Classroom Teachers as Family Educators

Epstein's Six Types of Family Involvement

Type 1 - ParentingType 2 - CommunicatingType 3 – VolunteeringType 4 - Learning at HomeType 5 - Decision MakingType 6 - Collaborating With The

Community

Epstein's Type 1 - Parenting:

Support families in their role as parents and assist with child-rearing skills.

Help parents to understand stages of child and adolescent development.

Promote a home environment that supports children at each age and grade level.

Help schools to appreciate all families.

Parenting

Authoritative Permissive Authoritarian

Type 2 - Communicating

Use effective communication tools to relate school events, policy and student progress, thus strengthen school and home partnerships.

Type 3 - Volunteering

Develop recruitment and training activities, and provide flexible schedules that engage families as volunteers, and as audiences at school and community events.

Type 4 - Learning at Home

Help parents to be involved in learning activities with their children at home, including homework and other related activities.

Type 5 - Decision Making

Encourage families to participate in school decisions, and in advocacy through PTA/PTO, school councils, committees, and other parent organizations.

Type 6 - Collaborating With The Community

Coordinate resources and services for families, students, and the school with businesses, agencies, and other groups, and provide services to the community.

Parenting

Parenting is the first level of Epstein's model of parent involvement.  More parents are involved at this level than any other. 

Parenting

In this module you will learn about ways a classroom teacher can encourage effective parenting practices.

Parenting

1. Identify ways that school people can appropriately support parents in their role of parenting.

2. Explain how some of what you have learned about child development, or how children learn, might be helpful to parents.

Parenting

3. Develop awareness of strategies schools may use to support families and parents.

4. Write a newsletter article that shares information about child or adolescent development with families.

What can schools could do to support parents in their role of parenting?

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2.

3.

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5.

Why should schools become involved in parenting education?

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2.

3.

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5.

Which of these reasons are most compelling to you? What kinds of programs might best advance the

reasons you've identified? What are the major roles of a parent? How is the role of a parent like and not like the role of a

teacher? Under what conditions might a parent welcome support

from the school in parenting? Under what conditions might a parent not welcome

support from the school in parenting?

As a teacher, what would you most like to learn from parents about their children?

As a teacher, what might you know about children that could help their parents?

Schools vary in the extent to which they are family oriented.

What are some characteristics of a "family friendly" school?

What are some characteristics of a "family friendly" classroom?

Small groups responsibilities

Discussion Leader Learning Advocate Connector Resource Provider

Discussion Leader:

As/after you read, make up a list of questions to be discussed by the group. Some suggestions are interspersed with the text.

Learning Advocate:

Your job is to focus on the principle that the work of the teacher is to support the learning of students. Using double entry format, note in one column how what happened in this case study supported the learning of students. In the other column, list how you think student learning might have been even better supported. Remember that student learning occurs best when parents, also, are supported!

Connector:

Connect this case to other situations in which information about student development or parenting might be useful to parents. These case studies typically lead to a teacher writing a newsletter article for parents. What might be other topics for newsletter articles on parenting throughout the year? Prepare a list for review by your group. Where could a teacher get information for such articles?

Resource Provider:

Your job is to make sure that members of your group are exposed to all resources in this module that might be useful to them. Skim the case assignment, and then explore the online resources in the module. Make notes on at least two items to bring to the attention of your group.

www.unt.edu/cpe/partnership/presource.htm

Case Studies

How does this Case Study reflect on the type of Parental Engagement as listed?

Does the teacher demonstrate knowledge of Parental Engagement? Respect for parents? Is she aware of resources?

How does this teacher know about Parental Engagement?

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