SPDG NATIONAL MEETING WASHINGTON DC MAKING CONNECTIONS DR

SPDG NATIONAL MEETING WASHINGTON, DC “MAKING CONNECTIONS” DR. LINDA KARGES-BONE I-ON FAMILY ENGAGEMENT 5 I’S THAT INVITE, INCLUDE, INTERACT, INCREASE, AND INTEREST FAMILIES Copyright Education In. Site

FAMILIES MATTER Copyright Education In. Site

WE NEED OUR FAMILIES Copyright Education In. Site

WHY SO IMPORTANT TO US? • The earlier that parent involvement begins in a child’s educational process, the more powerful the effects ("Parent Involvement in Education, " Kathleen Cotton and Karen Reed Wikelund, Research You Can Use, Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory). Copyright Education In. Site

WHY YOU? • You are probably not in direct contact with kids and families right now. • But you have influence. • You have an important voice. • You are a person who gets things done! • Let’s get THIS done the right way! Copyright Education In. Site

WE TALK A LOT ABOUT FAMILY ENGAGEMENT, BUT OFTEN FALL SHORT OF OUR GOALS…BUT WE PRESS ON… Copyright Education In. Site

THIS IS A TALK ABOUT PRESSING ON…WITH 5 I’S…ON FAMILY ENGAGEMENT Copyright Education In. Site

THE RESEARCH COMPELS US. . • After analyzing 85 studies on parent involvement… • “The family makes critical contributions to student achievement from pre-school through high school. A home environment that encourages learning is more important to student achievement than income, education level or cultural background” (Henderson and Berla). Copyright Education In. Site

BENEFITS TO CHILDREN HOME SCHOOL RELATIONS: WORKING SUCCESSFULLY WITH PARENTS AND FAMILIES ( PG. 136) • Children achieve more, regardless of other indicators • Better grades, test scores • More self esteem • Consistently complete homework • Display positive attitude and fewer disciplinary problems • Fewer special education placements • Fewer drop-outs Copyright Education In. Site • Better attendance

KEY RESEARCH • Annette Lareau: Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race, and Family Life • Betty Hart and Todd R. Risley: Meaningful Differences in the Everyday Experiences of Young American Children • Richard Rothstein: Class and Schools: Using Social, Economic, and Educational Reform to Close the Black-White Achievement Gap • Valerie Lee: Inequality at the Starting Gate: Social Background Differences in Achievement as Children Begin School Copyright Education In. Site

BIG QUESTION? ENGAGEMENT OR INVOLVEMENT? ASCD • To create the kinds of school-family partnerships that raise student achievement, improve local communities, and increase public support, we need to understand the difference between family involvement and family engagement. One of the dictionary definitions of involve is "to enfold or envelope, " whereas one of the meanings of engage is "to come together and interlock. " Thus, involvement implies doing to; in contrast, engagement implies doing with. ASCD May 2011 Copyright Education In. Site

TALK LESS. LISTEN MORE. WHAT DO YOU HEAR? • A school striving for family involvement often leads with its mouth—identifying projects, needs, and goals and then telling parents how they can contribute. A school striving for parent engagement, on the other hand, tends to lead with its ears— listening to what parents think, dream, and worry about. The goal of family engagement is not to serve clients but to gain partners. • Larry Ferlazzo, ASCD 2011 Copyright Education In. Site

TAKE A LOOK AT THE NEXT SLIDE… THINK ABOUT IT Copyright Education In. Site

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WE ARE HAPPY TO TELL PARENTS WHAT TO DO…BUT DO WE KNOW THEM? Copyright Education In. Site

AND THERE IS MORE…POVERTY IS A CHALLENGE THAT WE WILL EXPLORE. Copyright Education In. Site

CHALLENGES TO MEANINGFUL ENGAGEMENT…. Copyright Education In. Site

WHY? THREE REASONS…. Stressful Profession Stressed Families Brain Shutdown Copyright Education In. Site

THE AMYGDALAS KICK IN • • Almond Shaped Clusters Triggered by stress Unleash Cortisol Shutting down higher order thinking • Damaging the brain • And poverty makes everything worse. Education In. Site

WHAT HAPPENS IN SCHOOL? • Once the amygdala (s) turn on…it can be weeks or months until it turns OFF. • Even once the stressor is removed. • During this time, the pre-frontal cortex is effectively shut down, while the brain shifts into survival mode. • Learning, attention, decision-making, creativity…all depressed, repressed, suppressed. • This kind of stress affects the entire family. • Making engagement difficult to…. . well…. ENGAGE!

