like Spanish, Russian, and Chinese. For languages that are more difficult to support, the school can try to arrange for translators and interpreters they can call on as needed. Districts may need to network and reach out within the larger community to find people who can effectively translate languages less commonly spoken.

Communicating With Hard-to-Reach Families As stated previously, reaching those hard-to-reach families could be viewed as the heart and soul of really making a difference in family engagement in your school. For professional families, communication with school officials is most often a natural occurrence. Families of low-poverty schools have a good understanding of how the school system works and more often than not will keep track of their children’s progress. They also have no problem coming to school to advocate or voice their concerns if things are not going well for their children (Lareau, 2000). However, families who fall below the poverty line are typically less educated, receive lower wages, and work longer hours in order to support their families, and it is often difficult to get many of these families to engage with the school. Kym was a principal of a very successful K–8 school where the poverty level hovered around 7 percent. She often shares a story of a mother’s concerns with her son’s math skill level. The mother was concerned because she had researched what math skills were needed to reach calculus A/B during her son’s senior year of high school. The mom had backward-mapped what math skills he needed all the way to his current fifth-grade level and found that his current math skills combined with his current pathway of math would not be adequate to reach the goal of calculus A/B. Unfortunately, many families of poverty simply do not have such an understanding of how our education system works. We know this is an extreme example of family engagement, but at the same time, this example is not atypical. Kym’s school had many families who were engaged in communicating and tracking their children’s academic progress. The families had 24/7 access to technology that could be used to monitor a student’s academic achievement. The school sent out weekly paper progress reports to track student progress and also held student-led conferences twice a year. Ricardo has found through experience that schools of poverty can replicate what low-poverty schools normally do in regard to high levels of communication and engagement. The difference is

first few days in school?” She ends by saying how much she is looking forward to having the child in her class and getting to know the parent better.

Improving Communication With Families

The following outlined strategies make up a communication system that Ricardo has used in two different schools of poverty in which more than 90 percent of the students qualified for free and reduced lunch. These strategies are based on the goal of teaching 100 percent of families and students how to be effective in the art of accessing the power of their education. Use or adapt the reproducible form Assessing Our School’s School-Family Communication System on page 42 to examine your communication vehicles. Feel free to add others that apply to your school situation. As principal, you may have your own set of answers for these survey questions. However, it is advisable to ask the school staff and the parent-teacher organization to provide answers from their perspective as well. Once you’ve compiled a set of answers, review them, and identify places where obvious gaps in communication exist. Start with one or two of the most urgent areas. A small committee composed of parents and staff can then develop a set of strategies designed to meet the need. Once your staff have decided on a set of strategies, it will be up to you as principal to ensure implementation. Spend some time thinking of how to motivate staff and families to try them out. Be willing to consider both extrinsic and intrinsic motivators. There are opportunities for recognition of staff who go above and beyond to reach out to families. Teachers appreciate positive accolades such as recognition on a wall in the school. “The Above and Beyond Award” or a personal thank you note from the principal may go a long way. You may also find it fun to set up a raffle for teachers who reach certain milestones within your strategy goals. Of course, the intrinsic rewards come in the form of a positive impact in their classroom. This may be an increase in student performance, more volunteerism, and less classroom disciplining, as more students are on task. The benefits can be many. The goal is that students, families, and educators will maintain a steady flow of academic communication on a regular basis.

Set Precise Goals

Establish your family communication goal in a very exact manner. For example, our goal was to establish a communication system in which 100 percent of our families engage in a student-led conference format twice a year. This goal was easy to write, but it took a lot of work to facilitate. Ricardo’s former school worked four years before actually reaching the goal of 100 percent, but the result was well worth the effort. The end result was not only 100 percent of families attending student-led conferences but also an improvement in the communication between families, students, and educators, as well as in student achievement. We also recognized the need to build in a structure for reflection. Were we achieving our ultimate goals? As a school principal, you need to know what is going well and what should be revisited for the following year. You can develop and administer a basic survey at the end of conferences in hard copy or electronic form to find out how families are feeling about the conference format, whether the information is understandable and helpful, and whether they are able to attend. This may also be a good time to ask other questions, such as how families are feeling overall about your current communication system.

that more often than not, families of poverty need to be educated in how school systems work and how to actively monitor their children’s academic progress.

STRENGTHENING THE CONNECTION BETWEEN SCHOOL & HOME

Another opportunity to connect with very at-risk students is to require a re-admitting conference prior to allowing a student who has been suspended to return to school. We would often schedule a re-admitting conference prior to school, inviting the teacher to participate as well. That is how we have gotten some of our most difficult-to-reach families to be part of their child’s education. We have also “caught” families at sporting events. Although that was not why they were at school, it gave us the chance to sit down with them and discuss their child’s education. This is how we got to 100 percent, but meeting any goal takes tenacity, flexibility, and a little creativity!

Create a Detailed Agenda

Make sure to have a well-detailed agenda for conferences. As the saying goes, you only have one chance to make a first impression. For example, Ricardo’s schools typically have the following agenda: 1. The teacher greets the family and the student. An opportunity for a great first impression arises if the teachers are able to greet parents in their native language. Ricardo’s teachers were able to say basic greetings such as “Hola, buenas noches,” “Bienvenidos,” and “Buenos dias.” The parent would respond with excitement and ask if the teacher could speak Spanish. Teachers more often than not would respond with “bien poco” and would proceed with the conference after some shared laughter. Families also appreciate a little small talk; for example, teachers would ask a question conveying genuine interest about how other children in the family are doing before jumping straight into the heart of the conference. In some cultures, it is traditional to engage in small talk before getting down to business (Tiffany, 2010). 2. The teacher gives an overview of the goal of the conference and hands the agenda to the parent and the student. 3. The student covers the items of the agenda that are pertinent, such as detailed individual class progress reports and his or her current skill set in reading, writing, and math. The student can also cover such things as academic goals, career goals, and things he or she needs to work on. 4. The teacher discusses the student’s attendance, behavior, and effort in class. 5. The teacher establishes an agreed-on communication plan. For families of poverty, it can be beneficial to keep the communication plan very focused and straightforward. For example, our plan is to let families know that we send out a detailed progress report every Wednesday.

