Family Engagement and Education Workshop

This Family Engagement Program includes four sessions specially designed to help and support the families of students taking the Algebra 1 course. The purpose of these workshop sessions is to provide families with information about the topics the course will cover and show them what class projects will entail. This workshop will give parents resources to use at home and strategies to help their student(s) finish the class successfully. 

The first meeting, “How to support your student at home,” will review the course content and present ideas to increase communication and to motivate student(s) at home, including online resources, games, and fun activities. Session 2, “Performance tasks and Chapter Tests: What you need to know,” will explain briefly what performance tasks are and what is expected from the students. It will also assist parents with ideas on ways they can help and support their student(s) at home. Session 3, “Course Pacing and Avoiding Procrastination,” will describe the course pacing and approximate dates of tests. A list of available resources will be shared with parents, as well as ideas on how they can help their students organize their time and tackle procrastination effectively. In session 4, “End of the Program Celebration,” parents will share experiences and strategies that worked and were successful with the students, and recommendations for future workshops. After that, there will be prizes, games, and even a delicious dinner! A certificate of completion will be given to all parents who attended at least three of the sessions.

This program will help increase communication between parents and teachers. It will focus on making the parents feel heard, appreciated, supported, comfortable, and confident when approaching the teacher and when helping their student(s) at home. With this program, I hope to put into practice some of the key points made by Epstein in her “Six Types of Family Involvement Framework,” to foster strong and culturally proficient family-school partnerships. 

Many studies have proven that family and community engagement in children’s education is crucial and promotes socially healthier students, better behavior, and academic achievement. According to the U.S Department of Education, students’ academic performance and motivation improve significantly when families are engaged (U.S. Department of Education, 2016). In fact, Clark-Louque et al. (2020) state that when the government, families, schools, and community partners work together and develop strong partnerships, they are also “contributing to the school’s climate and the students’ success” (Clark-Louque et al., 2020, p.29). 

It is not uncommon for family engagement to decrease over the years. Research has shown that, overall, family involvement is usually higher in early childhood and elementary school, but it starts to decline in middle school and lowers even more in high school when parents start facing resistance from their adolescents, who are craving independence (HFRP, 2007). However, it is essential for parents to make an effort to continue to be involved in their children’s education because it can make a significant difference in their college education and future achievements (HFRP, 2007). In the article “Family Involvement in Middle and High School Students’ Education,” the Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP) examines the importance of parent engagement in youth education. Supportive parents who are also empathetic and responsive through a child’s adolescent years can make a significant difference in their educational attainments and social and emotional outcomes. (HFRP, 2007). 

High school teachers and school directors need to provide parents with opportunities to volunteer, participate, and encourage them to be engaged, and one of this workshop’s goals is to do just that. As a high school math and science teacher, the most common phrase I hear when asking parents to be more involved is: “I can’t help them because I don’t know much about math.” Math can be a challenging subject because of the way many people feel about it. There are several misconceptions and prejudices, and many parents do not realize that they do not need to be math experts to support their children at home. They only need to have the desire to participate, be interested, engaged, and make good use of the resources available to make it easier for them to help their children with homework. In the article, “Parental Mathematics Homework Involvement of Low-Income Families with Middle School Students,” O’Sullivan et al. (2014) analyzed the effects of parent involvement on mathematics homework and students’ mathematics achievements. The authors found that providing structure at home, offering support and direct assistance help with homework completion, improves students’ performance, and is incredibly beneficial for their mathematics learning. (O’Sullivan et al., 2014, p. 180).

In Type one of Epstein’s (n.d.) “Six Types of Family Involvement Framework,” the author states that educators and school leaders should make an effort to “help all families establish home environments to support children as students” (Epstein, n.d). The four sessions in this program are designed to familiarize parents with the course content, the schedule, the expectations, resources available, and strategies they can use to feel confident and comfortable helping their children with homework assignments and class projects. 

Another important key point to consider is communication. The “National PTA Standard 2” defines communication as “the process of exchanging information efficiently” (PTA, 2009, p.15). Effective communication between students’ families and school is also necessary for children’s academic success and beneficial for schools, as well. 

Type two of Epstein’s (n.d.) “Framework of six types of involvement,” summarizes some considerations to have in mind when working towards establishing good, useful connections between families and school. For instance, it is crucial to consider all parents’ different needs, such as language, reading, or writing abilities, as well as the clarity, form, and regularity of all print and non-print communication (Epstein, n.d.). Thus, these four sessions offer a way for parents to submit written questions in their preferred language, and will also have flyers summarizing the topics covered and copies of the presentation available in other languages, depending on the families and their preferences. Furthermore, parents will have the opportunity to evaluate each session and include their recommendations for the next meetings and future workshops. The place, time, and dates of future workshops will also depend on the families’ needs. This would include taking into account factors such as work schedules, possible transportation issues, and childcare. Because of that, the suggestions made by O’Donell & Kirkner (2014) to offer different times and locations for meetings, taking into account language, reading ability, and child care options are helpful strategies that will be included in future sessions (O’Donell & Kirkner, 2014).