2013 National Parental Engagement Roundtable

Report

The Two Day National Parental Engagement Roundtable was heldon 16-17 September 2013 at 50 Marcus Clark, Canberra ACT 2611.

The Roundtable brought together 46 participants over the two days with representatives from the Department of Education, Employment Workplace Relations (DEEWR) representatives from jurisdictionsincluding seven school teams throughout Australia which included the Principal or nominated representative, teacher and parent representativesnominated by the Bureau Research Advisory Group.

The primary goal of the Roundtable was to provide a national perspective to inform and support the direction of a common definition of parental engagement; the development of parental engagement resources; refinement of the framework including the identification of existing resources for parental engagement which will be added to the existing list of resources on the Bureau website.

The two days werefacilitated by Adam Smith who is an expert commentator and consultant specialising in partnership development and network building in and around school communities.

Aunty Agnes Shea OAM, Senior Ngunnawal provided the Welcome to Country with bothPeter Garrigan, President, Australian Council of State School Organisations and Caz Bosch, President, of Australian Parents Council providing opening remarks.

Matt Davies, Group Manager, Youth and Inclusive Education, Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations(DEEWR)provided information on the Parental Engagement Agenda.Matt asked that participants provide information to the following three questions throughout the two days:

  • Who are parents and what are their lives like?
  • How do we engage parents beyond the school gate?
  • What barriers do we need to overcome?

Twenty one participants provided answers included atAppendix A.

Stimulus presentations were delivered by:

  • Dr Robert Simons, Principal Research Fellow, Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER)
  • Dr Amanda Day, A/g Branch Manager, School Performance and Improvement Branch, Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR)
  • Martin James, Manager, Policy and Planning, Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL)
  • John Watters, Executive Office, Australian Schools Industry Partnership (AUSSip)
  • Marie Murphy, Acting Leader, Low SES Communities and Equity, NSW Department of Education and Communities
  • Gina Milgate, Indigenous Liaison Officer, Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER)

There were plenty of opportunities for participants to network and share ideas about parental engagement after each stimulus presentation.

Also, throughout the two days participants provided information on the following questions:

  • What resources already exist?
  • What resources are required?

Resource information is included at Appendix B.

Evaluation feedback was provided to the following four questions:

  • What do you know?
  • What do you want to know?
  • What have you learned?
  • Any other comments?

The evaluation was completed by 25 participants and initial indications show that the two days raised the profile of parental engagement even further.

The following features of the Roundtable were consistently mentioned by participants:

  • quality of stimulus speakers
  • program structure
  • networking opportunities
  • organisation of the two days.

Participant comments:

Excellent two days. Very professional, collegial, informative and collaborative. Well balanced agenda and great to have stimuli for each discussion.

Very inspiring presentations which highlighted some good practical examples for school communities.

What a brilliant job Adam did in facilitating the two days.

Roundtable highlights

  • The Roundtable had a diverse group of participants. Of those who attended:
  • A major highlight from the Roundtable was participants experiencing insightful and entertaining presentations and being able to engage in valuable, honest and trusted conversations on both days.

Roundtable outcomes

The two day program was designed to provide stimulus presentations on topics that would engage participants in structured discussion around parental engagement.

Participant evaluations confirmed the overall achievement of the roundtable goals. The roundtable:

  • showcased what works in schools to improve parental engagement
  • discussed school practices that support parental engagement around the four topic areas
  • engaged with research in parental and community engagement that support student learning and wellbeing.
  • established and strengthened collegial networks to support parental engagement

Parental engagement roundtable program

The format of the program included:

  • seven presenters
  • one information session
  • four stimulus presentations
  • four roundtable discussions and reporting
  • two panels which were changed to parental engagement definition discussion.

The definition discussion was organised in two parts:

  • What are the non-negotiable words to be included in the definition?
  • Discussion on four draft definition options from the ARACY research:

Actions by parents, underpinned by collaborative partnerships with the school community, that facilitate learning and promote the wellbeing of children and young people.

Actions by parents that facilitate learning, underpinned by collaborative partnerships with the school community, promoting the wellbeing and educational attainment of children and young people.

Actions by parents focused on facilitating learning to promote the wellbeing and educational attainment of children and young people, underpinned by partnership with school communities.

Actions by parents, underpinned by a collaborative partnership with the school community, that promote a student’s wellbeing and learning.

Information from the definition discussion included at Appendix C.

The presentations and discussion groups were structured around the following topics:

  • Parental engagement agenda
  • Principal and school autonomy and parental engagement
  • Quality Teaching and transparency in relation to parental engagement
  • Reconceptualising parent involvement in Culturally and Linguistically diverse Community (CALD): Partners or peripheral voices?
  • Engaging parents and carers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander learners.

The Program is included at Appendix D.

Participant comment:

What I now know can’t be summarised in a few words, but overall I realised parental engagement is lifelong and not just based on SCHOOL involvement.

Stimulus presentations

Participants commented positively on the mix of presenters and the opportunities that were provided to listen to a diverse group of participants’ comments and ideas on parental engagement.

