April 2006 Announcement

Dear FINE Member,

Here are this month's FINE member updates. Please feel free to forward this information to friends and other colleagues.

New on the FINE Website

• Research Digest: Parental Involvement and Student Achievement: A Meta-Analysis

  William Jeynes discusses his meta-analysis of parent involvement research, which brings together the results of 77 recent studies. Jeynes shows that parent involvement has an overall positive effect on student achievement and that the largest effects are associated with parental expectations.

• Member Insight: What do you think of having teachers “grade” parents on their support of their children's learning?

  Michael Hayen, assistant principal at Mt. Faulkner Primary School in Australia, shares his ideas about parent–school accountability. He raises several questions about collaboration and communication within the school community that must be addressed before teachers hold parents accountable.

New from Harvard Family Research Project

• Research Brief: Family Involvement Makes a Difference in School Success

  This two-page research brief, prepared for the 2006 National Parent Teacher Association Legislative Conference, presents findings from our ongoing, in-depth review of research and program evaluations that link family involvement in children's education to student outcomes.

• New Issue of The Evaluation Exchange on Professional Development

  Our new issue of The Evaluation Exchange focuses on evaluating professional development across a range of fields, including after school and youth development, education, early childhood education, and child welfare.

Parental Information Resource Center (PIRC) Grant Opportunity

PIRCs help implement effective parental involvement policies, programs and activities that promote student achievement and strengthen home–school relationships to meet the educational needs of children.

• Federal Request for Proposals

  On March 27, the Notice of Final Priorities and Eligibility Requirements and the Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2006 for the PIRC program was published in the Federal Register. To view the Request for Proposals, go to the above link.

• Application Process

  The PIRC Program will use an electronic process on the grants.gov site for grant application submission. To register, visit the above link.

• Additional Questions

  To facilitate your use of the Grants.gov site and Education submission procedures, it is important to read the U.S Department of Education document, Grants.gov Submission Procedures, and Tips for Applicants. If you have additional questions, please contact patricia.kilby-robb@ed.gov.

HFRP Evaluation Tools for PIRC Grant Applicants

HFRP, in collaboration with RMC Research, has compiled a set of tools that will help PIRCs in completing current grants and in applying for the next round of grantmaking from the U.S. Department of Education.

• Learn to show how day-to-day program activities connect with desired results. Read “Learning From Logic Models: An Example of a Family/School Partnership Program.”

• Learn how to use indicators to measure the progress and outcomes of your work. Read “Indicators: Definition and Use in a Results-Based Accountability System.”

• Identify family involvement measures that you can adopt. Read “A Catalog of Family Process Measures” from The Evaluation Exchange.

• View a quick breakdown of the various measures programs use to evaluate family processes.

Recent Reports

• Fighting Obesity in the Public Schools

  This policy brief from The Future of Children explains why efforts to combat childhood obesity should focus on schools and suggests ways for schools to target the problem. Strategies include raising standards for nutrition and physical activity during the school day and communicating with parents to improve children’s nutritional intake at home.

• The Silent Epidemic: Perspectives of High School Dropouts

  This report explores the results of a survey of high school dropouts, including the relationship between parent involvement and school completion. Sixty-eight percent of respondents reported that parents became involved in education only after learning that their children might soon drop out. Many parents reported a lack of knowledge about their children's grades and attendance patterns. You can see suggestions for increasing graduation rates including improving parent-school communication and engagement strategies and building stronger relationships between students and school staff.

• Whatever It Takes: How Twelve Communities Are Reconnecting Out-of-School Youth

  The American Youth Policy Forum looks at what schools and communities can do to connect with young people who have dropped out of school and help them build successful lives. You can find profiles of twelve communities and seven national programs that are working to engage these young people and their families.

Websites

• Broadcast Information Center: Education News Parents Can Use

  The Department of Education produces a monthly television show exploring themes in education that you can share with parents. Upcoming topics include “Inspiring Excellence: Great Teachers, Great Principals” and “New Tools for Parents: Getting Informed & Getting Involved.” The link above provides details about past and future shows and lists television stations that air the shows. You can also watch the broadcasts live and or view archived video at connectlive.com/events/ednews.

• Edutopia: “Scientists Say Parents Partnering With Teachers Can Change the Future of Education”

  Edutopia lists best practices for successful parent involvement programs and describes how several schools have implemented these ideas. The website includes five specific ways that schools can use technology to improve communication with parents.

Upcoming Events

• Continuity from Pre-Birth to Five: Enhancing Connections for Babies, Families and Communities

  The 10th Annual Birth to Three Institute for early childhood professionals, community partners, policymakers, and researchers will be held in Baltimore, May 16–19. Workshop topics include suggestions for building relationships between parents and the community, working with parents to improve literacy outcomes, providing continuity between child care and home, and dealing with cultural differences, families of children with disabilities, and military families.

• Community Schools: Creating the Conditions for Learning

  The 2006 National Forum of the Coalition for Community Schools will take place in Baltimore, June 14–16. This event will bring together professionals from education, government, family and community support services, and many other fields to focus on how to create the conditions for learning, which include core instructional programs, family–school collaboration, and community engagement.

Contact Us

Have a problem with the website or questions and comments concerning our work? Send an email to fine@gse.harvard.edu.

Enjoy!

FINE – The Family Involvement Network of Educators

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