Parents In Education

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Parents in Education

Previous Newsletters

Summer 2004

The Electronic Newsletter of:

THE PARENTS IN EDUCATION RESEARCH NETWORK (PERN) &

THE UK NATIONAL HOME SCHOOL DEVELOPMENT GROUP (NHSDG)

In collaboration with The European Network About Parents in Education (ERNAPE)

copyright PERN and NHSDG Summer 2004

IN THIS ISSUE:

Family Computer Skills

PISA/PIRLS

Adult/Child Interactive Reading

Ladder of Citizen Participation

Parental Involvement in Children's Education e-Newsletter

Engaging Fathers

Internet News

New Publications

RECEIVING THE NEWSLETTER

Simply email ParentsInEducation@dundee.ac.uk and request to receive the newsletter. As well as your email address, please also give your full name, position, address, telephone and fax. These will NOT be made publicly available.

The electronic version of the Parents in Education newsletter is usually sent as an attached Rich Text Format (RTF) file, although it can be sent in the body of an (inevitably rather long) email message. Either can be problematic with some Internet Service Providers. Receiving the newsletter by email also indicates that it will shortly be available at www.dundee.ac.uk/eswce/research/projects/parentsineducation/ on the Parents In Education web site, and it might be more convenient for you to read it there (bookmark the site or add it to your favourites).

Members may forward the electronic Parents in Education newsletter by email on to an infinite number of other potentially interested parties. Because the Parents in Education newsletter is free, recipients may also make hard paper copies. This might be helpful if you wish to distribute to parents or others who do not have easy access to the Internet as yet - obviously you would not wish the newsletter only to be available to relatively advantaged groups. However, PERN and NHSDG retain copyright. The Newsletter must not be sold on a profit-making basis (although a small charge to cover paper and printing costs may be made).

It is very important that you advise ParentsInEducation@dundee.ac.uk of your current exact email address, and that you advise of any changes as promptly as possible. It is not unusual for people to forget to tell all relevant agencies when they change their email address. This means that the sender receives endless automatic "mail undeliverable" messages from the old address. Consequently, Parents In Education operates a "three strikes and you're out" policy. In other words, if we have three consecutive "undeliverable" automatic bounces from your (old) email address, we will simply delete it from the distribution process.

CANCELLING THE NEWSLETTER

If you no longer wish to receive "Parents In Education", simply email ParentsInEducation@dundee.ac.uk and ask for your name to be removed from the distribution list.

ABBREVIATED EMAIL ADDRESS

If you are keying in the Parents In Education email address, you can abbreviate it to PIE@dundee.ac.uk. Or copy and paste it.

PARENTS IN EDUCATION WEB SITE

Note that the website has moved to:

www.dundee.ac.uk/eswce/research/projects/parentsineducation/

There is a divert message at the old location

Contents:

PERN

NHSDG

Collaborations

Newsletter Archive

Register of Practitioners

Conferences

Links and Internet Search

Contact

CONTRIBUTE TO THE NEWSLETTER

Contributions to the Newsletter are warmly welcomed. Standard sections include:

News

Recent Research

Publications

World Wide Web sites

Conferences

Grants and Awards

Reviews

Meet a New Member

See previous issues for an idea of the varying length and style acceptable, remembering that the newsletter is for researchers and practitioners and other consumers of research.

PERN CONTACT POINTS: CO-ORDINATING GROUP

Convenor of PERN and Parents in Education Newsletter Editor: Keith Topping, Faculty of Education & Social Work, University of Dundee, Gardyne Road, Dundee DD5 1NY. Tel: 01382 464000, Fax: 464900. Email: k.j.topping@dundee.ac.uk

Secretary & Treasurer: John Paine, 16 Sandringham Drive, Brinscall, Chorley PR6 8SU, Lancashire. Tel: 01254 831 816.

U.K. Inter-Agency Liaison & NHSDG Link: Sheila Wolfendale, Department of Psychology, University of East London, Stratford Campus, Romford Road, London E15 4LZ. Tel: 0208 223 4495. Email: s.wolfendale@uel.ac.uk

International & European Inter-Agency Liaison & ERNAPE Link: Andrew Brown, Culture Communication & Societies, Institute of Education, University of London, 20 Bedford Way, London WC10 0AL. Tel: 020 7612 6224, Fax: 020 7612 6177. Email: a.brown@ioe.ac.uk

NEWS

DfES Strategic Initiatives

The Board of the Department for Education and Skills has recently been working to identify a small group of key strategic challenges facing the Department. As a first result, the Strategy and Innovation Unit was commissioned to lead a project to explore what the Department would need to do if closing the achievement gap by social class were its driving priority. The project was divided into four themed groups, which examined:

1. the causal and historical processes responsible for the socio-economic group (SEG) achievement gap and the implications of future trends
2. the impact of policies and structures inside and between educational institutions
3. the impact of policies and structures outside education and training
4. the impact of parents and parenting

The summary report of Themed Group Four (parents) is available from Steve Harvey (Ext. 55856 in the Strategy and Innovation Unit).

