Building Effective Parental Partnerships to Help Close the Opportunity Gap

Building effective partnerships with parents requires utilization of diverse communication strategies.  Productive partnership is an outcome of teachers and parents engaging in a collaborative exchange of ideas that is more than simply sharing assessment and instruction information (Shapley & Case, 2004).  Diverse communication strategies requires knowledge of two-way compared to one-way communication strategies (Barbour and Barbour, 2001; Berger, 2000; Townsend, 2009).  While one-way communication strategies such as newsletters, school handbooks, and progress reports, help to keep parents informed about school activities and policies, effective partnership with parents requires proficiency with two-way communication strategies. 

The reality that problems exist for families, regardless of their socioeconomic status (SES), is indisputable.  A social justice mindset recognizes social conditions creating an opportunity gap are leading indicators in education and must be addressed if we ever want to truly mitigate the trailing indicator known as the achievement gap.  Mehlinger (1995) posits, “If America’s poor children could be provided the same conditions for growing up, including the same quality of schools, as those afforded to middle-class suburban youth, we would have no crisis (in education) at all” (p. 27). 

Results of the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) international average distribution of literacy skills identify the opportunity gap rather than an achievement gap as the major factor to be considered in educational reform.  PIAAC results show the United States had a larger comparative percentage of adults performing at both the top and bottom of the distribution.  Thirteen percent of U.S. adults age 16-65 performed at the highest proficiency level (4/5) on the PIAAC literacy scale.  This was higher than the international average of 12 percent.  Yet, 18 percent of U.S. adults performed at the lowest level of the PIAAC literacy scale (at or below Level 1), which was higher than the international average of 16 percent.

The National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) defines literacy as the use of “printed and written information to function in society, to achieve one's goals, and to develop one's knowledge and potential.”  Average scores on the PIAAC literacy scale for adults age 16 to 65 ranged from 250 in Italy to 296 in Japan.  The U.S. average score was 270.  Compared with the U.S. average score, the average scores in 12 countries were higher.  In 5 countries they were lower.  In other 5 countries they were not significantly different.

            The Elementary and Secondary Education Act’s (1965) and its subsequent reauthorizations (NCLB, 2001; ESSA, 2010) emphasized closing the achievement gap.  The PIAAC results (2012/2014) indicate a statistical significant change compared to the Adult Literacy and Lifeskills Survey (ALL, 2003-08).  However, PIAAC results were not significantly different than the score on the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS, 1994-98).  Metrics, including those mentioned above have sought to quantify gaps in achievement.  However, perhaps it is more crucial to examine the qualitative experiences found in diverse populations that lead to an opportunity gap.

            The seven correlates of Effective Schools Research (Lezotte & Snyder, 2011) address the leading indicators of learning.  Schools that interdependently implement Effective Schools Research optimize the learning for all mission regardless of SES factors.  Since we all desire to make a difference for our future students, it is time to embrace the reality that the most effective way to mitigate the adverse impact of a lack of opportunity is to ensure public schools are culturally responsive, capable of emotional nurturance, AND staffed by highly qualified educators prepared to deliver the curricula.  Maslow (1959) initially referred to basic needs as “deficiency needs” that must be satisfied BEFORE growth can occur (p.125). The essential basic needs of anyone in a classroom: love and belonging, can be addressed by implementation of effective differentiation and Response for (Reading) Interventions, which mitigates failure. The results of educational failure in early childhood education includes:

• Dropping out in later years at 3-4 times greater rates is correlated with children who have not developed some basic literacy skills by the time they enter school (National Adult Literacy Survey, (2001) NCES, U.S. Department of Education). 
• More than 20 percent of adults read at or below a fifth-grade level.  This is far below the level needed to earn a living wage (National Institute for Literacy, Fast Facts on Literacy, 2001).
• Approximately 50 percent of the nation's unemployed youth, age 16-21, are functional illiterate.  Given this they have virtually no prospects of obtaining good jobs  (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services).
• Illiteracy is a variable in 75% of those on welfare, 85% of unwed mothers and 68% of those arrested are illiterate.  About 60% of America's prison inmates are illiterate (Washington Literacy Council).
• Illiteracy and crime are closely related. The Department of Justice states, "The link between academic failure and delinquency, violence, and crime is welded to reading failure."  Over 70% of inmates in America's prisons cannot read above a fourth grade level.

