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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

Complementary Learning Connections With Out-of-School Time Programs in Nebraska

When families, schools, and out-of-school supports work together, children are more likely to succeed. Lisa St. Clair writes about how the Nebraska State Parental Information and Resource Center is using a complementary learning approach to link family support programs with schools, early childhood programs, and out-of-school time programs.

Lisa St. Clair (August 2009) Research Report

Reaching More Parents Through a Complementary Learning Approach

Lisa St. Clair and Barbara Jackson describe how the Nebraska State PIRC connects with 21st Century Community Learning Centers to foster family involvement.

Lisa St. Clair, Ed.D. , Barbara Jackson, Ph.D. (Spring 2008) Evaluation Exchange Article

Voices from the Field: How Can Elementary Teachers Collaborate More Effectively with Parents to Support Literacy Learning?

In this FINE Newsletter Voices from the Field article, Carol St. George, EdD, a visiting assistant professor at the University of Rochester and Title I Family Involvement Coordinator for the Greece Central School District in New York, discusses her use of the Collegial Circle, a professional development activity that engages teachers with parents.

Carol St. George, EdD (March 2011) Research Report

Multi-Level Evaluation Design: California’s Proposition 10

Pablo Stansbery, Senior Research Associate at Harder+Company Community Research, describes the process of developing an evaluation design that addresses the unique challenges created by California’s Children and Families Act.

Pablo Stansbery (Spring 2002) Evaluation Exchange Article

Data Sharing Through Parent Portals: An Exploration of Parental Motivation, Data Use, and the Promise of Prolonged Parent Involvement

In this Research Digest, Barbara Starkie highlights key findings from her recent study that examined why and how parents use online parent portals to view student data.

Barbara Starkie (April 18, 2013) Research Report

Schools in Communities

In this course, we deepen the preparation of teachers in training, focusing on schools as organizations in specific political communities wherein people exercise more or less democratic voices in public policies that govern their economic, housing, and education opportunities. Teachers make and influence policies in their classrooms, at their campuses, and in the institutions and/or districts in which they work.

Kathleen Staudt () Syllabus

Reading, Writing, and Reform in the Bronx: Lessons for Community Engagement in Schools

Five community-based education organizing groups use various strategies to build trust and commitment among parents and teachers.

Celina Su (January 2005) Research Report

“Do Your Best and Make Us Proud”: Family Engagement and Latino Students’ Decisions About College

Sylvia Acevedo, chair of the Early Learning Subcommittee of the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, writes about the struggles first-generation students and their families face when making decisions about college, interwoven with her own personal story.

Sylvia Acevedo (March 8, 2016) Research Report

Valuing Parents as Co-Educators: A Teacher-Parent Partnership Project in Cyprus

A classroom-based family involvement project in Cyprus offers multiple roles for parents in the classroom, and benefits students, parents, and the teacher.

Loizos Symeou (November 2002) Research Report

Engaging Students and Families in a Digital Age: Lessons for Educators and Practitioners

Lori Takeuchi—Director of Research for the Joan Ganz Cooney Center and author of the recent report Families Matter: Engaging Families in a Digital Age—discusses her research on how children use technology across the various settings of their lives, and the implications of her findings for practitioners who work with young children and their families.

Lori Takeuchi (December 5, 2011) Research Report

Math Is Everywhere, When We Know What to Look For

Learning mathematics starts in infancy and happens anywhere, anytime. In this commentary, Taniesha Woods explores what young children need to know about math, what environments rich in mathematics learning look like, and how families can support children’s math development.

Taniesha A. Woods (May 24, 2016) Research Report

New Visions for Public Schools: Using Data to Engage Families

Barbara Taveras and Caissa Douwes from New Visions for Public Schools and Karen Johnson from BASE High School in New York City share how high schools in New York City have begun to engage families in students’ academic success and college readiness by supporting parents in understanding achievement data. This case study makes clear that supporting parents in grasping and utilizing this information is a shared responsibility among schools, families, and students.

Barbara Taveras , Caissa Douwes, Karen Johnson, with Diana Lee and Margaret Caspe (May 2010) Research Report

National Family, School, and Community Engagement Working Group: Recommendations for Federal Policy

This policy brief offers a definition of family, school, and community engagement that builds on the definition in the No Child Left Behind Act (Title IX, section 9101, 32) and is based on research about when and how children learn and the relationships among families, schools, and communities in supporting that learning.  We also lay out some of the elements we believe are necessary to enable states, districts, schools, families, and community organizations to develop effective approaches to family engagement from birth to young adulthood.

