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FIE Family Engagement Agenda |
The mission of the Family Engagement Agenda is to develop and test research based interventions designed to increase the active participation of families in their children’s preparation, motivation, and readiness for learning across multiple levels of education in formal and informal community settings. |
Goals of the Family Engagement Agenda |
- Identify and implement strategies to increase the active engagement of families as supporters and motivators of their children’s educational activities.
- Build the capacity of families to become more effective in their support of their children’s learning and achievement.
- Strengthen the connections between formal and informal learning environments and homes so they share the critical components associated with meaningful learning.
- Disseminate evidence based practices.
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FIE Intervention Model for Enhancing Family Engagement |
The development of specific family engagement initiatives is guided by an action oriented framework for change that begins with articulation of the desired outcomes for children and families, followed by the:
- Development of a conceptual framework for intervention
- review and synthesize relevant knowledge bases,
- analyze the degree of alignment between formal and informal learning environments (structure, behavioral patterns, attitudes) in which children and families function,
- identify physical, psychological and resource barriers that mitigate against the active engagement of families in their children’s learning.
- Design of intervention strategies to address identified barriers
- identify parameters of the intervention,
- generate potential strategies for the intervention,
- evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of potential strategies,
- formulate an intervention using strategies most likely to lead to desired outcomes.
- Field testing of the intervention for effectiveness and the extent to which desired outcomes are achieved.
- Refinement of the intervention and retest with new group of participants, if necessary.
- Dissemination of effective strategies to target audiences
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Current and Recent Initiatives |
The Jacksonville Pre-Collegiate Connections: The College Reach-Out Program is an academically focused after-school program designed to impact participants by enriching their academic experiences, leading them to an understanding of the relationship of education, career opportunities, and desired lifestyles, and motivating their interest in post-secondary education opportunities. One component of the program involves the families of participating students. Goals for the Family Component are: |
Program Goals
- Engage families in supporting their children’s academic achievement.
- Build social networks among families of Jacksonville Pre-Collegiate Connection students.
- Increase families’ understanding of the importance of post-secondary education and the role middle school plays.
- Help families learn how to support their children’s learning at home.
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Program Description
Families are invited to:
- attend Family Get-Togethers,
- accompany their children on college tours and academically-oriented Saturday Excursions,
- attend end-of-the-year celebrations,
- create productive home learning environments for their children.
Participation in the family events will introduce the academic program to the families so they will understand how program activities will strengthen their child’s academic preparation, foster higher levels of learning, and motivate interest in post-secondary education.
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Outcomes
2007-2008 First Year of Implementation
- Program established at two middle schools
- Paxon Middle School: 87 Pre-Collegiate Scholars enrolled.
- Eugene Butler Middle School: 39 Pre-Collegiate Scholars enrolled.
- Partnership formed with the Community in Schools Team-Up Program also working with Paxon and Eugene Butler middle school student
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Family Engagement and Early Learning Community: a neighborhood-level, collaborative partnership designed for families of preschool and kindergarten age children. The Learning Community, anchored by an elementary school, included families from neighborhood childcare centers, school readiness and Title 1 programs, neighborhood public libraries, and a university research group. |
Program Goals:
- Encourage families to become partners in their children’s education.
- Increase family’s knowledge of emergent literacy activities.
- Engage families in conversations about parenting strategies that support learning and school success.
- Encourage the creation of literacy-rich home environments.
- Provide resources to support family engagement in learning.
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Program Description:
Families from the Learning Community participated in a series of 15 biweekly two-hour workshops; which were organized into three units of five sessions each. Adults who attended the Family Workshops participated in Family Conversations, Family Learning Time, Dinner and Discussion and Adult/Child Practice Time. Children, eighteen months to twelve years of age, attended Children’s Club. Children’s Club was an educational child care program under the direction of a certified teacher and trained assistants. Children participated in structured activities that included story time, free play, and dinner time.
Family Literacy Bags were distributed at each workshop. Each Bag contained two children’s books, learning materials to use with the books, and a set of activity cards designed in accordance with age appropriate State of Florida Literacy Standards. Families were encouraged to use the books and materials at home with their children to increase their reading readiness and preparation for school.
Weekly telephone calls were made following the workshops to answer questions and encourage families to use the literacy materials provided at the workshops. |
Outcomes:
- Response to a Family Involvement and Learning Survey indicated that participating families increased their
- understanding of their role in helping their children in school,
- perceptions of their ability to help their children learn,
- understanding of how to help their children,
- spending time helping their child at home,
- use of opportunities to turn everyday activities into learning activities.
- Participants recommended reducing the number of workshop sessions to six to eight weeks
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Family Get-Togethers: Literacy Through the Arts. A family engagement program offered as a component of the Early Learning Opportunities Act Bringing Education and Support to Teachers, Parents, and Children (BEST) Project. The Family Get-Togethers: Literacy Through the Arts program was a series of six, two hour workshops hosted by neighborhood organizations that included childcare centers, churches, elementary schools and public libraries. The workshops provided opportunities for families with three and four year old children to engage in arts and literacy experiences. Four literacy-oriented art series were offered: Dance and Movement, Drama and Storytelling, Music, and Visual Arts. |
Program Goals:
- Increase involvement of low-income and ethnically diverse families in their children’s learning and readiness for school.
- Improve the reading and school readiness of preschool age children through arts and literacy experiences.
- Engage families in conversations about parenting strategies that support learning and school success.
- Provide resources to support family involvement in their children’s learning.
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Program Description:
The adult workshops included Family Conversations, Family Learning Time, Dinner and Discussion and Adult/Child Practice. The workshops were conducted by family engagement specialists. Family Literacy Bags were distributed at each workshop. Each Bag contained two children’s books, learning materials to use with the books, and a set of activity cards designed in accordance with age appropriate State of Florida Literacy Standards. Families were encouraged to use the books and materials at home with their children to increase their reading readiness and preparation for school.
Children participated in Children’s Club, an educationally oriented child care program, under the direction of a certified teacher and arts instructor. The age appropriate arts and literacy curriculum used in Children’s Club was created by professional consultants. Activities were aligned with performance standards for each art form. A highlight of the Family Get-Togethers program was the Children’s Club presentation of their work at the end of each series.
Weekly telephone calls were made following the workshops to answer questions and encourage families to use the arts and literacy materials provided at the workshops. |
Outcomes:
- Response to At-Home Surveys indicated that
- participants averaged reading the books included in the Literacy Bags between three and eight times each week.
- Participants used activities included in the Literacy Bags between seven and eighteen times each week.
- Response to a Family Involvement and Learning Survey indicated that participation
- changed their attitudes about helping their child learn at home,
- increased their belief in their ability to help their child succeed in school,
- increased their knowledge of how to help their child learn.
- Participants recommended increasing the number of workshop sessions from six to eight weeks
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For additional information contact: |
Dr. Afesa Adams
Senior Research Associate
Email: aadams@unf.edu
Telephone: 904 620-1229
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Dr. Rebecca England
Family Literacy Engagement Specialist
Email: rengland@unf.edu
Telephone: 904 620-4444 |
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