THE CHALLENGE • Cortisol, the stress hormone does so much damage to our brains as it seeps out: shutting down the pre-frontal cortex, impeding creativity: actually shrinking the hippocampus, the center of memory; and slowing neuro-genesis. But, when you recognize the fact that simply living in poverty triggers cortisol, even when there is no direct stressor like abuse or illness in a child’s life, you have a huge problem. Dr. Linda Karges-Bone

THE WORD GAP DOESN’T JUST AFFECT CHILDREN…. ENTIRE FAMILY Copyright Education In. Site

WHO ARE OUR PARENTS? • Do they see us as a friend or a critic? • Do their prior experiences with schools and other public institutions arouse stressful emotions? • Do we understand plan for their lifestyle issues, such as time and travel? • Do we still persist in planning for traditional family structures or familiar cultural paradigms? • Do we get it? Copyright Education In. Site

ASCD JOURNAL: WHY SOME PARENTS DON’T COME TO SCHOOL. "They expect me to go to school so they can tell me my kid is stupid or crazy. They’ve been telling me that for three years, so why should I go there again? ” Larry’s dad. Copyright Education In. Site

THINK ABOUT IT THIS WAY… • Parents react to teachers and education professionals as if every communication is a form of assessment. • Parents feel that every contact with you is an evaluation of the family, their parenting style, or the way that their culture, community, or family operates. Copyright Education In. Site

DO YOU HEAR THE TENSION? OR ARE YOU IGNORING THE PAIN? We asked some of “those other parents” what they think about building positive home/school relations. In what follows, parents whose voices are rarely heard at school explain how the diverse contexts of their lives create tensions that interfere with positive home/school relations. For them, school experiences, economic and time constraints, and linguistic and cultural practices have produced a body of knowledge about school settings that frequently goes unacknowledged. Copyright Education In. Site

THE GRAY MATTER: CEREBRAL CORTEX • Spread out, it is about the size of a linen dinner napkin. • But, if you were to count the synapses at the rate of 1 per second, you would finish 32 million years after you began! • Sylwester, Bright Air, Brilliant Fire Copyright Education In. Site 2018

PERHAPS OUR SCHOOLS GET IN THE WAY…. • 32 Million Years of connections are available. • But, not accessible. Copyright Education In. Site 2018

AND POVERTY ISN’T THE ONLY THREAT. Copyright Education In. Site 2018

WE ARE FEEDING A CYCLE OF “NEGATIVE FORECASTING”. Copyright Education In. Site 2018

AN IEP MINDSET REINFORCES NEGATIVE THINKING "Negative stimuli produce more neural activity than do equally intense (e. g. , loud, bright) positive ones, Hanson writes on his website. “They are also perceived more easily and quickly. For example, people in studies can identify angry faces faster than happy ones; even if they are shown these images so quickly (just a tenth of a second or so) that they cannot have any conscious recognition of them, the ancient fight-or-flight limbic system of the brain will still get activated by the angry faces. ” Dr. Rick Hanson Copyright Education In. Site 2018

REMEMBER. . PARENTS ALL WANT THE SAME THING…QUALITY ANSWERS This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND Copyright Education In. Site

PARENTS AS “ASSESSMENT USERS” LISSITZ & SCHAFER, PG. 25 • Is my child learning new things…growing? • Is my child succeeding? • Is my child keeping up? • Are we doing enough at home to support the teacher? • What does my child need to succeed? • Does the teacher know what my child needs? • Is this teacher doing a good job? • Is this a good school? District? Copyright Education In. Site

