What importance is the connection between home and school when ensuring student

success. EDED11405 – Ensuring Student Success

Assessment task 1

Stacey Pearce – s0224784

About this presententation.

This presentation has been designed to identify and resolve issues regarding home-school connection and how this effects student success.

The issues identified will be investigated using scholarly and independent research

The presentation will develop using the Definitional Investigation process as outlined in Dimensions in Learning Teachers Manual (Mazzarno and Pickering’s. 1997. p 241.)

Hom

e-School ConnectionWhat is it?...When parents and teachers work together, everyone benefits (Greenburg, n.d.)

Factors that effect student success.

Parents/carersHome EvnironmentTeacherSchool Environment

The Child

A connection between the home and school environment is a two way open communication system where teachers and parents share information regarding a child.

The aim of this is to enable both parties to be better skills, ensuring the child receives the support they need to achieve success.

Image retrieved from: http://raisingchildren.net.au/verve/_resources/rcn_timeline_clean.JPG

Investigation Structure.

Mazarno and Pickering (1997) have developed a scaffold including a series of questions to guide an investigation. By following this suggested guideline the question of What importance is the connection between home and school when ensuring student success in assessments will be examined comprehensively. The questions are:

1. What event or idea do I want to explain?2. What do people already know?3. What confusions do people have about the idea or concept?4. What suggestions do I have for clearing up these confusions? 5. How do I defend my suggestions?

The following slide will display a graphic organiser to assist categorisation of information.

Concept / Scenario:

Known or agreed upon: Confusions or contradictions:

Resolution:

Graphic Organiser for Investigation.

Adapted from Dimensions in Learning (Mazarno & Pickering, 1997 p. 241)

Question 1: What event or idea do I want to explain.

What importance is the connection between home and school when ensuring student success

The Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians (MCEETYA) states that

‘Achieving educational goals is the collective responsiblyility of governments, school sectors and individual schools as well as parents and carers, young Australians, families, other education and training providers, businesses and the broader community” (2008 p. 07) in other words, everyone within the Childs educational environment plays a major role in ensuring students success.

The Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Agency (ACARA) has incorporated the philosophy from MCEETYA (2008) into its publication of the Australian Curriculum (2011). The same emphasis of shared responsibility towards student success is expressed throughout the following curriculum documents:• The Queensland Studies Authority – P-12 Syllabus design

principles (2008 p. 2) • Early Years Learning Framework (ELYF) (2009 p. 11) • Early Years Curriculum Guidelines (EYCG) (2006 p. 20)

According to the MCEETYA (2008 p.7) the aim is for all young Australians become:• Successful learners• Confident and creative individuals • Active and informed citizens.

To achieve this not only do school and teachers need to be held responsible, but parents and carers need to take an active role in their child’s education.

Question 2: What do people already

know?• Parent involvement in

the early years is important to the social and emotional development of the child, this continues into later years.

• Parents rely on teachers to educate their child.

Image retrieved from: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cQWzCu9H7OM/T-5LXlB26bI/AAAAAAAAAIA/gyMGIcCjFi4/

s1600/unlearning.jpg

A Childs’ educational journey starts from before they have been conceived.

The mothers’ education, attitudes, personal health and support networks will play a vital role is this journey.

Q1: What do people already know?

Image retrieved from: http://www.yonghui.sg/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/pregnant-mum.jpg

It is known that during the early years of a child’s life the primary carer will be their most influential educator (Ashman, 2008). During this time a foundation for their learning journey is established.

Q1: What do people already know?

When a child moves into later schooling (year 4 onwards), parents can often believe that their

role as educator is complete. This belief is consistent with figures from Berthelsen &

Walkers studies (2008) revealing that 2/3 of parents were involved in their child’s education in the early years. These numbers dramatically

reduced as the child entered year 4 and onward.

Q1: What do people already know?

Early Years (K-3)

Middle (4-5)

Seniour Primary (6-7)

Secondary

Not At all

A little Bit

Somew

hat

Quite a lot

A tremendous

amount

Q1: What do people already know?