DfES Relocation

The Department for Education and Skills Parental Involvement in Education Team have relocated to: Area 4D Level 4, DfES, Caxton House, Tothill Street, London SW1H 9NA. New telephone numbers will be 020 7273 plus the relevant 4 digits listed below: Carolyn Unsted 5054, Vicki Stewart 1211, Marcia Gibbs 1386, Florence Otim 1121, Elizabeth Cornish 5619, Ola Gbadebo 4886, Salam Mannan 5628, Mark J Nagle 5620. E-mail addresses remain unchanged.

National Family & Parenting Institute

NFPI (www.nfpi.org) has recently been awarded research institute status by the ESRC, and is expanding its research activities. The appointment of a Senior Research fellow is in hand, and the advertisement can be seen on www.jobs.ac.uk and http://jobs.guardian.co.uk - or email info@nfpi.org.

School-Home Support UK

Staff include: Esi Ayensu, Sharon Gibbs, Seyda Alpsen; (Area Managers): Ann Roberts, Alex Nelson, Tracy Blackwell, Lesley Harrison; (Training Officer) Natasha Wallace. See www.schoolhomesupport.org.uk

Involving Parents in Children's Assessment

Sheila Wolfendale is involved in research and development work for the DfES on Involving Parents in their Children's Assessment, following on from her involvement with Donna Murray from Learning, Teaching Scotland’s Project 9 (Reporting to Parents).

Northern Ireland Project

Margaret Brady reports on an initiative in the Belfast local authority centred mainly on developing strategies for engaging parents in the education of their children - in particular the most vulnerable parents and children. There is also considerable emphasis on fostering changes in school culture in order to ensure parents are involved and supported - a 'whole school approach' to involving and supporting parents in order to increase the educational and life chances of their children.

Scottish Conference

More than eighty people attended the Second Annual Conference of the Scottish Network for Parental Involvement in Children’ Learning (SNPICL) on 12th November 2003 in Auchterderran Centre, Fife. Twenty Councils showed commitment in sending representatives to the conference. The theme of the conference was Parents Too: involving parents in children’s learning. The morning session included keynote addresses by guest speakers Alan Armstrong of The Scottish Executive (HMI) and Jeanne Haggart of the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE), followed by workshops in the afternoon. SNPICL has been invited to take part in the fact finding review being carried out by the Scottish Executive on parental involvement. Contact SNPICL via r.cheyne@blueyonder.co.uk.

Men and Their Children

Family Learning in Dumfries and Galloway runs groups for Men and their Children, to allow fathers and children to spend stress-free time together engaging in a range of social and leisure activities, with a view to promoting joint learning and close bonding. The Men’s groups are carefully planned in the context of social inclusion policies. Further information: Jamie Ferguson, fergusonj@aft.dumgal.net

Family Computer Skills

Pupils turn teachers in family computer skills project - Rob Porteous, Curriculum Leader at St George’s School for Girls in Edinburgh, explains his family tutoring initiative.

A room full of children and adults using computers: nothing strange about that, you might think. But listen in to the conversations and you will realise that something unusual is happening. The adults are learning skills in desk-top publishing, working with tables and charts, creating slide shows and using digital cameras: their tutors are eight and nine years old!

We have been using peer tutoring in ICT lessons for the past four years, with very beneficial results, but the decision to extend its use to teaching adults is a relatively new venture. A pilot study, when four Primary 4 pupils tutored their own parents, convinced us that a larger scale initiative would be viable. The pupils enjoyed teaching their Mums and Dads and the adults all felt that they had learned something new.

Just before Christmas we wrote to all our Junior School parents and had responses from about a dozen families who said that they would be interested in participating. Classes got underway in January, with a mixture of Mums and Dads, brothers and sisters and grannies and grandpas coming one afternoon a week, for up to an hour and a half after school. Learners and tutors come for whatever part of the time they can, taking into account after school clubs and other commitments. Some of the adults use the time simply to find out from their children what they have been learning in school. Others have chosen to receive formal tuition in various aspects of basic computer skills from one of our Primary 4, Primary 5 or Year 6 tutors.

“It’s a fun way to learn,” enthuses one of the mums after learning PowerPoint from her daughter, “much more fun than an adult class! Also I like seeing things from the children's point of view - and it gives me a chance to see what they are learning in school.”

Our pupils have become skilled in peer tutoring in school ICT lessons using the Dolphin System (see www.dolphinsystem.co.uk), which provides a structured pathway for learning ICT skills across the curriculum. The on-screen teaching materials have proved ideal for the after-school sessions, since they allow each learner to select a subject of their choice and then to learn from a tutor who is already competent in their chosen area. The materials are clear and easy to follow, with special help buttons that enable the tutors to remind themselves of anything they have forgotten.

