Turning Research into Policy and Implementation
In the late ‘70s, Steve Martin became famous for taking common occurrences and, in mock seriousness, demonstrating the sometime absurdity of logic. On his comedy album Comedy is Not Pretty, he performed a routine called “How to become a Millionaire… and never pay taxes!” Incredulous, people asked: “How?” His first step:
1. Get a $1,000,000…
…and he quickly moved to the next step. Too funny. The first action is the hardest to achieve, and little guidance is given on how to achieve it. Similarly, taking the lessons learned from research and utilizing them in practice can be difficult.
When we try to incorporate these findings, we are faced with the question: How do we get ‘there” from “here?” The controlled confines of research run into the harsh realities of time, cost, cultures, and resources. It’s much easier to say we need to increase family engagement than it is to put it into practice. It’s like Steve Martin saying “Get a $1,000,000.”
ESSA addresses family engagement the same way.
The “Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015” mandates that districts put into place new requirements concerning family engagement but doesn’t say how to accomplish these. These additional requirements* include:
A school district may receive funds under Title I only if it conducts outreach to all parents and family members
It must demonstrably build school capacity for involvement by effectively engaging parents and family members in education
It must support regular two-way, meaningful communication between family members and school staff, and, to the extent practicable, in a language that family members can understand.
The district must educate teachers, principals, school leaders, and other staff:
In the value and utility of parents’ contributions,
In how to reach out to, communicate with, and work with parents as equal partners,
In how to implement and build ties between parents and the school.
In carrying out the Title family engagement requirements, districts and schools shall provide opportunities for the informed participation of parents and family members, including those with migratory children), including providing information and school reports in a format, and, to the extent practicable, in a language such parents understand.
Wow!! That’s a lot of stuff! Where will the money come from? Well, ESSA dictates that each district shall reserve at least 1 percent of its Title I allocation to assist schools to carry out the parent and family engagement activities. This comes out to an average of $12 per year per student. How can districts accomplish these requirements within these financial constraints?
Interestingly, ESSA does not require measuring the effectiveness of the districts’ efforts. This lack of accountability means that schools and districts could be wasting their money answering the letter of the law instead of addressing its intent. Proper fiduciary responsibility means measuring effectiveness regardless of the regulation. It is in the district’s best interest to make sure that programs implemented deliver positive impact to its constituency.
Educational executives are faced with a myriad of issues every day. The hours expended in managing a school or district leave little time to formulate strategies from scratch. Luckily, One Green Apple’s OPUS addresses ESSA’s family engagement requirements and then some.
We accomplish outreach in a unique easy-to-understand manner for the parents, providing substantive information that will affect a stronger positive response from parents. We go the next step, and provide teachers with insights from home. We facilitate a dialogue that develops a strong parent-teacher partnership. We even have methods to provide for in loco parentis, when the nuclear family and support isn’t there for the child.
Behind the scenes, we measure the effectiveness of this dialogue and partnership on student performance. We document conversations, providing teachers and administrators a basis for best practices in communication and an audit trail for clarity. We make sure the district’s efforts and money are not wasted.
The last part of Steve’s routine: “….and never pay taxes!” was to respond to the eventual IRS audit with two words: “I forgot,” which is then followed by his famous line: “EXCUUUSSEEE MEEEE!” No leader, let alone a district superintendent, could keep his job with such a cavalier attitude. Family engagement is no laughing matter; but if managed well, your parents and Board will be left with smiles.
*Summarized by Anne T. Henderson, Senior Consultant, Annenberg Institute for School Reform in her paper “A Quick Brief on Family Engagement in Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015.”