            The link between reading failure in the early elementary grades and failure in society is profound.  Sixty-six percent (66%) of students who cannot proficiently read by the end of 4^th grade will become involved in jail or on welfare.  More than five million U.S. children (7%) had a parent who lived with them go to jail or prison.  This proportion is higher among black, poor, and rural children.  This creates a cycle that only a social justice mindset can begin to mitigate.  To promote the common good, highly qualified, culturally responsive teachers must willingly exhibit emotional awareness to nurture effective partnerships with students and their parents. 

Some teachers may seem naturally comfortable building partnership with parents with little apparent effort.  However, the reality is they more likely mastered emotional intelligence skills and are aware of personal needs in relation to social dynamics.  These teachers exhibit genuine interest in the parents’ point of view.  They exhibit effective communication strategies and willing use two-way communication skills for building parental partnerships. 

Most prospective teachers need to develop these skills for building effective parent partnership.  Awareness of a need is insufficient to ensure implementation of effective practice.  Simulations and multimedia case studies can build the teacher candidate’s self-efficacy.  Research by Walker and Dotger (2011) identifies the advantages of such a process for optimizing this essential correlate of Effective Schools Research.  

Teacher preparation programs need to offer this type of professional development.  Otherwise, teacher candidates will continue to enter the classroom ill-prepared for embracing and optimizing the home-school correlate.  Twenty-first century tools such as avatar simulations and multimedia case studies can supplement Clinically Rich Teacher Preparation Programs.

A better relationship between teachers and parents results in more dialogue, improved school climate, and increased student achievement (Purkey & Novak, 2016).  Knowing this, effective leaders plan for teachers’ professional development needs and encourage utilization of action research to improve instruction and classroom assessment (Marzano & Waters, 2009) as well as optimal home-school relationships.   

To cite:

Anderson, C.J. (March 30, 2018) Building effective parental partnerships to help close the opportunity gap

[Web log post] Retrieved from http://www.ucan-cja.blogspot.com/

References:

Anderson, C.J. (2016). A correlational study examining demonstrated emotional

                intelligence and perceptions of school climate. ProQuest 1771637101

Barbour, C. & Barbour, N. H. (2001). Families, schools and communities: Building partnerships

for educating children. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.

Berger, E. H. (2000). Parents as partners in education. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill

Prentice Hall.

Lezotte, L. W., & Snyder, K. M. (2011). What effective schools do: Re-envisioning the

            correlates. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.

Marzano, R. & Waters, T. (2009).  District leadership that works. Bloomington, IN: Solution

                Tree Press

Purkey, W. W., & Novak, J. M. (2016). Fundamentals of invitational education. (2^nd Ed). International

Alliance for Invitational Education. Retrieved from: http://invitationaleducation.net/product/category/books

Shapley, K.L. & Case, B.J. (2004) Building partnerships with parents. Retrieved from

                http://www.pearsonassessments.com/NR/rdonlyres/73E53CF9-64D8-4459-8B11-6BCE9E2668CB/0/Building_Partnerships_with_Parents.pdf

Walker, J.M.T., & Dotger, B. (2012). Because wisdom can’t be told: Using comparison of

                simulated parent-teacher conferences to support prospective educators’ interpersonal skill

                development. Journal of Teacher Education 63 (1): 62-75. Retrieved from

                http://jte.sagepub.com/content/63/1/62

Approaches to Using Flash Cards for Skill Development

Instructional interventions need to address targeted skills and:

 

• Be explicitly taught,
• Address appropriate level of instruction and challenge,
• Offer high opportunities to respond successfully,
• Provide immediate feedback.

 

Flash cards are a common strategy for helping students.  However, too often flash card strategies are used incorrectly or haphazardly.  Ideally, professional development in these approaches can become part of every district's home-school professional development protocol.  There are actually three research-based approaches for using flash cards:

 

• Traditional Training;
• Interspersal Training (Drill Sandwich);
• Incremental Rehearsal.