I-ON FAMILY ENGAGEMENT…. Copyright Education In. Site

I’VE BEEN TO A LOT OF PLACES WHAT WORKS? WHAT DRAWS A GOOD CROWD? WHAT MATTERS? WHAT SURPRISES? WHAT’S NEW? WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU? Copyright Education In. Site

DON’S BE LEFT WITH PIZZA BOXES Copyright Education In. Site

THE 5 I’S ON FAMILY ENGAGEMENT • INVITED FRQUENTLY AND AUTHENTICALLY • INCLUDED IN AN INTENTIONAL PROCESS • INTERACTIVE WITH STUDENTS, COMMUNITY, EDUCATORS • INCREASING INVESTMENTS IN STUDENTS’ DEVELOPMENT • INTERESTING ENOUGH TO ATTRACT AND SUSTAIN ATTENTION Copyright Education In. Site

INVITATIONS THAT WORK Copyright Education In. Site

YOUR PARENT ENGAGEMENT PARTY CHECKLIST… • Does the timing work for different family structures? • Could you repeat the event? Muffins in the morning? Ice Cream Social in the evening? • Have you used social media effectively? This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-ND • Might you involve the students in the invitation process? Creating hand drawn invitations? • Did you “”Layer” the invitations? Multiple points of contact. Copyright Education In. Site

GET THE KIDS INVOLVED…. • Kids create the invitations… • Kids doing some kind of presentation, show, song, choral reading… • Kids make a video and put on social media. • Kids showing their art. • Kids winning awards. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA Copyright Education In. Site

INCLUDED AND INTENTIONAL Copyright Education In. Site

METACOGNITION REQUIRES MORE More • • • Connections • Concentration • Curricular Innovation • For Students Cohesiveness Creativity Compassion From Teachers Conversations Collaboration Commitment With Parents Copyright Education In. Site

THE ANSWER……METACOGNITION • Maintaining an uber-awareness • A gestalt of where everything and everyone is in space and time. • A pre-cognition of what might come next. • And how the teacher and every other player on the cognitive chess board is going to react. Copyright Education In. Site

TREAT PARENTS WITH DIGNITY • Make sure that written materials are in the parents’ native • Don’t just ask: “Do you language or that you provide an understand? ” interpreter. • Make sure that all documents • Ask: “Do you realize that this are written at a level that means that Joey will go to a parents can understand or that special class for reading with a you have a “guide” to mark teacher who is trained to help major points. him catch up to grade level? ” • Make sure that parents believe that you truly like and care about their “baby”. ‘Cause it IS their Copyright Education In. Site baby! • Ask specific questions

DON’T FORGET THE PERSONAL TOUCH This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND Copyright Education In. Site

LET FOLKS KNOW THAT YOU MEAN IT… • • Personalize by aligning with other community events. A few events that I was a part of that went well… Mothers “Morning Out” held at a subsidized apartment complex. Blood pressure screening and children’s book give away for grandparents, held at clinic or church. • Literacy banquet with a speaker recognized by the community. • Link up with high school sports teams…. like breakfast before a Saturday basketball game. Copyright Education In. Site

MAKE IT FUN. PARENTS DIDN’T LOVE THEIR SCHOOL YEARS…WIN THEM OVER This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND Copyright Education In. Site

INTERACTIVE AND…. . Copyright Education In. Site

INTERESTING Copyright Education In. Site

THINGS THAT WORK • Celebrating cultural events particular to your community. • Adding games and challenges for parents and kids to do together. • Instead of a “cake walk”…a “book walk”. • Drawings for baskets of “brain food” with a demonstration on healthy cooking. • Involving a college teacher training class to do a “Math Night” with i. Pads and games. The students got a grade and the parents loved it. • Adding a craft component. • Any kind of drawing for fun things…. movie tickets, technology, hair cuts, fro-yo. Copyright Education In. Site

