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.

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Dear FINE Member,

Here are this month's FINE member updates. Please feel free to forward this information to friends and other education colleagues.

FINE Resource Roundup

Since the resources on the FINE website are so extensive we thought we would start occasionally bringing your attention to resources you may not have seen before, or may now be more relevant to you in your work. This first set of compiled resources focuses on family involvement in adolescent learning and development.

• Research Digest: Adolescence: Are Parents Relevant to Students' High School Achievement and Post-Secondary Attainment?

  Evanthia N. Patrikakou's research shows that parent involvement is important during adolescence, and she discusses implications for education practice.

• Research Digest: Engaging Parents in an Urban Public High School: A Case Study of Boston Arts Academy

Monique Ouimette and colleagues describe an urban public school that successfully engages parents by offering a variety of school-based activities, a welcoming environment, and frequent communication between staff and parents.

• Bibliography: Research on Family Involvement and Adolescence

This bibliography features research on family involvement in adolescence, listing journal articles, books, and reports from 1999 to 2003.

• Member Insight: Does family involvement in high school matter?

FINE member A. Rae Simpson of the Project on the Parenting of Adolescents at the Harvard School of Public Health offers her expert view on the challenges and importance of parent involvement in high school.

• Member Insight: How can we prepare teachers to work with culturally diverse students and their families?

Among other FINE members who answered this question, member Peter Bak-Fun Wong, Principal of Josiah Quincy Upper School, discusses the need to understand and integrate cultural diversity in order to engage culturally diverse families in a middle school.

• Member Insight: How can parents be engaged in students' transition from middle to high school?

FINE member Eugenia Ambrocio of ENLACE y Avance Project talks about how to engage and empower parents to become involved in schools, especially in the transition from middle to high school.

• FINE Forum e-Newsletter Issue 7: “Teacher Talk”

Pat Tutwiler, a high school teacher, discusses why family involvement in high school is both important and difficult. He describes how his school was able to improve its open house for parents and dramatically increase attendance.

• Teaching Case: Reaching out to the Only One out There

When a high school student reveals his confusion over sexual orientation to his teacher, issues of confidentiality, disclosure, and parental beliefs arise. This teaching case is designed to help teachers consider how to support gay high school students in relation to their families and how to interact with parents around controversial and emotional issues. Noted researcher Arthur Lipkin offers an expert commentary on the case.

• Teaching Case: Making a Decision About College: Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Marisela has been admitted to a competitive college on the other side of the country that will help her achieve her goal of becoming a doctor. However, she is responsible for the care of her younger siblings while her mother works. This case is designed to help teachers consider how high schools, colleges, and community resources can help support families and students making decisions about college. Concha Delgado-Gaitan and Irina Todorova offer expert commentaries on this case.

Resource Guide

In case you missed our announcement about it, we have compiled an extensive resource guide on family involvement.

• Taking a Closer Look: A Guide to Online Resources on Family Involvement

  There is more information on family involvement online than any one person can keep track of now. Harvard Family Research Project has taken a closer look and compiled and categorized this large body of information in order to make it easier for practicing educators to access and use. The document contains Web links to research, information, programs, and tools from over 100 national organizations. It provides information about parenting practices to support children's learning and development, home–school relationships, parent leadership development, and collective engagement for school improvement and reform.

New From Harvard Family Research Project

• Study of Predictors of Participation in Out-of-School Time Activities

  HFRP has published initial findings from the Study of Predictors of Participation in Out-of-School Time (OST) Activities. We already have several interesting findings to share, including confirmation of the inequalities that exist in youth participation rates according to socioeconomic status and race/ethnicity.

• Out-of-School Time Program Evaluation Database

We have updated our Out-of-School Time Program Evaluation Database with new citations and profiles of OST program evaluations.

Books and Reports

• Looking to the Future: Voluntary K–12 School Integration

  This manual from the Harvard University Civil Rights Project provides historical and legal background and practical suggestions for parents, educators, and community advocates who want to promote racial and ethnic integration in public schools.

• Parental Attitude and Frequency of Initiating Contact Survey

  According to this final report from a survey by the American School Counselor Association, while most parents value and make use of the counselors at their children's schools, some families are not aware of the kinds of support counselors can provide.

• Teachers as Collaborative Partners

  Sandra J. Winn Tutwiler's new book discusses the history and research behind schools' relationships with families and communities from diverse cultural backgrounds. Intended for preservice and in-service teachers, the text includes case studies and an evaluation tool. This book is available for purchase from the publisher at the link above.

Websites

• Communities Just for the Kids

  This new website for parents, educators, and community organizations offers best practices, tools, and evaluation ideas for promoting partnerships to raise student achievement.

• Literature on Dispute Resolution in Special Education Annotated Bibliography Database

  This searchable database from CADRE, the National Center on Dispute Resolution, includes citations for several dozen articles about family involvement and how schools and parents of special education students can work together to resolve conflicts.

Upcoming Events

• National Community Education Association's Annual Conference

  The National Community Education Association's annual conference in St. Louis, Missouri, December 7–10, 2005, will focus on “Community Education: Gateway to Strong Diverse Communities.” The program will cover community schools and after school programs, among other topics, and speakers include leaders from the Public Education Network, the Institute for Responsive Education, and the National Parent–Teacher Association.

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