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Volume 67 |
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Dec. 2005 |
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Educating, Assisting, Supporting, and Informing through this newsletter! A newsletter for and by parents with sons & daughters with disabilities and education advocates. |
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Families Together, Inc. |
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Administrative Center 3033 W. 2nd, Suite 106, Wichita, Kansas 67203 (316) 945-7747 www.familiestogetherinc.org Wichita Center 1-888-815-6364 • Topeka Center 1-800-264-6343 • Garden City Center 1-888-820-6364 • Kansas City Center 1-877-499-5369 Statewide Spanish parent line 1-800-499-9443 (All toll free numbers for Kansas parents & education advocates) |
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Family-School-Community Partnerships Submitted by Jane Groff, KSDE Student Support Services Consultant
“The research is abundantly clear; nothing motivates a child more than when learning is valued by schools and families/community working together in partnership…. These forms of family involvement do not happen by accident or even by invitation. They happen by explicit strategic intervention.” Michael Fullan
More than 35 years of research has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt the positive connection between family involvement and student success. To support and strengthen this connection, Families Together, in partnership with the Kansas State Department of Education, is pleased to announce the new “Family-School-Community Partnership” (FSCP) curriculum. This curriculum will be presented for the first time, December 3rd, at the Families Together Conference in Wichita. It will target both general and special education students' families and school personnel (teachers and administrators), to challenge them to create partnerships that are beneficial to everyone, especially the student. The curriculum was developed to: Promote meaningful parent and family participation Raise awareness regarding the components of an effective partnership Provide guidelines for schools that wish to improve their programs
Decades of research show that when families are involved in a child’s education, the impact on student achievement is as follows: Higher grades, test scores, and graduation rates Better school attendance Increased motivation, better self-esteem Lower rates of suspension Decreased use of drugs and alcohol Few instances of violent behavior
Even though the earlier in a child’s educational process family involvement begins, the more powerful the effects, the benefits of family involvement are not confined to early childhood or the elementary grades, but last through high school.
The “amount of support from parents” was the number one factor people cited for why some schools are better than others. Teachers report that their lives are made easier if they get help from parents, and involved parents tend to have more positive views of teachers. The impact on educators and schools is as follows: Improves teacher morale Higher ratings of teachers by parents More support from families Higher student achievement |
