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April 2010 Family Involvement News: April 2010 Harvard Family Research Project

FINE Newsletter, Volume II, Issue 1
Issue Topic: Family Engagement as a Shared Responsibility

Family Involvement News

We at Harvard Family Research Project are committed to keeping you up-to-date on what's new in family involvement. This list of links to current reports, articles, events, and opportunities will help you stay on top of research and resources from HFRP and other field leaders.

New from Harvard Family Research Project

• Taking Leadership, Innovating Change: Profiles in Family, School, and Community Engagement
  This new report from the National Family, School, and Community Engagement Working Group, of which Harvard Family Research Project is a member, contains twelve examples of leading innovations in family engagement as an integral and effective strategy in systemic education reform.

Articles & Reports

• The Children Born in 2001 at Kindergarten Entry
  The U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics is conducting a longitudinal study on early home and educational experiences of children from infancy to kindergarten entry. The first findings of the study show that children who participated in regular early care and education arrangements prior to kindergarten had higher scores in reading and mathematics and on assessments of fine motor skills than children who did not.
• Teaching for a Living: How Teachers see the Profession Today
  Survey results from a research study from Learning Point Associates and Public Agenda indicated that teachers see improving and increasing family engagement and other reforms as more promising than linking teacher pay to student performance.
• Using Parent Academies to Help Parents Support Student Learning
  This TIME article looks at several urban school districts that have instituted Parent Academies, programs that help families learn about positive ways to support their children’s educations. These supports for parents may be promising for helping low-income and immigrant families navigate complicated district and school bureaucracies.
• Report from National PTA on State Laws and Family Engagement
  The National PTA recently published a guide for families and family engagement advocates that provides information about provisions in state education laws pertaining to family involvement. The guide serves as a tool for State PTAs and other stakeholders to increase systemic, effective family engagement in all of the nation’s public schools.
• Building Bridges to Families
  This article from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel examines the need for professional development and training for teachers about how to engage families.
• A Case Study of School-Community Alliances that Rebuilt a Community
  This article by Sharon Brooks from the winter edition of the School Community Journal reports on the efforts of schools leaders and faculty in a school serving predominantly African-American students at improving communication with families. The article provides information about how school–community partnerships can strengthen schools.
• Family Literacy Initiative
  This article from the San Luis Obispo Tribune highlights a partnership between the school district and local elementary schools that encourages Latino families to develop reading routines for their children.
• New Resource on Building Community–School Relationships
  A new book written by two mothers in the Chicago area chronicles their experiences in organizing community support to help transform their children’s school.
• Using Home Visits as a Professional Development Tool
  An article from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports on professional development opportunities for teachers to learn more about how to make home visits an important part of bolstering student achievement.
• Boundary Dynamics: Implications for Building Parent–School Partnerships
  This article by Marilyn Price-Mitchell from the winter edition of the School Community Journal reviews existing literature on family involvement and suggests a new framework for parent–school partnerships.

Awards & Events

• ING Unsung Heroes Program Request for Proposals
  The ING Unsung Heroes grant opportunity is available to K–12 educators utilizing innovative teaching methods to improve student learning. The deadline for submitting proposals is April 30, 2010.
• Closing the Achievement Gap: Strategies for Excellence with Equity
  This Harvard Graduate School of Education professional development program focuses on contemporary frameworks used to understand instructional quality, student engagement, youth development, parenting, and leadership in racially diverse communities. Challenges of responding effectively to racial, ethnic, and socio-economic differences will receive special attention. Using a socio-ecological approach, attendees will consider the interdependence of each stakeholder's role in raising student achievement and closing gaps, and gain a firm understanding of how their school community can strategically and effectively work together to improve student outcomes. The program runs July 8–12, 2010, and the application deadline is May 14.
  
• PeyBack Foundation Accepting Grant Proposals for Organizations Supporting Disadvantaged Children
  Peyton Manning’s foundation provides grants of up to $15,000 to 501(c)(3) organizations that sponsor programs to help disadvantaged children through activities that promote positive interactions and relationship building, meaningful community involvement, and other youth development enrichment. Priority is given to those serving Tennessee, Indiana, and the New Orleans area.
• Conference Highlighting Innovations in Conflict Resolution Education and Justice Initiatives
  The Global Issues Resource Center at Cuyahoga Community College is hosting the 3rd International Conference on Conflict Resolution Education (CRE), Building Infrastructures for Change: Innovations in Conflict Resolution Education (CRE) and Justice Initiatives in Cleveland, Ohio from March 26–27, 2010, with pre-conference workshops on March 24–25.  
• Maryland English Language Learner Family Involvement Network Seminar
  The May 2010 conference, Making Our Way: Accessing School and Community Programs from the Cradle to Career, will include presentations featuring best practices for helping ELL families and students access and meet with success in education-related school and community programs from birth through college and beyond.

This article is part of the April 2010 FINE Newsletter. The FINE Newsletter shares the newest and best family involvement research and resources from Harvard Family Research Project and other field leaders. To access the FINE Newsletter Archive, visit www.hfrp.org/FINENewsletter.