ANYTHING THAT MEETS MULTIPLE NEEDS Tax forms and help with a Math Bee and prizes. Blood pressure screening with a “Medical Careers” fair. Workshop on importance of sleep and learning combined with a sleep apnea screening for adults. Stress management with yoga and smoothies. Copyright Education In. Site

MORE PARENT ENGAGEMENT Photo Booth with Book Background. Copyright Education Insite 2018 -19

MORE PARENT ENGAGEMENT A Latte Library Model Keep your school library open 1 evening per week or a Saturday morning. Serve coffee treats and cocoa. a. Copyright Education Insite 2018 -19

MORE NOVEL IDEAS… • An evening helping parents do their FAFSA for college financial aid and speaker on scholarships targeting the local community. • Interpreters in Spanish or Chinese in an immigrant rich site. • Adding a food truck with coupons. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY • Any kinds of a “bouncy castle” for kids while parents do workshop. Copyright Education In. Site

LESS IS MORE…. • Have fewer, smaller events and scatter them over the semester. • Invite parents in for “coffee and conversation”, not a conference. • Do parent engagement by grade level, not whole school. • Bring in professional help. Don’t try to do it all yourself. • Focus on one thing at a time…don’t overwhelm folks with grades, information, tasks. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-ND Copyright Education In. Site

INCREASES TARGET BEHAVORS Copyright Education In. Site

THREE TARGETS • Attendance • Literacy • Wellness Copyright Education This Photo by Unknown Author. In. Site is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

ATTENDANCE This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY Copyright Education In. Site

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ATTENDANCE BOOSTERS • Happy Grams • Personal Visits • Lunch buddy parents • Prizes and awards that kids want • Celebrations • After school tutoring • “Free” extracurriculars • Mentoring…can be “mini mentoring”. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-ND Copyright Education In. Site

THE RESEARCH CONNECTIONS…. • Early reading skills predict general academic performance, and early deficits reduce the likelihood of catching up later on. (Whitehurst, J. , and Lonigan, C) * • *70% of poor children live in single parent families, while only 6% of affluent children live in single parent homes, a statistic that often means fewer opportunities for reading, language, and building word currency. Copyright Education Insite 2018 -19

DID YOU KNOW? • The single most important finding about educational success was that the sheer number of books in the home was the most highly correlated factor tied to later achievement. Copyright Education Insite 2018 -19

THEREFORE…… • Anything we can do to get books into the home for any amount of time and in any format is probably a good idea. Copyright Education Insite 2018 -19

FAMILY LITERACY MATTERS • 450 Families studied • Reading regularly 0 -5 • Better attention span • Less hyperactivity • Fewer incidences of anger and aggression • Combine literacy with any and all engagements • Funding option: Dollar General Family Lit This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA • https: //www. dgliteracy. org/grantprograms/#family-literacy-grants Copyright Education In. Site

……. . CELEBRITY READERS Bring in Celebrity Readers to extend Social Learning Constructs. Connect these to holidays and seasonal celebrations. Network readers to the books’ themes. Copyright Education Insite 2018 -19

FAMILY WELLNESS…REMEMBER OUR OLD FRIEND MASLOW? • We want to jump to the top of the pyramid with families. • Hunger? • Fear? • Cold? • Pain? • Neglect of dental health? • Homelessness? This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA • Effects of noise, toxins, lack of sleep, pure exhaustion from worry. Copyright Education In. Site

WHAT AFFECTS WELLNESS? • Asthma and allergies • Lack of access to medical care • Stress • Poor nutrition • Hearing and vision deficits • We cannot separate the attendance/wellness issues. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND Copyright Education In. Site

ENGAGE THE WHOLE FAMILY • Engage the family in projects that feed the body and mind. • Engage the family in opportunities to deal with mental health issues. • Engage the family in ways to connect with difficult challenges, such as the Opioid Epidemic and Post Partum Depression. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND • Engage the family with partnerships among agencies that can support: legal, immigration, dental, jobs. Copyright Education In. Site

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