Many educators ask how we got 100 percent of families and students to attend conferences. The answer is and continues to be, one family and one student at a time. It is not easy, and it takes a lot of work to reach all families. It is important to not give up trying to reach families and students after your conference week has concluded. Giving up after the one or two days you set aside for conferences would be like asking businesses to stop trying to sell their products after the big weekend sale has concluded. Keep working to find ways to get the families and students to reschedule their conferences until you reach 100 percent attendance.

Improving Communication With Families

6. The teacher educates families on all the nuances of tracking student academic progress. As principal, Ricardo has participated in and translated quite a few parent conferences in which families were clearly overwhelmed with the information and education jargon. The teacher does his or her best to inform the parent of all the different academic data schools use to monitor student achievement. For instance, teachers are prepared to share the child’s Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) scores, DIBELS Oral Reading Fluency (DORF) scores, education performance scores, and the previous year’s state assessment program scores. If you find that the parents are much like Ricardo’s parents—English learners (ELs) with very limited formal education, there may be a strong potential for miscommunication during conferences. Ricardo works with his teachers to keep the information in the conference simple and focused on what a family needs to know about their child’s skill levels to help monitor their child’s academic achievement. For example, by working with a small group of Spanish-speaking parents about their children’s state assessment performances, he helped them understand four key terms related to the state’s performance levels: unsatisfactory, partially proficient, proficient, and advanced. The goal was to help them interpret if their children were performing academically at grade level in reading, writing, and math. Many parents had thought by monitoring their child’s grades that they were doing the job of monitoring their progress. Unfortunately, grades can be composed of more than assessment results, so they do not always line up with students’ performance on state academic assessments. The bottom line is that we need to educate families in the art of reading, understanding, and monitoring their child’s academic progress in a variety of ways. 7. The visual in figure 3.1 (page 28) shows how education data can be made more transparent by “funneling” all the academic data into grade-equivalent information. Most families understand basic grading scales and numbers, so it is very beneficial for academic data to be clear. It is more beneficial to convey that a child is currently in fifth grade but is reading at the second-grade level than it is to share Daze, DIBELS, and RIT (Rausch Unit) scores. With that understanding, the teacher, parent, and student can all begin to focus on how they will work together to help the child close the academic skill gap.

Use Education Plans

Develop a personalized education plan, like the reproducible on pages 43–44, for each child. This plan is an opportunity to provide each child with his or her very own education plan outlining goals for academic progress and career aspirations. For example, Ricardo’s school helps each child develop a career goal as well as academic achievement goals in reading, writing, and math. In addition, teachers, families, and students are all asked to commit specifically to their ownership of the plan. There are spaces for each stakeholder to sign to indicate that commitment.

The old-school communication system of sending home paper progress reports can often be more beneficial than utilizing technology because of the lack of resources many families of poverty have. However, it is important to ask families about their preferred method of communicating or any communications limitations they have.

STRENGTHENING THE CONNECTION BETWEEN SCHOOL & HOME

Reading

Writing

Mathematics

Transparent Data

MAP CSAP DORF DIBELS DIBELS

Grade Level

Grade-Level Equivalent Key MAP: Measure of Academic Progress CSAP: Colorado Student Assessment Program DORF DIBELS: Oral Reading Fluency DIBELS: Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills

Figure 3.1: Funneling academic data into grade-equivalent information.

Ricardo has noted one interesting contrast between elementary and high school students when developing career goals. Elementary students seem to have an easier time articulating a career goal. For instance, elementary students typically state, “I want to be a professional soccer player or football player.” Once, a third-grade teacher asked Ricardo to talk to a particular student because she felt the student’s career goals were unrealistic. Ricardo helped the teacher understand that having dreams, aspirations, and goals are good things, and we should continue to encourage them but emphasize that an education is just as valuable. For example, if a student wants to be a professional athlete, he or she will need to be able to read, write, and do math on grade level, because in order to be a professional athlete, the student needs to go to college. More often than not, middle and high school students need to do research or complete a career interest inventory to help them develop their career goal. Personalized education plans should be developed with the student prior to the first family conference. Once the student has worked with the teacher to develop his or her personalized education plan and academic goals, the first parent/student/educator conference should be scheduled. This conference is an opportunity for the student to review the information with the family, get feedback from the family about the student’s performance and goals, and ask for the family’s commitment

The Big Three

Improving Communication With Families

Understanding Academic and Affective Communication

While conferences are typically focused on academic needs and progress, at times you will be faced with affective challenges within education. Teachers need to know how to navigate the affective challenges they may face in communication. Our teachers referred all affective issues to our counseling department, which used an RTI model to address them. Figures 3.2 and 3.3 (pages 29 and 30) are intended as visuals to support academic as well as affective communications. In figure 3.2, the visual represents some of the affective needs that arise during a typical conference. Specific needs could be issues that revolve around food, shelter, and parent support. Students

Recognition Love and belonging Safety Food, shelter, and clothing

Educators

Parents or families

Figure 3.2: The affective communication triangle.

Figure 3.3 represents some of the academic items that will arise during a typical conference. The specific academic items and support can be mentioned and addressed in the personalized education plan.

to help at home in reaching those goals. The personalized education plan should be revisited at the second family conference. This is an opportunity to add new data, revise goals, and make adjustments according to how well the strategies implemented from the first conference are working. For example, we developed our first personalized education plan with parents and students at our first parent/student/educator conference in early October and then implemented the agreed-on strategies. The second student-led conference was typically held in late January or early February. Personalized education plans can also be developed and transferred from one year to the next. Beyond the value of the academic planning, these plans can be used as part of a portfolio system in which students save their best work throughout their educational experience. Ultimately, it is a great communication vehicle among families, students, and educators.

STRENGTHENING THE CONNECTION BETWEEN SCHOOL & HOME

Academic success Attendance reports Current progress reports Grades Reading, writing, and math skills Career goals Educators

Parents or families

Figure 3.3: The academic communication triangle.