 Traditional Training: 100% unknown facts/words

Procedure:

• Set of cards shown to student one at a time with instructor giving correct answer and student repeating fact/word and answer
• Set of cards shown again with student responding
  Correct response: acknowledge with positive feedback
  Incorrect response: overcorrection and immediate feedback

• Set repetition based on time and student achievement (8 trials typical

Interspersal Training: Typically 30% unknown to 70% known facts/words

Procedure:

• Unknown facts/words read and answered by instructor with student repetition
• Intersperse the unknowns with the knowns in an order such as
  K1-U1-U2-U3-K2-U1-U2-U3-K3 -U1-U2-U3-K4-U1-U2-U3-K5 -U1-U2-U3-K6-U1-U2-U3-K7-U1-U2-U3-

• Set repetition based on time and student achievement (8 trials typical)
  Correct response: acknowledge with positive feedback
  Incorrect response: overcorrection and immediate feedback

Incremental Rehearsal: 10% unknown to 90% known

Procedure:

• Unknown fact/word read and answered by instructor with student repetition
• Rehearse the unknown with the known in specific order
• 1^st Unknown – 1^st Known​
• 1^st Unknown – 1^st K – 2^nd K​
• 1^st Unknown – 1^st K – 2^nd K – 3^rd K​
• 1^st Unknown – 1^st K – 2^nd K – 3^rd K – 4^th K​
• 1^st Unknown – 1^st K – 2^nd K – 3^rd K – 4^th K – 5^th K​
• 1^st Unknown – 1^st K – 2^nd K – 3^rd K - 4^th K – 5^th K -6^th K​
• 1^st Unknown – 1^st K – 2^nd K – 3^rd K - 4^th K – 5^th K -6^th K– 7^th K​
• 1^st Unknown – 1^st K – 2^nd K – 3^rd K - 4^th K – 5^th K -6^th K – 7^th K – 8^th K​
• 1^st Unknown – 1^st K– 2^nd K– 3^rd K- 4^th K– 5^th K-6^th K– 7^th K– 8^th K– 9^th K​
• Move 1^st Unknown to 1^st Known position – Remove 9^th Known – add 2^nd Unknown​
                          

Repeat set with each targeted fact/word moving 1^st unknown to the 1^st known position and removing the 9^th known

Correct response: acknowledge with positive feedback

Incorrect response: provide immediate correction

Basic, foundational skills must be acquired before attainment of more complex concepts and higher order thinking skills.  Students who do not have automaticity with basic skills struggle to stay “on grade level” and maintain interest.  Failure to attain these basic skills negatively effects overall academic competency.  For Math, basic skills include operation and numeration facts.  For reading, basic skills include phonemic awareness and sight words.  One approach for increasing basic skills is the effective use of flash cards as an intervention to increase student’s automaticity.  For example, when done well, flash card interventions can be effective with:

• Improving sight word fluency
• Mastering basic math facts
• Helping English language learners' vocabulary development

To cite:

Anderson, C.J. (April 30, 2017) Approaches to Using Flash Cards for Skill Development.  [Web log post]

               Retrieved from http://www.ucan-cja.blogspot.com/

 

References:

Burns, M. (2005).  Using incremental rehearsal to increase fluency of single-digit multiplication

                facts with children identified as learning disabled in mathematics computation. 

                Education and Treatment of Children, 28, 237-249.

Burns, M. (2009).  Interspersal technique and behavioral momentum for reading word lists. 

                School Psychology Review, 38, 428-434. 

MacQuarrie, L., Tucker, J., Burns, M. & Hartman, B. (2002).  Comparison of retention rates

                using traditional, drill sandwich, and incremental rehearsal flash card methods. 

                School Psychology Review, 31, 584-595.

Nist, L. & Joseph, L. (2008).  Effectiveness and efficiency of flashcard drill instructional methods

                on urban first-graders’ word recognition, acquisition, maintenance, and generalization. 

                School Psychology Review, 37, 294-308.

School-wide Approaches to Mitigate Behavior Problems and Optimize Learning for All

When trying to implement the safe and orderly environment correlate, educational leaders can easily fall into common traps (Simonsen, Sugai, & Negron, 2008; Horner, Sugai, & Horner, 2000).  Behavior management can be key to student, teacher, classroom, school, and district success.  Whenever serving students with disabilities, effective behavior management becomes even more crucial.  

