Implementing a Continuous Improvement Approach to Family Engagement During the High School Transition

• In Event: 75.015 - Nudging, Home Visits, and Collaborative Approaches to Family Engagement

Abstract

This study focuses on one district’s process of continuous improvement at the point when family engagement tends to decline precipitously -- the transition into high school. The paper reports on findings of a mixed methods study of three years of implementation of this family engagement initiative in a total of 27 schools. Analyses indicated that more than half of the participating schools began implementing certain family engagement practices for the first time as a result of the initiative. There were significant positive relationships between degree of school participation in the initiative and several measures of school climate from the district’s survey of families. The paper also analyzes challenges faced by schools in seeking to improve their family engagement efforts.

Authors

• Martha Abele Mac Iver, Johns Hopkins University

• Steven B. Sheldon, Johns Hopkins University

• Eric P Rice, Johns Hopkins University