Creating Successful Conferences Conferences are an effective way to establish relationships with families and promote two-way sharing of information about a student. These are often the only times teachers, parents, and students sit down together to talk about student progress. Most conferences are designed with four purposes in mind: 1. Sharing information about a student’s academic and social progress in class 2. Gathering information about factors in the child’s home that may have an impact on school performance 3. Problem solving 4. Developing relationships and trust Accomplishing these four purposes requires forethought and planning. First of all, the teacher should select a private and comfortable place to hold the conference. Establishing an atmosphere of trust will be impossible if the teacher, parent, and student are forced to talk in the hallway or in a room with other children and adults. Ensure that the environment is comfortable. Are the chairs the right size for adults to sit and talk productively? Have you given the parents some guidance topics ahead of time so they can be thoughtful about any questions they may have or topics they would like to discuss? Prior planning will help ensure thoughtful, productive conferences that meet the needs of everyone.

Scheduling

Schools should create conference schedules that involve a combination of morning, afternoon, and evening openings to accommodate parents’ work schedules. One school that has experienced

Students

Improving Communication With Families

The practical challenge is budgeting to compensate the staff for hours beyond their normal work schedule. This can be approached in a number of ways. If the calendar is flexible in your district, you may be able to trade time for compensation days at another point in the year. Or you may be able to give teachers flextime on work days. Another much appreciated option, if it’s available, is to simply give staff members additional compensation for the hours they provide to families.

Formats

The format of conferences varies considerably from school to school and district to district. It is not uncommon to find cattle-call style or open-gym conference formats in larger secondary schools. These typically involve large conference tables at which two or more teachers sit and meet with parent after parent in an open forum. The noise level and the inability to truly engage and converse in a way that respects the privacy of the family and student greatly diminish the effectiveness of these conferences. Another conference style involves a student minischedule. In this format, parents follow their child’s schedule. In each classroom, they sit in line waiting for the teacher to spend approximately five minutes with them. While this format offers more privacy than the open-gym conference, it is usually so brief and rushed that it lacks effectiveness. The format used in typical middle school conferences offers a slightly better structure for developing connections and having a meaningful conversation. In a traditional middle school, the students have a team of four teachers in an academic core. These teachers work together to serve a group of approximately 120 students. They will typically structure a conference involving a family member and two teachers. That pair of teachers then leaves the room to meet with another student’s family, while the two remaining teachers enter to meet with the original student’s family. This gives the family the opportunity to meet with all four of the child’s teachers in a private setting. It also gives them an opportunity to truly discuss the child’s academic progress. Unfortunately, these conferences rarely include the student. This format is optimal when students are involved. Elementary conferences are typically the most personal. Elementary schools usually schedule conferences twice per year; fall and spring conferences are scheduled for twenty to thirty minutes with a teacher and family member. In the most effective conference settings, the students are involved as well, and may even lead the conference. Research shows that when students track their own achievement and have to take responsibility for their grades and progress, their achievement increases (Hattie, 2009). Conferences give students the opportunity to talk about their academic growth, set goals for themselves, and express questions or concerns they have with the content they are learning. Families also

conference attendance rates of 98 percent over the past five years uses a three-day system. The first day, conferences run from after school until 7 or 8 p.m.; the following day, they are scheduled from 11 a.m. until 7 or 8 p.m.; and on the third day, the staff offer parents conference times from 7 a.m. until noon. While this is a demanding schedule for the staff, it only occurs twice a year. The importance of connecting with families far outweighs the inconvenience of a few late evenings during the term.

STRENGTHENING THE CONNECTION BETWEEN SCHOOL & HOME

Reading: Read your book to your parent and a few poems from your poetry book (five to ten minutes). Ask your parents to share and write a positive comment. Math: Share your math journal with your parent. Play “Addition Top It” with them (ten minutes). Ask your parents to share and write a positive comment. Writing: Share your “Special Time” story with your parents. Share the story that you revised (five minutes). Ask your parents to share and write a positive comment. Social studies: Share your research about the community helper that you selected (five to ten minutes). Do not take home the community helper folder, as we still need it for our report writing. Ask your parents to share and write a positive comment.

Source: Adapted from Prairie Hills Elementary School, Thornton, Colorado. Used with permission. Figure 3.4: Student-led conference checklist.

Preparation and Structure

Both parents and teachers need to be prepared for the conference (National Center for Learning Disabilities, n.d.; National Education Association, 2000). Use the reproducible checklist Making the Most of Conferences (page 45) to prepare for conferences with students and families.

Before the conference begins, the teacher should be clear about what information he or she wants to share and should be prepared to deliver it in a straightforward, respectful manner. Examples of student work and tests should be available to illustrate the teacher’s comments. In addition to sharing the learning objectives of a particular grade, the teacher should provide examples of successful student work. Time should be allocated for parents to share their perspectives on how well their children are working at home and for students to articulate their thoughts about their learning and what they are most proud of. The teacher should provide an opportunity for parents and students to talk about questions and concerns they have about the student’s learning. Families also need to have an opportunity to talk about their goals for their children’s education. This gives the teacher much more insight into how to support the student. It is vital to provide an atmosphere in which the family can share information and concerns. The teacher should always ask for the opinions of family members and show respect for their contributions. He or she should plan on spending over half of the time listening. The teacher should also try to keep focused on the conference objectives and topics. Typically, both teachers and families have limited time. If time runs out before all topics have been covered, more time should be scheduled, but the teacher should try to not let too much time elapse between the two conferences.

appreciate hearing students’ perspectives on their learning, their goals, and their strengths. Of course, the teacher interacts with parents and students about current assessment results. Overall, it creates a strong relationship between the students, teachers, and family. This is the ultimate collective responsibility paradigm. Figure 3.4 shows a sample student-led conference checklist.

Improving Communication With Families

An atmosphere of trust is essential for effective family conferences. If the child is having behavior problems, the teacher should report specific incidents rather than make generalizations. A calm demeanor and concrete examples eliminate confrontation and allow parents and teachers to analyze the situation together (Berger, 1991). Instead of, “Your child has poor work habits,” consider, “I find it difficult to motivate your child. Here are some things I’ve tried. What do you think will help?” Instead of, “Your child is on the verge of failing,” consider, “In order for your child to have a chance .” of passing, we will need to work on

It is important to look at the context in which learning or behavior problems occur and develop a plan of action. Both parent and teacher should be clear about the strategies each will implement. Ann-Marie Clark (1999) advises that it is often helpful to include the child in the solution-planning phase. Children are better able to monitor their behavior when they are clear about what to expect and what is expected of them. If you are planning to discuss a child’s behavior within the conference, it can be helpful to let the parents know upfront that it needs to be a topic of conversation. This provides both teacher and parents the opportunity to be thoughtful and prepared for the conversation.