Failure to implement proper behavioral plans for students with disabilities can have financial as well as academic consequences.  Although less tangible, the emotional toll upon students for inappropriate behavior management can be significant.  District administrators must be aware of both the educational and legal issues required for effectively managing the behavior of students with disabilities.  Therefore, implementation of sachool-wide policies and appropriate interventions must also provide the opportunity for case-by-case consideration. 

Poorly managed classrooms and buildings negatively impact student learning.  Conversely, well-managed classrooms and buildings positively impact student learning.  Administrators and educational leaders can take several steps to promote a district-wide climate that cultivates well-managed classrooms and buildings.  Administrators and educational leaders can do the following:

1. Encourage all teachers to establish and define reasonable classroom norms or rules and appropriately communicate these to each student.  Each norm or rule should be stated in positive terms.  Assess student awareness of each rule’s purpose.

2. Facilitate commitment from all staff for teaching students the appropriate school behavior in a manner similar to teaching, reinforcing, and assessing academic skills.  Therefore formal lessons on social skills, interpersonal problem solving, and conflict resolution should be presented by teachers and counselors.  Diverse programs designed to assist schools in this regard provide significant professional development.

3. Establish universal expectations for various areas of each building.  Staff should be competent describing what “respect” entails within the classroom, library, lunchroom, and restrooms.  This provides consistency with norms or rules throughout the building.  Common understanding of expectations eliminate disagreements among students and staff, thereby reducing anxiety for students.

4. Convey explicit behavior expectations and consequences to parents and families.  This encourages support from home, mitigates conflicts, and increases the positive home-school relationship correlate.

Despite implementation of the above, some students will not respond to school-wide strategies.  Therefore, more individualized strategies will need implementation.  Knowing a range of approaches and additional preventative strategies mitigate chronic behavior problems. 

Whenever students exhibit chronic behavior problems, staff must know how to consider the root cause and purpose for the problematic behavior before attempting to identify an appropriate replacement behavior.  Effective, well-versed administrators draft policies and seek consensus for carrying out disciplinary strategies.  Depending on the age of the student, including the student in discussions of the problem may prove very helpful.  Including the student’s family members in identifying strategies tailored to the child’s individual needs also proves helpful.

Whenever a student has an individualized education program (IEP) or a behavior intervention plan (BIP), strategies need to be evaluated by child study team (CST) or intervention and referral services (I&RS) team.  Typically, such child-centered teams include the child’s parent[s], general education teacher, special education teacher, and other school officials with specialized knowledge of the child’s needs.  This optimizes communication, collaboration, implementation, and effective integration through the IEP or BIP.  Some preventative strategies may include:

• Designate specific support staff such as a counselor, social worker or aide, to regularly check in with the student or help the student needing time or space to vent or cool down.

• Adjust the timing or content of the student's academic schedule.  When appropriate, such accommodations mitigate potential triggers that increase student stress and anxiety.  For instance, it may be helpful to schedule physical education between cognitively demanding academic classes.

• Directly teach the student various relaxation techniques, including visualization, deep breathing, or yoga.

• Plan for the student’s need to take “timeouts” as an accommodation to either settle down, become calm, or regroup.

• Develop a succinct crisis plan, outlining procedures for optimally responding to the student's problematic behavior.  Such a plan may provide training in non-aversive behavior management.  This includes positive reinforcement and communicative strategies that all support staff and stakeholders can universally utilize.   

• Provide counseling, mentoring, or intense social skills training.

• Provide services and supports “wrapped around” the student and the student’s family.  These include interagency services provided at school, home, and in the community.  Given involvement of multiple agencies it is important that a care coordinator oversees support services.

Preventative strategies are more effective when based on valid and reliable functional behavioral assessment (FBA).  Since individualized strategies are intensive and may need to be in place over an extended period of time, it is crucial to involve the family in all stages of developing and implementing them.  Once again, this encourages support from home, mitigates conflicts, and increases the positive home-school relationship correlate.  

School-wide and individualized preventative strategies intend to proactively respond to student behavior problems, encourage desired behavior, and mitigate chronic behavior problems.  However, some students may continue to exhibit misconduct.  When students with disabilities engage in misconduct, administrators and teacher leaders must be aware that federal laws, including Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA), provide such students with specific procedural safeguards.

