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Family-School Partnership Plan

Sarah Wilson

College of Education, Texas Christian University

EDEC 41123/55123: Learner-Centered Teaching: Families

Dr. Kyzar

November 23. 2020

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Table of Contents

Part I: Statement of Beliefs 3

Philosophy Statement 3

Support from Policy and Theory 3

References 4

Part II: Collection of Research-Based Practices 5

Implementing Culturally Sensitive, Empathetic Communication in Partnerships with Families that is

Two-Way, Frequent, and Regular 5

Practice Take-Away #4 5

Revision Notes 10

Supplementary Materials: Student Led Caregiver Teacher Conference: Goal Sheet 14

Commitment 16

Practice Take-Away #7: Commitment 16

Revision Notes 20

Supplementary Materials: Home Visits 22

Part III: Reflection of Growth and Learning 23

Reflection on Growth and Learning Within this Course 23

Reflection on Continued Growth and Learning Beyond this Course 23

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Part I: Statement of Beliefs

Philosophy Statement
Through my coursework and experiences in the classroom, I have learned that while content
knowledge, strong pedagogy, and effective teaching strategies are key components in designing a
classroom, reaching the ‘whole child’ involves reaching much more than the student alone. With
this, I would describe the definition of "family engagement" as efforts made by the school and
teacher to provide opportunities for families to feel included in their children's education. These
opportunities may occur inside the classroom or outside in the community, as long as parental
inclusion is at the forefront of the opportunity. Family engagement requires an intentional and
inclusive mindset, while not focusing on an agenda but instead the people involved. When doing
this teachers and families have the opportunity to create shared goals and implement these
actions to the student’s benefit.

These beliefs center around the tenet of family-school partnerships of equity. I believe equity in
family-school partnerships is imperative, as we let go of the ‘hierarchal’ view of educators and
place both our student’s families and ourselves on the same level with the unified goal of
benefitting the student. I intend to develop my family-school partnerships around equitable
experiences for families, that recognize how both parties’ experiences shape their values and
actions within the school.

Given these values, my family-school partnerships will be based on more than events that are
planned with the hope of assessing a specific outcome, such as ‘Meet the Teacher Night’, and
more on seeing and understanding the community that is being served within the school. This
shift of focus from an agenda and more on a genuine interest in repairing families’ relationships
with schools can be implemented through practices like community meetings and home visits.
Specifically, these ideas support equitable family-school partnership programming as educators
begin to recognize the equity involved. Requiring a parent who has had a negative experience
with schools, to come into our school to discuss school is not equitable. We must meet our
families halfway, whether that is the opportunity to interact and seek understanding in the
community or at their homes.

Support from Policy and Theory

This philosophy I developed serves to further support educational policy requirements related to
FSP programming through the Overview of Parental Involvement Under Every Student Succeeds
Act (ESSA). As the ESSA transitioned into the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) (2002), the
intent has been to” provide all children significant opportunity to receive a fair, equitable, and
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high-quality education, and to close educational achievement gaps” through parental engagement
(p.1). Specifically, this law includes the requirement for districts to carry out a choice of different
family engagement strategies, two of these being home-based programs and collaboration with
community organizations. (Education Services Center Region 16, 2016). The incorporation and
implementation of these strategies further support my philosophy, as they work to get educators
to learn and work with the community building equitable partnerships.

Similarly, my philosophy integrates into the Family Systems Theory. This theory “encourages
educators to think of the child within the context of the whole family and how each member
interacts with and affects all other family members across multiple settings” (Zuna & Kyzar,
2013, p. 41). When educators understand the different aspects of the child’s whole family, they
can best cater to their family-school partnership to meet these specific needs. This supports my
philosophy as teachers are reaching the whole child by seeing and understanding the different
aspects of the family system. This provides a more equitable family-school partnership through
the intentional integration of the family’s unique functions, interactions, and characteristics.
Using these aspects of the family system, the teacher can personalize a plan of partnership to
connect with the families in a way they are comfortable with to then develop these shared goals
for the benefit of the students.

References

Education Services Center Region 16 (n.d). Overview of parental involvement under ESSA.

https://www.esc16.net/upload/page/0463/docs/Stafford%201%20Over%20view%20of%20Paren

tal%20Involvement%20Under%20ESEA%2005262016.pdf

Zuna, N., & Kyzar, K. (2020). Fostering family-professional partnerships. In F. Brown, J.

McDonnell, & M. Snell (Eds.), Instruction of students with severe disabilities (9th ed.,

pp. 28-59). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

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Part II: Collection of Research-Based Practices

Implementing Culturally Sensitive, Empathetic
Communication in Partnerships with Families that is Two-
Way, Frequent, and Regular
Practice Take-Away #4
By: Sarah Wilson and Fallon Villarreal

What is the name of your practice?

