Running head: FAMILY AND SCHOOL INVOLVEMENT ANALYSIS 1

Family and School Involvement Analysis Ashley Slaughter Wilmington University December 9th, 2013

Running head: FAMILY AND SCHOOL INVOLVEMENT ANALYSIS 2 Family and School Involvement As a future teacher it is prominent to understand multiple aspects of family and school involvement. In order to obtain a full understanding of these aspects four interviews were conducted questioning both teachers and parents on family and the importance of school participation. In this particular study a middle level (7th and 8th grade) teacher was compared to an elementary education teacher (1st grade); whereas the parent of an elementary education student (2nd grade) was compared to the parent of a middle level education student (8th grade). The big differences ranged from family involvement in response to student success, effective communication, and improving communication along with its barriers. Although each interview was different, the goal of each teacher and parent was to help the student succeed. Family and School Involvement Effect on Student Success It is often said that teachers need to keep the students home and family life in mind when dealing with potential problems. Keeping this in mind the interviewees were asked how involved their parents were in their education. Parent A is currently a college graduate, a certified public accountant as well as a certified fraud examiner; however, she grew up in a single family home with a mother that was very involved in both her athletics and academics. Glenn Olsen and Mary Lou Fuller (2012) explain in their text: Home and School Relations; Teachers and Parents Working Together: Single parents on a whole spend less time supervising homework or interacting with the school than do parents from two-parent homes (Glenn Olsen, 2012).

Running head: FAMILY AND SCHOOL INVOLVEMENT ANALYSIS 3 Interviewee B is also very successful; she is a college graduate who holds a stable teaching career. She was raised with both parents; however, her parents encouraged independency and were not involved in her education. According to class discussion and the Home and School Relations text students become successful when their parents involve themselves in their education. With this information we can gather that not all information is completely accurate. When teaching children it is important to remember not to stereotype by the statistics in the book or societies assumptions; all families are different. Effective Communication According to all Interviewees, email seemed to be the most sufficient form of communication; however, the quantity and depth of information communicated varies in age. More specifically, Interviewee C, an elementary education teacher, sends out weekly newsletter blast through email on upcoming events and the academic results of the prior week. A daily and weekly folder is also used as a means of communication; daily folders inform parents of the childs classroom behavior and checked papers that are given that day as well as notes from the teacher or the office. Weekly folders include graded work from the week (Kaye, 2013). Compared to Interviewee A, a parent to a middle level student, email is an effective way to communicate; however, she only expects emails when the teacher is informing her of important dates or if the student were to encounter a problem (Slaughter, 2013). Connection is not as prominent once the child gets to middle school. At this age the responsibility lies on the student; unless a problem such as low grades, behavioral or attendance issue occur. At that point it is upon the teacher and parent to help find a solution for the student. Teachers are not to confuse this with waiting until the last minute to contact the parent about an issue.

Running head: FAMILY AND SCHOOL INVOLVEMENT ANALYSIS 4 According to the article: Parents are not the enemy: Ten tips for improving parent-teacher communication (2008): Another common critique from parents is that teachers wait until issues become severe and fail to contact parents when the issue first appears (Hawes, 2008). Interviewee A, the parent of a middle school student, spoke highly of the school website. The website made it possible for parents to understand what their child is completing in school as well as future test dates and up-to-date grades. The website is also very user friendly and makes it easy for the parent to communicate with the teacher through email or by phone (Slaughter, 2013). From an elementary teachers perspective, the school website is useful because it is consistent; however, the information could be more helpful if it were created and under the specific teachers control. Due to school regulations, teachers are restricted to create their own websites, such as weebly.com. Teachers complain that the required school website is not personalized to the teachers needs and cannot offer as much information as outside websites (Kaye, 2013). Improving Communication and its Barriers Another type of communication that Parent B found both surprising and welcoming is communicating via text message. Parent B has a seven year old daughter in second grade. She was very surprised to receive a text message one evening containing information personal to her childs education. Unfortunately, according to interviewee C, this form of communication is also against school regulations. Staff in the school district is not allowed to communicate to parents in a non-formal way that allows the parent or teacher to respond multiple times. This is to avoid potential law suits. The school does offer a new form of technology called: Reminder 101. This

Running head: FAMILY AND SCHOOL INVOLVEMENT ANALYSIS 5 is an app that sends group messages to parents. The teacher types the message on the computer and is sent to the call list but received via text message. Parents are not able to respond to the messages received but are able to email or call the teacher if a question occurs (Kaye, 2013). Parents and Teachers both have effective ideas that can improve communicating; however, due to school regulations certain barriers cannot be crossed to avoid potential law suits. Partnership for Success As an upcoming teacher, it is important to understand multiple aspects of family and school involvement. The above interviews were conducted to give a future teacher a better understanding of family and school connection. The big differences ranged from family involvement in response to student success, effective communication, and improving communication along with its barriers. Although each interview differed, the objective of each teacher and parent was to help the student succeed.

Running head: FAMILY AND SCHOOL INVOLVEMENT ANALYSIS 6 References Biggs, S. (2013, November 27). Elementary Parent Interview. (A. Slaughter, Interviewer) Biggs, S. (2013, November 27). Middle Level Teacher Interview. (A. Slaughter, Interviewer) Glenn Olsen, M. L. (2012). Home and School Relations; Teachers and Parents Working Together. New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc. . Hawes, K. (2008). Parents are not the enemy. Ten tips for improving parent-teacher communication, pp. 328-331. Kaye, N. (2013, November 27). Elementary Teacher Interview. (A. Slaughter, Interviewer) Slaughter, R. (2013, December 7). Middle School Parent Interview. (A. Slaughter, Interviewer)