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www.HFRP.org

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

Now is the Time: Helping States Prepare Students for Success from the Very Start

Jacqueline Jones, Senior Advisor on Early Learning to the Secretary of Education at the U.S. Department of Education, highlights the Department’s new Race to the Top–Early Learning Challenge competitive grant program and the decision to make family engagement an integral part of the grant criteria.

Jacqueline Jones (March 15, 2012) Research Report

Ongoing Child Assessment and Family Engagement: New Opportunities to Engage Families in Children’s Learning and Development

This paper by the National Center on Parent, Family, and Community Engagement, a new center formed by HFRP and Brazelton Center at Children's Hospital Boston and other partners for the Office of Head Start, focuses on child assessment data as a tool for parent and family engagement in the early childhood arena. It is the first in a series that will help early childhood care and education programs identify ways that they can share information in order to strengthen partnerships and work toward common goals.

National Center on Parent, Family, and Community Engagement (March 2011) Research Report

Open Letter to the Editor of the Los Angeles Times

Heather Weiss and M. Elena Lopez of Harvard Family Research Project sent the following letter in response to the Los Angeles Times article “Parents’ Involvement Not Key to Student Progress, Study Finds,” published on October 26, 2005.

Heather Weiss (October 27, 2005) Research Report

Padres de Familia como Agentes de Cambio

En este Perfil de Liderando el Ramo, Sandra Gutiérrez, la directora nacional del programa Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors, programa que está enfocado en la familia latina, comparte su visión de cómo las familias son fundamentales para transformar las vidas de nuestros hijos y de nuestras comunidades. [This article is also available in English as Parents as Agents of Change.]

Sandra Gutiérrez (September 17, 2013) Research Report

Parent Involvement

Research studies show that the level of children's development (especially their cognitive and language development) depends more directly upon their family structure, socioeconomic status, home stimulation, and parental values rather than how much time they spend in a child care or preschool environment, good or poor, and whether their parents are involved or not. The goal of the course is to make the most effective use of ourselves as early childhood teachers in working together with parents to optimize the experiences of the children for whom we share responsibility.

Tom Drummond () Syllabus

Parent Involvement and Early Literacy

Parents’ involvement at school is related to children’s higher literacy, particularly for those from socially or economically disadvantaged families.

Qiuyun Lin (October 2003) Research Report

Parent Involvement and the Social and Academic Competencies of Urban Kindergarten Children

This study shows positive social and academic outcomes for low-income, minority kindergarten children whose parents promote learning in the home and contact schools regularly.

Christine McWayne , Marissa Owsianik (October 2004) Research Report

Parent, Family, and Community Engagement Framework: Promoting Family Engagement and School Readiness from Prenatal to Age 8

This framework is a vital tool for early childhood education and care providers seeking to build effective family engagement strategies. It was developed by the Office of Head Start with the assistance of the National Center on Parent, Family, and Community Engagement for the Office of Head Start

Office of Head Start (August 2011) Research Report

Parent-Provider Partnerships

This paper discusses ways of working with children and families from diverse backgrounds and highlights some of the challenging issues raised by working with families having differing values, cultural norms, and experiences.

M. Parker Anderson (1998) Research Report

Parent-Teacher Communication

Class sessions introduce the student to communication techniques that are essential to parent-teacher collaboration. After essential skills are defined, the course reviews important options for parent-teacher involvement available within schools. The strategies for involvement are considered within the context of selected issues affecting public education. Finally, the content considers legal/ethical and professional issues surrounding involvement with parents.

Stewart Ehly (Fall 2002) Syllabus

Parent-Teacher Conference Tip Sheets for Principals, Teachers, and Parents

Parent–teacher conferences are an important component of ongoing home–school communication and family involvement in children's education. This set of tip sheets—for principals, teachers, and parents—can help ensure that conferences achieve their maximum potential.

Harvard Family Research Project (January 2009) Tool for Practice

Parental Involvement and Student Achievement: A Meta-Analysis

This meta-analysis of parent involvement research brings together the results of 77 recent studies. Jeynes shows that parent involvement has an overall positive effect on student achievement and that the largest effects are associated with parental expectations.

William H. Jeynes (December 2005) Research Report

Parental Involvement in Homework: A Review of Current Research and Its Implications for Teachers, After School Program Staff, and Parent Leaders

Parents often become involved in their children's education through homework. In 2001 research on parental involvement in children's homework was conducted (Hoover-Dempsey et al., 2001). The review focused on understanding why parents become involved in their children's homework, what strategies they employ, and how involvement contributes to student learning. In this paper, findings from the 2001 review suggest several ways in which schools can invite parents' involvement in homework.

