The Australian Research Data Infrastructure Strategy

Case Study: Holy Cross College

Family-School Partnerships Framework A guide for schools and families

Holy Cross College, a Year 7–12 Catholic boys school in Ryde, New South Wales, had 650 students in Project overview 2016 with more than 40% from a language background other than There were two main parts to this English. project:  ‘target setting’ for students to Holy Cross College aimed to deepen determine and work towards parent understanding of how boys personal learning targets learn and build the capacity and  active engagement of parents in confidence of parents to support their their son’s learning and target children’s learning and wellbeing. The setting. project strengthened the sense of As part of an overarching journey of partnership among students, families school improvement, the school and teachers, increased student considered Elmore’s model (2010) of wellbeing, and increased satisfaction the instructional core, which focuses and involvement in school initiatives. on interactions between teachers, Project snapshot students and content in the classroom. The Holy Cross College project aimed Elmore’s model to provide parents with a better understanding of how boys learn by implementing school-based initiatives including ‘Target Setting’ and ‘Parents in Touch’ to improve learning outcomes. Through this project, the school built a model of parent engagement that complements its broader strategies for school improvement. Holy Cross College expanded this The project links to six of the key model to include parents, shifting the dimensions in the Family-School school’s traditional understanding of Partnerships Framework: the learning relationship to include  Communicate parents.  Connect learning at home and Holy Cross model at school  Build community and identity  Recognise the role of the family  Consultative decision-making  Participate

1 Evidence base Holy Cross College had been gathering data and documenting its journey over two years with the assistance of a grant and partnership with the Family-School and Community Partnerships Bureau. This involved three stages. Stage 1: data gathering, including school enrolment data (which had Target setting and parent been declining), student performance engagement and wellbeing data, parent Parent engagement initiatives to participation data at school events, support the ‘target setting’ process and a parent survey on issues relating included: to their son’s learning and wellbeing. Stage 2: student focus groups, teacher  Horizons Night to explain the target setting process focus groups and parent interviews.  Target Setting Meetings with Stage 3: review of enrolment, parents, student and homeroom performance and wellbeing data, and teacher looking at parent participation in the target setting process and related  Parent–Student–Teacher Interviews with a focus on targets initiatives.  mid-year meetings with each Project outcomes student to discuss aids and roadblocks to achieving targets Parent engagement  regular ‘Parents in Touch’ evenings Parent interviews indicated changes in to discuss learning and wellbeing parents’ confidence in relation to their issues children’s learning and wellbeing:  Family School Partnership Group– ‘When they're in high school the input of a established around topics of parent seems to disappear. But with target interest: Learning, Wellbeing, setting, you have to sit down and talk to Social and Community your son.’ Connections, Faith Development ‘[Target Setting] helps the parents become and Home School Communication engaged as well I think. It's good that the  Parent Online Portal—including school pushes to make [parents] become individual student attendance and involved...When a mark comes back which performance data, and information he doesn't like, we'll sit down with him and say, “Okay, what didn't you do that you on assessment tasks think you could do?” That all came out of  use of technology to enhance the target setting as well, whereas before communication with families. we probably would have said, “Study Students interviewed as part of the more”.’ project described the approach as ‘that ‘By having the target you engage the triangular thing between the teacher, parents and I felt that when he started high students, and parents’ with the school...I felt like I started high school too; understanding that ‘it’s a three-way I felt like I had no way of knowing what to conversation’. do. I felt a little lost. [With target setting] you feel like you have something, you The project was overseen by a have a hold on what's happening. You're committee involving the school involved in their education.’ leadership team, a parent and ‘critical friends’ including the Family-School Student success against learning and Community Partnerships Bureau. targets 2 The number of students meeting or target setting process was explained exceeding their personal learning and relationships were formed that targets increased. became the foundation for home- The school believes the improvement school communication throughout the with each iteration of Target Setting year. has come from the greater Qualitative data engagement of parents, as they The qualitative data from student focus collectively build confidence and groups was a rich and significant capacity in relation to their son’s source of information for the parent learning. engagement and target setting Student wellbeing initiatives. The student focus groups provided a There was an increase in student valuable insight into what students wellbeing and sense of connectedness thought about parent engagement in within the school, with parents and the their learning and in the life of their community (based on ACER Social- school, debunking the common belief Emotional Wellbeing Survey data). that teenagers, and in particular boys, Students had higher positive don’t want their parents involved in perceptions of their home life, school their learning. life and connections to the community The boys said they want their parents compared with the national average, to: with students rating school life at 13% above the national average.  understand what they’re learning, Teacher language and engagement how to help them, and what’s going on at school The language and engagement of  respect who they are and where teachers in relation to parents in the they are at—based on a target setting process was another contemporary understanding of indicator of success. Teachers said: learning, not parents’ memories of ‘I think having the parents involved school certainly gives them some ownership as  be involved with the school—and for well into their son’s educational journey. the school to communicate regularly Also, it’s just a way that everybody can put their cards on the table.’ with parents about things that matter (not just a note at the bottom ‘The parents were...so excited about this of the school bag). idea and being brought into the In relation to the target setting process, conversation with the extended interviews we have at the beginning of the year. It the boys made observations such as: gives something to be accountable for.’ ‘The language has definitely changed in ‘Parents have to be involved at the my house. It’s gone from, “Have you beginning of the year when we’re done your homework?” to “Are you on discussing the targets… it must open up track to achieving your target? What can some lines of communication with boys we do to support you, to help you to and parents at an age when boys virtually achieve this target?’’.’ say nothing or, you know… ‘How was school?’ ‘Good’. And that’s all you get.’ Challenges

