Is Family Engagement Worth It? Teacher and Caregiver Perceptions of an Intervention

• In Event: Educators Working Toward Equitable, Collaborative Engagement With Historically Marginalized Families: Developing Competence, Commitment, and Skill

Abstract

Perspective and Purpose
Despite an overwhelming wealth of research showing that students are more likely to succeed in school if their parents or other family members are engaged in and support their education (Henderson and Mapp, 2002; Epstein & Sheldon, 2023), and that White students from higher income earning families tend to be advantaged as a result of educators’ outreach practices to families (Ishimaru, 2019; Lareau, 2002; Possey-Maddox & Haley-Lock, 2020), schools continue to implement family involvement practices that maintain this traditional status quo. In this study, we explore this dynamic by comparing teachers’ and caregivers’ experiences and perceptions of the family engagement program, Academic Parent Teacher Team (APTT), a program designed to disrupt the traditional parent-teacher conference (WestEd.com).
APTT is a family engagement program that supports educators’ implementation of family meetings wherein family members are provided data about their children’s academic performance, grade level standards and performance expectations, as well as games and resources families can use at home to support children’s learning and academic growth. Three APTT meetings are held each school year.
We draw on The Dual Capacity-Building Framework (DCBF) (Mapp and Kutner, 2013) for this study. DCBF highlights the critical role of educators in the planning, implementation, and eventual impact of family engagement outreach to families and community partners. It also highlights educator and family outcomes: Capabilities, Connections, Confidence, and Cognitions.
Methods, Data Sources, and Significance
This study uses survey and focus group data collected from teachers and family members at four elementary schools serving low-income communities in Hawai`i. The teacher survey included items related to: Program Support (5-items), Family Engagement (5-items), Implementation (4-items), and Impact (6-items). The Caregiver survey themes included: Invitations (3-items), Meeting Implementation (5-items), and Impact (3-items). Also, at each school, a focus group of caregivers was conducted to learn more about the strengths and challenges of APTT.
Initial data analyses showed that teachers and caregivers were overwhelmingly positive about their experiences with APTT. Over 90% of teachers felt well supported and prepared to implement the workshops. Nearly the same percentage reported strong APTT implementation and believed it provided families key resources and insights into their children’s learning and classroom experiences. Likewise, caregivers overwhelmingly reported enjoying the APTT experience; gaining insights into their children’s learning and classroom experiences, and learning strategies to support family engagement at home.
Despite these positive experiences, teachers doubted whether APTT could impact student outcomes and only about half expressed the desire to implement it the following year. Teachers were also much less positive about whether APTT was a better family engagement practice than traditional parent-teacher conferences.
Focus group data provided insights into this dissonance. One is the low parent attendance at meetings. Teachers tended to attribute it to family factors. Caregivers commented that communication about what APTT is was lacking and believed that more families would attend if they knew what it was. Also, having all meetings scheduled at the same time meant that some families had to choose one classroom over another. Implications for research and practice will be discussed further.

Authors

• Steven B. Sheldon, Johns Hopkins University

• Nicole Schlaack, University of Hawai‘i at Manoa

• Chuan Chang Chinn, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa

• Victoria Timmerman, Hawaii Statewide Family Engagement Center