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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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WORKING WITH TEACHERS AND FAMILIES DEVELOPMENT PERIODS
COMPLEMENTARY LEARNING CONNECTIONS

Communication Is Key to Strong Family‒School Partnerships During the Transition to School

One way to help educators better understand how parents and teachers think and feel during the transition to school is by pairing the Bridging Worlds case with an Empathy Map.

Jesús Paz-Albo (August 25, 2015) Research Report

Identifying Assumptions About and Barriers to the Transition to School

Through a case discussion, the Bridging Worlds case became a catalyst for robust dialogue discussion about the assumptions teachers make during the transition to kindergarten and their potential consequences for children and families.

Anita Ede (August 25, 2015) Research Report

Teaching the Bridging Worlds Case

Cases are a powerful tool to support teacher preparation in family engagement. Read how five faculty members facilitated the case Bridging Worlds: Family Engagement in the Transition to Kindergarten and learn how the case influenced both students and faculty.

Harvard Family Research Project (August 25, 2015) Research Report

Transition as a Shared Responsibility: The Bridging Worlds Reader’s Theater

By coupling the Bridging Worlds case with a Reader’s Theater, we helped students examine the complexities involved in sharing responsibility for student learning during the transition to school.

Pérsida Himmele, Marcia Nell (August 25, 2015) Research Report

Supporting Relationships and Family Engagement in the Transition to Kindergarten

Presenting the Bridging Worlds case with a Fishbowl activity helped educators came to understand the need to support relationships between families and schools during the transition period.

Jamilah R. Jor’dan (August 25, 2015) Research Report

Lessons From Blended Professional Learning: The Case of Family Engagement

Simulations, virtual learning communities, web conferences, text-based chats, and interactive cases are all ways that blended professional learning methods are supporting educators’ ability to engage families. Learn more in this commentary that explores new opportunities for blended professional learning in family engagement.

Margaret Caspe (August 18, 2015) Research Report

Bridging Worlds Interactive Case: Meet Maya Warren, Kindergartner

We begin the Bridging Worlds Interactive Case by meeting Maya Warren. Maya is a fun-loving 5-year-old girl who, despite success in preschool, is having a difficult transition to kindergarten.

Harvard Family Research Project () Research Report

Bridging Worlds Interactive Case: Meet Nicole Warren, Maya’s Mother

In this section of the Bridging Worlds Interactive Case, we meet Nicole Warren, Maya’s mother. Nicole reflects on her daughter’s difficult transition to kindergarten and thinks about what she might do to improve the situation.

Harvard Family Research Project () Research Report

Bridging Worlds Interactive Case: Meet Teresa Guzman, Preschool Teacher

In this section of the Bridging Worlds Interactive Case, we meet Maya’s former preschool teacher, Teresa Guzman. Teresa considers the role of early childhood programs in preparing children and families for kindergarten.

Harvard Family Research Project () Research Report

Bridging Worlds Interactive Case: Meet Tanya Robinson, Kindergarten Teacher

In this section of the Bridging Worlds Interactive Case, we meet Tanya Robinson, Maya’s kindergarten teacher. Tanya is concerned that children and families are not kindergarten ready.

Harvard Family Research Project () Research Report

Bridging Worlds Interactive Case: Meet Esther Lasher, Head Start Educational Director

In this section of the Bridging Worlds Interactive Case, we meet Esther Lasher, the educational director of the Grant Head Start Program. Esther works to smooth the transition to kindergarten by planning with multiple community and school representatives.

Harvard Family Research Project () Research Report

Bridging Worlds Interactive Case: Supporting Data 

In this section of the Bridging Worlds Interactive Case, we examine some school-level data to develop a better understanding of the factors influencing Maya’s difficult transition to school.

Harvard Family Research Project () Research Report

Bridging Worlds Interactive Case: Piecing It All Together

In the final section of the Bridging Worlds Interactive Case, we piece it all together. We think about the principles guiding smooth transitions to school, assumptions people in the case make, and how difficult issues might be resolved.