The name of this practice is Student Led Caregiver Teacher Conferences (formally known as
Parent Teacher Conferences).

What is the definition for your practice?

This practice is defined as a brief (20-30 minute) meeting where the student, caregiver, and
teacher meet to review how the student is doing in school. We are adding in the element of a
student-led meeting that “allows the student to reflect on their progress in class... [this] gives the
student a known voice. It is when the students understand and evaluate their own mistakes and
come up with solutions [that they] improve themselves” (Dreas-Shaikha, 2018, p.3). In addition
to discussing the student’s academic performance, the student, caregiver, and teacher will also
discuss the student’s social emotional development and cultural experiences in the home.

What procedures are involved in carrying out this practice?

In carrying out a successful Student Led Caregiver-Teacher Conference, the first step is
informally meeting with each student to fill out a student goal sheet. This sheet will contain a
place for each student to put academic and social/personal goals for the given period (quarterly,
6-weeks). Each academic subject will have a spot for three goals decided on by the student with
teacher guidance and support. Together, the student and teacher will then choose one of the three
goals for each academic subject and those will be discussed in the Student Led Caregiver-
Teacher Conference with the caregiver. The teacher will then instruct and advise the student in
taking home this goal sheet so that they can review and discuss with the family about their
learning goals. This way, the family is not hearing this information for the first time and there is
a two-way communication between school, student and home. This pre-conference will eliminate
the need for review of goals at the beginning of the conference and the conference can involve a
more in-depth discussion of how to implement and reach these goals.

The next step in carrying out this practice successfully is the planning of the conference with the
caregiver. This begins with finding a way to get caregivers signed up for the conferencing. The
teacher will create an online signup sheet that will be linked on the class website, sent in an
email, and sent home on a piece of paper with a link and QR-Code. The conferences will be
available in person or via Zoom. There can also be special phone call modifications if necessary.
The teacher will ensure that on the sign up there is a place for caregivers to request a translator if
needed. The teacher will make sure that there are a variety of days and times, including later
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evenings or before school, so that caregivers have optimal opportunities to meet. They can also
make time requests in the chance that they are unable to meet at any of the times listed. With this
being a student-led conference, the teacher will be informing families that everyone (siblings,
grandparents, other members of the students support group) are welcome at the conference. The
teacher will provide activities for siblings to complete while the student and caregiver meet.

The final part of this practice is hosting the actual conference. Once a date is set, the teacher will
begin preparing their notes about each of the students for the meeting. The teacher will gather
different artifacts to show student learning so they are readily available if the caregiver requests
to see them. This will allow the teacher to be prepared and able to discuss samples, but not over-
prepare and dominate the conversation. The teacher will also reach out to the parent prior to the
conference and welcome them to bring artifacts from home to discuss.

The meeting will begin with the teacher checking in with the family and following up with how
things have been from the first “get to know you” phone call meeting that went over what this
child’s home life and involvement outside of school looks like. This phone meeting also
discussed the process of student-led conferences which can be reviewed and clarified upon
during the first in-person conference. From here, the teacher will have the student share what
they enjoy doing at school and then the teacher can share their observational notes about the
student’s social and behavioral health. Following this discussion, the teacher will move onto the
academic portion of the meeting. The student will share the work from their portfolio and test
scores, with teacher explanations as support. The student will then share the goals they created.
The teacher will facilitate a discussion with how those goals will be addressed in the classroom.
Prior to the meeting the students took home a goal sheet that allowed the caregivers to
brainstorm ways in which they will assist their child in reaching their goals. At this point in the
meeting the teacher will either discuss these actions steps or help the family to start that process
if they did not have a chance to complete it before coming to the conference. This will be
recorded for the family and the teacher so that at the next conference the two groups can look
back at the sheet and reflect on if and how those goals were met. Throughout each element of the
meeting, the goal is for the teacher and the caregiver(s) and student to talk an equal amount so
that a mutual feeling of a partnership is built.

A week following the Student Led Caregiver Conference the teacher will call the families to ask
how they are doing and how implementation of conferences goals and practices are going at
home. This will be an opportunity to follow up on any changes seen or provide resources if they
need any assistance.

To successfully host this student-led conference the teacher will need to have the
invitation/conference sign up system, student goal sheets, student work portfolios, student test
scores, teacher observation notes, family goal sheets, and activities for siblings to complete
during the meeting.

