New Teacher Pamphlet

Family, School, and Community Influences on Education

How Can We Do This?

• Apply an asset perspective
• Identify Funds of Knowledge
• Family outreach efforts
• Identify components of students' family values and culture
• Identify school's values and culture
• Make families and students aware of ways to become involved in school and community
• Engage in community outreach programs
• Make curriculum relevant to students' lives
• Destabilize connections between classroom values and middle-class values
• See parents as partners

Why is it Important?

• Trying to "fix" a student is detrimental to their confidence
• We need to focus on students' strengths, not their perceived weaknesses
• In a study of 71 high-poverty Title 1 schools, "students achievement grew faster in reading and math when teachers engaged…in parent outreach(Gorski 137)."
• Understanding a student's background helps to understand their learning needs
• Students should also be aware of the customs and values of their surroundings
• Students from low-income families lose a sense of self when they are forced to assimilate into a white, middle-class environment

What are Some Family and Community Influences?

Family Influences: Number of parents, living arrangements, siblings or other family members, traditions, food, house/home, racial/ethnic make-up
Community Influences: Churches, community centers, neighborhood, local schools, local demographic,

How Do Our Schools Influence Students?

The median family income, race, ethnicity, and cultural customs often define school practices. Low-income and minority students are often treated with a deficit-perspective, meaning their cultural practices and values are thought to be deficient or linked to low grades and low student involvement.

How Can Teachers Combat Stereotypes?

Combating Stereotypes

• Have high expectations of students
• Create trust between students and families
• Teach basic skills in meaningful contexts, not with rote memorization
• Teach about poverty and class bias

How Will This Contribute to Student Success?

Student Success

• Students who are supported are more likely to stay in school, apply to higher education, attend school more regularly, and earn higher grades
• Teachers who understand societal challenges their students face are more likely to respond to needs in and outside of school
• Incorporating students' interest increases skills in literacy

A Framework For Teaching

In Our Classrooms

• Provide multicultural lessons, particularly ones that focus on students in your classroom
• Start or collaborate on a project in the community
• Conduct home visits
• Be present and educated about family friendly policies and laws
• Collaborate with higher institutions

ReferencesGorski, P. (2013). Reaching and Teaching Students in Poverty. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
Baquedano-Lopez, P., Alexander, R., & Hernandez, S. (n.d.). Equity Issues in Parental and Community Involvement in Schools. Berkeley: University of California.
Parent, Family, Community Involvement in Education. (2008, January 1). Retrieved February 1, 2015, from http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/PB11_ParentInvolvement08.pdf