Using Conferences to Listen to Families Educators at the New City School in St. Louis, Missouri (www.newcityschool.org), hold the first parent-teacher conferences during the last week of September and use them to set academic, behavioral, and social goals for students. School Director Thomas Hoerr (1997) explains, “We called them ‘Intake Conferences’ and told the participants that we expected parents to do the talking—and teachers to do the listening—75 to 80 percent of the time. ‘You’ve known your children for years,’ I explained in a letter to parents, ‘and we’ve only had them for a few weeks’” (p. 41). Teachers are given a list of questions for parents about their children (What are your goals for your child this year? What is your child’s activity schedule away from school?) and about diversity issues (Would you share a bit about your family’s heritage? What holidays does your family celebrate?). This list helps ensure that parents talk and teachers listen.

Source: Educational Research Service, 1999b.

Some families may need special support to make the most of conferences. Translators should be available if needed. In order to maintain the family’s privacy, however, it is essential to use staff members or community volunteers rather than the student or other parents as volunteer translators. If childcare is an issue, the school should arrange for younger children to be supervised during the conference.

Parent-Principal Conferences

While most conferences occur between the parent and the teacher, there are instances when the parent and the principal need to talk. Some of these occasions will be positive or neutral, as when the parent wants information about a school program. In other cases, however, the reason for the conference may be that the child is having serious problems that go beyond the scope of the teacher’s authority. Such conferences can be difficult for both the principal and the family. They are typically more successful when families understand that the school has the student’s best interests in mind.

Atmosphere

STRENGTHENING THE CONNECTION BETWEEN SCHOOL & HOME

•• Remember that the parent is upset about the situation. Have the meeting in your office, and ensure that there are no interruptions. •• Keep the discussion focused on the issue at hand. Be sure that you can document what has happened. •• Explain the relevant school or district policy. Make sure that the parent understands where the principal has latitude and where he or she must follow district policies. •• Explain any and all legal options that the family has. •• Provide ample time for questions. Try to engage the family in developing a plan for improving the situation. •• Before ending the conference, set a time to speak again and assess progress. Sometimes family members will request a meeting with the principal because they are unhappy about a situation with their child’s teacher. In these cases, it is important that the principal support the staff member and urge the family to first bring the issue up with the teacher. If after working with the teacher, the family still has concerns, the principal may assume a mediating role. In addition to conferences and one-on-one meetings, there are times when other forms of communication come into play.

Using Media and Technology While schools have traditionally relied on hard-copy, paper newsletters, letters, reports, and notices, we have so many other channels for communication in the Information Age.

School Websites

Parents have now come to expect their children’s schools to have a well-developed website. School websites typically contain not only basic information about the school, but also important notices, links to individual teachers, class home pages and email addresses, parent and student resources, calendars, lunch menus, and PTA information. The school website is the place to which families can consistently go for access to information. Many school districts also make it relatively easy for educators to post, and families to access, student work and assignments. With a password, systems such as Infinite Campus (www.infinite campus.com) give parents the opportunity to access their child’s attendance, grades, assignments, and test data, as well as important messages from the school (Johnson, 2000). Even if your school’s website is well established, it is nevertheless important to connect with the instructional technology staff at your school and develop an understanding of how information is

In the case of severe discipline problems for which suspension or expulsion may be an option, it is important that the principal be aware that this is a highly charged situation with potential legal implications. Keep in mind the following:

Improving Communication With Families

Spend some time reviewing webpages from other schools, and note the things you would like to include on your site. Talk with your staff and parents about features and design elements they find particularly appealing or helpful. With current commercial software, much of the programming is eliminated, so staff members have a greater opportunity to manage their own pages. Before expending a great deal of energy on this project, however, get a sense of who will use it. How many of your students’ families have Internet access—not just a computer—at home? If not at home, does their workplace allow them access? There are opportunities to partner with Internet service providers to acquire access. Many will offer low-income families a very low rate and an opportunity to access technology that brings the Internet to their home for little to no cost. Some schools also offer families access within the school, through a computer in the office or library media center that is designated for community use. Note that if the digital divide is an issue in your school community, this may not be the right communication strategy for your school now. And even if you do decide to use email and a website to communicate, make sure that every important communication sent out electronically is also conveyed in print or in some other way that will reach families who do not have access to technology.

Online Sources of Information About School Websites • Edudemic offers a list of the top twenty-five school websites each year. This resource can be accessed at http://edudemic.com/2011/01/the-25-best-school-websites/ (Dunn, 2011). • WantToTeach.com gives awards to the best public school websites annually. • Links to and reviews of model school websites and guidelines for designing them can be found by searching for “Bright Sites” at www.np.k12.mn.us. • Visit www.seirtec.org/bright_sites for information about the Technology in Education Consortium.

Social Media

More and more states are recognizing the value of 21st century learning skills and competencies. Students access information and communicate in real time. Many younger and therefore less experienced teachers grew up with these same technologies and are comfortable using them to communicate. Any teacher may develop a Facebook page where parents can have a dialogue with the teacher about what students are learning and the teacher can convey information about upcoming activities, current projects, the need for volunteer help, and long-range planning dates. The teacher can also post homework and upcoming-test study guides. This kind of access gives students an opportunity to connect outside of school when they need help on homework, left an essential resource at school, or want to check their thinking. Students’ in-depth understanding of social media makes this a very relevant way to share information and communicate.

maintained. Do you have a plan for how the site stays current, who updates or edits information, and how it is periodically reviewed for timeliness and relevance? Often, schools give students an opportunity to manage webpages within the school’s overall website. Some of the students may already have experience designing their own websites.

