Fall, 2000 No. 9 National Network of Partnership Schools
Partnership Activities Help Improve Student Attendance in Elementary Schools
Partnership Programs in Portugal's Schools Produce Results for Parents, Teachers, and Students
Partnership Activities Help Improve Student Attendance in Elementary Schools
Many studies of students at all grade levels indicate that students with better attendance are less likely to drop out of school, and more likely to achieve at high levels and graduate from high school on time. In short, students learn more and are more successful if they have good attendance. This makes attendance an important issue in education, and an important school improvement goal.
In 1996-97, schools in the National Network of Partnership Schools were invited to join an exploratory Focus on Results study to learn whether and which family and community involvement activities affect student attendance. Twelve elementary schools returned the longitudinal data needed to address the question. After statistically accounting for the schools’ prior levels of attendance, several family involvement activities significantly increased rates of daily attendance, reduced chronic absenteeism, or both.
Two-Way Communications
Three partnership activities increased daily attendance rates and reduced chronic absenteeism: rewarding students for improved attendance; providing parents with a contact person at the school to call as needed; and communicating effectively with all families about attendance issues. Two-way communications between the school and home seem to help families influence their children’s attendance.
Community and Family Action
Three other partnership activities were associated with improving daily attendance rates: referring chronically absent students to a counselor; using truant officers with problem students and families; and conducting workshops to help parents understand and take action on attendance issues. School and community resources can be used to improve attendance, along with families’ active support.
Personal Contacts to Reduce Chronic Absence
Schools that reported conducting home visits reduced the percentage of students who missed over 20 days of school. This strategy may help parents of chronically absent students feel more personal support from school representatives, and parents may be more likely to reinforce the school’s emphasis on student attendance.
In elementary schools, parents greatly influence children’s school attendance. This exploratory study suggests that schools can improve or sustain good attendance by implementing targeted family and community involvement activities.
From: Joyce L. Epstein and Steven B. Sheldon. (2000). Improving student attendance: Effects of family and community involvement. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association, Washington, DC.
Partnership Programs in Portugal's Schools Produce Results for Parents, Teachers, and Students
Researchers in Portugal are working to understand and improve comprehensive programs of school, family, and community partnerships. Dr. Adelina Villas-Boas of the University of Lisbon conducted a survey of principals and teachers in a random sample of 1195 schools in Portugal. She also studied the effects of helping teachers at 25 elementary schools selected randomly from the larger sample to implement strong programs of partnerships.
The survey data indicated a serious gap between what teachers and principals said about the importance of family involvement and the activities that they implemented. It was clear that the schools needed help to plan and conduct activities that involved families in their children’s education. Extensive evaluations were conducted of 20 of the 25 schools that completed two years of program development.
Results for Parents, Teachers, and Students Over Time
The schools improved the quantity and quality of partnerships. Villas-Boas reports that parent and teacher relations improved, the number of parent-teacher meetings increased, parents become more involved at school and at home, and more “hard-to-reach” parents became involved. With the help of on-site facilitators and training in partnerships, teachers improved their attitudes toward parents, carefully prepared for meetings with parents, and designed “interactive homework” (akin to the Network’s TIPS approach). The teachers observed positive effects in student achievement due to parental involvement, and fourth graders’ achievement test scores improved.
Key Support Structures
Villas-Boas concludes, “ It is possible to modify schools and improve the quality of teaching and learning by developing a culture of partnerships. This helps the students, families, teachers, and the community.” She sees a key role for facilitators, a need to provide teachers with professional development on partnerships, and the need for schools to work over time to plan and sustain good partnerships. She also notes that “enforcing legislation” may be needed to encourage reluctant educators to develop strong programs of home-school partnerships.
The successful application in Portugal of the research and approaches of the National Network is particularly exciting.
From: Adelina Villas-Boas (2000.) A prospective overview on the school/family/community relationship: A three-year study. University of Lisbon, Portugal.
