Discussion: Leadership for Fostering Family–School Partnerships
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Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports
6 COUNCIL FOR EXCEH'IONAL CHILDREN
Howard S. Muscott
Stacy Szczesiul
Becky Berk
Kathy Staub
Jane Hoover
Paula Perry-Chisholm
Schoolwide positive behavior supports
(SWPBS) is a culturally responsive set
of systems, practices, and data-based
decision-making features designed to
achieve socially important behavior
change. One important feature of
SWPBS is the evidence-based practice of
engaging families as partners in school-
ing. Statewide initiatives, early child-
hood education programs, and K-12
schools engaged in SWPBS can estab-
lish and use home-school partnerships
as leverage for school improvement.
How can schools foster family engage-
ment in developing, implementing, and
sustaining SWPBS? What are the chal-
lenges associated with such engage-
ment? What barriers do schools face?
What effective state- and school-level
strategies enhance family engagement
and home-school partnerships?
Creating Home- School Partnerships
by Engaging Families in Schooiwide Positive Behavior Supports
Our nation's schools are faced with complex and deep-rooted challenges such as poverty, discrimination, weak school-family relationships, low stu- dent motivation, and high student mobility. These challenges must be overcome if children and youth are to meet their needs for belonging, mas- tery, independence, and generosity (Brendtro, Brokenleg, & Van Bockern, 1990}; experience social competence and academic achievement in school; and ultimately enjoy a high quality of life. To support families, schools must utilize evidence-based approaches to teaching and learning. Moreover, these approaches must he embedded in effi- cient systems that allow practitioners to implement them with fidelity and cross the research-to-practice divide, which historically serves as a deterrent to school reform efforts.
One promising approach to school reform that is gaining significant trac- tion across the country is schooiwide positive behavior supports (SWPBS), a culturally responsive set of evidence- based interventions designed to achieve socially important behavior change and improve academic achieve- ment [U.S. Department of Education, 2000). SWPBS involves creating a set of universal behavior support features for proactively and systematically (a) identifying, teaching, and reinforcing
valued social behaviors and Cb) identi- fying and responding effectively to challenging behaviors that undermine teaching, learning, and social relation- ships {Sugai & Horner. 1999). Using systems to support adults, practices to support students, and data for decision making. SWPBS arguably has grown in popularity like no other school reform effort in educational history [Sugai & Horner, 2006). Research and program evaluations have shown that schools implementing SWPBS with fidelity experience improvements in school climate; reductions in problem behav- iors that would have led to office refer- rals, suspensions, and expulsions; increased opportunities for academic- engaged time; and gains in student achievement (Bradshaw, 2006; Homer, Sugai, Eber. Phillips. & Lewandowski. 2003; Muscott, Mann, & LeBrun, in press).
Barriers to Family Engagement and Home-School Partnerships ln Playing Their Paris [Public Agenda. 1999), a national survey of parents and public school teachers revealed that most parents considered their chil- dren's teachers as accessible and car- ing, and teachers were more likely to be complimented than criticized. However, when it came to engagement in decision making. Public Agenda
found most parents uncomfortable in leadership roles and most teachers uncomfortable having parents in those roles. In fact, despite federal policy [the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, NCLB; Individuals With DisabUity Education Improvement Act of 2004, IDEA) that clearly mandates family and community engagement, most teachers and administrators "still think of them- selves as individual leaders of class- rooms, schools, or districts with little attention to the Importance of team- work and collaboration with parents and community partners" [Epstein & Sanders, 2006, p. 82). As noted by the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors and the National Association of State Directors of Special Education, "Successful inter- agency partnerships make every effort to include family members In the deci- sions and actions that affect their own children. Parents and family members are tbe experts on their own children, and insofar as possible, they must be allowed, encouraged and supported to participate actively in every aspect of decision making regarding their fami- lies' children" [2002, p. 25).
