DC Promise Neighborhood Initiative: Needs ... - Urban Institute

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DC Promise Neighborhoods Initiative: Needs Assessment and Segmentation AnalysisOverview of IndicatorsFamilies and Communities Support LearningNeeds AssessmentThe Families and Communities Support Learning (FCSL) Results-Driven Working Group (RDWG) ischarged with increasing positive parent/guardian involvement and other adult support for the educationof children living in the DCPNI footprint. The working group has gathered information continuouslythrough its bimonthly meetings (evenly attended by community residents and subject experts) andinterviews with principals, and provided input in developing questions for the resident retreats, focusgroups for parents and youth, and teacher interviews. The working group expert representatives includeformer principals, teachers, legal experts (on Title 1 funding), a school social worker, and staff fromvarious nonprofits from the area who provide parenting classes and other support to families toincrease youth development outcomes and student achievement.Through an iterative process, FCSL identified five priority areas of need:Home-school communication about learningDepartment of Education–Related Indicators:o percent/# parents/guardians who attend school events;o percent/# parents/guardians who attend parent-teacher conferencesWelcoming and trusting school climates/culturesSkill-building and leadership development for parents and community membersSchool staff guidance, support and professional developmentChild and youth mentoringFor each of these core areas of need, FCSL discussed what success looks like, the main barriers toachieving success, and the target population we are trying to serve, and reviewed promising programs,strategies, and resources inside and outside of the community. Each of these discussions weresupported by qualitative and quantitative data, as outlined below.Priority AreasHome-School Communication about LearningFindings: There is a need to increase the amount and variety of methods used to communicate withparents.The first area of need that the FCSL clearly identified was the importance of communication betweenschools, parents/caretakers, and the students. The two required Department of Education indicatorsrelated to this area are:- percent/# parents/guardians who attend school events;- percent/# parents/guardians who attend parent-teacher conferences92
DC Promise Neighborhoods Initiative: Needs Assessment and Segmentation AnalysisWhile none of the three schools in the DCPNI footprint currently track this kind of data in a systematicfashion, the group collected a substantial amount of information from parents (during working groupmeetings and in focus groups) and teachers (through teacher interviews) to better understandparent/guardian participation in the school. More generally, FCSL decided that it was important to lookat other forms of school-home communication and parental participation in school life.Percent of Parents/Guardians Who Attend Parent-Teacher ConferencesThe teachers interviewed estimated the following percent of parents/guardians attend parent teacherconferences:Chavez Middle School–Parkside- 60 percent come to at least 1 parent teacher conference.Chavez High School–Parkside- 40 percent come to at least 1 parent teacher conference.- 20 percent will contact a teacher outside of these regular conferences.Neval Thomas Elementary School- UI to request this data from Neval Thomas.Kenilworth Elementary School- 75 percent come at least once a year.- 40 percent come 2 or more times a year.There was a general consensus among all of the teachers that attendance at parent-teacher conferencesis much higher toward the beginning of the year and tapers off as the school year progresses. Also,during various discussions with teachers, parents, and in the working group meetings, there was aconsensus that parental involvement in a student’s school life is significantly different during the highschool years and there is a need to better define what “effective parental involvement” should look likefor high school students. Teachers interviewed stated that high school students are expected to bemuch more self-sufficient; teachers call parents only when there is a problem, not on a regular basis.Parents and teachers both suggested that it would be helpful to have a parent-school liaison at each ofthe schools. This strategy would increase communication between school and home, relieve some of theburden from the teachers, and reduce the need to immediately involve CPS in serious matters thancould be resolved without an immediate systems intervention.Percent of Parents/Guardians Who Attend School EventsGenerally, both parents (in the working group meetings and focus groups) and teachers (during teacherinterviews) said that they considered parent/guardian attendance at school events low . Attendance atschool events is highest for the back to school night and for any performances that their child is a partof. Interview respondents thought that parents are also motivated to attend school events by food,raffles, and incentives.In addition to incentives, respondents thought that parents attend school/educational events when theyare fun, enticing, and engaging. A parent participating in the focus group for parents of primary school93
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