STRENGTHENING THE CONNECTION BETWEEN SCHOOL & HOME

While these avenues are not as widely utilized by parents, they are certainly common practice among many students. Teachers are seeing these resources as effective ways to communicate with students and families.

iTunes, YouTube, and Skype

Making meetings available electronically through iTunes or YouTube is another option. With the introduction of technologies such as Promethean Boards and SMART Boards, teachers can capture the audio and visual components of any family information meeting held in their classrooms. While it does not give families who missed the meeting the opportunity to interact live, they will be able to access all the information and hear questions that other attendees asked. Staff could go even further by providing families with videoconferencing technologies like Skype or Adobe Connect.

Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Messaging

Schools and educators have become increasingly technologically savvy, and in addition to websites, you may find teacher blogs, homework wikis, podcasts of class lessons and parent information sessions that parents may have missed, and systems for text messaging and emailing parents. All of these tools provide schools with a less expensive, “green” way to convey information in a short time frame. Although some families have limited access and a school would need skilled personnel to develop and maintain the sites and ensure their security, schools should not be deterred from developing communication plans that utilize these channels of communication. We are seeing greater and greater access to these resources by families over time.

Call-In and Auto-Dialer Services

Some telephone answering systems allow teachers to record homework assignments and other messages; parents can also leave messages for the teacher. In some large districts, teachers staff a “homework hotline” that addresses students’ and parents’ individual issues. There are also options such as auto-dialer systems that can call families to deliver recorded messages about important notices and upcoming events, or to convey simple celebration messages such as “Happy birthday!” A note of caution: if you are working in a school that has a high percentage of limited-English speakers, keep in mind that they might do much better when there is a person, rather than a recording, answering the phone.

Telephoning

For many parents, a call from school means something has gone wrong. As an alternative, try using a telephone call to deliver good or even routine news from time to time. Consider the positive impact when parents receive a phone call letting them know their child is making progress or asking whether they need any information about school events.

Another form of social media that is gaining traction in the education community is Twitter. Teachers are beginning to ask students to subscribe to their Twitter accounts, where they tweet daily assignments, upcoming project dates, and so on. Twitter also gives students an opportunity to ask questions and have the teacher tweet responses so all may benefit from the information.

Improving Communication With Families

•• The content of the call—Staying focused will keep the call brief •• The tone of the call—Sounding friendly and positive will put the parent at ease quickly •• The follow-up to the call—If plans or agreements are made, they should be noted and implemented (Johnson, 1999) As a school leader, you know that even a simple phone call requires extra effort. The sample, reproducible scripts for phone calls to parents (for both “bad news” and “good news”) on pages 47–48 and online at go.solution-tree.com/leadership are a useful tool for structuring a call to a student’s family and making sure the tone is positive. Time is also a barrier to making good use of phone calls. Often the best time to reach parents is in the evening and on weekends. If the school is serious about instituting a telephone calling strategy, you will need to provide resources and some kind of compensation for this to happen outside of regular school hours. To reach families three times over the course of the year, a teacher with a class of twenty-five students would have to schedule three calls a week. At five to seven minutes a call, this would add an additional twenty minutes a week to the teacher’s work time. By encouraging teachers to focus on the potential outcomes, principals can minimize the onus of the extra time. Whoever makes phone calls to parents should have a quiet, private place from which to do so. If periodic routine calls to the home are to be made, teachers will most likely need to schedule these into their weekly routines. Consider including a schedule of calls in weekly lesson plans.

Print Communication

While traditional methods of communication come with more costs than the utilization of technology, they are still extremely valuable methods for communicating with parents and the community.

Monthly Newsletters Parents often appreciate a monthly newsletter, and many schools use them to provide a steady stream of information from school to home. Newsletters can also include a monthly principal’s column, a timely, efficient way for the principal to reach parents. (See the link to sample newsletters online at go.solution-tree.com/leadership.) Newsletter production can create family engagement by using parents as editors, reporters, and graphic designers. Newsletters can relay to parents information about school events, provide a calendar listing opportunities for involvement, and give parents ideas and strategies for helping their students at home. This is a great method for offering parents quick home literacy tips, home math game ideas, and other ways for them to interact with their children in ways that support their academic achievement. See, for example, the reproducible Sample Parent Homework Help Tips (page 49). Furthermore, newsletters can showcase specific grade levels and what they are learning, as well as student work. Parents enjoy knowing what they can expect in grades to come.

To be most effective, parents need to receive several phone calls over the course of the school year (Moles, 1996). Before the call, be sure to consider the following:

STRENGTHENING THE CONNECTION BETWEEN SCHOOL & HOME

Beginning-of-Year Letters Beginning-of-year letters are always a good means for establishing contact with families. Firstday letters from the principal and the teacher provide a wonderful introduction for families. Their content will vary depending on the unique circumstances and plans of the school and classroom, but each should certainly welcome families and share goals for the coming year. Kathleen F. Jonson (1999) recommends that the teacher’s letter provide vital information about: •• What students will be studying in the coming year •• Homework policies •• Special events—class assemblies, field trips, and so on •• Classroom rules •• Ways that parents’ help would be appreciated •• The preferred way of contacting the teacher with questions or concerns This kind of letter is a good way to set the tone of open communication and active parent involvement right away. Reproducible pages 50–51 contain a Sample Beginning-of-the-Year Letter From Principal to Parents and a Sample Beginning-of-the-Year Letter From Teacher to Parents. Schoolwide policies should encourage students to take these letters home on the first day of the school year.

School Calendar A large, bright, easy-to-read calendar highlighting major school events—assemblies, graduation, teacher in-service days, report card days, and so on reflects the school’s awareness that busy parents need ample notice about school events. (Visit go.solution-tree.com/leadership to see a sample calendar.) Sometimes a local business will underwrite the cost of printing the calendar in return for an ad placement, but before considering this, please be sure to check with your district to ensure there are not board or superintendent policies against sponsorship. The yearly calendar may also be a good project for your parent-teacher association to sponsor. A calendar covering the entire year’s important events will be very helpful; but think about sending families monthly calendars, too. They can be part of your parent newsletter; busy families will appreciate these monthly reminders.

Letters and Notices Often schools need to send information out to families outside of the planned newsletter timing. A letter on official school letterhead is the typical format for these letters. In order to ensure clear, effective communication, the letter should be well written with relevant details and without

To promote two-way communication, consider having a “letters to the editor” column or include short surveys seeking reader opinions on a variety of topics (Moles, 1996). Distributing the newsletter via the students is less costly, but direct mail provides more of a guarantee that the newsletter will reach home.

