Date of Award
2012
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Abraham S. Fischler College of Education
Advisor
Donald C. Lueder
Committee Member
Clifford Claiborne
Committee Member
Ronald P. Kern
Keywords
attendance, charter schools, coaching strategies, communication, family members, family-school partnership, family-school partnership program, kindergarten, Lueder self-renewing partnership model, middle grades, middle schools, parent activities, parent involvement, parent participation, parent satisfaction, parents, program evaluation, relationships, school improvement, southeastern, state charter school advisory board, students, surveys, two-way communication
Abstract
The purpose of the study was to determine the effects of a middle grade family-school partnership program at a southeastern charter school that served students in kindergarten through Grade 12. In 2009, the state charter school advisory board surveyed parents of students in kindergarten through Grade 8 and found that parental involvement decreased drastically after Grade 5. The state board advised the school to develop a plan of action to increase parental involvement in Grades 6 through 8. It was decided to implement a family-school partnership program in the middle grades. The program was guided by Lueder’s (2011) self-renewing partnership model. Strategies were implemented to build relationships between the families and the school by making connections and creating two-way communications. Coaching strategies designed to help the parents assist their children were also implemented.
The research sought to determine the effects of a family-school partnership program on parent involvement and satisfaction. The study compared the number of family members attending the parent activities during the intervention period with the number of family members attending parent activities during a similar time period in the previous year. The parents were also surveyed to determine the effects of the partnership program and their satisfaction with the program.
The results indicated that attendance at parent-involvement events and activities increased more than threefold compared with the attendance of the previous year. The data revealed that the parents were satisfied with the program. It was recommended that the program be continued and expanded to include the whole school.