“When you are taught in the right way, step by step, it can make it look very easy,” says one dad, after a first introduction to Microsoft Excel. “I found the session very helpful – very, very useful; and it’s good for the girls – they are learning as well.”

The sessions virtually run themselves. My role is to pair tutors up with learners as they arrive at each session. Then I leave them to it! Each learner decides whether to work through the teaching materials step-by-step; or to learn first by simply asking questions from their tutor and then use Dolphin to review what they have learned and fill any gaps. The tutors take full responsibility for managing the teaching input and gauging the pace of the lessons. An occasional word to ask how things are going is all that is needed to ensure that everyone is learning effectively.

Tutors and learners have been unanimous in their approval for the project. Another mum waxes lyrical about the benefits for her daughter who has been involved since last term: “Tutoring is a great way for the children to reinforce their own understanding and application of IT, but it offers more than that – they develop the skills needed to tailor their teaching to suit a range of ages and abilities and become confident and effective communicators. That benefits them, both as tutors and as learners in other areas of the curriculum.”

“It’s fun”, says Sarah (aged 9) who has been involved in the project since the beginning. “You get to tutor people you wouldn’t ordinarily tutor in class – so you get to know new people. But it’s not so easy as teaching children – with adults you have to explain it more!”

The last word goes to Roselle (age 8), who yesterday had her first experience as a tutor: “It’s really good. I liked it because I think it’s going to teach me to be more confident. I used to feel really not confident [on the computer] but now I’m feeling much more confident having joined the after school tutoring, because I’m going to teach my Grandma. It feels like my Grandma is like someone in Primary 1 who doesn’t know much on the computer and I know more than her!

For further information on the Dolphin peer tutoring system, or on Rob’s research into peer tutoring, please visit www.dolphinsystem.co.uk. Alternatively, Rob can be contacted on 0131 337 3158 or email rob@enlighten.uk.com.

RECENT RESEARCH

PIRLS

The international PIRLS study explored reading achievement and factors related to reading achievement at fourth grade (9-10-year-olds). See:

Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS)

http://timss.bc.edu/pirls2001i/PIRLS2001_Pubs.html

PIRLS International Report - full report freely downloadable from
http://timss.bc.edu/pirls2001i/pdf/P1_IR_ExecSum.pdf

Regarding the connection between Home Activities and Literacy, the conclusions were:

• In every country, there was a positive relationship between reading achievement at fourth grade and students having engaged in early literacy activities before starting school (e.g., reading books, telling stories, singing songs, playing with alphabet toys, and playing word games). Parents generally reported a fairly high level of engagement, with England and Scotland reporting the highest levels.
• On average across countries, there was a strong relationship between speaking the language of the PIRLS test at home and performance on the PIRLS test.
• In every country, fourth-grade students from homes with many children’s books (more than 100) had higher reading achievement than those from homes with few children’s books (10 or less). Internationally, on average, the majority of students (58%) were in homes with more than 25 children’s books.
• Across countries, on average, students with the highest reading achievement had parents who spent time reading (more than six hours per week) and their parents had favourable attitudes toward reading.

PISA/PIRLS Resource

The international PISA study assessed the reading literacy of 15-year-olds - see www.pisa.oecd.org. The International Reading Association has a task force developing an in-service training resource to help countries explore the implications of this study for practice and policy locally. Home-school connections are a major element. Watch for: Brozo, W., Dionisio, M., Roller, C., Topping, K. J. & Valtin, R. (2004). Improving reading achievement: Questions from PISA/PIRLS data for national practice and policy. Newark, DE: International Reading Association. It will be announced on the IRA website - www.reading.org.

Home-School Knowledge Exchange Project

"For a long time it has been clear that when teachers and parents can find ways of working well together, children do better at school. The Home-School Knowledge Exchange Project (HSKE), based in schools in Bristol and Cardiff, has been specially set-up to find out more about how this works, so that its benefits can be made available to other families and schools." The project is part of the ESRC funded Teaching and Learning Research programme (www.tlrp.org). Three topics are investigated: Developing literacy at Key Stage One; Developing numeracy at Key Stage Two; Facilitating transfer between Key Stage Two and Three (between primary and secondary school). The three year project involves the University of Bristol working in partnership with twelve schools in two LEAs (Cardiff and Bristol). Development work will be monitored and changes in learning processes and outcomes measured using both qualitative and quantitative methods. The project website is at www.home-school-learning.org.uk. The current newsletter features case studies from participating schools.