The National Family, School, and Community Engagement Working Group (June 2009) Research Report

Blending Evaluation Traditions: The Talent Development Model

 Veronica Thomas and Velma LaPoint describe the Talent Development approach to evaluating an urban family-school-community partnership program.

Veronica Thomas , Velma LaPoint (Winter 2004/2005) Evaluation Exchange Article

From Health Consumers to Health Consumer Researchers

A grassroots network of families of children with special health care needs shares the lessons they learned about conducting research to improve the health care for their children.

Flora Traub (Spring 2002) Evaluation Exchange Article

FINE Commentary: The Challenge of Cross-Cultural Family–School Communication

Guest commentator Elise Trumbull, EdD, an Independent Educational Consultant and co-creator of the Bridging Cultures Project, discusses the challenges of communicating with families from different cultural backgrounds. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, over one-third of students in Pre-K through grade 12 classrooms are from minority groups, and the families of an increasing number of students are immigrants, many with native languages other than English. However, many new teachers are unprepared to deal with the challenges of this diversity in their classrooms. Dr. Trumbull addresses these concerns and presents a framework to help teachers understand cultural patterns, as well as guidelines for cross-cultural parent–teacher conferences.

Elise Trumbull (March 2011) Research Report

Family Computing and the Academic Engagement and Achievement of Low-Income, Urban Adolescents: Findings From the Computers for Youth Intervention

Computers for Youth looks at how family computing can connect adolescents with their parents and sustain their engagement in school.

Kallen Tsikalas , Christine Newkirk (July 2008) Research Report

New & Noteworthy

A list of organizations and initiatives related to the issue's theme of Reflecting on the Past and Future of Evaluation.

Tezeta Tulloch (Winter 2003/2004) Evaluation Exchange Article

Assessing the Effects of Parent Involvement Interventions on Elementary School Student Achievement

Herbert Turner, Chad Nye, and Jamie Schwartz explain the Campbell Collaboration’s application of its systematic review process to parent involvement interventions.

Herbert Turner , Chad Nye, Jamie Schwartz (Winter 2004/2005) Evaluation Exchange Article

The Family Engagement for High School Success Toolkit: Planning and implementing an initiative to support the pathway to graduation for at-risk students

The Family Engagement for High School Success Toolkit is designed to support at-risk high school students by engaging families, schools, and the community. Created in a joint effort by United Way Worldwide and HFRP as part of the Family Engagement for High School Success initiative, the toolkit consists of two parts—Part 1: Planning, and Part 2: Implementation.

United Way Worldwide , Harvard Family Research Project (November 2011) Research Report

Can We Talk About Family?

Latoya Roberts, a new first grade teacher, worries about Keon, a student being raised by his grandmother, when he begins to share information about his family in school. Will encouraging such sharing strengthen Latoya's bond with Keon and help him succeed? Latoya wants his grandmother's permission to encourage his openness, but she wonders if pushing the issue might strain her relationship with Keon's grandmother.

Peggy Vaughan (2003) Teaching Case

A Special Education Plan for Anabela: Does Supporting Her Needs Mean Holding Her Back?

A mother advocated strongly for her daughter's special education placement at a new school, but now appears under-involved to the teachers. The classroom and resource room teachers disagree about whether to retain the girl in second grade, and the classroom teacher must make a recommendation to the principal, knowing the family has opposed retention in the past.

Peggy Vaughan (2002) Teaching Case

What is the Evidence of the Effectiveness of School-Linked Services?

HFRP posed this question to Mary Wagner, Ph.D., who is the program manager of educational and human services research at SRI International, and James Davis, Ph.D., who is a professor in the Department of Educational Studies at the University of Delaware.

Mary Wagner, Ph.D. , James Davis, Ph.D. (Spring 1995) Evaluation Exchange Article

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

Teaching for the Commonwealth: Linking Schools With Communities

This course is taught at the Jane Addams School of Democracy as a summer institute for teachers. This field-based course will examine broad strategies to link schools with communities to improve access, expand the learning resources, and strengthen or create structures that make formal and informal learning contiguous. An attentiveness to neighborhood as “place” will include the history of St. Paul's West Side in Minnesota, discussion of the public work initiatives underway, and interaction with neighborhood resource people. Participants in the course will have opportunity to reflect on their teaching as vocation and the civic dimensions of teacher.

John Wallace , Nan Kari, Sara Carpenter (June 17, 2002) Syllabus

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