How does your practice address the issues you learned about in Module 9:
Communication?
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The Student Led Caregiver Teacher Conference practice is supporting two-way communication
as well as culturally responsive and sensitive communication. This practice supports two-way
communication because it gives caregivers/students and teachers the opportunity to have an open
conversation where concerns and questions can be addressed. This practice allows each
participant to share their viewpoints and gives the opposing a change to understand those
viewpoints. This two-way communication allows for information to be directly discussed with
the teacher, caregiver, and student as to meet the specific needs of both the student and caregiver.
Similarly, this practice supports culturally responsive and sensitive communication as discussed
in the Module 9 chapter. This practice includes the child for language support. The child often
speaks the native language of the family and can aid in clarifying the meaning of statements that
are often misinterpreted across languages. The student work portfolio also addresses this issue,
as the visual representation of student growth and progress eliminates the likelihood of
miscommunications. This practice also welcomes the option for an interpreter, cultural liaison, or
other translation services for families if they wish. As discussed in Turnbull et al. (2021), these
can be members of the family’s circle of support as these are welcome members of the
conference. The teacher will need to communicate the contents of the meeting with these
members as well so that two-way communication remains open and direct.

What research supports the effectiveness of this practice, especially for supporting bi-
directional communication in family-school partnership programming?

Dreas-Shaikha (2018) examined how shifting from a parent-teacher led meeting to a student led
meeting can allow for students to become more motivated in their academics, shift the narrative
of what success is, and change the dynamic of the relationships between student, parent, and
teacher. Dreas-Shaikha found that by shifting the meeting from teacher to student led, the
dynamic changed to include the perspectives of parents and students as well. These findings
offer support for Student Led Caregiver Teacher Conferences in supporting bi-directional
communication within FSP programming, because by creating a safe space for students to reflect
on the work they are doing it opens up the conversation to how the student interacts at home and
at school. Parents can share their findings of how they feel the student is doing based on the
work they complete at home, the teacher can share the school side, and the student can do most
of the reflecting then together they all concluded what is working best for the student.

Heckmann, Kenworthy, and Nibbelink (1995) examined how a transition from teacher led
conferences to student led conferences will reduce the stresses of traditional conferences between
teachers and parents. The authors found that the student-led model encourages more student-
parent academic discussions by giving students autonomy and responsibility in their learning,
and relieves common stressors imposed on parents and teachers with the traditional parent-
teacher conference model such as fears of confrontation or hostile environments. These findings
offer support for Student Led Caregiver Teacher Conferences in supporting bi-directional
communication within FSP programming because by incorporating the student into the “students
appreciate being treated as equal partners and eagerly anticipate leading their personal
conferences” and similarly, “parents have expressed a heightened awareness of their children's
steady progress toward adolescence and view them as being capable of making decisions and
assuming increasingly complex responsibilities” (Heckmann et al., 1995, p. 9). One of the most
interesting findings from this research is that “teachers also report more supportive
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communications when they contact parents throughout the school year” (Heckmann et al., 1995,
p. 10). This directly supports the bi-directional communication we strive for in family-school
partnership programming. Through these student-led meetings, researched by Heckmann et al.,
every member of the conference is gaining and growing.

References

Dreas-Shaikha, M. J. (2018). Student-led conferences: empowering students through self

assessment and reflection. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED591424.pdf.

Hackmann, D. G. (1995). Student-led conferences: encouraging student-parent academic

discussions. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED388449.pdf.

Ochoa, M. (n.d.). Involving Students in Parent-Teacher Conferences. Scholastic.

https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/involving-students-parent-

teacher-conferences/

NYC Department of Education. (2020). Parent Teacher Conferences. NYC Department of

Education. https://www.schools.nyc.gov/get-involved/families/parent-teacher-

conferences.

Assignment Requirements (include requirements with your submission):

The presentation of ideas throughout are clearly and concisely presented.
Submission includes a name and an explicit definition for the practice.
Submission includes an accurate rationale for the practice in light of the problems and
solutions identified within the relevant class learning Module.
Procedures for the practice are concrete, clarifying how the practice is implemented,
and with whom, where, and/or when, as relevant.
Procedures for the practice align with the name and definition provided.
There is an accurate conceptual alignment between the practice and relevant research
cited.
There are at least two articles cited in the research section reporting original research.
The submission is free of spelling, grammar, and/or typographical errors.
The submission adheres to APA 7th Edition for academic writing style and citation
formatting.
Submission includes minimal quotes from sources cited; quotes are used only for
emphasis.
The submission is approximately 2 pages, including references.
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Scoring (include requirements with your submission):

Excellent (18-20 points): Met or exceeded all assignment requirements
Satisfactory (16-17 points): Missing 1 assignment requirement
Average (14-15 points): Missing 2-3 assignment requirements
Poor (12-13 points): Missing 3-4 assignment requirements
Very Poor: (0-11 points): Missing 5+ assignment requirements

Score: _____ / 20 points

Comments:
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Revision Notes

Fallon Villarreal & Sarah Wilson

PTA #4- Implementing Culturally Sensitive, Empathetic Communication in Partnerships with

Families that is Two-Way, Frequent, and Regular

Kyzar’s Comment:
I wonder why “short?” Short seems relative – 5 min? 15 min? I can’t explain it but I think that
“brief” is clearer than “short.” It’s a tiny change in wording, but I think it would clarify the point.
I also don’t think you need to quote this material. You could say “this practice is defined as a
brief (15-20 minute) meeting involving the teacher, student, and caregiver to review the
student’s progress in school” – or something like that. Many authors have written something
along the lines of this quote so I don’t think it is necessary to quote. Just paraphrase and cite
the author.