Major barriers include [a] one-side power relationships between schools and famihes [Nogera, 1999); [b) inade- quate teacher preparation regarding establishing and sustaining relation-
TEACHING EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN JULY/AUC 2008 7
Additional Resources
Alliance for School Mental Health. (2006). PBIS school-family-community- partnership toolkit. Long Island, NY: Author. Available from the Office of PB!S, District 75, NYC Public Schools, 400 First Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
Beach Center on Disability. [2007). Family research instruments and toolkits. Available at http://www.beachcenter.org/families/family_researchjoolkit. aspx
Bouffard, S. M., & Stephen. N. (2007). Promoting family involvement in mid- dle and high schools. Principal's Research Review, 2(6), Reston, VA: NASSP. Available at http://www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/projects/fine/resources/ research/nassp.html
Caspe, M., & Lopez, M. E. (2006). Lessons from family-strengthening interven- tions: Learning from evidence-based practice. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Family Research Project. Available at http://vvww.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/projects/ fine/resources/research/lessons.html
Kentucky Commissioner of Education's Parents Advisory Council. (2007). The missing piece of the proficiency puzzle: Recommendations and a rubric for involving families and community in improving student achievement. Lexington, KY: Department of Education.
National Center on School, Family and Community Partnerships at Johns Hopkins University: http://www.csos.jhu.edu/P2000/center.htm
Nationai Parental Information Resource Center Coordination Center: h ttp: //www. nationaipirc. org/
Public Education Network (2004). School-parent compact: Action guide for parent and community leaders. Washington, DC: Author.
PBIS-NH School Contacts
For more information about how schools implemented the programs described in this article, contact:
Dublin Consolidated School Main St., Box 1006 Dublin, NH 03444-1006 May Clark, Principal (603) 563-8332 [email protected]
East Derry Memorial School 18 Dubeau Drive Derry. NH 03038-4807 Sue Devine, Third Grade Teacher (603) 432-1260
sdevine@derry,kl2.nh.us
Hillside Middie School 112 Reservoir Avenue Manchester, NH 03104 Stephen Donohue, Principal (603) 624-6352 [email protected]
Lakes Region Community Child Services Center 22 Strafford Street, Unit 4 Laconia. NH 03246 Marti Ilg, Program Coordinator (603) 524-1235 [email protected]
Mastricola Lower Elementary School 7 School Street, Merrimack, NH
03054 John Fabrizio, Principal (603] 424-6218 [email protected],us
Southem New Hampshire Head Start P.O. Box 5040, 40 Pine Street Manchester, NH 03108-5040 Pam Lane. Family Services Manager (603) 668-8010 [email protected]
ships with parents (Epstein & Sanders, 2006); (c) limited time and material resources for engaging parents; and (d) pressure from underresourced national and state accountability meas- ures. Finally, teachers' and administra- tors' attitudes about parent engage- ment are often shaped by the cultural filter of White, middle-class values, assumptions, and experiences and do not align with those of some families and the neighborhood (Henderson, Johnson, Mapp, & Davies, 2006). When these barriers cannot be addressed satisfactorily, regression to blaming and scapegoating is common, and the likelihood of disengagement increases significantly.
Families that are challenged by poverty, single parenthood, language and literacy barriers, and cultural dif- ferences are no longer likely to be dis- missed outright by school personnel as dysfunctional (Leistyna, 2002). How- ever, unless schools make concerted efforts, family engagement is more like- ly to occur with some families—those from more educated, more economical- ly stable backgrounds—than with oth- ers—those from less educated, working class backgrounds (Sheldon, 2003). The result of such circumstances is predictable: parents who understand the system act on a sense of entitle- ment and make requests for scarce resources. In turn, teachers and admin- istrators satisfy the active parents' requests to diminish the potential for confrontation, leaving the students of less savvy and empowered parents with fewer advantages.
Schools that answer the call to pur- posefully reenvision the role of parents in creating better learning environ- ments for children strive to empower all parents—regardless of their educa- tional or socioeconomic backgrounds— to be active partners in their children's school experience. Such schools pro- ductively channel the advocacy efforts of typically active parents and effec- tively mitigate feelings of marginaliza- tion, inferiority, or uncertainty in par- ents who have traditionally felt less empowered. In both cases, parents are recognized as important members of the school community, increasing the
8 COUNCIL FOR EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN
Schools [can] productively channel the advocacy efforts of typically active parents and effectively mitigate feelings of marginalization, inferiority, or uncertainty in
parents who have traditionally felt less empowered.
likelihood of improvements in academ- ic achievement and social competence for all children.
