February 2007 Announcement
Dear FINE Member,
Here are this month's FINE member updates. As
always, please feel free to forward this information to your friends and other
education colleagues.
New From FINE
As we reflect on the fifth anniversary of the passage of No Child Left Behind,
FINE remains committed to providing you with research-based materials that have
implications for your work in both policy and practice. Family involvement matters
for children of all ages, and we continue to offer you resources about family
involvement from early childhood through adolescence. This month, we bring you
a new research brief that has direct implications for policy and practice during
the elementary school years. Stay tuned this spring for the final installment
of the series, which focuses on family involvement at the middle and high school
levels.
- New Research Brief: Family
Involvement in Elementary School Children's Education
We are pleased to announce the second research brief in our series Family
Involvement Makes a Difference. This series provides evidence of family
involvement's importance for children of all age levels, as well as direct
recommendations for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers. Our new
brief, Family Involvement in Elementary School Children's Education,
reviews research on why and how family involvement matters for elementary
school children's learning and socio-emotional development. It highlights
how you can use this research to promote effective policies and practices.
New From HFRP
- New
Article: “Improve Family Engagement in After-School Programs”
Growing evidence tells us that parent involvement in after school programs
can make a difference in children's lives, as well as benefit families,
schools, and after school programs themselves. This article by Ellen Mayer
and Holly M. Kreider draws from research conducted by HFRP in partnership
with Build the Out-of-School Time Network and the United Way of Massachusetts
Bay. It describes four strategies for engaging elementary school families
in after school programs and provides examples of promising practices from
family-focused programs serving ethnically diverse families. The article
also offers implications for parents and parent leaders as they select and
design after school programs. You can read the article, which was published
in the National PTA's magazine Our Children, at the link above.
- Related Resource:
Focus on Families! How to Build and Support Family-Centered Practices in
After School
Based on the same research conducted by HFRP, Build the Out-of-School Time
Network, and the United Way of Massachusetts Bay, this guide to engaging families
in after school programs provides a fuller description of the strategies and
programs described in the article above.
- Staff Update
Harvard Family Research Project's Holly Kreider and her family have relocated
back home to Northern California. We will miss her but appreciate all of the
work and the contributions she has made to HFRP over the years.
Policy
- Parent
Engagement in State Policy and Planning
This report offers an inventory of Rhode Island state agency efforts to
involve parents in the design, implementation, evaluation, and oversight
of policy and programs that affect children and families.
- A
Review of The Parent Institute's Fall 2006 National Survey of Education Leaders
The Parent Institute conducted a survey of almost 6,800 education leaders—including
superintendents, principals from elementary and secondary schools, guidance
counselors, parent coordinators, and federal program directors. Respondents
reported on their concerns about parent involvement, funding levels for
parent involvement, and the types of information that parents need to get
involved in their children's education.
Tool Kits
- National
Parent Leadership Month Tool Kit
Parents Anonymous has named February National Parent Leadership month.
They have designed a tool kit to give organizations the resources they need
to promote and gain visibility for National Parent Leadership Month in their
community.
- Connecting
Families and Schools: An Assessment Tool for Educators Working with Culturally
and Linguistically Diverse Students
This tool was developed by The Countywide Working Group for Latino Student
Success in Portland and Multnomah County, Oregon. Teachers or administrators
can use the tool individually or working together as a group. The tool serves
as an evaluative measure, a guide to improving family involvement, and a
resource to promote reflection and discussion among staff.
- Family
Literacy Events
Part of the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory’s Afterschool
Training Toolkit, this Web resource describes step-by-step how to develop
family literacy events in after school programs and provides helpful tools
and tips for families based on students' reading and writing needs.
Recent Articles & Reports
- Parent
Involvement at Selected Ready Schools
The Council of Chief State School Officers recently profiled four schools
and a school district about their efforts to involve families in early childhood
education. This report focuses on the ways these sites involved diverse
families both inside and outside of the school building and bridged cultural
and linguistic differences.
- Family
Volunteering: Nurturing Families, Building Community
This policy brief from the National Assembly investigates family volunteering
as a strategy for strengthening low-income families with children. By participating
together in community services, parents and children develop close relationships,
learn together, and improve their neighborhoods.
Parent Advocacy & Empowerment Resources
Upcoming Events
- Creating
Balance in an Unjust World: Conference on Math Education & Social Justice
Join educators, parents, students, activists, and community members from
around the country for a 3-day conference at the end of April in Brooklyn,
New York, to explore the connections between math education and social justice.
Bob Moses, founder of the Algebra Project, is the keynote speaker.
- National
Conference on Family Literacy
The 16th annual National Center for Family Literacy conference will be
held in Orlando, Florida. Join Heather Weiss, founder and director of the
Harvard Family Research Project, on Monday, March 5, at a Special Session
Discussion Luncheon, where she will talk about using children’s stories
to engage families in reading and in their children's schools. For details,
visit the conference site at the link above.
Contact Us
If you experience a problem reading this newsletter or have questions and
comments concerning our work, we would love to hear from you. Please send an
email to fine@gse.harvard.edu.
Enjoy!
The FINE Team at Harvard Family Research Project
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