The opening stimulus presentation Principal and School Autonomy and Parental Engagement provided the findings from the Evaluation of Empowering Local Schools (ELS).

Summary of findings:

  • Case studies of some ELS schools and interviews with jurisdictions show how they are proactively involving parents in learning at home through online initiatives and social media.
  • They also show how increases in parental engagement are having an impact on the way decisions are made locally in schools.
  • One challenge in moving forward is to identify strategies that leverage greater parental involvement in school decision-making with broader engagement of parents in their children’s learning at home.

Roundtable discussion questions

  • If principals and schools and parents have more opportunities to participate in decision-making in schools, what accountability structures are in place to their community and the system?
  • What you would like to see happen as a result of more local decision-making for principals, schools and parents?

Outcome of group discussions included at Appendix E.

In the afternoon of the first day, participants listened to stimulus presentation Quality

Teaching and transparency in relation to parental engagement.

Main points:

  • Australian Professional Standards for Teachers 3.7 Engaging parents/carers in the educative process and 7.3 Engage with the parents/carers which included illustrations of practices.
  • Learning Frontiers: Creating Communities Framework.
  • Benefits of a partnership approach.

Roundtable discussion questions

Parent Engagement implies parents are “an essential part of the learning process, an extended part of the pedagogic process” and should be combined with other efforts to enhance the academic achievement and well-being of children. (Harris & Goodall: 2007)

  • How does this fit with your thinking/ beliefs about teaching and learning?
  • What does/can this look like in a classroom or school?
  • What mechanisms are in place to both source and leverage parent knowledge with regard to effective teaching and learning?
  • How do you share data with families whilst recognising the language of learning?
  • Given education data represents actual children, how do you ensure parental knowledge is a key component of the data collected?
  • How can we make school learning and home learning more visible and connected?
  • How do schools learn from parents?

Outcome of group discussions included at Appendix F.

On day two, the stimulus presentation was based on a doctorate (in progress 2013) on Reconceptualising parent involvement in Culturally and Linguistically diverse Community (CALD): Partners or peripheral voices?

The study was informed by the work of Bourdieu, focus groups and semi-structured interviews.

Study Questions:

  • How do teachers perceive parent involvement and its impact on the school community and student learning?
  • How do parents perceive parent involvement and its impact on their children’s education?
  • What assistance do teachers need to support parent involvement in a large culturally diverse community school?
  • How do students perceive parent involvement and its impact on their experience at school?
  • How do community members perceive parent involvement and its impact on the school community and student learning?

Summary of findings:

What was learnt?

  • Parent Involvement was valued by all players.
  • Participants were aware of what was happening at the school.

Lessons learnt:

  • School community led solutions.
  • Can’t do it alone.
  • Celebrate achievements.

Roundtable discussion questions

Good schools learn and commit to the idea that the strongest and most effective schools are those that work with and affect the communities that affect them” (Hargreaves & Shirley: 2009)

How does this fit with your thinking/ beliefs about the role of a school in its community?

Is the school (and its staff) a Host to the community or a Guest in the community? What are the implications of this for school structures, the environment, communication processes etc

Are parents Hosts or Guests?

Outcome of group discussions included at Appendix G.

The afternoon of the second day, participants listened to the last stimulus presentation Quality Teaching and transparency in relation to parental engagement.

Main points:

  • School practices for positive parental impact (Mutch & Collins: 2012)

Leadership

Relationships

School Culture

Partnerships

Community Networks

Communication

  • Voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander learners and their Parents & Carers framework

Place – Learning journey

Space – Learning environment

Face – Learning culture

  • Closing the Gap – Engaging to Empower continuum

Roundtable discussion questions

There are multiple ways of knowing and understanding the world.

  • How do we/can we bring these multiple perspectives together in mutual enhancing and collaborative ways?
  • How does the curriculum incorporate culturally relevant knowledge that recognises and enhances parental agency?
  • How are school structures and processes informed by family and community practices?

Outcome of group discussions included atAppendix H.

Participant comments:

Marie and Gina were brilliant and inspirational with fantastic ideas and practical applications for parental engagement.

Brilliant presentations and great positive discussions.

We have a long way to go on parental engagement but it is doable if we get everybody on board and tart slowly with small steps and achievable goals.

Recommendations

It is recommended that:

  1. Discussions must continue with DEEWR and the government on the need for parental engagement to be part of the Australian schooling reform.
  2. There needs to be an agreed parental engagement definition which should be endorsed by all jurisdictions.
  3. An online platform/forum be developed to share ideas, activities and practices by school communities on parental engagement.
  4. An e-learning package be developed that would provide opportunities for individuals to engage with online activities and information surrounding parental engagement.
  5. A National Parental Engagement Roundtable be conducted as an annual event.
  6. Any future National Parental Engagement roundtables consider participation from all jurisdictions.
  7. More than seven schools be included to take part in the longitudinal study, preferably, schools from States not represented.

Parents are the first teachers of their children.