Toward a Partnership Model Expanding the definition of "family engagement" is the first step for schools in creating more inclusive, pro- ductive places of learning for students and adults. Engagement is predicated on building trusting relationships with family members; that is to say, rela- tionships in which teachers and par- ents respect one another, believe In each other's ability and willingness to fulfill their responsibilities, have high personal regard for one another, and trust each other to put children's inter- ests first (Bryk & Schneider, 2005; Henderson et al., 2006). Relationship building is enhanced when schools use family centered practices that respect the uniqueness and personal circum- stances of all families (Keenan, 2004), including those who have children with disabilities (Muscott, 2002), and provide opportunities for leadership (Epstein, 2002).
Epstein (2002) provides an expan- sive framework through which educa- tors must think deeply about how they support and facilitate parenting, learn- ing at home, communicating, volun- teering, participating in decision mak- ing, and collaborating with community. Schools on the path to meaningful inclusion of families recognize parents (and grandparents or guardians) as being engaged in their children's edu- cational experiences when they provide for their child's basic physical and psy- chological needs, promote the child's learning at home, volunteer in the classroom, advocate on behalf of the child with teachers and administrators, participate on decision-making commit- tees, become active in community organizations that promote the work of
schools and the welfare of all children, or some combination thereof (see box, "Additional Resources"].
Many New Hampshire schools involved in SWPBS, via the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports- NH (PBIS-NH) initiative, have begun using Epstein's [2002) framework to shift how teachers and families think about partnerships related to students' academic and social-emotional growth (see box, "What Does the Literature Say about SWPBS?"). They do not assume that families who have tradi- tionally been considered disengaged are making a conscious choice not to get involved in their child's school experience. Rather, schools are recog- nizing that a range of challenges may prohibit well-intentioned families from effective engagement. As a result, they are embedding proactive and respon- sive systems and practices that address a wide range of needs and challenges.
Responsiveness to Family Engagement Educators in PBIS-NH schools think about parent engagement in terms of Epstein's (2002) framework and a multi-tiered approach that addresses responsiveness to family engagement through three tiers of support: univer- sal, targeted, and intensive. Once schools identify the range of behaviors and actions that constitute engage- ment, the next logical step is determin- ing what families need to know or access to "engage." Thus, teachers and administrators implicitly recognize their responsibility to meet families at their own level with regard to engaging in their child's education experience. Schools that perform a focused assess- ment of parents' needs understand what strategies or supports will be nec- essary to (a) sharpen a wide range of parents* basic skills, (b) establish con- sistent systems of two-way communi-
cation, (c) create a spectrum of volun- teering opportunities, (d) teach families how to support students' academic progress by exposing them to new aca- demic and behavior content and skills, (e) expand the influence of families by sharing power in decisions about teaching and learning at their schools, and (f) tap into the resources and strengths avaiiable in the community.
Being responsive to all families requires that educators understand the range of readiness for engagement that exists and be able to match strategies to each family's place on the continu- um. Although engagement needs for most will be satisfied by universal strategies, some families will need more targeted forms of support. For example, most families might only need basic information regarding how they might engage in their child's edu- cation effectively. For many of these parents, information provided through traditional communication systems
What Does the Literature Soy About SWPBS?
SWPBS particularly emphasizes the relationship between school and home, making educators and family members prominent agents in transforming students' educational experiences. Not sur- prisingly, SWPBS draws on a robust research literature to vali- date its emphasis on home- school partnerships. The litera- ture suggests that such partner- ships improve attendance, home- work completion, and student achievement (Christenson & Sheridan 2001; Henderson. John- son, Mapp, & Davies, 2006), par- ticularly in urban areas (Nogera, 1999). and independent of family background (Keith et al.. 1993). Family engagement has also been shown to decrease school vio- lence (Boulter, 2004), improve graduation rates, and increase the likelihood that early adoles- cents will enroll in higher educa- tion (Deslandes & Bertrand. 2005).
TEACHING EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN ' JULY/AUG 2008 9
{e.g., newsletters, open houses, resource lists, and parent conferences) will suffice. However, for some fami- lies, a second tier of targeted supports may be required to support effective engagement in their child's education. These families may need information in their native language, provided by a translator, or personal contact by a school staff member with whom there is mutual trust and respect, rather than a mass e-mail or newsletter. Positive relationships hold the key to success.
