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.
Achieving Excellence and Innovation in Family, School, and Community Engagement Webinar Series
These webinars aim to provide opportunities for stakeholders representing national, regional, and local organizations to learn about family, school, and community engagement research and innovations, as well as best practices from the field. Learn more >
Webinar Sponsors
Visit partner websites for more resources:
Successful Transitions to High School: Promoting High School Success and Facilitating College Readiness
Webinar date: June 23, 2011, 2:00–3:30 p.m. (EDT)
Successful Transitions to High School will highlight ways to support students and families during the transition from middle to high school—a critical time for setting the course to graduate from high school on time and ready for college. Presenters will focus on the knowledge needed to ensure a smooth entry into ninth grade, such as coursework sequencing and graduation requirements, and will also explore how schools and community organizations can partner with families to provide services such as tutoring, mentoring, and afterschool programming.
This webinar will highlight innovative practices that facilitate the transition to high school, information about how schools can help families stay engaged in their children’s education during the high school years, and services that offer essential information and assistance for students and their families throughout the college application process.
Samantha Wigand, from United Way Worldwide, will discuss the importance of active family engagement during students’ transition into high school. Joanna Hornig Fox, from the Everyone Graduates Center at Johns Hopkins University, will discuss how to support high school completion and college readiness and will highlight the role of families, communities, and school staff in helping students transition into ninth grade. Beth Porter, from Breakthrough Collaborative, will discuss an intensive transition program for middle school students that involves a set of ongoing, comprehensive supports to help students succeed in college preparatory high school programs. And Carol Myers, from the Indiana State Parental Information and Resource Center (PIRC), will discuss the PIRC’s work in building school capacity to engage families and students to promote college and career readiness.
Featured speakers include:
- Moderator: Samantha Wigand, Education Consultant, United Way Worldwide
- Joanna Hornig Fox, Deputy Director, Everyone Graduates Center, Johns Hopkins University
- Beth Porter, National Executive Director, Breakthrough Collaborative
- Carol Myers, Consultant, Indiana State PIRC, Indiana Partnerships Center
WEBINAR 7 RESOURCES
Dropout Reports
- Building a Grad Nation: Progress and Challenge in Ending the High School Dropout Epidemic (2010) (Civic Enterprises, Everyone Graduates Center, America’s Promise Alliance)
This report provides information about the Civic Marshall Plan to end the nation’s dropout crisis. The authors describe effective actions and strategies and provide examples of successful efforts. - Parent Expectations and Planning for College: Statistical Analysis Report (2008) (NCES)
This report examines the long-term expectations parents, with children in middle and high school, have for their children, and the way these parents commonly participate in postsecondary educational planning. - College Readiness Begins in Middle School, ACT Policy Report (2002) (ACT)
This study provides information on a process to begin college preparation at the middle school level, including descriptions of key issues and challenges as well as effective strategies.
Strategies
- The Parental Involvement Puzzle (2009) (Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Usable Knowledge Website)
This article explores Nancy Hill’s research on family engagement with adolescents, published in Families, School, and the Adolescent. The article discusses concrete, developmentally-appropriate strategies families can use to effectively engage in their adolescent’s education. - Resource Guide for High School Transitions: Annotated Bibliography (2011) (Harvard Family Research Project)
The resources in this bibliography address a variety of topics related to high school transitions including family engagement, school practices, and student outcomes. - Community Partnerships to Support High School Success (2011) (Harvard Family Research Project)
This report from Harvard Family Research Project profiles the strategic planning process of eight United Way sites that received grants to identify promising family engagement strategies for high school students and their families with the goal of raising high school graduation rates. These sites created action plans by engaging families, schools, and communities in the planning process. - Engaging Families at the Secondary Level: What Schools Can Do to Support Family Involvement (2005) (SEDL)
This brief provides a brief explanation of the research related to engaging families at the secondary level, suggestions for practice, and practical ideas for increasing family engagement at the secondary level. - Removing Roadblocks to Rigor: Linking Academic and Social Supports to Ensure College Readiness and Success (2009) (Pathways to College Network, Institute for Higher Education Policy)
This report describes a framework of emotional, informational, and structural supports that help to ensure that all students graduate from high school ready for college and future career success.
Stories of Success
- Making a Decision About College: Should I Stay or Should I Go? (2003) (Harvard Family Research Project)
This teaching case from Harvard Family Research Project explores a high school senior’s decision between going to college to fulfill her dream of becoming a pediatrician or staying with her family, who depend on her household contributions. - Beating the Odds (2007) (Annenberg Institute for School Reform)
This report profiles the successful efforts of thirteen New York City Schools that provided low-performing ninth grade students with the support they needed to graduate from high school and go on to college. - Success at Every Step: How 23 Programs Support Youth on the Path to College and Beyond (2009) (American Youth Policy Forum)
This report provides insight into the qualities that are common to effective efforts to support college and career readiness. The authors also include profiles for each identified program based on their evaluation data. - College Success For All: How the Hidalgo Independent School District Is Adopting Early College as a District-wide Strategy (2010) (Jobs for the Future)
This report tells the story of Hidalgo’s systemic approach to adopting College for All. The effort included a broad range of partnerships and collaborations with higher education, local organizations, and the students’ families.