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.
Breaking New Ground: Data Systems Transform Family Engagement in Education
HFRP and the National PTA® have teamed up for the second issue in our series of ground-breaking policy briefs. Breaking New Ground cites six case studies from across the country that reveal innovative efforts by early childhood programs and school districts to use student data systems to improve family engagement. Each profile illustrates a segment of a data pathway beginning in early childhood and continuing through students' academic careers. The brief also includes a set of policy recommendations to help support the current trends in education that focus on twenty-first century learning and the vital role of technology.
Breaking New Ground: Data Systems Transform Family Engagement in Education
In this issue’s commentary, Heather Weiss and M. Elena Lopez from Harvard Family Research Project and Deborah Stark, Commissioner of First 5, Alameda County revisit the new definition of family engagement—as a shared responsibility, across multiple settings, from cradle to career—as applied to student data use. They discuss how data can effectively bring families, teachers, and administrators to the table, and engage everyone around student learning and performance.
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.
Free. Available online only.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Bridging Worlds: Family Engagement in the Transition to Kindergarten
This teaching case explores the complex issues surrounding the transition to kindergarten and the importance of family engagement in the process. Three expert commentaries and discussion questions are included. An interactive version is also available.
Free. Available online only.
Bringing Families to the Table: Recommendations and Next Steps from the National Policy Forum for Family, School, and Community Engagement
One year after the National Policy Forum on Family, School, and Community Engagement, this report looks back at the major themes of the Forum discussions and offers a set of recommendations for driving family engagement in education as we move forward.
British Bangladeshi and Pakistani Families and Education Involvement: Barriers and Possibilities
This study explores the experiences of British Bangladeshi and Pakistani parents in their interactions with schools and their involvement in children’s education.
Free. Available online only.
Building a Cradle to Career Pathway in Cincinnati, Ohio
The Cincinnati, Ohio-based Strive initiative has taken a complementary learning approach to scaffolding children’s educational growth to ensure a comprehensive, cradle-to-career system of support that includes family and community engagement. Harvard Family Research Project spoke with Jeff Edmondson, executive director of Strive, as well as two of Strive’s partners in the community, Liz Blume of the Community Building Institute, and Rolanda Smith of Parents for Public Schools of Greater Cincinnati, to find out more about Strive’s philosophy, successes, and challenges.
Building and Evaluating Out-of-School Time Connections
This double issue of The Evaluation Exchange focuses on creating and evaluating connections between out-of-school time (OST) programs and the other settings in which children and youth live, learn, and play.
Free. 40 Pages.
Building Bridges to Success
In 2010, Silicon Valley Community Foundation started a bold and innovative initiative designed to ensure success by third grade for all children in San Mateo County, California. It focuses on ready children, ready families, ready schools, and ready communities
Building Partnerships: Models of Family Support and Education Programs
This volume looks at innovative initiatives that have made family services more responsive to the changing needs of children and families. Initiatives in North Dakota, Iowa, Florida, Vermont, and Massachusetts are covered.
$6.00 . 55 Pages.
Building the Future of Family Involvement
This double issue of The Evaluation Exchange examines the current state of and future directions for the family involvement field in research, policy, and practice. Featuring innovative initiatives, new evaluation approaches and findings, and interviews with field leaders, the issue is designed to spark conversation about where the field is today and where it needs to go in the future.
Free. 40 Pages.
Building Villages to Raise Our Children: Collaboration
Written for program administrators and staff, this guide offers practical advice for establishing and managing community outreach in a family support program.
$10.00 . 66 Pages.
Building Villages to Raise Our Children: Community Outreach
Written for program administrators and staff, this guide offers practical advice for establishing and linking programs to service systems in a family support program.
$10.00 . 62 Pages.
Building Villages to Raise Our Children: Evaluation
Written for program administrators and staff, this guide offers practical advice for evaluating family support programs.
$10.00 . 66 Pages.
Building Villages to Raise Our Children: Funding and Resources
Written for program administrators and staff, this guide offers practical advice for funding and additional resources to support a family program.
$10.00 . 80 Pages.
Building Villages to Raise Our Children: Programs to Service Systems
Written for program administrators and staff, this guide offers practical advice for establishing and managing collaboration in a family support program.
$10.00 . 59 Pages.
Building Villages to Raise Our Children: Six Volume Set
This set of six volumes offers practical advice for establishing and managing a family support program.
Hard copy out of stock.
Building Villages to Raise Our Children: Staffing
Written for program administrators and staff, this guide offers practical advice for providing professional development to staff supporting family programs.
$10.00 . 68 Pages.