E XPECTATIONS AND E MPOWERMENT : The Key Role of Families in Transition Planning I NTRODUCING . Stephanie Roach Parent Consultant Phone: or Website:Utah Parent Center 230 West 200 South Suite 1101 Salt Lake City Utah 84101 Our mission is to help parents help their children, youth and young adults with all disabilities to live included and productive lives as members of the community. We accomplish our mission by providing accurate information, empathetic peer support, valuable training, and effective advocacy based on the concept of parents helping parents. L EARNING O BJECTIVES Understand how family involvement influences outcomes Learn strategies to empower families Give consideration to family dynamics Show awareness of cultural beliefs surrounding disability Schools chronically weak in family engagement did not improve in mathematics. Schools strong on family engagement were 4 times more likely to improve reading scores. Schools strong on family engagement were 10 times more likely to improve math scores. Source : Organizing Schools for Improvement by Bryk, A., Bender Sebring, P., Allensworth, E., Luppenscu, St., and Eastong, J. (2010). Benefits of Family Engagement When parents are involved in their child's education, students experience improved motivation and confidence in academics (Ames et al., 1993), improved school behavior (Epstein, 1987), and have more consistent attendance in school (Falbo et al., 2001). Pape (1999) discovered that students whose parents are involved make better transition, produce quality work, and develop realistic goals for life after graduation. Source: Parent Involvement in Transition Planning for Students with Learning Disabilities by Bailey, Shelley Henthorne (2009), retrieved fromB ENEFITS OF F AMILY E NGAGEMENT T HE G ROWTH M INDSET Across all home variables, parental aspirations and expectations for childrens educational achievement has the strongest relationship with achievement (d = 0.80). These expectations are more powerful than many of the structural factors of the home, eg single or two parent families, resident or non-resident fathers, divorced parents, adopted or non- adopted children. - Hattie, J. (2009) Visible Learning, New York, NY P ARENTAL A SPIRATIONS Hong and Ho (2005), for example, concluded that parental aspirations were a more important influence on their childrens achievement than parent supervision (including, for example, monitoring students homework, time watching television and time going out with friends). - Capacity Building Series, K-12, Secretariat Special Edition #29 (2012) You cant make families engage, but you can create an environment to increase the likelihood that families will engage and support their childrens learning. -Jane Groff, Director Kansas Parent Information Resource Center Engaging Families S TRATEGIES TO E MPOWER F AMILIES Help parents understand the transition IEP process Provide handouts and information on district policy Prepare parents in advance for transition meeting Offer information in a variety of formats throughout the transition process S TRATEGIES TO E MPOWER F AMILIES Offer resources Provide lists of possible options, i.e. Vocational Rehabilitation, DSPD, SSI, Independent Living Centers, Disability Resource Centers, etc. Offer resources at first transition IEP meeting and at future meetings E NGAGING THE F AMILY AND S TUDENT Have parents talk to child about interests prior to meetings Engage student in IEP meeting Suggest to families ways they can teach soft skills F AMILY D YNAMICS Understand dynamics of the family Huge variety of family situations Literacy or education barriers Financial struggles F AMILY D YNAMICS Understand that this process doesnt always bring out the best in us Families may sometimes bring in baggage Dont take things personally F AMILY D YNAMICS Acknowledge demands outside of school Families may be accessing multiple services Parents may have limited resources to get their childs needs met outside of school Encourage them to join a parent support group F AMILY D YNAMICS Recognize that families may be in crisis Understand hierarchy of needs Be familiar with grief cycle Provide resources to meet basic needs C ULTURAL B ELIEFS Families may have received negative messages about having a child with disabilities Provide success stories to families and students Keep a positive outlook Help families maintain high expectations Find out more at: dol.gov/odepdol.gov/odep C ULTURAL B ELIEFS Help families teach their student self- advocacy skills Discuss disability disclosure Point out positives and strengths Practice self-advocacy C ULTURAL B ELIEFS Cultural differences may influence parental participation Be aware of differences in gender roles Consider language barriers Educate about disabilities C ULTURAL B ELIEFS TIPS: Get to know the family Ask non-threatening questions Ask the family how they want to be involved S UMMARY Family engagement = better outcomes for students Families need information and resources throughout the transition process Families are complex and have a variety of circumstances and needs Understanding the familys culture can help improve family involvement so we can help you apply what youve learned to your situation. 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