Your search found 23 results.

Descriptors:
Parent Participation; Leadership Training; Parent School Relationship; Communication Skills; Leadership; Program Effectiveness; Pretests Posttests; Surveys; Alumni; Advocacy; Family Involvement; Educational Attainment; Racial Differences; Language Usage; Immigrants; English (Second Language)

Abstract:
This article investigates the influence of Parent Services Project's Vision and Voice Family Leadership Institute (VVFLI; formerly known as Parent Leadership Institute) on parent leadership capacity and action. Pre- and post-test data were collected from new VVFLI attendees during their first (N = 83) and last (N = 85) session, respectively. T-tests were used to test for significant differences between the pre- and post-test survey responses. Survey data were also collected from a subset of alumni (N = 100) who had completed at least one VVFLI between 2005 and 2008. Results indicate that VVFLI may positively influence parents' identities as leaders, general leadership and communication skills, and skills specific to school- and community-based settings, as well as promote increased parental involvement in a variety of school-based, advocacy, and wider constituency leadership activities. Schools and community-based organizations interested in strengthening the leadership capacity of parents should consider implementing parent leadership programs, such as VVFLI, with their constituents. (Contains 4 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Focus Groups; Family Programs; After School Programs; Parents; Youth Clubs; Youth; Family Involvement; Program Effectiveness; Program Evaluation; Child Development; Qualitative Research; Statistical Analysis; Surveys; Interviews; Parent Child Relationship; Program Implementation

Abstract:
Research has shown that engaging families through youth development and after-school programs may benefit children. This paper extends knowledge in this arena, describing a set of strategies for implementing family-strengthening activities in youth development settings. The paper reports findings from a pilot evaluation of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America's Family PLUS initiative. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected in the form of surveys, phone interviews, and focus groups with club leaders, parents, and youth. Results uncover emerging family support strategies that actively link school, club, and family; culturally tailor programming; foster long-term and family-friendly staff; place children at the center of family programming; and pair family-strengthening activities with other types of programming. The paper also reports on the obstacles such strategies address as well as initial evidence of the positive influence of such programming on parent-child relationships, parent development, and parent-staff relationships. Implications for future research are discussed. (Contains 2 endnotes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Neighborhoods; Family Income; Effect Size; Child Development; Low Income; Family Environment; Extracurricular Activities; Elementary School Students; Student Participation; Stimulation; Cognitive Development; Poverty

Abstract:
In this study, children's participation (N = 1,420) in activities outside of elementary school was examined as a function of disparities in family income using data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, Child Development Supplement. Children's neighborhood and home environments were investigated as mechanisms linking income disparities and participation rates. Family income was positively associated with children's participation in activities, with the largest effect sizes evident for children at the lowest end of the income distribution. Affluence in the neighborhood and cognitive stimulation in the home were both important mediators of the association between income and participation, explaining from approximately one tenth to one half of the estimated associations between income and participation. (Contains 12 footnotes, 7 tables, and 1 figure.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Family Income; Adolescents; Child Development; Adjustment (to Environment); Early Adolescents; Parenting Styles; Parent Participation; Stimulation; Cognitive Development; Parent Influence; Child Rearing; Educational Attainment; Racial Differences; Whites

Abstract:
In this study, we identified unique clusters of parenting behaviors based on parents' school involvement, community involvement, rule-setting, and cognitive stimulation with data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics-Child Development Supplement. In early (n = 668) and middle adolescence (n = 634), parents who provided high cognitive stimulation (i.e., cognitive enrichment parents) or engaged in all parenting behaviors (i.e., engaged parents) had the highest family income, parent education, and percentage of European Americans. Adolescents of cognitive enrichment or engaged parents often evidenced the highest academic and social adjustment. Adolescents whose parents set a large number of rules (i.e., "Rule setters") or were also heavily involved in the community (i.e., the "Managers" cluster) had the lowest adjustment. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Family Involvement; Middle School Students; High School Students; Adolescents; Secondary Education; Academic Achievement; Adolescent Development; Child Rearing; Parent Student Relationship; Family School Relationship; Responsibility; College Preparation; Educational Policy; Educational Research

Abstract:
This research brief summarizes the latest evidence base on effective family involvement in middle and high school. As the third and final report in a series on how family involvement matters across the developmental continuum, this brief synthesizes research studies that link family involvement in middle and high school to youth's academic and social outcomes. It also profiles programs that have been evaluated to show what works to promote family involvement and student achievement during this critical developmental period. The brief concludes with implications for policy, practice, and research. (Contains 1 figure and 77 endnotes.) [For "Family Involvement in Elementary School Children's Education. Family Involvement Makes a Difference: Evidence that Family Involvement Promotes School Success for Every Child of Every Age. Number 2, Winter 2006/2007," see ED496182.] Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Low Income Groups; Literacy; Academic Achievement; Longitudinal Studies; Elementary School Students; Student Diversity; Parent Participation; Educational Attainment; High Risk Students; Ethnic Groups; Family School Relationship; Family Involvement; Risk Management

Abstract:
Longitudinal data from kindergarten to 5th grade on both family involvement in school and children's literacy performance were examined for an ethnically diverse, low-income sample (N = 281). Within families, increased school involvement predicted improved child literacy. In addition, although there was an achievement gap in average literacy performance between children of more and less educated mothers if family involvement levels were low, this gap was nonexistent if family involvement levels were high. These results add to existing evidence on the value of family involvement in school by demonstrating that increased involvement between kindergarten and 5th grade is associated with increased literacy performance and that high levels of school involvement may have added reward for low-income children with the added risk of low parent education. As such, these results support arguments that family involvement in school should be a central aim of practice and policy solutions to the achievement gap between lower and higher income children. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Caregivers; Research Projects; Needs Assessment; After School Programs; Case Studies; After School Education; Extracurricular Activities; Caregiver Child Relationship; Parent Child Relationship; Program Implementation; Family Involvement; Elementary School Students; Children