The results from an independent survey (2012) asking parents how often they were involved in their child’s schooling were consistent to that of Berthelsen and Walkers’ (2008).

How involved are parents in their child’s education?

What confusions do people have about the issue? 1. Many barriers can limit interactions between parents and

teaches.

2. Older students tend to not want their parents to be involved

3. During secondary school relationships are hard to build due to multiple teachers.

http://teaching-in-the-middle.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Parents.jpg

There are many reasons for parent’s or carer’s are not actively involved in their child’s education. Some lack confidence in their own skills enabling them to become involved in programs. This could be due to

• language barriers • cultural differences • economic backgrounds.

What confusions do people have about the issue?

Image reterieved from: http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTpVPuG92hPoJMfRaMkHz80xZ8byRM-MV3lY5QMbID5fpBn4V_ND5mjiZxW3A

Families from lower socio economic backgrounds tend to have fewer years of education and could possible relate school today to their own negative schooling experiences enabling their child to gain a positive perception of school (Berthelsen & Walker. 2008).

What confusions do people have about the issue?

Relationships appear easier to build in primary school where there is only one teacher to communicate with. Parents can be invited to assist with reading or classroom activities. However, during secondary school, students and therefor parents deal with multiple teachers (Kemmis & Ahern, 2010).

What confusions do people have about the issue?

Also as students move through school they tend to not want their parents to be involved in their school lives (Bull, Brooking & Campbell, 2008). Parents are only invited to meet with teachers twice a year during formal interviews. According to an independent survey (2012) interviewing 21 parents and 22 teachers found that the majority of parents believed their schedule was to busy to be involved in their child’s schooling. See the next slide.

What confusions do people have about the issue?

Limitations for parents not being involved at school.

Negative memories from personal school experiences (0)Child no longer want you to be involved with their schooling (2)Busy schedule not allowing you time (18)Language/cultural barriers (1)Other (0)

Suggestions for clearing up the confusion

Image retrieved from: http://blog.expressocorp.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/confused_w300.png

Suggestions for clearing up the confusion

Parents and carers need to be encouraged more to be involved with their child’s schooling. They do not need to be an expert in a field of study; just showing an interest can be enough to boost communication.

Parents

ParentsTeachersStudentsAll parties

Teachers

ParentsTeachersStudentsAll parties

An independent survey (2012) asked parents and teachers who they thought was responsible for maintaining the

home-school connection.

Good communication between all parties is the first step to ensuring good home-school connections, resulting in student success in assessment. Teachers can provide parents and carers with information regarding what is being covered during class times, and again with assessment tasks, informing parents how the can assist their child to achieve results.

Suggestions for clearing up the confusion

This can be done in return by parents supplying the teacher with information regarding the child.

Information the teacher

should know.

Life changing events.

Religious culture and traditions

Languages spoken at

home

Childs strong likes and dislikes

Suggestions for clearing up the confusion

Providing services that accommodate to parents busy schedules would allow for better communication between home and school. Such as:• Email• Regular phone calls• Forums/blogs/wikis• Communication books

Suggestions for clearing up the confusion

When parents are aware of what is being covered at school, they will be able to monitor their child's

involvement from home. Offering assistance where necessary. This will allow students to access the

support needed to complete assessment tasks that they may not of be able to do previously.

How can we defend our suggestions?

Image retrieved fro: http://www.sngsanantonio.com/Images/Two%20Thumbs%20Up.jpg

How can we defend our suggestions?

The Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians (2008) have compiled a number of goals to ensure that all you Australians become successful learners. Part of their commitment to action is to develop stronger partnerships with parents, carers and families (p. 10).

How can we defend our suggestions?

School policies and procedure handbooks offer a guide to how the school operates. Each school must have an up to date edition to abide by. While investigating local schools and their policies regarding the home school connection, a common section was discovered. This encouraged the vision that

“Parents and families work together as partners in a child’s education”.