At the intensive tier, a small number of families may be disengaged from their child's school because of. for example, their own failed school expe- riences, an ineffective relationship with their child, persona] challenges, or pre- viously compromised relationships. Unpleasant relationships or experiences promote escape and avoidance behav- iors, which make school and family engagement difficult. In these cases, teachers and administrators must adopt a highly individualized and respectful
CC Before getting involved with the PBIS program, I found myself yelling, fighting and having no patience with my two daughters, Natalie, age 4, and Nicole, age 2. As a result of our involvement with the Black Bear TVacks program, my husband and 1 now work better with the girls. The girls now pick up their own toys, put their own dirty clothes away and we can sit down at the dinner table without them getting out of their chairs. One big improvement is that I am not always yelling and losing my patience and we have more bonding times together.
—Dawn Johnson Parent, Lakes Region Child Care Center
approach that requires, at its core, an understanding of families' unique needs, fluency with specialized interac- tion and relationship-building skills. and knowledge and access to targeted resources and supports. These families may not feel they have the power or capacity to effect change for their chil- dren and see disconnecting from the school as the only viable option. Schools that operate with an approach
that is expanded, proactive, and organ- ized along a continuum of intensifying parent support and engagement, how- ever, are more likely to experience mutually beneficial outcomes associat- ed with family-school partnerships (Keenan, 2004). For example, schools involved in the Mental Health and Schools Together: New Hampshire ini- tiative (e.g., Peterborough Elementary and Littleton High School; see
10 COUNCIL FOR EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN
www.nhceb!s.seresc.net/family_ engagement_article2008) have linked with local community mental health centers and developed a facilitated referral process to help families access appropriate and culturally responsive mental health supports in a timely fashion.
PBIS-NH and Family Engagement Since the inception of the PBIS-NH sys- tems change initiative in the fall of 2002. SWPBS has heen systematically introduced and comprehensively sup- ported in 141 public and private preschools and K-12 schools; the PBIS- NH initiative reaches more than 40,000 New Hampshire children, 98% of whom attend public schools. To date.
improvement in mean math scores on the New Hampshire state test. More important, 16 (59%) made gains in reading proficiency levels and 14 (52%) made gains in math pro0ciency levels.
PBIS-NH State-Level Practices for Family Engagement
By articulating concrete values, identi- fying evidence-based practices, estab- lishing transparent linkages with area organizations, and outlining the specif- ic criteria and expectations for school- based teams, PBIS-NH lays the ground- work for families and educators to develop relationships and cultivate productive partnerships. These excep- tional partnerships, in turn, serve to holster the mission of PBIS-NH to sup-
One type of activity involves helping parents become fluent
in using PBIS strategies to create a home climate that is conducive
to studying, completing projects, and doing homework.
PBIS initiatives are actively underway in 17% of New Hampshire's public schools, reaching 16% of public school students in the state; and teachers, administrators, and families in these schools are experiencing a number of important educational outcomes. For example, program evaluations reveal that PBIS-NH early childhood educa- tion (ECE) programs and schools expe- rience decreases in problem behaviors resulting in less office discipline refer- rals and suspensions and increases in time for teaching, learning, and leader- ship activities, which result in improve- ments in academic achievement [Mus- cott et al., in press; Muscott et al., 2004; New Hampshire Center for Effective Behavioral Intervention and Supports, 2008). In school year 2006 to 2007, ECE and K-12 schools in multi- ple cohorts had 1,088 [7.1%) fewer office discipline referrals and 260 (16%) fewer suspensions than the pre- vious school year. Of 27 elementary, middle, and multilevel schools ana- lyzed over a 2-year timeframe, 24 (89%) showed improvement in mean reading scores and 11 (41%) showed
port the social-emotional well-being and achievement of all New Hamp- shire's students. We hegan our efforts by creating linkages with statewide family and youth leadership organiza- tions (e.g.. National Alliance on Mental Illness-NH, Granite State Feder- ation of Families, Parent Information Center, Alliance for Community Sup- ports, Main Street Academix) that resulted in state-level policy, shared trainings and presentations, and joint grant proposals.
