Jump to:Page Content
You are seeing this message because your web browser does not support basic web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing and what you can do to make your experience on this site better.
The Harvard Family Research Project separated from the Harvard Graduate School of Education to become the Global Family Research Project as of January 1, 2017. It is no longer affiliated with Harvard University.
February 2006
Dear FINE Member,
Here are this month's FINE member updates. Please feel free to forward this information to friends and other education colleagues.
New on the FINE Website
This study by Shari Golan, Donna Spiker, and Carl Sumi demonstrates that a wide variety of parent and child factors are linked to school readiness and that parenting education and support services promote family activities that relate to positive child outcomes.
In this study by Barbara Morrow Williams, interviews with African American mothers of successful high school daughters show that mothers maintain intense interest and direct involvement in multiple aspects of their daughters' educational lives but keep little contact with school officials.
Recent Reports on Head Start
Child Trends Analysis of Head Start
Child Trends, an organization that maintains a data bank on outcomes for children, recently created an updated analysis of the Head Start program. The analysis finds that non-Hispanic black children were five times as likely as non-Hispanic white children and twice as likely as Hispanic children to be enrolled in Head Start in 2001.
This research brief from the Center for Law and Social Policy is the most recent in a series of reports using Head Start data to analyze trends in the program. Key findings include the fact that Head Start parents make up more than half of the program's volunteers and that 82% of programs specifically encourage fathers to participate.
Books and Reports
Building School–Community Partnerships: Collaboration for Student Success
This new book by Mavis Sanders of Johns Hopkins University discusses the importance of collaboration between schools and local organizations, universities, and businesses and provides guidance for educators looking to establish such connections. The book is available for purchase from the publisher at the link above.
CSRQ Center Report on Elementary School CSR Models
In this report, the Comprehensive School Reform Quality Center reviews 22 comprehensive school reform models. Program aspects evaluated include student achievement and family and community involvement. The full report or the executive summary can be downloaded from the link above.
This report from the National Center for Education Statistics examines the information schools send home to parents and the frequency of parent participation in school. Results show that school-family communication and parent involvement are positively related.
Survey Data
National Survey of Parents Data
The Child Care and Early Education Research Connections recently made available data from the 2000–2001 National Survey of Parents, which investigated how and with whom parents spend their time. Researchers can fill out a brief registration form and download the data for free from the link above.
Tool Kit
Created by Ryerson University's School of Early Child Education, this set of 10 workshops focuses on teaching parents how to support their children's schooling and development. The materials, available in English and French, include a facilitator's guide, handouts for parent participants, and evaluation instruments. The package is available for purchase at the link below.
Upcoming Events
Parents as Teachers Conference '06: Understanding Human Diversity
The Parents as Teachers conference will be held in St. Louis, Missouri, March 20–23, 2006. The program will cover strategies for multicultural parent support, aimed at an audience of early childhood specialists, teachers, parent educators, and family workers.
Family Support America 11th Biennial International Conference
Family Support America will celebrate its 25th anniversary at its conference in Chicago, March 26–29, 2006. The program will cover a variety of family support topics for professionals, practitioners, and parents. Families and Schools Together will hold its Parent Leadership Conference in conjunction.
Strengthening Communities Through Education
Hosted by Cambridge College and the National Community Education Association, this conference will address partnerships between schools and communities, parent participation in out-of-school learning, and full service community schools. The conference will take place April 7–8, 2006 in Albany, New York.
Contact Us
Have a problem with the website or questions and comments concerning our work? Send an email to fine@gse.harvard.edu.
Enjoy!
FINE – The Family Involvement Network of Educators
© 2016 Presidents and Fellows of Harvard College
Published by Harvard Family Research Project