My Revision: We revised the definition of a Student Led Caregiver Conference to be a

paraphrased definition from multiple sources rather than quoted material. I revised the
description of the meeting to be brief rather than short so the time is longer.

Kyzar’s Comment:
You are just over the limit here for the word count for quotations. If you had 41 words, you
could leave the quote in the paragraph, but since you have 50 words, you need to change this
to block quote formatting. See APA for guidance. You could also reduce the quote to 41 words
or less, which would enable you to keep the quote in the para. I would recommend reducing,
but it is up to you.

My Revision: We revised the quote to be less than 41 words and followed APA in-text citation
guidelines.

Kyzar’s Comment:
Page number citation is a part of the sentence (when the quote is 41 words or less) so put the
period after the page number citation.

My Revision: We revised by moving the period to after the citation.

Kyzar’s Comment:
I wonder why there are two citations here. Is the NYC citation for the first quote and the Dreas-
Shaika citation for the second quote? I’m not sure how to give feedback – could you e-mail or
stay after class quickly as changes are needed here to the APA formatting but I need more info
in order to help you know how to make those changes.

My Revision: We removed the first quote which allowed us to only cite Dreas-Shaika.
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Kyzar’s Comment:
For APA, use the word to represent numbers less than 10.

My Revision: We ensured that this was corrected.

Kyzar’s Comment:
Here is my feedback for our Families class. As I wrote above, I think that when the conference
happens it will be too much to try to share a goal for every class. I think if this were to happen,
the entire meeting would be a “sit and get” for the family. There would be so much to cover
that there would be little time to discuss. So this is one piece of feedback I have but the second
(and perhaps also as important) is that I think if the student is working with the teacher at
school on developing goals for their learning, then – to be two-way – the student should also go
home and talk with the family about their learning goals. This way, the family is not hearing this
for the first time when they get to the school but rather it is more equitable because the family
members have also had a chance to have a “pre-conference” with their child about learning. I
think the dialogue will be richer at the meeting because everyone will have had a chance to
think and reflect in advance.

My Revision: We revised this by adding to the procedure a step where students are sent home
with their social and academic goals to review with their families prior to the Student-Led
Caregiver Teacher Conference.

Kyzar’s Comment:
For the first conference, you might consider following up with a phone call after sending the e-
mail/paper information. As we learned in Module 4 from Hoover-Dempsey, what really matters
in getting parents to the school is personal reach outs and invitations. And families may not
really understand their value or why the conference is student-led so making that call to answer
questions that may not be evident in the written communication will be important. Another key
thing would be to get the student to talk with their family members about how much they have
been preparing for the meeting and that they want to make sure that their parents make it. The
pre-conference that the student has with the family members at home will help this, also.

My Revision: We revised by adding in a follow-up contact to the families to provide an update

on the student’s academic progress as well as thank the family members for meeting.

Kyzar’s Comment:
I think being prepared is really important but heed caution that the teacher does not over
prepare such that the conference is dominated by teacher-talk. Focus on equity – let families
bring their artifacts in if they wish, too. I would suggest putting things aside and if you need
them, you can find them. Let the artifacts emerge from the dialogue. For example, if a parent
raises concerns about handwriting. Then, you can quickly find a sample to discuss. It would be
nice to have one thing you are really proud of the student for – aligned with his goals – and an
example of improvements needed – aligned with the student’s goals. But over preparing could
lead to domination of the talk time
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My Revision: We adjusted our teacher preparation to focus more on having artifacts that can be
used based on caregiver concerns or what they want to discuss rather than having them ready for
the teacher to completely dominate the conversation.

Kyzar’s Comment:
I wonder if this is a meeting that happens at the beginning of the year, before the student-led
conference. Perhaps there could be an initial “getting to know you” brief conference by phone
or in person, or video, and in that conference the teacher could talk with the family member
about the student-led process. Thoughts? Then at the start of this meeting, there could be
greetings and checking in on the first conversation but then moving right into the student
sharing goals. I am concerned that if you try to do both, it could be too long.

My Revision: We revised by adding a short ‘get to know you’ conference help via phone call at
the beginning of the semester that reviewed student and family interests, home life, and the
student led process of conferencing. This will be reviewed and followed up with a checkpoint at
the first in person Student Led Caregiver Teacher Conference.