Harvard Family Research Project () Research Report

Engaging Families in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Project-Based Learning

To be successful, children need a strong science, technology, engineering, and math foundation. Learn how Iridescent, a project funded in part by the National Science Foundation, connects families, engineers, and children to develop these skills early on in school.

Tara Chklovski (March 19, 2015) Research Report

Staying on the Path Toward College Interactive Case: Meet Rachel Marquez, Community College Outreach Program Director

Más Allá is a college outreach program run by Rachel Marquez. Rachel meets Paulo at an informational session about Más Allá and worries that he is like many of the young men on the fringe she has encountered before.

() Research Report

Taking the Lead in Family Engagement: A Message to Our Followers on Presidents’ Day

Presidents’ Day is a time to reflect on the importance of leadership. Learn how policymakers, researchers, and practitioners are leading the field of family engagement.

Harvard Family Research Project (February 13, 2015) Research Report

Five Professional Development Resources That Promote Family Engagement

When organizations invest in developing the competencies of its professionals to engage families everyone benefits. To help accomplish this we share five of our favorite resources on professional development in family engagement along with tips on why they work.

Laura Alves (December 11, 2014) Research Report

A Strong Start for Family Engagement in Massachusetts

Through its Race to the Top–Early Learning Challenge funds, Massachusetts has created strategic partnerships with museums and libraries, public television, family and community programs, community nonprofits, and public transportation to build a robust and growing statewide family engagement system.

Nathan Driskell (December 11, 2014) Research Report

Family Involvement News: February 2014

We are committed to keeping you up to date on family engagement news. The following resources highlight the latest tools and discussions from HFRP and review recent findings in the areas of family engagement policy as well as family-school partnerships.

Harvard Family Research Project (February 19, 2014) Research Report

Staying on the Path Toward College: One Boy at the Crossroads

Paulo Domínguez is an intelligent sixth-grade boy who has recently become disengaged from schoolwork and is hanging out with peers whom his teachers and parents fear are a bad influence. How can community programs, schools, and families work together to keep Paulo on the path towards college as he transitions to middle school? An interactive version is also available.

Catherine R. Cooper, Elizabeth Domínguez, Margarita Azmitia, Erica Holt, Dolores Mena, and Gabriela Chavira (2014) Research Report

A Click Away: A Q&A With Chip Donohue About the Benefits of Online Distance Learning for In-Service Teachers

In this Q&A, Chip Donohue talks with HFRP about early childhood educators’ participation in online distance education courses and discusses how the topic of family engagement is being integrated into these classes.

Harvard Family Research Project (December 5, 2013) Research Report

Teaching Future Educators and Families: Helping Maximize Children’s Learning

In this article, Pérsida Himmele talks about hosting engagement workshops for families and using what she learns from families to inform future teachers and provide them with meaningful in-class experiences to practice their family engagement skills.

Pérsida Himmele (December 5, 2013) Research Report

Strengthening Family Engagement Through Teacher Preparation and Professional Development

In this Commentary, HFRP’s M. Elena Lopez and Christine Patton discuss the importance of teacher preparation in family engagement, and highlight the ways in which we at HFRP are working to advance educator training and professional development in this field.

M. Elena Lopez , Christine Patton (December 5, 2013) Research Report

Exploring the Parent, Family, Community Engagement Simulation: A Conversation With Brandi Black Thacker and Guylaine Richard

What you say to families and do with them matters! In this Q & A with Brandi Black Thacker and Guylaine Richards, we learn about how the Parent, Family, and Community Engagement Simulation can be used as a professional development tool in Head Start/Early Head Start programs and beyond.

Brandi Black Thacker , Guylaine Richard (December 5, 2013) Research Report

Professional Development in Family Engagement: A Few Often-Overlooked Strategies for Success

In this resource, HFRP’s Christine Patton and the University of Pittsburgh’s Shannon Wanless discuss the importance of professional development (PD) in the area of family engagement, point out strategies for trainers and teachers to think about when designing and considering participating in trainings, and highlight the changing nature of PD in general.

Christine Patton , Shannon Wanless (December 5, 2013) Research Report

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Published by Harvard Family Research Project