Parent-Child Book Interactions

Hammett, L. A., Kleeck, A. v., & Huberty, C. J. (2003). Patterns of parents' extratextual interactions during book sharing with preschool children: A cluster analysis study. Reading Research Quarterly, 38 (4), 442-468.

Ninety-six middle-income parent-child dyads were videotaped as they shared an unfamiliar book together. Parents' extratextual utterances were coded for content and entered into a cluster analysis to identify patterns of variability in interaction style. Main categories of utterances were: Print & book convention utterances, Behaviour management & feedback utterances, and Story-content related utterances. The latter were classified into four levels of sophistication, concerning: matching perception, selective analysis/integration of perception, reordering or making inferences about perceptions, and reasoning about perceptions. However, the majority of parents made few extratextual utterances (with an unfamiliar book). Some parents made a moderate number of utterances distributed across all clusters. A few parents made many utterances but confined to one of the categories. There were implications for how parents might be encouraged to help their children with reading.

Evaluating Evaluations

D. J. Mattingly, R. Prislin, T. L. McKenzie, J. L. Rodriguez, & B. Kayzar (2002). Evaluating evaluations: The case of parent involvement programs. Review of Educational Research, 72 (4), 549–576.

This article analyzes 41 studies that evaluated K–12 parent involvement programs in order to assess claims that such programs are an effective means of improving student learning. It examines the characteristics of the parent involvement programs, as well as the research design, data, and analytical techniques used in program evaluation. The authors’ examination of evaluations found little empirical support for the widespread claim that parent involvement programs are an effective means of improving student achievement or changing parent, teacher, and student behavior. The authors do not conclude that programs are ineffective. Rather, serious design, methodological, and analytical flaws inherent in studies evaluating the effectiveness of parent involvement programs must be addressed before definite conclusions about program effectiveness can be reached. The findings of this study are particularly significant given the substantial federal support for parent involvement.

Families First

Verman, J. W., de Kemp, R. A. , Brink, L. T., Slot, N. W., & Scholte, E. M. (2003). The implementation of Families First in the Netherlands: A one-year follow-up. Child Psychiatry and Human Development, 33 (3), 227-244.

The importance of the family influencing early development has been demonstrated repeatedly in research examining social, emotional and cognitive development. Such research has been used to advocate for resources for services to facilitate early development and promote healthy developmental trajectories. This study examined whether the American family preservation program "Families First" was successfully implemented in the Netherlands. Participants included 250 children (ages 1-18 years) of 177 families who received Families First. The mothers ranged in age from 22-60 years and the fathers ranged in age from 21-63 years. At the beginning of the program 78% of the children appeared to have serious behavioural problems, 67% of the parents experienced a high level of parental stress, and 63% of the children went through a substantial number of life events during the year preceding the treatment. On average, the program was implemented as intended; duration about 4 weeks, intensity about 10 hours a week, and availability during working hours as well as in the evenings and in weekends. In addition, family workers adhered to important guidelines of treatment delivery delineated by the program. One year after treatment 76% of the children were still living at home. Moreover, children's behavioural problems, parental stress and the number of life events each decreased significantly. It was concluded that Families First had reached its intended target group, delivered the treatment as intended, and achieved its intended outcomes, suggesting a successful implementation in the Netherlands.

Sure Start

Ford, R. M., Evans, D., & S. J. P. McDougall (2003). Progressing in Tandem: A Sure Start initiative for enhancing the role of parents in children’s early education. Educational and Child Psychology, 20 (4), 80-95.

The Tandem Project is an educational programme, targeting pre-schoolers, sponsored by the DfES Sure Start initiative. It aims to encourage parents from low-SES backgrounds to take a greater role in preparing their children for school. Parents are given a series of games to play with their children, designed to develop basic pre-reading and numerical skills. Pre-reading games include listening to stories, learning about the representational qualities of print, reciting nursery rhymes, recognising and discriminating shapes and letters, and analysing the sounds of words. Numerical games include learning about length, size and quantity, linking concepts about quantity with the number system, counting, and recognising written numerals. A preliminary study found the programme was successful in developing children’s skills, although outcomes were moderated by family socio-economic status. The implications for involving parents in the education of their preschool children are discussed.

Intergenerational Literacy

Dipardo, A. & Schnack, P. (2004). Expanding the web of meaning: Thought and emotion in an intergenerational reading and writing program. Reading Research Quarterly, 39 (1), 14-37.

This study explored informants’ experiences in a reading/writing program that paired eighth-grade language arts students with elderly volunteers. Twenty-three pairs were followed over an academic year as they read books in common, corresponded in response journals, and met in person at program social events. Through analysis of interviews, their collaborative journals, and end-of-year questionnaires, the researchers explored informants’ pre-existing conceptions of literate participation and the dynamics and perceived meanings of their participation in the partnership program. Drawing on neo-Vygotskian theory, the researchers argued that emotion played an integral role in participants’ constructions of meaning and that as they established trust and rapport, these correspondents set the stage for increasingly searching and often challenging conversations. Their participation illustrates the interweaving of emotion and cognition in engaged literacy and underscores the need to create opportunities for literacy learning that are at once interpersonally warm and critically astute.