Kyzar’s Comment:
I like this! But I wonder if it could happen before the meeting, if the student and family member
have time? If not, this could happen at the meeting

My Revision: We revised by adding in that during the meeting the teacher will either go over the
ideas that the families brought to the meeting or work with them to create the goals if they did
not have a chance to brainstorm them prior to the meeting.

Kyzar’s Comment:
Good work in this section! If you include the element of the student talking with the family
members about learning goals in advance of the meeting, this meeting becomes even more
two-way because the family will be prepared with ideas at the meeting, just as the student and
teacher have had the chance to do before the meeting. I think it will also ease anxiety about
conferences because the family members will feel some agency. Usually a parent walks into a
conference feeling a ton of trepidation because the teacher is about to tell them how their child
is doing. By inviting the family member to think in advance about this and come prepared with
ideas and strategies, too, I predict that stress will be reduced.

My Revision: We revised by adding a portion of the procedure where the student takes home the
goal sheet and discussed it with the family prior to the meeting.

Kyzar’s Comment:
Reference these points in your procedures section so that there is nothing new about the
practice in sections that follow the procedures. All information after the procedures references
what was already described.
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My Revision: We revised by adding an option for families to request a

translator/interpreter/cultural liaison in their meeting. This option will be given when scheduling
the meeting.

Kyzar’s Comment:
Make the paras in this section flush left and add an extra space between the paragraphs. This is
the formatting for this assignment, which deviates from APA.

My Revision: We revised by moving the paragraphs to be flush left and added a space between
the paragraphs as to be consistent with the instructions in this assignment.

Kyzar’s Comment:
For APA, just use the author's last name, not their first name. Please correct throughout.

My Revision: We revised by removing the first name of the author and leaving just the last
name throughout the assignment to be consistent with APA formatting.

Kyzar’s Comment:
All article titles need to be sentence cases, but note that the first word after the colon (or any
punctuation) needs to be capitalized. Please correct throughout.

My Revision: We revised the references to follow sentence case throughout the document to
follow APA formatting.
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Supplementary Materials: Student Led Caregiver Teacher Conference: Goal Sheet

Student Name: _________________________

MY ACADEMIC GOALS
1st Six Weeks
**Place a next to the goal you choose to discuss in the conference! **

English Language Arts & Reading:

1. __________________________________________________________________________

2. __________________________________________________________________________

3. __________________________________________________________________________

Math:

1. __________________________________________________________________________

2. __________________________________________________________________________

3. __________________________________________________________________________

Science

1. __________________________________________________________________________

2. __________________________________________________________________________

3. __________________________________________________________________________

Social Studies:

1. __________________________________________________________________________

2. __________________________________________________________________________

3. __________________________________________________________________________
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Student Name: _________________________

MY SOCIAL/PERSONAL GOALS
1st Six Weeks

Shade this color: I always do this Shade this color: I sometimes do this Shade this color: I never do this.

I listen when the teacher is talking.

I play with friends at recess.

I am resilient, I ‘bounce back’ if things don’t go my way.

I follow instructions the first time.

I am a leader.

I am on time for class, ready to work.

I respect myself and see the bright side of things.

I think about others and how they may be feeling.

My Goals:
1. __________________________________________________________________________

2. __________________________________________________________________________

3. __________________________________________________________________________

Parent Notes Before Conference:

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Commitment
Practice Take-Away #7: Commitment
By: Fallon Villarreal & Sarah Wilson

What is the name of your practice?

The name of this practice is home visits.

What is the definition for your practice?

This practice is defined as a semesterly visit to the student’s home/community by the teacher to
establish relationships with the caregivers, students, and other members of the circle of support.

What procedures are involved in carrying out this practice?

The first step to carrying out this practice is to coordinate with a team teacher and administration.
Teachers at this school teach a specific subject and have students rotate between their classes.
The teachers should pair up with the teacher they share students with and work with
administration to ensure they are knowledgeable of school and district policies and are
adequately prepared to meet with families. These home visits should be conducted in pairs as for
safety and so both teachers the child interacts with are building equal relationships with the
caregivers and students. Each teacher will be responsible for planning the home visit with the
students in their homeroom class.

The next step is planning the Fall semester visit with the caregivers. This home visit will occur
during the first 6-weeks of school. This begins with finding a way to get caregivers signed up for
the voluntary visit. The teacher will send a letter/email that communicates the benefits of the
home-visit, the way the visit can be held (in a home, at a public space such as the library, or via
video chat) while emphasizing it is a voluntary experience. The teacher will include an online
signup sheet that will be linked on the class website, sent in an email, sent home on a piece of
paper with a link and QR-Code, and there will be a paper sign up posted at the school. The
teacher will make sure that there are a variety of days and times, including later evenings so that
caregivers have optimal opportunities to meet. They can also make time requests in the chance
that they are unable to meet at any of the times listed. The teacher will follow up with a phone
call to the families who did not respond via email or sign up for a time yet. This can ensure that
the families understand the purpose and benefits of home visits.