The same vision was viewed in the policy hand book for the following schools local of Yeppoon: • Yeppoon State School Parent handbook (2010 p.2)• Sacred Heart Primary (2012 p.21)• Taranganba State School (2012 p.14)• Yeppoon High School (2012)• Farnborough State School (2012)• St Ursula’s Collage Ltd. (2011. p1)

How can we defend our suggestions?

The repetition about the value of establishing a home-school connection proves that it is a vital step in ensuring student success. A study conducted by the New Zealand council for educational research concluded that students who are exposed to a positive home-school connection will:• Earn higher grades and test scores, and will enrol in higher

level programs.• Attend school regularly• Better social skills, show improved behaviour and adapt well to

school.• Graduate or go on to post secondary education.

Data retrieved from Successful home-school partnerships (Bull. A,. Brooking. K., & Campbell. R,. 2008

How can we defend our suggestions?

Concept / Scenario: What importance is the connection between home and school when ensuring student success in assessments Known or agreed upon: Confusions or contradictions:

• Parent involvement in the early years is important to the social and emotional development, this continues into later years.

• Parents rely on teachers to educate their child.

• Many barriers can limit interactions between parents and teaches.

• Older students tend to not want their parents to be involved

• During secondary school relationships are hard to build due to multiple teachers.

Resolution:The theory of positive home-school connections is constantly mentioned throughout guiding policies, curriculum documents, educational frameworks and school policies and procedure handbooks. This repetition highlights the importance of this connection, and how when implemented positively will ensure student success in assessments.

Completed Graphic Organiser for Investigation.

ReferencesAshman. A., & Elkins. J. (2002). Educating Children with Diverse abilities. Frenchs Forrest, NSW: Pearson Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace. (2009). Belonging, Being and Becoming -The Early Years Learning Framework. Commonwealth of Australia. Berthelsen, D,. & Walker, S,. (2008). Parent Involvement in their children’s education. Family matters no. 79 Brady. L. & Kennedy. K. (2012). Assessment and Reporting celebrating student achievement. Frenchs Forest. NSW: Pearson Bull. A., Brooking. K. & Campbell. R. (2008). Successful home-school partnerships. New Zealand: New Zealand council for educational research. Ewing. R., Lowrie. T. & Higgs. J. (2010). Teaching and communicating rethinking professional experiences. Melbourne. VIC: Oxford

Farnborough State School. (2012). Policies and Procedures. retrieved from http://farnboross.eq.edu.au/wcms/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=56&Itemid=104

Queensland Studies Authority. (2008). P-12 Syllabus design principles. retrieved from: http://www.qsa.qld.edu.au/downloads/approach/syll_design_principles.pdf

Marzano, R., Pickering, D., Arredondo, D., Blackburn, G., Brandt, R., Moffett, C., Paynter, D., Pollock, J., & Whisler, J. (1997). Dimensions of Learning: Teachers Manual (2nd Ed.) Denver, Colorado, USA: ASCD Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs. (2008). Melbourne Declaration of Educational Goals for Young Australians. retrieved from: http://www.mceecdya.edu.au/verve/_resources/National_Declaration_on_the_Educational_Goals_for_Young_Australians.pdf Sacred Heart Yeppoon. (2012). Information Handbook. Retrieved from http://www.shyrok.catholic.edu.au/forms/Information%20Booklet.pdf

Greenburg. P. (n.d.). The Home-School Connection. retrieved from http://www.scholastic.com/resources/article/the-home-school-connection/ St. Ursula’s Collage Ltd. (2011). Parent/College Relationship. retrieved from http://www.stursulas.qld.edu.au/publications/policies/PolicyUpdateOct12/Parent%20College%20Partnership%20feb%202011.pdf Taranganba State School. (n.d). School Handbook. Retrieved from http://taranganbass.eq.edu.au/wcms/images/Documents/Enrolments/handbook.pdf Yeppoon State School. (2010). School Prospectus. retrieved from: http://yeppoonss.eq.edu.au/wcms/images/enrolment_package/schoolprospectus12072010.pdf