IDEA and Section 504 prohibits schools receiving federal funds from discriminating against a student with a disability because of that disability.  For any student receiving special education services, federal law permits the school to “remove” (i.e., suspend) the student for up to 10 consecutive days for violating the school’s code of conduct.  The caveat is the discipline must be consistent with the school’s treatment of students without disabilities who have committed the same violation under similar conditions.  Beyond that level of consequence, the school must provide the student additional procedures, most notably a manifestation determination.  For example, when the student’s IEP specifies bus transportation as a related service, suspending the student from the bus due to chronic misbehavior for more than 10 consecutive days constitutes a “change in placement,” thereby triggering the child’s right to a manifestation determination.  This process determines whether or not the violation was a “manifestation” of the child’s disability. 

Under IDEA, an exception to the 10-day rule, occurs when a student commits a weapon or drug offense at school, or if the student causes another person serious bodily injury at school.  In such a case, the school may unilaterally place the student in an interim alternative educational setting for up to 45 consecutive school days.  Removing a student from the education program designated in her IEP for either more than 10 consecutive days or a pattern of removals accumulating more than 10 days, constitutes a “change in placement.”  This situation requires the school convene a manifestation determination meeting whereby members of the child’s IEP team will consider whether the violation was a manifestation of the disability.  If the team determines that it was, the school may not change the student’s placement without parental consent.

Under IDEA, when a manifestation determination results in consensus that a student’s conduct was a manifestation of disability, or if a school changes the placement of a child with a disability by removal for more than 10 days, the school must conduct a functional behavioral assessment (FBA).  The FBA examines the meaning, function, cause, or purpose of the student’s behavior.  The result of the FBA is a creation of an effective behavior intervention plan (BIP) aimed at managing the student’s behavior in the future.  FBA allows the team to isolate the reason for the student’s behavior problem.  As a result, the team can formulate an effective BIP that not only mitigates the behavior, minimizing intrusion upon the school, but ultimately extinguishing the behavior and channeling the student toward more acceptable and productive behaviors in the future.

Whenever a manifestation determination conference results in the finding that a student’s violation of a code of conduct was not a manifestation of disability, the school may discipline the student as it would a student without a disability.  This could thereby justify a change in placement.  This change could result in expulsion or transferring the student to an alternative school.  However, the school must continue to provide the student educational services that permit access to the general education curriculum and opportunity to progress toward stated IEP goals.

A proactive approach can mitigate the conflict cycle that exacerbates problematic behaviors (Fecser & Long, 2000).  The increasing popularity of school wide PBIS programs (Walker et al, 2005) exemplify schools recognize success based on related research.  Therefore, administrators and teacher leaders should be well-versed in appropriate district-wide and individualized preventative measures for managing student behavior.  Since the special education law can be intricate and punitive for non-compliance, understanding the legal issues related to the discipline of students with disabilities is essential.  Professional development for staff and stakeholders increases competencies, promotes collaboration, and mitigates potential conflict.  The result is increased opportunity to sustain success and optimize the mission of learning for all.

 

To Cite:

Anderson, C.J. (December 7, 2013) School-wide approaches to mitigate behavior problems and optimize

learning for all.  [Web log post]  Retrieved from http://www.ucan-cja.blogspot.com/

 

References:

 Fetter-Herrott, A., Steketee, A.M, & Dare, M (2009) Disciplining students with disabilities:

The legal implications of managing these pupils. Retrieved from

http://www.districtadministration.com/article/disciplining-students-disabilities

 Horner, R.H., & Sugai, G. (2000). School-wide behavior support: An emerging initiative

Journal of Positive Behavioral Interventions, 2, 231-232.

Schneider, T., Walker, H.M., & Sprague, J.R. (2000). Safe school design: A handbook for

               educational leaders. Eugene, OR: ERIC Clearinghouse on Educational

Management, College of Education, University of Oregon.

Sugai, G., & Horner, R.H. (2002). The evolution of discipline practices: School-wide

positive behavior supports. Child & Family Behavior Therapy, 24(1/2), 23-50.

Walker, B., Cheney, D., Stage, S., & Blum, C. (2005).Schoolwide screening and positive

               behavior support: Identifying and supporting students at risk of school failure.

Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 7, 194-204.

Walker, J. S., & Schutte, K. M. (2004). Practice and process in wraparound teamwork.

Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 12, 182–192.