EDLD 5326 Final Exam Review

The Final Exam will cover the following objectives, and below we have provided you with some suggested materials to review for the exam that correlate to specific course objectives.

Learning Objectives:

Weeks 1-5

1.    Describe how family involvement impacts student achievement.

Parent Involvement promotes better student attendance, increases graduation rates, decreases grade retention, ensures greater parent and student satisfaction with schools, contributes to fewer discipline reports, increases motivation and better self-esteem, and enhances academic scores.

2.    Explain the characteristics of an effective family engagement program.

Comprehensive, Long Lasting, Positive, Deliberate

3.    Explain how the National Standards for Involvement Programs and Epstein’s Six Types of Involvement impact family-community engagement.

The program must be comprehensive, long lasting, and take a positive approach rather than a remedial approach. Schools must be deliberate in their efforts to plan quality programs that increase meaningful parent participation.

4.    Evaluate the key elements of effective school-community collaboration.

5.    Identify key elements of a school-parent compact.

Must describe: the school’s responsibility to provide curriculum and an environment that will enable students to meet state standards; ways in which parents will be responsible for their children’s learning; the importance of communication between teachers and parents on an ongoing basis. Good school-parent compacts outline shared goals and how they will monitor progress and communicate with each other.

6.    Identify both the visible and invisible elements of school culture.

Visible: language, dress, food habits, religion, aesthetic conventions; cultural fairs, ethnic holiday activities, black history programs

Invisible: inherent diversity, how things are done, rules, roles, relationships, responsibilities people carry out in a school communtiy

7.    Discuss factors that may influence family involvement.

Family members previous negative school experiences; family’s focus on basic survival needs; school’s failure to accommodate diversity; unwilling school staff

Efficacy (parents belief that they are capable of exerting a positive influence on their children’s school outcomes), Communication, Language, Cultural Background, Socio-Economic Status

8.    Review current research to identify evidence-based activities that support effective school-family-community partnerships.

Oregon summer reading program; recognizing student achievement; sponsor a project that continues throughout the year (creating a school garden/nature center); opening a family development center that offers parenting classes and learning activities for students; hosting monthly family nights; providing school supplies/school shoes; Homework Help Program; Junior Achievement

9.    Identify parent involvement requirements included in federal legislation, including No Child Left Behind (NCLB).

10.  Explain the role the disaggregation of student performance data plays in understanding student and school needs.

Disaggregating refers to the breaking down of test scores into datasets that show how students from various groups with a school perform on state exams (African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians, Native Americans, whites; limited English proficiency; disabled, economically disadvantaged). Schools can no longer “hide” any single student group’s data within the achievement numbers for all their students.

11.  Explain the theory behind site-based decision making, and describe the roles and responsibilities of SBDM committee members.

The concept of site-based decision making lies in the theory that school groups, such as teachers and parents are more closely connected to the school and, theoretically, better equipped to meet the needs of students (principals, teachers, parents/community members).

Review the following materials, including Video slides, addressing these specific objectives:

1.    Objective: 9

Source: Week 4 Slides 3-5

AYP: the minimum level of proficiency a school or district’s students must achieve on their standardized tests

NCLB: Annually test students in grades 3-8, and once in grades 10-12; report tests results to parents and the community; develop YP guidelines that every school must meet

Disaggregating School Data: a breakdown of school test scores into data sets that show how students from various groups perform on state exams

2.    Objective: 11

Source: Week 4 Slides 16-20

North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (NCREL) Action Steps: 1) Create a school site council to develop SBDM plans; 2) Emphasize a collective vision for the school; 3) Conduct a needs assessment; 4) Organize committees to focus on specific areas of need; 5) Orchestrate shared decision making; 6) Provide awareness and skill building activities; 7) Review educational research and best practices; 8) Determine methods for leading change and improvement; 9) Provide professional development opportunities; 10) Develop an assessment plan; 11) Monior the assessment process year round; 12) Review plans, goals and processes

