Building Powerful Family Leadership for Educational Success: PTA Comunitario in Texas' Rio Grande Valley

• In Event: 73.052 - Lessons From the Federal Investing in Innovation (i3) Grants for Building and Sustaining Meaningful Family, School, Community Partnerships

Abstract

Purpose: The Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA) partnering with five South Texas school districts and community-based organizations (CBOs), is studying the effects of its innovative parent and community engagement model, the PTA Comunitario. IDRA is transforming the traditional PTA organizational model into a one in which parents who have been previously excluded or underserved become active partners for their children’s academic and social success.

Study Perspective: IDRA’s six Principles for Family Leadership underlie this study in which families can be strong advocates. PTA Comunitario models the process conditions as delineated in the USDE’s Dual Capacity Building Framework for Family-School Partnerships:
• Linked to Learning: Projects are about graduation requirements, preparation for college etc.
• Relational: Created and sponsored by grassroots organizations with strong family connections and authentic outreach.
• Developmental: Families receive monthly training on educational issues and develop projects.
• Collective/Collaborative: Meetings are participatory with critical thinking resulting in projects that engage families.
• Interactive: Projects are leadership labs and practical application of the information.

Design and Methods:
1. Main Questions: Does participation in PTA Comunitario: increase student achievement; increase high school graduation, and decrease the dropout rate?
2. Sample: Twenty schools in five school districts.
3. Methods: Short interrupted time-series with comparison group design examining the school-level impact on students’ standardized test scores in reading and mathematics achievement of students in grades elementary, middle, and high schools attending PTA Comunitario schools with the reading achievement and mathematics achievement of students from non-intervention schools that are similar to intervention schools on a range of relevant demographic characteristics. We are also conducting a fidelity of implementation study as part of the design. We will be sharing the development of the program model, measures of fidelity of implementation, the research design, and results to date.
Results: First year implementation study results will be available fall of 2014, including responses to challenges encountered. We expect similar student achievement results as those found in the pilot study in which 35 PTA Comunitario members reported that all of their children, mostly LEP students, who were in high school and were scheduled to complete their studies during this period had graduated and those of college age were in higher education. These results were particularly impressive when compared to children from other colonias who drop out of school at a rate of 50 percent, and only 10 percent of those who graduate go to college.

Significance: PTA Comunitario is a multi-year intervention that has empirical evidence of increased student achievement leading to high school graduation and college graduation of low-income, primarily Hispanic, LEP students from the colonias of South Texas. This model is demonstrating that schools from within, in collaboration and connection with families and with the broader community from without, can result in excellent schools for all children.

Authors

• Aurelio Montemayor, Intercultural Development Research Association

• Hector Bojorquez, Intercultural Development Research Association

• Josie D. Cortez, Intercultural Development Research Association

• Nancy F. Chavkin, Texas State University - San Marcos