Improving Communication With Families

Creating Successful Events A key limitation of print material is that it is primarily a one-way communication, with the school providing information to the family. Face-to-face communication outside the formal structure of a parent conference brings about mutual knowledge and enhanced trust, and it supports efforts to plan jointly for students’ success. For example, the school can sponsor discussion groups, workshops, or similar “educational” functions where parents acquire or fine-tune skills to help them better understand and work with their children. Remember, though, that these beneficial outcomes require time and planning. Weigh these two scarce resources at your school as you consider your face-to-face options.

Family Events

When possible, these should be events that parents and children can participate in together rather than formal classes. Modeling ways to incorporate learning into everyday activities is probably more effective than lectures. For instance, services to families may include events like math and literacy nights, at which families have an opportunity to learn fun, engaging academic games they can play with their children at home.

Annual Orientations One resource families should be given is an orientation to their children’s class at the beginning of each year. This should include what students will learn, how growth will be determined, how families can help at home, and effective ways to communicate with the teacher. Parents should be encouraged to take this opportunity to provide the teacher with parental insight about their children.

Family Night School Randolph Elementary School in Arlington, Virginia, provides an example of using family learning events to meet the special challenge of involving immigrant families. The school’s six hundred students speak more than twenty-two different primary languages, and English is the second language for most of them. About 64 percent of the students are Hispanic, and about 80 percent are from non-English-speaking homes. Three years ago, the school developed an evening program to promote school involvement of nonEnglish-speaking parents. Called Family Night School, this program is designed to make families of immigrant kindergarten children entering school more comfortable with the school and to help them make learning an integral part of their family lives. Family Night School is offered in several sessions each year, with each session consisting of about five meetings. A typical session includes a community dinner, parent training in some aspect of

a lot of education jargon or acronyms. Any communications you send in this format should also be translated into appropriate languages for the families. If the message is important, it should be accessible to all families within your school. The more accessible you can make information you send home, the more parents feel a part of the education of their children.

STRENGTHENING THE CONNECTION BETWEEN SCHOOL & HOME

The program plays a positive role in building a partnership between the school and these parents, whom many would consider “hard to reach.” Says a staff member, “Success is sensed from being there, working with the parents and students, and watching their comfort level with the school setting grow over time” (Panfil, 2001, p. 7).

Theme Evenings A “Brown Bag Story Hour” to which parents bring food and a book to read to their own or someone else’s child will probably entice more participants than a discussion of the importance of reading. A “Math in the Kitchen” evening during which everyone gets to sample culinary creations will be more popular than a program on how to tutor your child in math. Pay special attention to how you title these programs. Negative titles such as “Surviving Early Adolescence” may discourage parents who are fearful of admitting that they are having problems with their children. “Living With Preteens and Loving It” is a more appealing title. The informal interaction between school staff and parents in these types of events builds familiarity and understanding. They can also be fun and interesting.

Parent Information Sessions Schools with effective, successful family-engagement programs also offer parent information sessions periodically throughout the year. These are extremely beneficial to families and teachers in the development of common understandings and support structures for student achievement. For example, Kym would offer a family information session annually to families in her school called “Parenting a Gifted Child: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly,” which would focus on how children think, ways to motivate them, and helping them succeed in school and meet the challenges they face as highly abled students. Parents get the opportunity to ask questions, network with other parents, and learn new ideas for helping their child succeed. The PTA can also offer informational sessions on topics like Internet safety and 21st century learning. Be sure your teachers also consider developing systems that will convey crucial information to families who are unable to attend these sessions. These alternative methods may include written packets, videos of the session that can be posted on the teacher’s webpage, electronic tutorials, and so forth.

Home Visits

Although they are very labor intensive, home visits can set a tone of mutual understanding that makes ensuing communications more effective. The major purpose of a home visit should be to strengthen the relationship between the family and the school, and it can be less formal and focused than a conference. Remember, however, it is definitely not an opportunity to pry, and some families will need reassurance that that is not why you have come. During a home visit, staff can learn what services or special considerations students or families might need and how the school can help. Parents can learn whether they can trust the school staff and feel more comfortable voicing concerns. Visitors, to be effective, must enter the home with a

school involvement or helping their children develop the skills they need in school, instruction for students in basic reading and math skills, and paired parent-child activities.

Improving Communication With Families

One School’s Approach to Home Visits Franklin Elementary School Massillon, Ohio During the 1997–1998 school year, Franklin Elementary School decided it wanted to increase family and community involvement. Two of the strategies the school developed to achieve this goal were home visits and a community gala. The general idea of this project was for all teachers to visit the home of each child in their classrooms at the beginning of the school year. During the home visits, teachers personally invited the parents to the community gala to be held at the end of September. Parents also were given information on how to help with their child’s homework and were invited to volunteer any time at Franklin Elementary. The community gala was similar to a traditional open house but also included a town meeting conducted by the mayor of Massillon. At this community event, all parents and community members were asked to sign a Promise Keeper Chart denoting ways they would support their child’s learning. Students and staff members also signed charts agreeing to their responsibilities in the learning partnership. Home visits at first presented a challenge. Teachers were initially hesitant to make the visits because of safety issues in the community. The principal worked closely with staff members and made many visits with the teachers. Some teachers also made home visits together. This process provided the safety measures needed, especially for new teachers to the building who weren’t familiar with the community. The Franklin staff are now committed to making home visits at the beginning of each school year. Teachers feel comfortable with visiting students’ homes and have seen the increased participation of families in our school. Parent comments have been extremely favorable about the home visits. In fact, one parent stated, “I have never had a teacher come to my home to visit until I moved here! It was great for my daughter as well as myself.”

Source: Long, 1999.

Conclusion As you look at your schoolwide communication system, remember that the goal is to develop a variety of communication vehicles that are respectful, diverse, frequent, thoughtful, and two-way. Encourage your teachers to enhance the ways that families are already communicating. As teachers begin to develop connections with families through beginning-of-the-year events, letters home, and requests for information about children in their classes, they can ask parents their preferences for communication formats. Clear and open communication is a vital component to your family-engagement plans. As we move on to examine the efforts of planning, we go from effective communication strategies to ensuring families feel welcome and involved in the school. We will explore this particular topic in the final chapter.

positive, nonjudgmental attitude. The reproducible Do’s and Don’ts for Home Visits (page 52 and online) can be given to teachers.