 Encouraging parents and helping Additional unintended outcomes them better understand how As part of the target setting process, important their role is, and that teachers were asked to reframe the students wanted their way they traditionally engaged with involvement/engagement. parents around boys’ learning.  Working around structural barriers Teachers now lead an annual of a school environment to allow Horizons Night for parents where the greater ‘access’ to the school for 3 families—the use of technology was school contexts, both primary and critical in this regard. secondary.  Maintaining the momentum and Wellbeing and student perception data keeping parents, staff and students provided an important perspective and engaged—this required a flexible added richness to the evidence base approach. for this project.

Project success factors A key lesson was that context matters —schools need to tailor their efforts  A supportive and ‘visionary’ school and respond to the needs and leadership team. aspirations of their own students and  Building the evidence base and school community. understanding the ‘Why’ before Future directions embarking on the ‘What’ and ‘How’. The initiatives commenced in this  Understanding that parent project have become core business for engagement is not a program or a the college, fully embedded into the life standalone initiative—it needs to be of the school. Future work will include: clearly defined, intentional,  further integrating technology to strategic, meaningful and support parent engagement with connected to the broader learning target setting and wellbeing work of the school.  follow-up focus groups and interviews  Bringing in ‘critical friends’ early and being informed by the Family-  ongoing reflection on the effectiveness of the parent School Partnerships Framework engagement strategies to support contributed to a greater target setting understanding of parent  support for new families and staff engagement and provided a clearer regarding their participation and direction for the parent engagement engagement strategy.  writing up the case study in the form  Developing a whole-school of research paper(s) for peer review understanding of parent and publication. engagement and the target setting Holy Cross College has become process. known for its innovative approaches to target setting and parent engagement,  Ensuring there is more than one and is sharing this journey with other ‘champion’ especially in the event schools. of key parent and/or staff turnover —it is necessary to build a ‘critical Developed by the Family-School and mass’ of supporters in key roles. Community Partnerships Bureau. The Bureau is a partnership between the Australian Council of State School Organisations and the Australian Parents Lessons learnt Council, with support from the Australian Government. Visit the Department of Holy Cross College’s experience has Education and Training website for more shown that many elements of the information. Elmore model are transferable across