For the Fall semester, the focus of the visit will be on relationship-building. The teachers and
caregiver will discuss hopes and dreams for the student, as well as their expectations of each
other. This should not be solely teacher-led, but instead a two-way conversation with the
caregiver to build trust and comfort. The teacher will be taking mental notes during the meeting,
and only writing a few important notes on a small notepad, as this can cause suspicion or distrust
for the families. To ease this tension the teacher should tell the parent at the start of the meeting
that they will be taking a few notes of points they do not want to forget or that they find
important for the family and student. Before the conclusion of the meeting the teacher will find
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out from the family which method of correspondence (email, paper letters, phone calls, etc.) is
preferred. This can ensure continuous and open communication following the visit. Once the
meeting is over, teachers will thank the families for their hospitality, taking time out of their busy
schedules to meet with them, and for providing their expertise on their child. The teacher will
also end with a summary of what was shared involving hopes/dreams and expectations, to
confirm that none were missed or incorrect, and offer a chance for final additional comments.

Following each home visit, the team teachers will independently write down notes and
observations. After the completion of all visits the teachers will come together to exchange what
they documented. These notes will be used throughout the semester when the teacher reaches out
to families to check in on them, and as the basis for the Student Led Caregiver Conference and
any other meetings that may be held.

The next step of the home visit is to follow up with the families a week or two after the visit.
This follow up will serve to thank the family again for their willingness to meet and discuss their
goals/expectations. The teacher should review the mutually-established goals and provide an
update on the student’s performance in the classroom and ask the families to share anything they
have observed about the child. The teacher should welcome communication, concerns, or ideas
from the family at any time and review contact information. Over the course of the semester, the
teachers will continue to follow up with the family and have a specific question they ask to
further their partnership. For the fall semester, at the home visit they discuss hopes and dreams
for the student. During the second check in they will discuss student involvement outside of the
classroom. At the Student Led Caregiver Teacher Conference they will discuss the student’s
involvement at school. At the end of the fall semester they will meet or schedule a phone call to
share victories from the semester.

Following the winter break, the team teachers will repeat the process of preparing for the Spring
semester home visits. The same steps will be followed, except this time the teachers will inform
the caregivers that this visit will also be used to talk about the students' academics and follow up
on any action steps from the student-led conference, or needs from the Fall semester. The
teachers will complete the same steps of the fall by collaborating to document observations and
notes, following up throughout the semester, and using observations during conferencing.
Finally, teachers will create a comprehensive file of student work, observations, test scores, and
other pertinent information to pass onto the next grade level teacher, per school policies.

How does your practice address the issues you learned about in Module 12: Commitment?

Home Visits allow teachers to connect with caregivers and students by spending time outside of
the classroom and collecting information in order to check in on the family throughout the school
year. For a teacher to build great partnerships that go beyond a parent-teacher conference, they
have to be committed to their students and the student’s families. Turnbull et al. (2020) define
commitment as “a deliberate choice (volition) to prioritize and value partnerships (bonding), and
to be dedicated to and assume responsibility for partnership outcomes (p. 330). Specifically,
Turnbull et al. focused on four parts of commitment: volition, bonding, dedication, and
responsibility. This practice most directly aligns with the characteristic of dedication. Dedication
18

involves “showing a very strong support for any loyalty to one’s work” (Turnbull et al., 2020, p.
330). In order to execute home visits and build partnerships throughout the semester a teacher
must be dedicated to the commitment and the work required to make it happen. It is through this
loyalty of monitoring sign ups, having follow up conversations, and staying involved in the
students’ lives that make these partnerships thrive.

This establishes a strong foundation for school-family partnerships and shows commitment to the
family through a follow up communication.

What research supports the effectiveness of this practice, especially for supporting trust in
family-school partnership programming?

Meyer and Mann (2006) examined early childhood teachers’ perceptions of the benefits of home
visitation, and found that as a result of seeing children in their home environment, home visits
allowed teachers to develop a better perspective of the strengths and challenges that a child
might face in the classroom. Teachers in Meyer and Mann’s study also saw an increase in
rapport and trust established between the teacher and parent at the home visit, which created a
greater potential for further communication between home and school. These findings offer
support for home visits in fostering commitment within FSP programming because the research
student saw home visits as a potential device for creating connections between home, school, and
children. Specifically, the research stated that “teachers who make home visits regularly agree
that the effort it takes to make the visit has big payoffs and is well worth the time and emotional
energy required” (Meyer & Mann, 2006, p. 96). This connects to the practice of home visits and
the overall topic of commitment as the teacher’s commitment to the practice showed beneficial
effects that were rewarding and visible to the student, teacher, and family. Given the benefits to
the student, teacher, and family, this practice is building the strategy of synergy. This strategy is
so important to the building of commitment. When reviewing the definition of commitment, it is
easily understood that the teachers participating in the research study showed a willingness to
exert extra effort on behalf of the school in order to create this positive school-family
partnership. The study even shared that when teachers were asked if they would be participating
in another home visit the following year, 100% said yes (Meyer & Mann, 2006, p. 95). This
overwhelming desire to repeat home visits in their next class shows the benefits of the home visit
practice.