Abstract:
Children benefit when their parents or caregivers are actively involved in their out-of-school learning. Yet a new report by the Harvard Family Research Project and United Way of Massachusetts Bay finds that only a quarter of programs surveyed had effectively incorporated families. This guide, funded by the Wallace Foundation under its Parents and Communities for Kids initiative, offers after-school providers practical guidance on giving parents, guardians and other caregivers a more significant role in children's out-of-school learning, through specific strategies and three case studies. The guide has four sections. Section I presents current research on the benefits and challenges of engaging families after school. Section II describes four strategies that after school programs can use to engage families, drawing from current research and program examples to detail and illustrate these strategies in action. Section III offers in-depth profiles of three after school programs actively working to engage families. Engaging families is a journey, and practitioners need the skills and tools to track their progress in this work. For this reason, Section IV offers an approach and related tools for collecting information that can improve family engagement efforts. Additional information at the end of the guide includes a list of suggested readings and websites for engaging families. Program planners and leaders can use this guide to inform the design and implementation of a comprehensive or targeted family engagement component in an after school program. Other program staff can use this guide to gain general ideas and specific practices to apply to their own interactions with families. Finally, people interested in understanding how to improve their family engagement efforts can use the evaluation tools in this guide to conduct a needs assessment and document their practices as they relate to four key engagement strategies. (Contains 45 endnotes.) [This is a joint publication of: United Way of Massachusetts Bay (UWMB); Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP); and Build the Out-of-School Time Network (BOSTnet). Funding for this manual was provided by The Wallace Foundation.] Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Web Sites; Academic Achievement; Literacy Education; Leadership; Parent Attitudes; Teacher Attitudes; Faculty Development; Community Action; Family Involvement; Parent Participation; Web Based Instruction

Abstract:
This resource guide contains annotated Web links to recent (published in and after 2000) research, information, and tools about family involvement. Family involvement involves a broad range of constructs and this is reflected in the guide, which covers resources about parenting practices to support children's learning and development, home-school relationships, parent leadership development, and collective engagement for school improvement and reform. This guide represents the work of 126 national organizations, the majority of which are in the field of education. State and local organizations whose family involvement initiatives have gained a national reach in terms of training activities, research, and program replication are also included. Resource guide organizations are listed in an appendix. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Family School Relationship; Family Involvement; Institutional Characteristics; School Role; Partnerships in Education; Agency Cooperation; Parent Participation

Abstract:
Although a substantial literature examines the outcomes of family involvement in education, and the family and school characteristics that support or deter such involvement, we know little about the role of national nonprofit intermediary organizations in family educational involvement. This article argues that intermediary organizations play a crucial role in capacity building for family involvement by providing alternatives to school-centered approaches to family involvement and engaging families with intensive support that schools seldom offer. It examines the functions of intermediary organizations by using a framework of capacity building at the individual, organizational, and relational levels. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Parent Participation; Family Involvement; Systems Approach; Cultural Differences; Child Development; Parent Teacher Cooperation; Parent School Relationship; Teacher Role; Faculty Development; Elementary School Teachers; Case Studies; School Community Relationship; Poverty; Cultural Influences; Minority Groups; Problem Solving; Educational Theories

Abstract:
Family involvement in children's education is widely considered critical to student achievement. Yet teachers and other education professionals often feel unprepared to engage families in children's learning. The goal of Preparing Educators to Involve Families is to help prepare teachers and other professionals to partner effectively with the families of children in elementary school. Using a framework of ecological systems theory, editors Heather B. Weiss, Holly Kreider, M. Elena Lopez, and Celina M. Chatman pair child development theory with research-based teaching cases that reflect critical dilemmas in family-school-community relations, especially among families for whom poverty and cultural differences are daily realities. The reader is encouraged to link theory and practice, honing analytic and problem-solving skills for use in real-world situations with students and their families. After an introduction by the editors, the book is organized into 4 sections. Section 1, The Microsystem, contains the following chapters: (1) Theoretical Perspectives on the Microsystem (Deborah Stipek, Penny Hauser-Cram, Marji Erickson Warfield, Jack P. Shonkoff, Marty Wyngaarden Krauss, Aline Sayer, and Carole Christofk Upshur); and (2) The Cases (Ellen Mayer, Margaret A. Vaughan, and Phyllis Blumenfeld). Section 2, The Mesosystem, contains the following chapters: (3) Theoretical Perspectives on the Mesosystem (Pamela Davis-Kean, Jacquelynne S. Eccles, Heather B. Weiss, and M. Elena Lopez); and (4) The Cases (Barrie Thorne, Margaret Caspe, Holly Kreider, Catherine R. Cooper, Elizabeth Dominguez, Margarita Azmitia, Erica Holt, Dolores Mena, and Gabriela Chavira). Section 3, The Exosystem, contains the following chapters: (5) Theoretical Perspectives on the Exosystem (Heather B. Weiss and Holly Kreider); and (6) The Cases (Ellen Mayer, Jennifer Romich, and Jennifer Simmelink). Section 4, The Macrosystem, contains the following chapters: (7) Theoretical Perspectives on the Macrosystem (Thomas S. Weisner, Cynthia Garcia Coll, and Celina Chatman); and (8) The Cases (Ann Barger Hannum, Eboni C. Howard, and Cynthia Garcia Coll). Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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