Impact of a Continuous Improvement-Focused Family Engagement Intervention on Ninth-Grade Attendance and Course-Passing

• In Event: School and Teacher Effectiveness

Abstract

This study used comparative interrupted times series analyses to assess the impact of a continuous improvement-focused family engagement intervention on ninth grade attendance and course passing rates. The intervention, conducted in an urban district, sought to improve middle and high school family engagement practices during the transition to high school. The initiative created a networked learning community of school teams that received training and coaching in applying the continuous improvement process to family engagement planning and implementation. After four years of implementation, there was no evidence of a significant positive effect on ninth grade student outcomes. Lack of positive effects could be due both to implementation issues and to other ninth grade interventions in the comparison district.

Authors

• Martha Abele Mac Iver, Johns Hopkins University

• Vaughn Byrnes, Johns Hopkins University

• Douglas J. Mac Iver, Johns Hopkins University

• Emily Clark