Joan M. T. Walker , Kathleen V. Hoover-Dempsey, Darlene R. Whetsel, Christa L. Green (October 2004) Research Report

Parents and Teachers Together: Creating Schools Our Children Deserve

This course provides an opportunity for students to reflect on and answer some of the following question: Why do parents and teachers both feel frustrated and powerless to meet the needs of today's students? In this class we will consider the power inequities inherent in schools today. In this class we will consider the power inequities inherent in schools today. We will focus not only on present problems in schools, but on reviewing innovative initiatives and models around the country that give a louder voice to teachers and parents on behalf of children.

Dana McDermott (Winter 2004) Syllabus

Parents and Their Developing Children

This is a course about parent involvement and the relationship between homes, schools, and communities. Content is organized around how the home, family, and school influences the growth, development, and education of younger children. Students will learn how schools relate to parents and will acquire knowledge and skills to implement excellent parent involvement programs.

Jerold P. Bauch () Syllabus

Parents as Agents of Change

In this Leading the Field profile, Sandra Gutierrez, national director of the Latino family-focused Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors program, shares her vision of how families are fundamental to transforming the lives of our children and our communities. [Este artículo también está disponible en español como Padres de Familia como Agentes de Cambio.]

Sandra Gutierrez (September 17, 2013) Research Report

Parents Come to Kindergarten: A Unique Junior Kindergarten Program for Four Year Olds and Their Families

A preschool parenting and readiness program in Canada results in higher school readiness among program children and families, as well as family readiness among teachers.

Janette Pelletier (November 2002) Research Report

Parents Write Their Worlds: A Parent Involvement Program Bridging Urban Schools and Families

A participatory research project examines a school-based writing workshop in which parents write stories for a literary magazine that is circulated in the school and community.

Janise Hurtig (May 2004) Research Report

Parents, Families, and Communities in Schools

This course examines effective methods for including parents, families, and communities in schools. Emphasizes a systems perspective that includes consultation and collaboration in addressing academic, career, and personal/social success for all students. Family dynamics and influences on school success will be addressed. Application of school counseling consultation, collaboration, and family support for all students will result in a school-based project integrated into a school's comprehensive counseling program. Essential professional practices addressed in this course.

Rolla E. Lewis (Spring 2003) Syllabus

Parent–Teacher Conference Tip Sheets (Hojas de Consejos Para Las Reuniones de Padres y Maestros)

Even with technological advances that allow parents to track their child’s academic progress remotely, and more transparency in student data (such as test scores and attendance rates), face-to-face interaction between parents and teachers is still the cornerstone of school family engagement efforts. These newly revised tip sheets provide key strategies for both parents and teachers to walk into conferences informed and prepared, in order to ensure the most successful outcomes. A tip sheet aimed at school principals also outlines how school administrators can support parents and teachers to that end. Now available in Spanish, this tool is a powerful resource for families and educators alike.

Harvard Family Research Project (October 2010) Research Report

Partnering With Parents and Communities: Are Preservice Teachers Adequately Prepared?

This study examines how the topic of school, parent, and school partnerships are incorporated into preservice teacher education. Preservice teacher comfort levels with parent involvement is documented.

Carolyn B. Flanigan (May 2005) Research Report

Paths to School Readiness

This report details three school-based programs to show what makes comprehensive family support programs thrive. Home visiting and parent education in Brattleboro, Vermont are featured, as is extended child care in Leadville, Colorado, and school-linked services in Gainesville, Florida.

M. Elena Lopez , Mona Hochberg (1993) Research Report

People, Power, and Change

Fulfilling the democratic promise of equity, inclusion, and accountability requires the participation of an “organized” citizenry with the power to articulate and assert its interests effectively. Organizing is one way to confront these challenges by revitalizing old democratic institutions and creating new ones. In this course, students learn how to engage with social, economic, and political problems from an organizer's perspective ... and how to act to solve them.

Marshall Ganz (Spring 2004) Syllabus

Perceived Academic Support From Parents, Teachers, and Peers: Relation to Hong Kong Adolescents' Academic Behavior and Achievement

This study found that perceived academic support from teachers and parents contributes indirectly to the academic achievement of Hong Kong students.

Jennifer Jun-Li Chen (April 2005) Research Report

Perspectives: Guiding Families on Children’s Media Use

Three experts reflect on their work in engaging families in a digital learning environment. We asked them to address the question, How can institutions offer relevant and useful guidance to parents and families about scaffolding their children’s digital media use?

Harvard Family Research Project (April 24, 2014) Research Report

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Published by Harvard Family Research Project