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This self-assessment tool is designed to help schools explore how they are currently communicating and whether those methods are achieving the desired outcomes. This can be used with staff as well as families in a school community. For each communication vehicle listed, state its purpose and intended message, the frequency with which it is used, and whether or not it allows recipients to respond. Newsletter: Regularly scheduled conferences: Progress reports: Automated calls regarding attendance or other issues: Parent handbooks: School article in local paper: Home visits: Website: Wiki: Blog: Twitter: YouTube: iTunes: Regularly scheduled telephone time: Parent- or school-requested conferences: Email: Telephone call-in number: Family surveys:

Assessing Our School’s School-Family Communication System

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The purpose of this plan is to provide information and strategies for parents, students, and educators to work together to help the students reach their dreams. Prior to conference time, the teacher should fill out all basic student information, such as name, academic achievement scores, attendance, and career goal. During the conference, the student, parent, and teacher fill out the portion that reflects what each stakeholder’s responsibility will be. School year: Student’s name:

Birth date:

Grade level:

Teacher:

Parent or guardian name: Reading grade level:

Telephone: Math grade level:

CSAP scores (third): Reading

Writing

English language development:

Writing grade level: Math

Academic goal: Attendance: Days present

Days tardy

Key CSAP Scoring: Unsatisfactory—U—1—lowest Partially Proficient—PP—2 Proficient—P—3 Advance—A—4—highest Ed Performance Scoring: Below Average—1—lowest Low Average—2 High Average—3 Above Average—4—highest

DIBELS—Reading Fluency: Below—1—lowest Strategic—2 Average—3—highest

English Language Development: Non-English Proficient—1—lowest Non-English Proficient—2 Daze—Reading Comprehension: Limited-English Proficient—3 Limited-English Proficient—4 Below—1—lowest Fluent English Strategic—2 Proficient—5—highest Average—3—highest

Classroom/School Responsibilities (choose 3): Test-taking strategies

Writing skills

Fluency passages

Progress reports

Comprehension strategies

Extended-day learning

English development

Reading counts

Math skills

Other:

Teacher Signature:

Personalized Education Plan

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Ensure that your child reads no less than thirty minutes every night.

Create a homework routine.

Sit with your child when he or she is working on homework.

Have siblings assist with homework.

Ask questions about your child’s nightly reading. Review graded assignments. Practice sight words. Use math facts flashcards. Make sure your child is well rested.

Use quiet time. Enforce an early bedtime. Take away privileges. Add back privileges as student makes progress. Attend conferences. Talk with your child. Other:

Parent Signature:

Student Responsibilities and Commitments (choose 3): Ask questions in class.

Organize your time.

Do the work in class.

Use your agenda to write assignments down.

Turn in all assignments. Increase quality of work. Have a positive attitude. Believe in yourself—you can do it. Get enough sleep.

Use your agenda to write due dates down. Bring back progress reports. Other:

Student Signature: Source: Adapted from Fort Logan Elementary School, Sheridan, Colorado. Used with permission.

Family Responsibilities (choose 3):

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Teachers and families should consult this checklist before teacher/family conferences. It is divided into two sections. The first part is for teachers, and the second part is for families.

For Teachers Before the Conference • Review your records and jot down the key points you want to share. • Remember that the conference is a time to gather information as well as give it. List the questions you have for the parent. • Make sure that you have a quiet, private space to hold the conference.

During the Conference • Begin on time. • Begin and end on a positive note. • Use both the parent’s and the child’s name. • Remember to invite the parent to talk about his or her concerns and insights about the child’s needs. Listen, and repeat back (paraphrase) what the parent has said. • If you have problems to share, be prepared to offer one or two possible solutions. Ask the parent for his or her solutions as well. • Summarize the agreed-on plan of action. • Before ending, check that the parent has understood what you have said. A good way to summarize the conference is to say, “We’re almost at the end of our time, and I want to be sure that I’ve been clear. Tell me please what you’ve learned about your child’s progress in school.”

After the Conference • Make a note of anything you promised to follow up on. And make sure you do follow up. • If the parent will be working on some issues with the child, contact the parent in two or three weeks to see how things are going and report any changes.

For Parents Before the Conference • Talk with your child. Find out what your child sees as his or her best and worst subjects. Ask your child if there is anything he or she wants you to discuss with the teacher. • Jot down a few notes about what you want to talk about—especially any concerns you have.

Making the Most of Conferences

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• Arrive on time. • Ask your most important questions first—time is often limited. Some good questions to ask include: What are my child’s areas of strength and weakness? Is my child working up to his or her ability? How well does my child get along with others? • Ask the teacher for specific suggestions on how you might help your child do better.

After the Conference • Discuss the conference with your child. • Follow through on suggestions agreed on at the conference. • Follow up with the teacher to see that needed improvements are occurring. In the case of severe discipline problems where suspension or expulsion may be an option, it is important that the principal be aware that this is a highly charged situation with potential legal implications. Keep in mind the following: • Remember that the parent is upset about the situation. Have the meeting in your office and ensure that there are no interruptions. • Keep the discussion focused on the issue at hand. Be sure that you can document what has happened. • Explain the relevant school or district policy. Check to make sure that the parent understands where the principal has latitude and where he or she must follow district policies. • Explain any and all legal options that the family has. • Provide ample time for questions. Try to engage the family in developing a plan for improving the situation. • Before ending the conference, set a time to speak again and assess progress.

During the Conference

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This script is most appropriate if you’re calling a parent with difficult news. If at all possible, try to come to a preliminary agreement with the parent on a specific time to place this call. You can try to do this through the child or by calling just to set up a convenient time.

Hello, this is , your son’s/daughter’s principal. How are you? If you remember, we agreed that I’d call you at this time. Is it still convenient? [Or if you have not set up a phone appointment, “I hope I’m not calling at an inconvenient time.”] [Pause here to give the parent a chance to say yes or no. If it is inconvenient, ask for a convenient alternative, and call back then. This also might be a good point to ask whether the parent speaks English adequately enough to have this conversation with you or whether a translator is needed.]