Society for the Scientific Study of Reading

Eleventh Annual Meeting, June 27-30, 2004, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Dorit Aram (Tel Aviv University), Sigalit Aviram - Parents’ choosing and reading books to their young children: How does it affect children's literacy and socio-emotional development?

A large though inconclusive body of research connects storybook reading to different aspects of early literacy. Yet little is known as to the relation between storybook reading and children's early socio-emotional development. Moreover, studies have focused on the quantity and quality of reading encounters, but not on how parents select books for their children. The present study investigates the relations between aspects of storybook reading (maternal book selection preferences, frequency of storybook reading, the nature of the reading interactions, and the literacy environment) and the kindergartners' early literacy as well as social emotional development. Forty middle-class mothers and their kindergartners participated in the study. We interviewed the mothers in their homes regarding the following issues: criteria used while selecting books for their children, quantity of storybook reading and other literacy activities, nature of storybook reading, and familiarity with children's literature. We tested children on early literacy measures (letter knowledge, phonological socio-emotional measures (empathy, coherence, and social cognition). Kindergarten teachers also provided information regarding the children's socio- emotional development. Findings will be discussed within the framework of shared reading as a vehicle for literacy and socio-emotional development.

Ofra Korat (Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan), Pnina Klienn, Ora Segal-Drori - Patterns of mediation in book reading to young children as predictors of emergent reading: A comparison between two Israeli social groups.

This research had two aims: (1) to compare low and high SES maternal mediational styles when book reading with kindergarteners, and (2) to examine whether maternal reading style predicts children's emergent reading level. The study included 94 families equally divided to low SES (LSES) and high SES (HSES) groups. In the first stage, children's emergent literacy (e.g., letter names, word recognition, CAP and emergent book reading) was measured. In the second, parent-child interaction while book reading was videotaped and information about Home Literacy Environment (HLE) was gathered. Maternal mediation style, and HLE differed as a function of SES. Compared to the HSES mothers, LSES mothers addressed the relationship between the picture in the story and the text more often, and made fewer connections beyond the text. HLE of the HSES group was higher than the LSES. Across SES children's emergent reading was predicted by SES and HLE. While in the HSES group maternal mediating style and HLE predicted child's emergent reading, no such prediction appeared in the LSES group. Results are discussed in terms of children's socio-cultural background and their reading experience.

Adriana G. Bus (Leiden University), Maria T. de Jong, Marian Verhallen - Do stories on DVD or CD-ROM support young children’s literacy?

From listening to stories children expand their comprehension of plot sequence, facts and details, and story language. These outcomes strongly recommend read-alouds as components of literacy programs and support trends resulting in more teachers and parents reading aloud every day. Empirical evidence indicates, however, that the effectiveness of read-alouds depends on children’s language development. Even the simplest picture-storybooks may include so many unknown words and sentence structures that children fail to understand text even after several readings. A prime aim of our studies is to test whether children with a language delay learn as much from picture-storybooks as children without language delay. Computers introduce new formats of picture-storybooks thus expanding the number of sources to support story and language understanding: different from the traditional format books on the computer include oral text, animated pictures, and sound effects. Our second aim is to test whether encounters with stories including filmic pictures and sound effects, provide unique opportunities to stimulate story and language comprehension. Subjects were 3- and 5-year-old children with and without a language delay from lower-class families. We present outcomes of two randomized experiments.

Mary Ann Evans (University of Guelph), Jubilea Mansell, Laura Hamilton, Betty Ann Levy - Parental responses to child miscues during shared reading: stability and effects of parent style from Kindergarten through Grade 2.

Shared reading is normally thought of as preschool activity. Our observations from kindergarten through grade 2, show that parents continue to read to their children but encourage them to take on the reader role and actively coach them in word recognition. The presentation describes the stability of coaching styles across this period and the effect that different forms of miscue feedback have on reading skill in a sample of 50 normally developing children who were observed reading with their parents in each of these three grades. The extent to which parents supplied misread words, gave grapho-phonemic clues, or pointed out errors without further help correlated between .39 and .64 between the grades, showing the stability of parent style. ANOVA with reading skill as a covariate revealed that children whose parents rarely ignored miscues had higher word attack and reading comprehension scores in grades 1 and 2. After accounting for kindergarten skill, the type of feedback provided by parents from kindergarten through grade 1 predicted 11-15% of the variance in grade 1 word identification scores. However after accounting for grade 1 reading skill, the type of feedback observed from grade 1 to grade 2 did not predict grade 2 reading scores.