These state-level partnerships pro- duced consensus on a definition of a family-friendly school as a place where all families (a) feel welcomed, valued, and respected; (b) have opportunities for their opinions to be heard and their input known and acted upon; (c) have varied and authentic opportunities to be involved in activities of decision- making; and (d) feel satisfied with these elements (New Hampshire Family Engagement Work Group, 2004).
To operationalize these values, the Family Engagement Work Group identi- fied the features of a family-friendly
school as a place where families (a) are informed of school activities in a variety of ways, tb) have access to information about how they can sup- port their child's learning, (c) have access to information about how they can be involved in supporting learning in school through volunteering and assisting, and (d) know what resources are available and how to access those resources. As a second outcome, the group articulated a skill set for family members who serve on the universal leadership team (see www.nhcebis. seresc .net/ f amily_engagem ent_ article2008). The group also ratified the policy of the New Hampshire Center for Effective Behavioral Interventions and Supports that all ECE programs and schools be required to have at least one family member on their uni- versal leadership team. Finally, the group agreed with the recommendation that schools regularly assess respon- siveness to family engagement using the Family Engagement Checklist (Mann & Muscott, 2004) and develop an action plan to address any areas not fully implemented.
PBIS-NH School-Level Family Engagement Practices
Engaging families through parenting and learning at home. Many New Hampshire ECEs and K-12 schools have developed engagement activities related to parenting and learning at home that are delivered at open houses or in more formal workshops. One type of activity involves helping parents become fluent in using PBIS strategies to create a home climate that is con- ducive to studying, completing proj- ects, and doing homework. Another typical activity involves helping fami- lies design a behavioral matrix based on home routines that is consistent with the expectations used in the SWPBS system. For example, the Southern New Hampshire Head Start in Nashua was the first ECE in the PBIS- NH initiative to support parents with basic parenting skills using an adapted home matrix based on their Heads Up program (Be Safe, Be Kind, and Take Care of Our Things). Family workers visited families to help them create
TEACHING EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN JULY/AUC 2008 11
positively stated, observable behaviors for home routines such as bedtime, mealtime, and peer play.
To enhance connections between school and home, the Lakes Region Child Care Services Center surveyed parents to assess interest and barriers, and partnered with another local agency, UpStream, to offer a five-part parenting series. Educators and family members involved in creating and delivering the "Parenting Series" con- sidered the universal needs of the fami- lies by conducting surveys; providing training, materials, practice, and feed-
in school programs and understand their children's progress—and schools become more aware of parentaJ strengths and concerns.
Schools such as Mastricola Lower Elementary, Hillside Middle, and Dublin Consolidated Elementary (see box, "Additional Resources"), which we spotlight in this article, recognize the role that communication plays in creat- ing partnerships with families. They created a number of universal commu- nication systems, such as monthly newsletters with a write-in parent advice section, initial SWPBS activities
CC My children love this school—the school has been a phenomenal support for me and my kids. I can communicate with the school staff about anything. When you have the support you need, you succeed.
—Parent of a student at South Meadow Middle School, Peterborough
back in natural settings; including par- ents in decision making and leader- ship; and emphasizing positive behav- ioral expectations (Be Safe, Be Kind, and Take Care). Results inciuded high and consistent attendance, high gradu- ation rates from the training series, contintied participation after the train- ing concluded, reports of improved family functioning, and creation of a community of leaders and learners. One father, for example, noted that the bedtime routine had become much more peaceful since they implemented the ideas: "We don't have to fight with him at bedtime anymore, we just look at the matrix and know what to do."
Engaging families through two-way home-school communication. Historic- ally, schools have used unilateral forms of communication with families by dis- seminating pertinent information through irregular administrative letters, parent handbooks, newsletters, report cards, or infrequent phone calls. According to Epstein (2002), a defining element of school-home partnerships is establishing effective two-way com- munication systems. Through the reciprocal exchange of information, families are better equipped to engage
to introduce the program to parents, periodic open houses with aligned activities, an interactive Web site, and a parent liaison who solicits information from families and brings questions and suggestions to school meetings.