Positive Effects of SBDM:Increased collaboration among teachers; Improvement to classroom instruction; Sense of increased control; Sense of increased accountability; Increased parent satisfaction

SBDM Issues and Barriers: Participant training; time and resources; leadership changes; district interference; participants personal agendas

Overcoming Barriers: Commitment by the school; understanding what works; understanding the obstacles students face; understanding the parents’ point of view; Overcoming habits of discrimination

5.      Objective: 3

Source: Week 1 Slide 10

Epstein’s Six Types of Family Involvement: 1)Parenting; 2)Communicating; 3)Supporting School; 4)Learning at Home; 5)Decision Making; 6) Collaborating with the community

6.    Objective: 2, 3

Source: Week 2 Slides 16-18

Qualities of a Good Model: Comprehensive, Long-lasting, Positive, Deliberate

School Parent Communication

Schools effectively communicate attitudes about parent involvement through the way they conduct business. A school’s vision for parent involvement should include how all parent meetings are conducted and how parents provide input and suggestions.

Supporting Parents

Schools can support parents in their roles as: teachers/nurturers; communicators/advisors; supporters/learners; collaborators/decision makers

7.    Objective: 1, 7, 8

Source: Week 2 Slide 14

Parent Efficacy: A parent’s belief that he or she is capable of exerting a positive influence on school outcomes. Schools increase parent efficacy by providing training that prepares parents to help with homework assignments or other school activities

8.    Objective: 4, 8

Source: Week 3 (All) see print out

9.    Objective: 9, 10

Source: Week 4 Slide 6

Helping Parents Understand AYP

Provide information about AYP and its consequences; conduct meetings to discuss AYP and accountability; communicate AYP results in an easy to understand way; involve parents in selecting AYP indicators; work with parents to secure school resources; include parent is school improvement plan

10.  Objective: 9

Source: Week 1 Slide 18

Title 1: Title 1 of the elementary and secondary education act provides federal funding to schools that have more the 40% of their student populations classified as “low income.”

In 2002-03, 55% of all U.S. public schools received a Title 1 classification

11.  Objective: 10

Source: Week 4 Slide 5

Disaggregating School Data: a breakdown of school test scores into data sets that show how students from various groups perform on state exams

12.  Objective: 5

Source: Week 1 Slide 20

School-Parent Compacts: as a part of their Title 1 requirements, schools must develop a school-parent compact that outlines the roles that teachers, parents, and students will play in improving achievement and meeting state standards. School parent compacts must be directly related to student learning.

13.  Objective: 2, 7

Source: Week 2 Slides 5-8

Characteristics of Quality Programs: Staff development and training for all stakeholders; focus on working together to improve student learning; involvement of everyone in decision making; promoting and supporting parenting skills; meaningful communication between home and school; reaching out to all families

Creating a Welcoming Environment: Communications must reflect diverse languages; programs should reflect diverse cultures; diverse programs should be publicized; displays should reflect multicultural projects; resources and activities should be available to all families

Positive Staff Mindset: In some cases the mindset of the school staff toward parent involvement must change; the status quo cannot be maintained

Understanding Family Cultures: Schools must understand the implicit, invisible aspects of family cultures, as well as the explicit, visible aspects; when students and teachers arrive at school, they do not leave their cultural backgrounds at home

14.  Objective: 1

Source: Week 1 Slide 6

Benefits of Involvement: Better attendance; increased graduation rates; decreased grade retention; higher school-related satisfaction; decreased discipline problems; increased motivation and self-esteem; improved academic scores

15.  Objective: 7

Source: Week 2 (All) See print out

There are 15 items on the exam, and if you review each of the above, you should do very well! We send you our very best as you complete the exam and course!!!

Remember, our partnerships promote success for all!!!

Dr. Steve Jenkins and Dr. Kay Abernathy