Their role must be recognised, respected and incorporated in the governance of schools and the delivery of education (Dodson: 2010)

Appendices

Matt Davies questions and answers / Appendix A
Resources / Appendix B
Definition / Appendix C
Roundtable Program / Appendix D
Question one discussion
Question two discussion
Question three discussion
Question four discussion / Appendix E
Appendix F
Appendix G
Appendix H

Appendix A

Answers to Questions from Matt Davies Presentation

Who are parents and what are their lives like?

  • Parents’ lives are a constant struggle.
  • Parents are busy, many working various hours. Parents want to be part of school community but may not be able to be present during school hours.
  • Parents are very diverse.
  • Parents are trying to be the best parent they can.
  • Parents are time poor - want to engage but how?
  • Parent communities are made up as very complex dynamics:

Kinship carers

Student carers, themselves or siblings

Grandparents

Stepfamilies

Shared care

  • Parents have their own experiences of schooling - need to change parents’ negative experiences and try to change generational views.
  • Parents have less or no time to spend on doing homework with children due to the high number of children they need to take care of.
  • Parents are busy, busy, busy.
  • People who want their child to do their personal best at school.
  • Primary carers with their own:

Hopes

Dreams

Realities

  • Single parent families, many children across the school spectrum and many compelling priorities.
  • Parents are a very diverse group with very diverse needs.
  • Parents are the primary educators.

How do we engage parents beyond the school gate?

Respecting parents as a valued resource.

Do not impose but invite them in.

See the benefits ie Marie Murphy’s busy hands example.

Utilise partners including:

P&C’s

Parent associations

Clubs

Student groups

  • Engaging families is complex work (not teaching).
  • Need other professional paradigms in schools
  • The most important engagement tool is building the relationships with the parents and school staff.
  • Schools need awareness eg some of their new funding should be allocated to parental engagement capacity building.
  • Visit their places of interest where parents/carers come together.
  • Connect with community groups already existing to get bigger outreach.
  • Funding Family Liaison Officers/workers to support teachers/leaders for effective communication.
  • Keep it simple and doable.
  • Schools can choose to engage beyond the school gate or lock schools up.
  • Ask then what they currently do, what they want (don’t assume).
  • Create-maintain-ensure parents are welcome.
  • Aim for quality engagement not quantity of engagement.
  • Use traditional plus non-traditional.
  • Do an audience analysis as communities change.
  • Seize opportunities.
  • Properly resource APC and ACSSO.
  • Give ‘learning hot topics’ to parents to enable them to discuss the issues at home – valuing the conversation at home.
  • Marketing key touch points for parents – formal versus informal – proactive versus reactive – communication.
  • Listen and acknowledge parents as the lifelong educators and classroom teachers a short snapshot in time in that child’s learning as learning goes beyond the school gates.
  • Look at and acknowledge the power in home/school relationships.
  • Don’t give the parents homework. Give them tips and tools to help support teaching at school and extend learning at home.
  • Run a community conversation – could be in a community setting.

What barriers do we need to overcome?

  • Attitudes to what parents have to offer.
  • Better alignment between Commonwealth and State education.
  • Stereotyping your parent community.
  • Challenges of building capacity for all stakeholders.
  • Pushors notion of ‘Schools as Protectorates.
  • Teachers need to be available (within reason) to support and listen to parents as a wealth of knowledge for their students learning.
  • Break the connection between learning equals schooling.
  • Recognition of central place of parents in student learning.
  • External versus internal – Parents and students use of existing structures in schools to be the advisors, experts and critical friends.
  • The notion that Empowering Local Schools/Independent Public Schools/more autonomy will equal parental involvement/participating/engagement.
  • Employers across all sectors:

Induction

Professional learning

Reflection

Evaluation - on Parental engagement and communication

  • Sustainability.
  • Schools are scary.
  • Irregular attention to an activity in the parental engagement domain needs systematic planning.
  • Languages, communication, understanding of the importance of education, resources and money.
  • Empower schools to have a go at parental engagement.
  • Time, financial resources are limitations at times to enhance parental engagement.
  • Principals and teachers need professional learning around building school culture of parental engagement.
  • Develop a tool so schools can do an environmental scan of their community.

Appendix B

What resources already exist?

  • MindMatters – resources, models, tools, parent survey.
  • Website – Partnerships as part of a whole school approach to wellbeing ‘Community Audit Tool’.
  • Community Partnership in Action

DVD

Stories on website

  • Dare to Lead – Engagement of schools for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Students

Examples of good practice

  • Kids Matter Primary – Resources, Professional Development, Component 3 – Family and Parent Engagement in Learning
  • Families to Engage in the lost art of dinnertime conversation and Adult/Child connectedness
  • International website and app eg Khan Academy
  • Strengthening parent and community in learning toolkit (DEEWR Funded)
  • Coming soon……Web resource for school boards (Funded under Empowering Local Schools) Contact Danielle Cronin
  • National School Improvement Tool (see Element 9) ACER, DEEWR, AITSL
  • P4Learning
  • School A to Z Website and App (NSW DEC)
  • Safe Schools Hub – Parent section plus Elements 2 and 9
  • Partnership Brokers LLEN to support partnership development
  • Flamboyant Classroom Engagement and Rubric
  • Technology

Website