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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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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

Free. Available online only.

Engaging With Families in Out-of-School Time Learning

This Snapshot provides an overview of how researchers are evaluating out-of-school time programs’ engagement with families.

Erin Harris , Christopher Wimer (April 2004) Research Report

Hard copy out of stock. Available online only.

Social Capital

This issue of the FINE Forum features some examples families, schools, and communities coming together to enrich children's learning and social development opportunities.

Harvard Family Research Project (Spring 2004) Research Report

Free. Available online only.

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

Free. Available online only.

Making Family and Community Connections

This workshop is part of the Concept to Classroom series of multimedia workshops for teacher professional development. In this workshop, Heather Weiss and Joyce Epstein provide expert insights on creating partnerships among schools, parents, and members of the local community.

Heather Weiss , Joyce Epstein (2004) Tool for Practice

Story Time: Mothers' Reading Practices in Japan and the U.S.

A comparison between American and Japanese mothers' home reading practices with their preschool children enriches our understanding of cross-cultural differences.

Eiko Kato-Otani (February 2004) Research Report

Free. Available online only.

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

Free. Available online only.

School-Family Relationship: Some Lessons From a Teacher Professional Development Program

Three studies explore how university–school research partnerships can provide teacher professional development to strengthen parent–teacher relations.

Aline Reali , Regina Tancredi (January 2004) Research Report

Free. Available online only.

Bridging Multiple Worlds: Building Pathways From Childhood to College

Students' pathways through school can be seen as moving through an academic pipeline to adulthood. The Bridging Multiple Worlds model focuses on how diverse youth, beginning in their middle childhood years, navigate across their worlds of families, peers, schools, and communities as they move along their pathways to college, careers, and family roles in adulthood.

Catherine R. Cooper , Gabriela Chavira, Dawn Mikolyski, Dolores Mena, Elizabeth Dom (January 2004) Research Report

Free. Available online only.

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

This comprehensive resource guide compiles a wealth of information about family involvement from over 100 national organizations. It contains Web links to recent (published in and after 2000) research, information, and tools.

Heather Weiss , Kelly Faughnan, Margaret Caspe, Cassandra Wolos, M. Elena Lopez, Holly Kreider (2004) Research Report

Free. Available online only.

Transforming Schools Through Community Organizing: A Research Review

This paper reviews the literature on community organizing. It examines how community organizing differs from traditional parent involvement activities, outlines the characteristic strategies used to engage parents in organizing efforts, and describes the outcomes of these efforts.

M. Elena Lopez (December 2003) Research Report

Free. Available online only.

Making It Work: Low-Income Working Mothers' Involvement in Their Children's Education

Article in the American Educational Research Journal , Vol. 40 , No. 4, December 2003, pp. 879–901.
Using a mixed method analysis, this article looks at the relation between employment and family involvement in children's elementary education for low-income women, and finds that work is both obstacle to and opportunity for family involvement. This article may be downloaded only. It may not be copied or used for any purpose other than scholarship.

Heather B. Weiss , Ellen Mayer, Holly Kreider, Margaret Vaughan, Eric Dearing, Rebecca Hencke, Kristina Pinto (Winter 2003) Research Report

Free. Available online only.

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

Free. Available online only.

Renewing Teacher–Parent Relations

This issue of the FINE Forum points to the possibilities of enriching parent-teacher and broader school-community relationships. We hope that you take away ideas for your own practice.

Harvard Family Research Project (Fall 2003) Research Report

Free. Available online only.

Faith-Based Organizing for School Improvement in the Texas Borderlands: A Case Study of the Alliance School Initiative

At two public schools in the Texas borderlands, a faith-based organization and a school–community partnership come together to improve parental engagement.

Timothy Quezada (October 2003) Research Report

Free. Available online only.

Education Organizing

This course will focus on the role of community organizing in fostering school change. We will examine the large range of ways community groups and schools are promoting the active engagement of participants to improve education. Within that context, we will examine efforts to foster collaborations among and between a wide array of stakeholders in education, including community organizations, school personnel, school system administration, unions, the business community, faith institutions, civil rights organizations, and youth. We will also examine the role of political organizing in addressing structural inequalities in education in America, and consider that ways that education organizing strengthens broader community building efforts.

Mark Warren (Fall 2003) Syllabus

Free. Available online only.

Social Contexts of Education

This class has an experimental design. It has been planned in collaboration with the leaders from the Boston Public Schools (BPS) in general and Brighton High School faculty and Garfield Elementary School faculty in particular. In this class we will endeavor not only to understand specific social contexts of education, but also to play a proactive role in improving communication between two schools and the communities they serve.

Dennis Shirley (Fall 2003) Syllabus

Free. Available online only.

Schools, Families, and Community

Students who are currently working or preparing to work in the fields of education and human services will be engaged through interactive learning experiences to understand the development of partnerships with schools to reach, engage, and support families. The model for community success includes building partnerships and providing supports and opportunities that promote active and positive working relationships. The discussions, assignments, and in-class activities will provide students with a vision and practical knowledge of what effective partnerships look like and how to strategize ways of tapping into community resources.

Joel Nitzberg (2003) Syllabus

Free. Available online only.

Improve Family Involvement in After School Programs

Growing evidence tells us that parent involvement in after school programs can make a difference in children's lives, as well as benefit families, schools, and after school programs themselves. This article by Ellen Mayer and Holly M. Kreider draws from research conducted by HFRP in partnership with Build the Out-of-School Time Network and the United Way of Massachusetts Bay. It describes four strategies for engaging elementary school families in after school programs and provides examples of promising practices from family-focused programs serving ethnically diverse families. The article also offers implications for parents and parent leaders as they select and design after school programs.

Ellen Mayer , Holly M. Kreider (October/November 2006) Research Report

Family Literacy: A Review of Programs and Critical Perspectives

This paper reviews the literature on family literacy and describes critical perspectives. It also explores guiding principles and examples of their application in three different programs.

Margaret Caspe (June 2003) Research Report

Free. Available online only.

How Teachers Come to Understand Families

Two key processes whereby teachers working in a low-income rural New England town come to understand families include gathering information and meaning making.

Margaret Caspe (May 2003) Research Report

Free. Available online only.

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

Free. Available online only.

Enhancing Parental Involvement Through Goal-Based Interventions

Research suggesting links between parenting goals and cognitive ability informs a goal-based parenting intervention program for low-income families.

Robert F. Bettler , Barbara Burns (May 2003) Research Report

Free. Available online only.

“As Long as I Got Breath, I'll Fight”: Participatory Action Research for Educational Justice

A participatory action project in the South Bronx explores how young people, their parents, and community members have mobilized for educational resources, opportunities, and the fulfillment of their dreams.

Monique Guishard , Michelle Fine, Christine Doyle, Jeunesse Jackson, Rosemarie Roberts, Sati Singleton, Travis Staten, Ashley Webb (May 2003) Research Report

Free. Available online only.

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

Marisela Castillo, a high school senior, looks forward to going to a good college to prepare her for medical studies, but she knows that she will have to leave her family in order for that to happen. Should Marisela forgo her dreams for the sake of a family who depends on her household contributions? Should she leave her family to pursue those dreams? An interactive version is also available.

Lad Dell (2003) Teaching Case

Free. Available online only.

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Published by Harvard Family Research Project