Please do a peer reply/comment on those student discussion posts.
Kendl Post
1. Which of Epstein’s Six Types of Involvement were clearly visible?
From my time working in a school district, parenting, communicating and learning at home were the types of family involvement which were clearly visible. At my school, Early Childhood Family Education classes are free to the community and are used to educate families. For example at one of the nightly classes I worked, parents received a presentation about the role of technology in child development. Communicating with families occurs constantly in education, and a form of this communication at my school is a weekly letter covering what lesson was taught. Our weekly newsletter contains at-home activities and discussions parents can have with students to encourage continued learning and allow them to have more involvement in their child’s school experience as they can then incorporate it at home as well.
2. Which types were missing?
The type of involvement which is not as prominent is parent volunteering. I worked within a district that had a great preschool program though there were not many opportunities for parents to join in or volunteer in the classroom. Some parents would ask if volunteering was allowed but unfortunately it just did not occur. I feel if opportunities to volunteer or come into the classroom were presented to families it would encourage more volunteering as they would then feel invited into the school environment. I think students love seeing their families involved at school. Especially in preschool, having family members come in to read a book is such a simple and fun way for students and their families to connect not only with one another but also with teachers and schools.
3. Where to “spheres” overlap most effectively?
From my experience, I feel all three spheres, family, community, and school, did overlap to varying degrees. The most effective interaction was between school and families and weaker between school and community. At our school we did have community involvement within the classroom a few times during the year, such as a public health nurse coming in to teach about germs, or students getting to explore a firetruck, but it was limited. Community overlap was significantly less within our classroom when compared to family overlap. This can be due to limited community resources or availability as oppose to the school-family connection which is typically more easily accessible.
Mally post: The school I’m thinking of is both the school that I attended and am currently working at. Of Epstein’s Six Types of Involvement, the ones that were clearly visible to me were: Communicating, Volunteering, Decision Making, and Collaborating with the community. (Epstein, et. al 2023) Communication between educators and parents/families is an expectation and it happens through email, texting (google voice numbers), SeeSaw. We also have open house night, opportunities for conferences in the fall and spring. As a student, I remember seeing parent volunteers often helping in classrooms. We currently have consistent parent volunteers that are routinely at our school. Parents have the opportunity to be included in the decision making process through school surveys. We see parents at school board meetings, and we even had parents that were included for the hiring process of the new Elementary principal. Our students and families have also had unique opportunities through organized events with help from the community such as “take a kid fishing day,” put on by Lions Club members, the county provides a bike fleet for a biking field trip, and our school has a Strive program where community members have the opportunity to come in and mentor students for job readiness after high school.
The two types that weren’t as apparent to me are Parenting and Learning at Home. Both of these also coincide in how they can affect student outcomes because they provide parents with the opportunity to understand “how to help students with homework, curriculum-related activities and decisions, and talent development.” (Eptstein, et al. 2023). This leads me into where the spheres overlapped effectively and where there is room for improvement–where school and family could be more intentional about collaborating together to best support students at home. There are also great things in place with the family and school sphere, where communication is highly valued between school and family with the mentioned above set in place.
References:
Epstein, J.L., Sheldon, S.B. (2023) School, Family, and Community Partnerships. Routledge Taylor and Francis Group. DOI: 10.4324/9780429400780
