Compact slides for ncpie 5-12
- 1. Dust Off Your Old School-Parent Compact Linking Family Engagement to Your School Improvement Plan Judy Carson Connecticut State Department of Education judy.carson@ct.gov Patti Avallone Consultant to Connecticut State Department of Education patriciaavallone@sbcglobal.net
- 2. School-Family-Community Partnerships “Schools, families and communities all contribute to student success, and the best results come when all three work together as equal partners.” CSBE Position Statement on School-Family-Community Partnerships
- 3. Title I and Parent Involvement District Level Policy School Level (Policy) Plan Building School-Parent Title I Program Capacity Compact
- 4. Parental Involvement Definition Participation of parents in regular, two-way, and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities ensuring– That parents play an integral role in assisting their child’s learning; That parents are encouraged to be actively involved in their child’s education at school; That parents are full partners in their child’s education and are included, as appropriate, in decision making and on advisory committees to assist in the education of their child
- 5. Let’s Meet a Family
- 7. What Do Parents Want From Us? What is my child expected to know in each grade level? Make us feel welcomed in your school and classroom Offer workshops on how to help children at home Lend us books/materials Reach out and visit us in our neighborhoods and homes Offer child care and transportation Hold events at varying times and venues for working families
- 8. Compact: A written agreement of shared responsibility How will families and teachers work together this year to achieve the goals of the school improvement plan? USDE 1996
- 9. Compacts: A Missed Opportunity One of the weakest areas of Title 1 Compliance; need for technical assistance is substantial (USDE 2008) Engaging families should be a core strategy for school improvement. Compacts are not present Not meaningful Not specific
- 10. Let’s Look At A Compact
- 11. Example of an OLD Compact NUTMEG ELEMENTARY SCHOOL HOME/SCHOOL INVOLVEMENT COMPACT TITLE I TEACHER: PARENT/GUARDIAN: STUDENT: I understand that the school I realize that my time in school is very I know my education is experience is important to every important. I also understand that participating important. I know my student and so is my role as a in my child’s education will help his/her parents want to help me, teacher and model. Therefore, I achievement and attitude. Therefore, I agree but I am the one who has to agree to carry out the following to carry out the following responsibilities to do the work. Therefore, I responsibilities to the best of my the best of my ability: agree to do the following: ability: 1. Go over my child’s assignments with 1. Do my classwork on 1. Teach necessary concepts him/her. time. to your child. 2. Make sure my child is at school on time. 2. Be at school on time 2. Try to be aware of your 3. Give my child a quiet place to study. unless I am sick. child’s needs. 4. Spend at least 15 minutes each day 3. Return corrected work 3. Regularly communicate reading with my child. to my parent/guardian. with you and the regular 5. Attend open house and parent 4. Pay attention and do classroom teacher about conferences. my work. your child’s progress. 6. Make sure my child gets enough sleep 5. Be responsible for my each night. own behavior. __________________________ ____________________________________ ______________________ Teacher Signature Date Parent/Guardian Signature Date Student Signature Date
- 12. What Is Supposed To Be In a Compact? 1. A. Link to the goals of school improvement plan B. Explain what teachers will do to support family learning 2. Describe strategies families can use at home to strengthen students’ skills 3. Describe what students will do to reach their achievement goals 4. Describe activities that support partnerships for learning at this school 5. Develop with meaningful input from families 6. Communicate with families about student learning 7. Write in family-friendly language
- 13. The Myths The Compact… must be signed by teachers and parents is a good place to teach parenting is the place to correct student behavior
- 14. STUDENT DATA District and School Improvement Plans School-Parent Compact Grade Level Strategies Parent-Teacher Conferences Home Learning
- 18. Why do compacts matter?
- 19. What Happened? Compliance Culture + Little experience with families _______________________________ = Boiler plate compacts aimed at “fixing” parents
- 20. Revitalize Your Title I School-Parent Compact Prioritize “Bang for Your Buck” Strategies That Was Then: This is Now: Generic Student Data Boilerplate School Improvement Whole School Grade Level Specific Co-Developed 3rd Focused on Behavior Linked to Learning Compliance Partnership
- 21. The “10 Steps to Success” Toolkit
- 22. CONNECTICUT STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION First Two Steps to Success 1. Motivate and get buy-in from staff • Explain at a staff meeting what School-Parent Compacts are and how they contribute to student success 2. Designate a leader • Pick a person with leadership skills: math/literacy coach, assistant principal, data team leader, home-school coordinator
- 23. CONNECTICUT STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Step to Success #3 3. Align the Compact with school improvement plan • Review and analyze school data and school improvement goals to identify the skills we want to focus on
- 24. CONNECTICUT STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Step to Success #4 4. Get grade-level input on skills that need to improve in each grade • Data teams identify three goals/grade level and draft home learning ideas to discuss with parents
- 25. A Principal’s Perspective Tom Hunt Forest Elementary School West Haven, Connecticut
- 26. CONNECTICUT STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Step to Success #5 5. Reach out to Families • Meet by grade level to discuss how to work together (workshops, class meetings, math night). • Two-way conversations!
- 27. CONNECTICUT STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION It’s All About the Conversations! • Recruit parents to fun events -- then break into grade level groups with translators. • Ask: How can the school help YOU support your children’s learning? • Type up and circulate parents’ideas. • Teachers meet at each grade level to respond, draft Compact plan. • Parents approve.
- 28. CONNECTICUT STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Step to Success #6 6. Don’t forget the Students • How will they take responsibility for their learning? • What do they want teachers and parents to do to support them?
- 29. CONNECTICUT STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Next Two Steps to Success 7. Pull it All Together • Create an attractive, family-friendly Compact with input from all • Design a roll-out plan
- 32. CONNECTICUT STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Step to Success #8 8. Align All Resources • Budget • Parent Workshops School-Parent Compact • Staff Development • Volunteers, Tutors and Grade Level Strategies other Partners • Title 1 Evaluation School Action Team for Partnerships
- 33. CONNECTICUT STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Last Two Steps to Success 9. Market the Compact • Get the word out at every opportunity • Refer to the Compact at parent-teacher conferences and meetings 10. Review, Revise, Celebrate Progress • Discuss what worked, what needs to improve, then develop new plan • Celebrate success and ask students to show off!
- 47. CONNECTICUT STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Quality Indicators Link actions to goals in the school improvement plan and to school data Connect activities for families to what students are learning and doing in class Include follow-up steps to support parents and students Consult with parents on communication strategies that work best for them Translate into families’ home languages
- 48. CONNECTICUT STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Remember: It’s all about the Conversations!
- 49. What do Teachers Say? ”After collaborating with families on our school compact, we teachers looked at parents differently, appreciating how much they were willing to help. We realized that we never were specific about the learning skills and strategies that we wanted parents to do at home, and often assumed that there was no support. Wow, were we wrong!! Our relationship with families grew stronger and finally, we were all on the same page to strengthen student achievement.”
- 50. If you want to go fast, go it alone. If you want to go far, go with others.
- 51. For More Information www.schoolparentcompact.org In The News Making the Most of School-Family Compacts. Educational Leadership, May 2011. Family-School-Community Partnerships 2.0: Collaborative Strategies to Advance Student Learning. NEA Priority Schools Campaign, November 2011. http://neapriorityschools.org Turn Forgettable Title I Compacts into Remarkable Reform Tools. Title I Admin.com, February 2, 2012. Turn Title I Compacts into Dog-Eared Documents. Title I Admin.com, February 23, 2012.