Adult/Child Interactive Reading Inventory

Dr. Andrea DeBruin-Parecki, Director of the High/Scope Early Reading Institute, has developed this research and assessment tool for analysing the multiple purposes and thus the multiple interactions in parent-child reading. From this stem a number of age-related parent self-assessment guides (e.g. for babies, toddlers, etc). The ACIRI can also be aligned with specific family literacy curricula. Contact the author at: 600 North River Street, Ypsilanti, Michigan 48198-2898, USA; adp@highscope.org and see www.highscope.org/EducationalPrograms/ReadingInstitute/readinginstitute.htm

Project FLAME

Flora Rodriguez-Brown of the University of Illinois at Chicago reported outcomes for this project at the International Reading Association annual conference in Reno Nevada May 2004. The project is targeted on English language learning Latino communities, with 6 sites in Chicago and 50 other adoptions across North America. She noted that parents attended ESL classes twice weekly and family literacy sessions every two weeks. After one year in the programme, parents showed significant differences in their use of literacy in the home and significant improvement in their English language proficiency. See www.uic.edu/educ/flame

Focus on Fathers

Vivian Gadsden, Director of the National Center on Fathers and Families at the Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania, reviewed research on fathers and families at the International Reading Association annual conference in Reno Nevada May 2004. She reported a study of young, low-income African-American fathers, exploring the gendered nature of their constructions of literacy. She concluded that such fathers were a diverse group. A "one-size-fits-all" solution was not available. For the NCFF, see: www.ncoff.gse.upenn.edu

FEATURE ARTICLE

Ladder of Citizen Participation

Some years ago, Sherry Arnstein produced a typology which opened up a debate on youth participation. This still seems relevant to the involvement of parents in education. Arnstein’s (1969) "ladder of participation" is reproduced below.

The ladder of participation presents ideal types and stages with little reference to context. In its time it presented practitioners with a useful model within which they could reflect on their own practice more radically. Were they actually enabling participation, or were they ‘agents of social control’?

The strengths of Arnstein’s model lie in its simplicity and with the relatively accessible assertions it offers. The weaknesses relate to the assumptions it makes about progression from one stage to another. Participation is more dynamic and situation-specific than the model suggests. Although acknowledged by Arnstein herself to be an over-simplification of a complex process, the typology provides a useful framework.

(With thanks to Terry Barber for the contribution).

Arnstein, S. (1969). A ladder of citizen participation. Journal of the American Institute of Planners, 35 (4), 216-224.

Arnstein’s ‘Ladder of Citizen Participation’

Eighth rung	Citizen Control	Included in this level are programmes which give power and control to citizens.
Seventh rung	Delegated Power	Citizens have significant control. If disputes arise, citizens enter into a bargaining process with officials rather than officials deciding outcomes.
Sixth rung	Partnership	Planning and decision-making is shared at this level.
Fifth rung	Placation	Tokenistic exercises such as allowing a small number of selected people to become members of official committees, with no real intent to redistribute power or resources.
Fourth rung	Consultation	This can be a step toward full participation but consultation alone is not enough to secure citizen participation in ensuring that ideas and opinions are carried into action.
Third rung	Information	Information can be a precursor to full participation but one-way flow of information is ineffective in finding out people’s views.
Second rung	Therapy	Here citizens are encouraged to join groups to share their experiences - this level serves to pathologise individuals while leading to little social change.
Bottom rung	Manipulation	Here citizens are placed on ‘rubber-stamp’ committees to give the appearance of consultation and participation.

PUBLICATIONS

(Mention of a publication here does not imply endorsement)

Parental Involvement in Children's Education e-Newsletter

TeacherNet (www.teachernet.gov.uk) has been developed by the Department for Education and Skills as a resource to support the education profession. The Parental Involvement in Children's Education (PICE) e-Newsletter is one of the projects. The aim is to keep the newsletters short, sweet and ideal for a coffee-break. Each issue is intended to have the following content:

1. Introduction
2. Fast fact - a research fact highlighting why it is so important to involve parents
3. Spotlight - a small illumination into the positive actions taken by some to help parents help their children
4. Hot topic - what's hot in the world of education and parents
5. A case study showing good practice
6. A good idea each issue
7. A list of resources available
8. Details of how to subscribe to the newsletter or have input into it.