Ramsay (2010) examined how to use home visits in order to build relationships with families and
found that home visits encouraged families to become more involved in the education of their
children and allowed teachers to create unique bonds with each student which improved
instruction and participation in their classrooms. Ramsay found that home visits increased
parental involvement which led to improved attendance rates, decreased problematic behavior in
school, and increased academic success. Ramsay concluded that “parents become more actively
involved in their child’s education once they understand how to get involved and what the
teacher wanted them to do” (p. 78). These findings offer support for home visits in supporting
commitment within FSP programming because it demonstrates how these visits not only meet
the primary goal of building trusting relationships with families, but also have a positive effect
on the classroom culture, through a new sense of responsibility is created.
19

References
Graff, C. (2017, January 19). Home visits 101. Edutopia. Retrieved November 4, 2020, from

https://www.edutopia.org/article/home-visits-101-cristina-santamaria-graff

Meyer, J. A., & Mann, M. B. (2006). Teachers’ perceptions of the benefits of home visits for

early elementary children. Early Childhood Education Journal, 34(1), 93-97.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-006-0113-z

PTHV model. Parent Teacher Home Visits. Retrieved November 4, 2020, from

http://www.pthvp.org/what-we-do/pthv-model/

Ramsay, P. M. V. (2010). Using home visits to connect with families: A classroom action

research project. Retrieved November 4, 2020, from http://csus-

dspace.calstate.edu/bitstream/handle/10211.9/831/PCversionRamsayMastersProjectFINA

L11-30-10.pdf?sequence=1

Assignment Requirements (include requirements with your submission):

The presentation of ideas throughout are clearly and concisely presented.
Submission includes a name and an explicit definition for the practice.
Submission includes an accurate rationale for the practice in light of the problems and
solutions identified within the relevant class learning Module.
Procedures for the practice are concrete, clarifying how the practice is implemented,
and with whom, where, and/or when, as relevant.
Procedures for the practice align with the name and definition provided.
There is an accurate conceptual alignment between the practice and relevant research
cited.
There are at least two articles cited in the research section reporting original research.
The submission is free of spelling, grammar, and/or typographical errors.
20

The submission adheres to APA 7th Edition for academic writing style and citation
formatting.
Submission includes minimal quotes from sources cited; quotes are used only for
emphasis.
The submission is approximately 2 pages, including references.

Scoring (include requirements with your submission):

Excellent (18-20 points): Met or exceeded all assignment requirements
Satisfactory (16-17 points): Missing 1 assignment requirement
Average (14-15 points): Missing 2-3 assignment requirements
Poor (12-13 points): Missing 3-4 assignment requirements
Very Poor: (0-11 points): Missing 5+ assignment requirements

Score: _____ / 20 points

21

Revision Notes

Fallon Villarreal & Sarah Wilson

Revision Notes
PTA #7- Commitment

Kyzar’s Comment:
All of this looks good, but I would suggest adding that if the teacher does not hear from parents
about a home visit, that the teacher should follow up with the family member via phone call.
Families may be uncertain why the teacher wants to have a home visit and also what benefit it
would have to their child or them, so with this uncertainty, they may just not reply. Home visits
are not common and, in some contexts, they are viewed negatively – something that happens
when a student has broken rules. For example, when my daughter’s cell phone was stolen at
school by a classmate, the Assistant Principal did a “home visit” to recover the phone. I am ok
with you reaching out by e-mail about it initially but my preference would be that your initial
reach out be by phone. I think the extra time you take in reaching out by phone to explain why
you do home visits and how you see that they benefit students, will save you time in having to
clarify these things that are just not possible to clarify in written communication after you don’t
hear from families about scheduling. But if you want to start with e-mail, I support that as long
as you include that you will follow up with a phone call if you do not get a response.

Our Revision: We added two sentences to the end of the paragraph that included a procedure
where the teacher follows up with a phone call to the families who did not respond to the email
or sign up link! This is to ensure that families understand the purpose and benefits of the home
visit!

Kyzar’s Comment:
Will you include a copy of these questions or the “agenda” for the home visit as your
supplementary aid? If not, please include examples of guiding questions you will that get to these
points. If I can see the wording, I’ll be able to give you better feedback which will get you
further down the line in implementing this in your teaching.