Mastricola's monthly school newsletter features a SWPBS column to inform and engage parents, listing the upcoming "Behavior Skill ofthe Week" and offering suggestions for fostering common approaches in "The Big 3" (safety, respect, and responsibility; see www.nhcebis.seresc.net/document/ filename/369/Mastricola_ES_Nov_ newsletter_revised_highlighted.pdf). Every 6 weeks, members of Hillside Middle School's parent-teacher organi- zation (PTO) edit and print their Beak Speaks parent newsletter (see www. nhcebis. seresc.net/document/ rilename/365/Beak_Speaks_pages_ combined.pdf). During tbe first year of the SWPBS initiative, the newsletter incltided articles about the adoption of the program and an explanation of what it would mean to students. Addi- tional articles clarified the dress code, cbanges to the tardiness policy, details of the Hillside High-Five acknowledg- ment program, and data summaries.
The use of interactive rollout activi- ties to introduce the SWPBS program to students and families and open houses to create ongoing, two-way dialogue about the program are typical in PBIS- NH ECE centers and K-12 schools. Dublin Consolidated School, a small, rural elementary school, used a consis- tent schedule of open houses to achieve two-way communication with families and creatively sustain tbe momentum for SWPBS implementation. During one such open house. An Evening of ABCs, families participated in four different activities that highlighted the important aspects of the program. According to Principal May Clark:
Fifth graders wrote and per- formed skits showing families bow students exhibit the ABCs in three locations: arrival/dismissal, lunch, and physical education classes. A Jeopardy! game that had been used in a school activi- ty with students was used to inform and assess families' knowledge of the ABCs. The ABC song was performed by sec- ond graders and taugbt to fami- lies. Finally, students shared their responses to a writing prompt related lo respect in four small groups so families had the opportunity to hear the work done by students of all ages. The open house was attended by more than 90 family members.
Viewed through Epstein's (2002) framework, this form of engagement provided an opportunity for two-way communication witbin the context of a fun, interactive hour of activities. Events were made relevant by (a) using discipline data to identify the specific routines needing additional behavior support (i.e., arrival/dis- missal, lunch, and physical education classes); (b) maximizing opportunities for students to design and perform at open houses; (c) emphasizing activities that actively invoived parents and stu- dents; and (dj showcasing student products (e,g,, written essays, posters) that highlighted the integration of aca- demics witb bebavior support and con- tributed to a positive school climate.
Periodic and brief surveys are also a good way to gauge whether families
12 COUNCIL FOR ExcEPnoNAi. CHILDREN
feel connected to the school and understand their child's experiences. Some families do not respond to paper surveys; schools might employ a sec- ond-tier attempt through a telephone poll. Volunteers with clipboards can also administer surveys at school events. Mastricola Elementary, for example, developed and distributed a survey to assess parent awareness of their "The Big 3" program, The leader- ship team used findings from the sur- vey to develop articles for their newsletters. (See www.nhcebis.seresc. net/document/filename/366/Mastricol a_ES_PBIS_Survey_05.pdf for surveys from Mastricola Elementary School.)
Family members who do not speak English, have limited reading skills, and/or lack educational resources at home may need additional supports and different communication mecha- nisms. Without adequate and accurate translators and translations, some chil- dren may misunderstand and/or mis- communicate school messages. Invest- ments in computer-based translation systems, third-party liaisons, translated materials, automated phone messages, and so forth are worthwhile to bridge the language divide between educators and non-English-speaking families.
Engaging families through volunteer- ing and shared decision making. Tra- ditionally, parental involvement in schools has been unsystematic, volun- tary, and limited (e.g., chaperoning field trips, participating in fundraisers, tutoring), and perceived by some edu- cators as time-consuming and obligato- ry rather than helpful. Educators in PBIS-NH schools have moved family engagement toward Epstein's [2002) vision in which recruitment is system- atic, opportunities for volunteering are available to al! families, and family engagement is influential to student success.
When schools view parents as part- ners and engage them in decision-mak- ing processes that are mutually respect- ful, they realize higher levels of student achievement and greater public sup- port. PBIS-NH schools are required to have at least one family member on the universal leadership team to attend trainings, participate in team meetings,
bring the family perspective to decision making, support rollout activities, serve as a liaison to family organizations, and encourage other famiiy members to become active.