To view back issues and/or subscribe, go to www.teachernet.gov.uk and search for ‘PICE Newsletter’ or go to: www.teachernet.gov.uk/wholeschool/familyandcommunity/workingwithparents/newsletter

Family and Community Engagement: Creating Partnerships, Bridging Worlds

For many students, particularly students from low-income families and students of colour, a significant disconnect exists between the worlds of school, family, and community. A new guide helps schools and teachers bring these diverse worlds together and recognize the assets and strengths inherent in each. Such efforts help schools to be more successful in supporting and engaging students, resulting in higher student achievement. The guide provides resources, models, and tools to help schools create a framework for family and community engagement. The framework, based in part on the work of Dr. Joyce Epstein at the National Network of Partnership Schools, Johns Hopkins University, consists of: Parenting; Communicating; Volunteering; Supporting Student Learning at Home; Inclusive Decision Making; and Collaborating with the Community. Turning Points is a comprehensive school reform model designed to strengthen the academic core of middle schools and to establish challenging, caring, and equitable learning environments that meet the needs of young adolescents. The guide is filled with practical strategies for emphasizing family strengths, creating partnerships, and promoting equity. For more information: www.turningpts.org/guides.htm and www.turningpts.org/pdf/Family.pdf

IPRA Training Pack

The IPRA Training Pack & Video supports the information contained in the DfES Materials for Schools – Involving Parents, Raising Achievement booklet. The training pack includes a suggested programme for an INSET day. Also check out the IPRA booklet, available at www.teachernet.gov.uk/docbank/index.cfm?id=5477

Parent Adviser Training Kit

Authored by Hilton Davis, Crispin Day and Christine Bidmead, the PAT kit includes the Parent Adviser Training Manual and the Course Textbook. It is based on the Parent Adviser model which is said to have been well evaluated (see The Centre for Parent and Child Support, www.cpcs.org). The manual includes principles and methods of teaching the course, handouts to photocopy and evaluation methods. The text book can be purchased separately at £26. Available from The Psychological Corporation, www.tpc-international.com.

Parenting Stress Index

The third edition of this instrument devised by Richard Abidin is now available, containing 101 items for screening and diagnostic purposes. It is designed to assess stressful areas in parent/child interactions. Child characteristics are measured on 6 subscales and parent characteristics on 7 subscales. It reportedly takes 20-30 minutes to administer. Available from The Psychological Corporation, www.tpc-international.com.

New Books

Sally Beveridge. Children, Families and Schools: Developing Partnerships for Inclusive Education. London & New York: RoutledgeFalmer. November 2004 ISBN 0-415-27934-8. This book explores essentials in communication for home-school relationships, including for children with special needs.

Gray Burnett & Kay Jarvis. Parents first. Camarthen: Crown House Publishing.

www.crownhouse.co.uk "Parents First is by parents and for parents. It is designed to improve parents’ and children’s self-esteem and self-motivation in order to build the confidence to take on new challenges. It cuts through the waffle and simply explains some of the key current research about how the human brain works. The book also provides practical advice on how to apply what is now known to studying and learning at school."

John Hodgson & Alan Dyer. Let your children go back to nature. Milverton, Somerset: Capall Bann. www.capallbann.co.uk. "Crammed with new and stimulating ideas, games and creative activities that have already delighted thousands of children, this ground-breaking book by two long-experienced educationalists challenges the current orthodoxies about the upbringing of younger children." Not exactly conventionally evidence-based. These publishers offer a range of interesting New Age publications.

Rachel Johnstone. Inviting families in: A guide to organising family learning events. Crediton, Devon: Mosaic Educational & Southgate Publishers. The Southgate Publishers web site has a home learning section www.southgatepublishers.co.uk

Engaging Fathers

A TeacherNet leaflet: www.teachernet.gov.uk/_doc/6726/ACF21C0.pdf

"When effective strategies for reaching out to fathers are thoughtfully and consistently implemented, they sometimes prove surprisingly easy to engage. However, shaping and implementing a coherent strategy certainly needs time and commitment at the outset. Above all it needs an informed approach that recognises the significance of the potential outcomes for children, fathers and families."

Complex Learning Disabilities

A Guide to the Curriculum for Parents of Children with Complex Learning Disabilities with accompanying CD programme has been developed by PAMIS – a voluntary organisation and registered charity working with people with profound and multiple learning disabilities and their families, based at the White Top Research Unit at the University of Dundee (www.dundee.ac.uk/pamis). Email pamis@dundee.ac.uk for further details.

Family Literacy

Andrea DeBruin-Parecki & Barbara Krol-Sinclair (Eds.) (2003). Family literacy: From theory to practice. Newark, DE: International Reading Association. This book seeks to develop a practical theory of family literacy, relating this to specific strategies and practices and considering the implications for evaluation. See www.reading.org/publications

National Family & Parenting Institute Publications

Margaret O'Brien (2004). Fathers and family support: Promoting involvement and evaluating impact. London: NFPI.

Helen Barrett (2003). Parenting programmes for families at risk: A source book. London: NFPI.

Harriet Becher & Fatima Hussain (2003). Supporting ethnic minority families: South Asian Hindus and Muslims in Britain: Developments in family support. London: NFPI.

Titus Alexander, John Coleman, Rachel Pick, Anne Page (2004). Parent information point toolkit: Resources for setting up workshops for parents in school and community centres (book + CD- ROM pack). London: NFPI.