Our Revision: Our revision was to incorporate this agenda and questions into a supplementary
aid for the final FSP submission.

Kyzar’s Comment:
I’ll accept this because everything is so well thought out in this PTA, but I strongly encourage
you while this is still fresh to not leave this up in the air. What do you think needs to be the focus
of this communication at each of these meetings? Go ahead and decide that so it is one less thing
you have to decide in your first year of teaching.

Our Revision: To revise this, we included the specific focus of the communication at these
meetings rather than leaving it vague. We included four different, periodic check-ins throughout
the semester, each with more specific goals to be discussed during.
22

Kyzar’s Comment:
Within commitment, bonding is not about building a relationship with the family but rather
bonding is about bonding with the commitment – meaning you frequently associate with the
commitment, think about it often, and prioritize it in your work. Think about Amie from the
chapter. She bonded with Project Success. Her story was not about bonding with families or
students. In what ways does this practice link with bonding, or other aspects of commitment?
Revise for your final FSP Plan.

Our Revision: We revised the PTA by choosing the commitment strategy dedication, rather than
bonding. We saw that a teacher’s dedication to the commitment aligned more closely with the
practice we have created. We included this in the PTA with explanation and clarification.

Kyzar’s Comment:
See the information in the final FSP Plan Assignment instructions about how you should not
have so many direct quotes. Please paraphrase rather than using direct quotes for your final FSP
Plan.

Our Revision: We revised this by paraphrasing two of the three direct citations, leaving only
one that we found to be important to include.

Kyzar’s Comment:
So here is what this says to me: since there are benefits to the student, teacher, and family, this
practice builds synergy, which according to the chapter, is important for commitment.

Our Revision: We added a small section identifying the commitment strategy, synergy, being
used through this practice.

Supplementary Materials: Home Visits

 23

Fall 2021- Home Visits

Student Name: _________________________

Hopes & Dreams:

Family-Teacher Expectations:

Notes:
24

Part III: Reflection of Growth and Learning

Reflection on Growth and Learning Within this Course
In reflecting on this past semester in this course, it is difficult for me to even put into words the
knowledge and skills I have acquired in my beliefs within family-school partnerships. The case
studies and discussion roundtables provided me with opportunities to gain this knowledge then
challenge the ideas through class discourse. I have learned that family-school partnerships
require equity, communication, advocacy, trust, and commitment; aspects I have previously not
related to this concept.

Specifically, my understanding of what it means for partnerships to be equitable developed

greatly throughout the semester. Back in August, I can admit that I would not have considered
equity a part of this course, because I had the mental, naive hierarchy that the teacher would get
an equal response from families. Knowing what I do now, equity within these family-school
partnerships involves the educator’s intentional studying and understanding of the community in
which students, parents, and caregivers are being served in the school (Herrera et al., 2020). This
was a huge takeaway for me within the concept of equity, as it isn’t necessarily physically
getting into the communities (though that is an option discussed in my FSP), but also can be
through the intentional culturally responsive language we use. Each of these ideas is something I
would have never considered before this course but now plan to implement into my classroom to
build family-school partnerships.

The other aspect of successful family-school partnerships I grew significantly in was advocacy.
In August, my definition of advocacy involved supporting families through adverse and/or
strenuous situations. In my mind, there was not a need for advocacy outside of those
circumstances. I understand now, having almost completed this course, that advocacy should be
consistently practiced throughout the semester, through its many parts, to support a strong
family-school partnership.

Reflection on Continued Growth and Learning Beyond this

Course
As with all education, there is always more to learn. This is consistent with family-school
partnerships. In terms of resources, I will utilize current research to stay up to date on the latest
data involving these partnerships. Similarly, I will utilize coworkers around me to have open
communication about strategies and ideas they have found beneficial within the school
community to grow and learn through each other. Utilizing these mentor teachers will show
strong relationships and trust within the school community, reflective to families of strong
relationships that could be built with them as well.
25

A specific skill I will need to continue to gain knowledge on beyond the scope of this course is
the implementation of commitments. I have a grasp of what commitment is as well as how to
create a commitment process, however, the implementation and dedication to seeing these
commitments through will need more practice for me. I can continue to work on this throughout
my career with accountability. Holding myself accountable for these commitments will support
me. Along with this, taking notes of things that worked or did not work following each year, then
using these notes to build off of will be a good practice.

One thing that I would like to continue to grow my knowledge on is cultural liaisons. This was a
concept I had not had any experience with in August but also was intrigued by in this course. As
this was a shortened semester, and many large concepts to be covered, we could not get into the
specific of cultural liaisons. I will continue to learn about ways you can access and utilize these
positions, as well as ask future schools about their experience with cultural liaisons.