Educating Our Children Together: A Sourcebook for Effective Family-School-Community Partnerships Susanne Carter Summer 2003 Consortium for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education (CADRE) P.O. Box 51360 Eugene, Oregon 97405-0906 541-686-5060 541-686-5063 (fax) www.directionservice.org/cadre Funding for this document was provided to CADRE, a project of Direction Service, through Cooperative Agreement CFDA H326D98002 from the Office of Special Education Programs, United States Department of Education. Acknowledgements A diverse group of educators, parents, and community members contributed to the creation of this sourcebook. The project was initiated and guided by the New York State Education Department Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID). Becky Cort, Fred DeMay, Lawrence Gloeckler, Wilma Jozwiak, and Laura Paris deserve particular recognition for their contributions and leadership. CADRE (the National Center on Dispute Resolution, which is funded by the Office of Special Education Programs at the United States Department of Education) partnered with VESID in this effort and supported the development of this document. CADRE's efforts were led by Marshall Peter, who coordinated and significantly contributed to the research and writing of this document. Richard Zeller played an important role in conceptualizing and structuring the document. John Reiman contributed to the research. Lynne Rossi and Aimee Taylor provided invaluable editorial assistance, and Peggy Cvach, CADRE's Project Officer, encouraged this work with her ongoing support. Thanks are also due to the Northeast Regional Resource Center and the Families and Advocates Partnership for Education for their support and contributions to this project, and to Dr. Candace White-Ciraco, coordinator of the Eastern Suffolk BOCES in Holbrook, NY, for her editorial review and valuable suggestions. In addition, during October, 2002, a group of New York parents and educators met with representatives from CADRE to provide feedback on a draft of the sourcebook. The following individuals, several of whom also reviewed later drafts, provided direction and guidance for development of the final version. Carmen Alvarez Michael Opuda Laura Paris Cassandra Archie Lucy Ely Pagan Melissa Price Doug Bailey Paige Macdonald Sharon Rebhun Alexander Betancourt Thomas J. Markle Erlinda Rejino Jason Blackwell Lorraine Masten Lourdes Rivera-Putz Bob Brick Ellen McHugh Lillian Robles Robin Brown Anthea Mclaughlin Daniel Ryan John Christopher Alyse Middendorf Karen Schlesinger Patricia Cruz Chris Johns Kirby Lin Severance Max Donatelli Paige Macdonald Pilar Sokol David Eischens Thomas J. Markle Margaret N. Vogt Ronald Gentner Lorraine Masten Lawrence T. Waite Kathe Hayes Ellen McHugh Ruezalia Watkins Teresa Ying Hsu Anthea Mclaughlin Candace White-Ciraco J. Michael Hughes Alyse Middendorf Robin Worobey Elisa Hyman Isabel Morales Jay Worona Chris Johns Kirby Rosemary Olender Elizabeth Wright We are also grateful to the many educators who provided helpful information about their school’s promising practices that were chosen for inclusion in this sourcebook. Finally, we acknowledge the helpful assistance of the circulation and interlibrary loan staff members of Ellis Library at the University of Missouri-Columbia who assisted in securing many of the resources utilized to compile this sourcebook. THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT / THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK / ALBANY, NY 12234 DEPUTY COMMISSIONER FOR VOCATIONAL AND EDUCATIONAL SERVICES FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES Tel. (518) 474-2714 Fax (518) 474-8802 September 2003 Dear Parents and Families, Educators and Members of the Community: This document provides practical information for parents and families, educators and administrators, and individuals involved in programs that support partnerships between families, schools and communities. It has been developed to support and promote creative solutions through the sharing of resources and information about family-school-community partnerships. Parents and family members play an important role in the education of their children, and can provide the keys to success for their children during their school years and transition to adult life. The partnership of parents, families, educators and members of the community has been shown to have a positive effect on educational outcomes for students. Research has shown that family involvement has a powerful influence on a child’s school experience, improving a child’s achievement, attendance, attitudes, behavior, test scores, and long-term outcomes. The New York State Board of Regents and the State Education Department have set high goals for educational programs and services for students with disabilities in New York. The Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID) has developed a strategic plan driven by a vision that is based on the belief that individuals with disabilities, given high expectations, opportunities and support when necessary, will live successful adult lives. Students can be helped to reach their full potential when parents, families and schools work collaboratively and enlist the support and involvement of the wider community. I would like to express my appreciation to all those who assisted in the creation of this document. CADRE (the National Center on Dispute Resolution, which is funded by the Office of Special Education Programs at the United States Department of Education) partnered with VESID in its development. The assistance of many other individuals and organizations is noted in the acknowledgements included in the opening pages of the document. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please contact the VESID Special Education Quality Assurance and Support Services Unit by email at: [email protected]. Sincerely, Lawrence C. Gloeckler 3 Table of Contents Acknowledgements....................................................................................................... 2 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 8 Guiding Principles....................................................................................................... 20 Getting Started ............................................................................................................ 21 Family Involvement Strategies................................................................................... 23 Matrix of Activities ...................................................................................................... 25 Strategy 1: Creating a family-friendly school environment ...................................... 26 Family-friendly Schools.......................................................................................................................27 “Fortress” Schools...............................................................................................................................28 Middle School Family Involvement .....................................................................................................28 Building Family-friendly Atmospheres.................................................................................................29 Strategy 2: Building a support infrastructure............................................................ 1 Family centers.....................................................................................................................................33 Family coordinator/liaison ...................................................................................................................36 Resource commitment ........................................................................................................................36 Strategy 3: Encouraging family involvement........................................................... 39 Strategies for building an effective volunteer system: ........................................................................41 Family involvement in decision making ..............................................................................................43 Strategy 4: Developing family-friendly communication........................................... 46 Family focus groups............................................................................................................................49 Neighborhood walks ...........................................................................................................................49 Home visits..........................................................................................................................................50 Informal principal meetings .................................................................................................................51 Positive “warm” telephone calls ..........................................................................................................51 Home-school notes/notebooks ...........................................................................................................52 Conferences........................................................................................................................................52 Newsletters .........................................................................................................................................54 Technology tools.................................................................................................................................54