Family Today - a quarterly magazine contributing to the family practice and policy debate. Published four times a year.

Further details from the NFPI website: www.nfpi.org/data/publications/index.htm

WORLD WIDE WEB SITES

(Mention of a web site here does not imply endorsement)

Working with Parents

Described as "Everything to do with parents that a teacher needs", this site is part of TeacherNet. It asserts: "A successful home-school relationship can be a key element in making a school stronger and more effective. In particular, it can make a real difference for groups of underachieving pupils and their families. This area of TeacherNet aims to help schools and teachers understand how to work with parents effectivelyand why it is important to do so." See: www.teachernet.gov.uk/wholeschool/familyandcommunity/workingwithparents

Harvard Family Research Project

This is a good source of information about Parent Involvement, Evaluation, Logic Models and more, with numerous interesting publications - such as the “Reaching Results Briefs”: www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/pubs/pubsbytitle.html#rr

These short reports are designed to frame and contribute to the public debate on evaluation, accountability, and organizational learning. The links take you to these titles and more:

Learning From Logic Models: An Example of a Family/School Partnership Program

(1999). Julia Coffman: www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/pubs/onlinepubs/rrb/learning.html

Aiming for Accountability: Lessons Learned From Eight States

(1998). Diane Schilder: www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/pubs/onlinepubs/rrb/aiming.html

Family, School, Community Partnerships

The Family, School, Community Partnerships Special Interest Group (SIG) of AERA (the American Educational Research Association) has a website at www.uvm.edu/sro/FSCP The goal of the SIG is to promote the study and dissemination of research on school, family, and community connections that support children's learning and development. It has a Research and Resources page including some books and chapters to view or download, and a newsletter for members.

Reading Reform Foundation

The Reading Reform Foundation website encourages parents and teachers to find out about research on reading instruction and to use the message board facility for questions or contributions to debate. The governance statement is to bring evidence-based reading instruction to UK schools. Reading Reform Foundation, Walnut House, Floreat Gardens, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 6AW, United Kingdom. Website: http://www.rrf.org.uk, Email: admin@rrf.org.uk, Tel/Fax: 01635 524911 (UK), Tel/Fax: +44 (0) 1635 524911 (International).

Promoting Parental Leadership

Is your school willing and able to work with all families? Does student achievement improve every year? If so, that would make your school a “partnership school” according to a new report from the Center for Parent Leadership titled The Case for Parent Leadership. Parent leadership refers to parents taking the lead in identifying problems and working with schools to create solutions. The report examines the value of this type of parental leadership and describes how schools can help parents embrace leadership roles. Also included are tools and checklists to assess the current state of parent involvement at your school.

See www.centerforparentleadership.org/case.pdf

The Picky Parent Guide

The Picky Parent Guide offers: "dozens of customized, practical ways to improve your child's school performance; a complete, unbiased research-based introduction to seven universal Great School Quality Factors that any parent can learn to recognize; surprising, often touching stories of school choice success, demystification of teaching methods and educational lingo, and much more!" To learn more about the Picky Parent Guide, visit its website at www.pickyparent.com

Parents of Dyslexic Children

Check out the site for parents of dyslexic children at www.dyslexics.org.uk—maintained by Susan Godsland.

MEET A NEW MEMBER (OR TWO….)

Thorbjörg Helga Vigfúsdóttir is Special Advisor to the Minister of Education at the Ministry of Education, Reykjavík, Iceland. The Ministry is looking into how parents influence the school community.

Dee James is a Further Education tutor at Sittingbourne Community College in Kent, situated in an area of mid-high deprivation. Here they are building links with the local Sure Start programmes in an effort to address poor literacy/numeracy and attendance and to promote family involvement. They are also planning to build a Children's and Families' Centre on-site, and are looking to develop training programmes.

Leen Dom is a researcher at the Catholic University of Louvain (Belgium), working on a PhD about the relationship between parents and schools. The working title is: Parents and schools: partnership or struggle? It concerns the structuration theory of Giddens applied to the relationship between parents and teachers/ school heads in primary education. Over the last decennia the role of parents in the educational structure has become larger. Parental involvement, formal (representation in all sorts of councils) as well as informal, has increased. However parental involvement is not always evaluated positively by schools. A good relationship between parents and teachers cannot be taken for granted. The goal of this project is to investigate the relationship between parents on the one hand and teachers and school heads on the other hand. This will be done by means of Giddens structuration theory. The central question is: Can this theory help us to understand the relationship between parents, teachers and school heads in primary education? The empirical research will include four case-studies. The schools will be selected taking into account the school size and the number of underprivileged pupils. The interaction process between parents, teachers and school heads will be outlined through in-depth interviews and observation at different moments in the school year.