Parent Involvement and Community Engagement Tools for Success

BY: AJOA A. ABROKWA

CHARTER SCHOOL RENEWAL

SEPTEMBER 9, 2015

“Community support and parent engagement can help ensure the longevity and strength of a school and fosters better academic outcomes of

students.” -National Education Association

The ResearchParent, Family and Community involvement in education correlates with higher academic performance and school improvement.

It is cited that parent-family and community involvement is a key to addressing the school dropout crisis and note that strong school-family- community partnerships foster higher educational aspirations and more motivated students. This is true for students at the elementary level and secondary level.

Belfield, C.R. and H.M. Levin, H.M.2007 The Price We Pay: Economic and Social Consequences of Inadequate Education. Washington DC: Brookings Institutional Press.

This evidence holds true regardless of the parent’s education, family income, or background and the research shows parent involvement affects minority students academic achievement across all races.

Quality programming and partnerships address students social needs, as well as their academic. This broad-based support is essential to closing the achievement gaps.

Linking parent-Community partnerships to school improvement plans.

Some funders require that school improvement grant applications include parental-involvement strategies.

-Philadelphia School Partnership

Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) directs schools and districts receiving Title I funds to use a portion of those funds to involve parents, educators, and community in the shared responsibility of improving their students academic achievement.

Benefits of Parent and Family Engagement

When families are involved with their child’s school, the school outperforms similar schools without family engagement; teacher morale improves; family members rate teachers more highly; and the school has a better relationship with the community.

Elements of Parent and Family Involvement

Serve as Volunteers in the classrooms and school offices

Field Trip Chaperones

Tutor and Mentor Students

Help write charter applications

Translate Materials for other Families

Lead Fund Raising Efforts for the School

Assist with grant writing

Organize activities to promote the school in the community

Serve on charter school governing boards

Seven Family Engagement PrinciplesFor Charter Schools

Be Prepared

Be Respectful

Be Specific

Be Strategic

Be Flexible

Be Creative

Be Collaborative

Engaging Community PartnersMake Community Engagement a priority and develop systems to foster sustainability

Communicate proactively in the community about what the needs are, the plans and desired outcomes

Offer Opportunities for Community Partners to Participate

Focus on Community Partnerships Enhances Charter School’s Development

- A Model School◦ Named a Blue Ribbon School in Detroit, Was named by ED as one of 78 Green Ribbon School winners

in an inaugural efforts to recognize schools nationwide that have comprehensive environmental programs.

◦ This school had about 1200 students Grades PK-10 and had plans to add grades 11 and 12.

◦ Director of School and Community Partnerships.◦ Conduct Community outreach efforts and build partnerships to support school improvement efforts.◦ Conducted a school needs assessment to match the needs of the school with businesses in the area that had the

appropriate resources to help.

These partnerships include but are not limited to:

Lowe’s

Chrysler

Universities

Athletic Organizations

Qualitative Outcome: The school improvement and partnership efforts have raised student achievement, cut cost, and involved the children and families with members of organizations that they may one day find employment with.

Sustaining Partnerships

Maintaining relationships with community partners is key.

Keeping in touch with donors by sending photos of students participating in a project that involves something they have supplied.

Inviting donors to school events so the parents can see who they are and they can see the parents and the children.

Model Parent, Family and Community Engagement That has Changed Outcomes

The Harlem Children’s Zone® has always been driven by the belief that the success of our children and the strength of the community go hand in hand.  Their needs are inseparable and must be addressed together in order to break the cycle of generational poverty and give our kids a real shot at the American dream.

The Focus:

Aimed at providing comprehensive, critical support to children and families and reweaving the very fabric of community life, the HCZ® Project began as a one-block pilot in the 1990s. With bold ambition, careful planning, and a strong infrastructure, we set out to address not just some, but all of the issues children and families were facing within a finite geographic area: crumbling apartments, rampant drug use, failing schools, violent crime, and chronic health problems.

The Success and Growth:

Building on the success of this early initiative, we launched a 10-year strategic plan in 2000, steadily and systematically expanding the depth and breadth of our programming to encompass 24 blocks, then 60 blocks, and ultimately 97 blocks.  Today, the Children’s Zone® serves more than 12,000 youth and nearly 9,500 adults and our organization as a whole serves over 13,700 youth and 13,200 adults.

The Outcomes

With 70% of children in the Zone engaged in our pipeline of programs each year and thousands of youth well on their way to achieving the ultimate goal of college graduation, we have not only reached the tipping point, but also have become a national model and thought leader in the fields of education, youth and community development, and the fight against poverty.

“When parents, teachers, students and others view one another as partners in education a caring community forms around students and begins its work.”

- Dr. Joyce EpsteinDirector of the Center on School, Family, and Community Partnerships and the National Network of Partnership Schools

Johns Hopkins University

Charter School Renewal at WorkLed a two day Strategic Plan training

Supported an area charter school with teacher training on Common Core Curriculum Alignment

Financed a charter school in North Carolina

Ajoa A. Abrokwa

Charter School Renewal

1515 Market Street Suite 1200

Philadelphia, PA 19102

ajoa@charterschoolrenewal.com