Parent Involvement in CAS Community Schools: a Proven Approach

Parent Engagement in CAS Community Schools: A Proven Approach

Introduction

In 1992, The Children’s Aid Society launched an unprecedented partnership with the New York City public schools—working first in one and now in ten schools to add human and financial resources in targeted ways that supported the mission and daily efforts of each school. In these ten community schools (located in Washington Heights, East Harlem and The Bronx), CAS and our Department of Education colleagues always viewed parents as key partners in the work of promoting children’s learning and development. This issue brief will first describe the parent engagement model and then summarize a set of results observed by an external evaluation team.

The Model

Parent engagement in the CAS community schools is based on the work of Joyce Epstein, Anne Henderson and Karen Mapp, whose research clearly indicates that students whose parents support, monitor and advocate for their education are more successful in school. The model is designed to provide multiple entry points and multiple opportunities for parents to engage with, support and strengthen the work of schools. The following components are key to the model:

A Parent Coordinator, hired from the local community, serves as a bridge between the professionals in the school and the students’ parents. Generally hired as a full-time employee, the Parent Coordinator may be a parent of a student in the school or of a graduate of the school. Key qualifications for this position are local knowledge and credibility. In addition, we seek individuals who demonstrate good judgment, initiative, dependability and energy. The Parent Coordinators receive extensive training, including parent involvement and leadership training offered by ASPIRA (APEX—ASPIRA Parents for Excellence), the Right Question Project and EPIC (Every Person Influences Children). This training is combined with ongoing supervision and coaching by experienced social workers and educators employed by CAS. The role of the Parent Coordinators is to help other parents feel welcome in the school, to organize workshops and other learning experiences for parents, to create volunteer and leadership opportunities for parents, to seek assistance for parents who need it, to organize opportunities for parents to educate decision-makers about their children’s needs, and to serve as a liaison between the school staff and the parents. The Parent Coordinator staffs the Parent Resource Center (see below) and also works in the community on an outreach basis.

The second component of the model is a Parent Resource Center—a room, centrally located in the school, set aside for parents’ daily use. The Resource Centers are comfortable places with coaches, chairs, tables, computers and even kitchens in some cases. They are decorated and maintained by parents, and provide coffee and other refreshments as well as educational reading materials and information about community resources. Parents are welcome to use the PRC as a place to socialize, provide mutual aid, get help with problems, access resources, attend workshops or explore ways to become more involved with the school. Many of the workshops and much of the literature available in the PRC focus on ways parents can support their children’s education. For example, at PS 5 (an elementary school in Washington Heights), there are posters in English and Spanish that offer tips on how to read to your child.

The third component of the model is workshops that address ways that parents can support, monitor and advocate for their children’s education and healthy development. In middle schools, for example, there are workshops and classes on how to help your child adjust to and succeed in middle school, how to select courses and how to select a high school. Other workshop topics include; how to understand and support the city and state academic standards; how to review and understand your child’s report card; how to help children with their homework; how to help your child make good use of his out-of-school time; how families can make use of the extensive educational resources available throughout the New York City community (such as museums and libraries).

A fourth component is adult education classes, such as GED, ESL and computer training, that help parents pursue their own education. These classes help parents support their children’s education and further their own employment prospects.

Finally, parents in the community schools have opportunities to contribute to the life of the school through volunteer projects, leadership opportunities and paid employment. Parents often help to plan school-wide or community-wide celebrations; serve on the School Leadership Team and other school-wide committees; and work in after-school and other programs. Parents are also encouraged to participate in advocacy events at the district, city and state level.

Results

According to an external evaluation conducted by researchers from the Fordham University Graduate Schools of Education and Social Service, the results on parent involvement of the CAS-DOE partnership were “dramatic.” Specifically, the evaluation team found that:

· Parent involvement was significantly higher in community schools than control schools—78% higher at PS 5 than at a comparable elementary school and 147% higher at IS 218 than at a comparable middle school.

· Parents were involved throughout the school, not just in children’s classrooms.

· Parents had a significant and noticeable presence in the community schools.

· Community school parents felt a strong sense of responsibility for their children’s education.

· Teachers rated parent involvement as a major asset in their school.

· Spanish-speaking parents felt especially positive about the community school approach. They had a positive perception of the school and felt welcome there.

Conclusion

These experiences and documented results indicate that Parent Coordinators who are carefully recruited from their schools’ local communities and who subsequently receive high quality training, supervision and coaching can make valuable contributions to public schools. In the CAS model, one key to the success of our Parent Coordinators has been their connection to the full array of supports, services and opportunities provided within a community school (such as youth development, medical, mental health and social services).

Permission to Reproduce with Appropriate Credit to The Children's Aid Society