I’d like to discuss with you briefly. I promise I won’t take more than fifteen minutes of your time. [Be sure to only take fifteen minutes. Quickly focus on the topic at hand. Make the points you need to make right away without too much elaboration and stick to the facts as simply stated as possible. It’s best to make them all before engaging in any discussion with the parent, particularly if what you’re calling about is bad news. If the parent really wants to discuss point-by-point, however, let him or her do it; you need to control the discussion, but not at the expense of courtesy or good parent-school relations.]

I hope I’ve been clear. Is there anything you don’t understand or that you’d like me to explain further? [Let the parent say what he or she is going to say completely before you respond (if there is a response to be made). You don’t want to get into a point-by-point debate.]

I understand; let’s talk about how we can handle the situation. [Make sure you listen carefully. A parent usually is your best source for good options about what to do. However, sometimes parents’ suggestions are either impractical or would involve something you can’t or don’t want to do—corporal punishment, for example.]

Thank you for your advice and cooperation. I’m sure between school and home we can make sure this situation is resolved, and we both can get back on track doing well in school. Good-bye.

Sample Script for Phone Call to Parent: Difficult News

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This script is intended for good-news situations. However, it can be adapted for situations neither good nor bad (We found your son’s glasses in the cafeteria). For good- or neutral-news situations, there is no need to set up a phone appointment.

Hello, this is , your son’s/daughter’s principal. How are you? I hope I’m not calling at an inconvenient time, but I have some good news for you. [This might be a good point to ask whether the parent is comfortable with you communicating in English regarding the good news or whether there is a need for translation.]

I’d like to tell you that

has

[Describe the good news here (for example, been chosen to represent the school in the regional spelling bee; received good enough grades to be on the honor roll; and so on).] [Elaborate, explaining what happened in more depth, how it happened, why it happened, and why the school is proud and the parent should be proud. Also leave some time for the parent to express his or her pride.]

I hope I’ve been clear about how proud we are and why you should be proud too. Is there anything you don’t understand or that I can explain further for you? Thank you for your time. I hope you tell your son/daughter how proud you are. He/she is doing very well, and we have your cooperation and support as well as his/her efforts to thank. We’re lucky to have families like yours as part of our school community. Good-bye.

Sample Script for Phone Call to Parent: Student Success

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Make Sure That Your Child Has These • A quiet place to work with good light • A regular time each day for doing homework • Basic supplies, such as paper, pencils, pens, markers, and ruler • Aids to good organization, such as an assignment calendar, book bag, and folders

Questions to Ask Your Child • What’s your assignment today?

›› ››

Is the assignment clear? If not, have you emailed the teacher or called a classmate?

• When is it due? • Do you need special resources?

››

(For example) Do you need a trip to the library or access to a computer?

• Do you need special supplies?

››

(For example) Do you need graph paper or poster board?

• Have you started today’s assignment? Finished it? • Is it a long-term assignment?

››

(For example) Is it a term paper or science project?

• For a major project, would it help to write out the steps or make a schedule? • Would a practice test be useful?

Other Ways to Help • Look over your child’s homework, but don’t do the work! • Meet teachers early in the year and find out about homework policies. • Congratulate your child on a job well done! Source: Adapted from Stuckey Elementary School, Northglenn, Colorado. Used with permission.

Sample Parent Homework Help Tips

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Dear Parents, Welcome to the [year] school year! It was a restful but busy and short but full summer. In talking with families as we all returned, it was very nice to hear all the wonderful adventures our students experienced. Everyone seems rested and ready to go back to work! I want to give a big THANK YOU to our staff for all their efforts to start off this year in a smooth, efficient way. Teachers have worked hard getting their rooms organized and ready for our students. Office and custodial staff have also worked extra hard in getting the school clean and ready for a great school year. Finally, our PTA has done a great job working with [school name] staff to prepare materials such as handbooks and master calendars for this school year as well. They have many exciting events planned for our students and their families. Finally, I want to say thank you to all our families for the never ending support you give us. You make such a difference in our ability to succeed at [school name]. We appreciate all the volunteer hours and support you all give each and every year. Thank you for your support, and have a great school year! [principal’s name] Principal

Sample Beginning-of-the-Year Letter From Principal to Parents

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Dear [parents’ names]: On behalf of [school name], I look forward to working with [student’s name] this year. [Grade level] is an exciting year. Among the many things we will be studying, I find that [list two or three topic areas] are the favorites of students. This year you can expect that your child will have [fill in amount] of homework each evening. Please let me know if your child has difficulty completing the assigned homework. I occasionally need help with the following: [list areas where assistance is wanted]. If you’d like to help in any of these areas, please let me know. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me. The best way to get in touch with me is [list preferred method of contact and best times]. I look forward to a stimulating year of learning for [student’s name] and [his/her] classmates. Sincerely, [principal’s name] Principal P.S. Enclosed is a set of the rules for my classroom. Please go over them with your child.

Sample Beginning-of-the-Year Letter From Teacher to Parents

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The following list should guide teachers’ thinking as they prepare to reach out to families.

Do’s • Do define a goal for your visit—to say a friendly hello, get acquainted, leave information, discuss a problem, or a combination of these. • Do listen carefully, no matter what else is on your agenda. Ask whether there are any questions. • Do try to bring a translator if you can’t speak the family’s language, but don’t abandon the idea of a visit because a translator is unavailable. • Do consider alerting the family to your visit—by telephone, note home, or postcard. Don’t limit yourself, however, to prearranged visits only. • Do bring a token of the school or a talking point—a book to share, information about the school, a picture of your own family. • Do set a reasonable length of time for the visit. Twenty minutes or less can be adequate, but some visits run an hour if you let them. • Do plan for at least some late-afternoon or evening visits.

Don’ts • Don’t pay much attention to the physical surroundings. • Don’t require parents or guardians to read or fill out anything in your presence. (Their literacy may be poor.) • Don’t go alone if you are hesitant about your safety or ability to surmount cultural barriers. • Don’t take offense if a family is not home for an appointment. Try to renew the appointment. Source: “Do’s and Don’ts for Home Visits,” Education Week, 1997. Used with permission.

Do’s and Don’ts for Home Visits

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