WEEK 1 - FULL

Discussions
To participate in the following discussions, go to this week's Discussion link in the left navigation.

1. Positive Environment
    
   Let’s find out about you in the context of what we are going to be studying in this course.  Hjalmarson (2011) asks us to “provide a positive social environment for children while at the same time delivering academic results” (p. xi).  Recall in your own experience as a K-12 student.  How did parent support for you vary from year to year (from elementary school to high school)?  Please give specific examples.

Assignment
To complete the following assignment, go to this week's Assignment link in the left navigation. 

Social Support Essay

Social support is an important concept in schools. Schools are not just charged with academic development, they are charged with aiding emotional and physical development as well. Social support systems aid in this development. As noted in your text (Hjalmarson, Chapter 2), this can be an important aspect of a successful school, such as “Los Pen.” 

In a two- to five-page paper (not including the title and reference pages), describe the value of social support through addressing the following: 

• Define the term Social Support and explain what relevant scholarly research states about it. 
  
• Describe your personal experiences with social support systems as student and/or teacher.
  
• Discuss significance of social support in a school setting. 
  

Be sure to include and reference at least three scholarly sources (not including your textbook) properly cited in APA style.

 

Carefully review the Grading Rubric for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.

Required Resources

1. Read from your text, Differentiated Parent Support: Engaging Parents in Unique Ways to Increase Their Involvement in School:
   • Chapter One – Destiny
   • Chapter Two –  One School’s Story
     
     

Recommended Resources

1. Anderson-Butcher, D., Lawson, H. A., Iachini, A., Flaspohler, P., Bean, J., & Wade-Mdivanian, R. (2010). Emergent Evidence in Support of a Community Collaboration Model for School Improvement. Children & Schools, 32(3), 160-171. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
   • This study provides preliminary data resulting from six pilot schools' implementation of a community collaboration model for school improvement. A mixed-method evaluation design yielded promising results. For example, stakeholders' perceptions regarding their student support systems increased positively, and overall stakeholders were satisfied with the implementation experience.
      
2. Bryan, J. A. & Griffin, D. (2010). A Multidimensional Study of School-Family-Community Partnership Involvement: School, School Counselor, and Training Factors.Professional School Counseling, 14(1), 75-86. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
   • This article examines the educator’s involvement in school-family partnerships and the factors that go into supporting student success.
      
3. Glogster. Retrieved from http://www.glogster.com
   • This site allows users to create online posters.