For example, Mastricola and East Derry Memorial actively recruit family members to serve as equal partners on SWPBS teams that make decisions affecting teachers, administrators, stu- dents, and families. At Mastricola, Maureen TYacy, the parent member, has
use and reinforce the [program] at school, at home and in the community. Parents have found that the tenets . . . are helpful in enhancing parenting skills and creating a positive environment at home. Our goal over the next 2 years is to improve two-way communication and involve more families and the communi- ty in evaluating and measuring the success of the program, it will be wonderful to see that
Periodic and brief surveys are also a good way to
gauge whether families feel connected to the school
and understand their child's experiences.
done more than serve as a liaison for the team, PTO, and parent volunteer program. She has set up information tables during parent conferences, coor- dinated a SWPBS section in the annual Merrimack Christmas parade in con- junction with the student council, and developed a SWPBS Parent Hotline to provide answers and information for families. Similarly, Leah Manchester, parent member on East Derry Mem- orial's universal leadership team, takes her role seriously.
I was the outsider, the noneduca- tor in the group, but 1 wanted to truly be part of the team. So, I try to attend all meetings and special events, and I offer to help in any way I can.
For the most part, my role as parent representative has been primarily as an information con- duit, helping parents understand what SWPBS is and how [it] works. . . . At each PTA meet- ing. Vice Principal Lidia Desrochers and I provide an update of what behaviors the students are working on, their accomplishments, our celebra- tions and what to expect next. Our monthly PTA newsletter reaches a larger audience.
I am glad to part of the SWPBS team. We have made progress in helping families understand what we are trying to accomplish and how they can
opportunity expanded so that other parents and community members can participate. We believe that providing a wide range of family engagement prac- tices will continue to be impor- tant as the [program] becomes even more a part of our culture in the next few years.
Although volunteers should not be involved in disciplining students, they can certainly receive training to partici- pate in other aspects of the program, including teaching expectations and providing acknowledgment when stu- dents exhibit desired behaviors. How- ever, family members, like staff, also should receive training on confidential- ity, appropriate social interactions, han- dling conflicts, seeking assistance/ advice, and so on. Mastricola Elementary's behavioral matrix sup- ports the expectations that school vol- unteers exhibit safe, respectful, and responsible behaviors while in the school, further strengthening school climate and the idea that family mem- bers are role models for children even at school. The matrix is a part of the Volunteer Handbook and used during training (see www.nhcebis.seresc.net/ family _engagement_article2008).
Looking Ahead Educators in PBIS-NH schools are working diligently to create safe, suc- cessful, and satisfying teaching and
TEACHING EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN JULY/AUG 2 0 0 8 13
learning climates that support students" social competence and academic achievement. They purposefully work on establishing trusting relationships with families that form tbe basis for a wide range of engagement practices. No matter bow well intentioned the effort, there are clear barriers to engagement between schools and families, Whether schools choose to acknowledge their role in mitigating the barriers will, no doubt, make a difference in the quality of a child's educational experience. Fortunately, empirical evidence sug- gests that educators and parents can overcome barriers that obstruct well- intentioned families from engaging in their children's educational experiences when schools choose to endorse and implement responsive, multi-tiered interventions and supports tbat address the wide range of engagement needs.
Tbe family engagement strategies we describe give testament to the emerging power of reform efforts in New Hampshire using SWPBS to sup- port adults, evidence-based practices to support students, and data-based deci- sion making to assess effectiveness. The true test will be whether the effec- tive family engagement practices being used in many PBiS-NH ECE programs and K-12 schools can be sustained with fidelity and ultimately expanded across the state. It is likely that increas- ing the engagement of families as authentic partners witbin tbe culture of SWPBS wili significantly improve the probability that students experience increased social competence and aca- demic achievement in school and ulti- mately enjoy a higher quality of life.
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Howard S. Muscotl (CEC NH Federation), Director; Stacy Szczesiul (CEC MA Feder- ation), Evaluation Coordinator: and Becky Berk, Associate Director. New Hampshire Center for Effective Behavioral Interventions and Supports, Bedford. Kathy Staub, Hilt- side Middle School Parent-Teacher Organiza- tion, Manchester. New Hampshire. Jane Hoover and Paula Perry-Chisholm, PBIS Coaches. Mastricola Elementary School, Merrimack, New Hampshire.
Address correspondence to Howard Muscott, New Hampshire Center for Effective Beha- vioral Interventions and Supports, 29 Com- merce Drive. Bedford. NH 03110 (e-mail: [email protected]).
TEACHING Exceptional Children. Vol. 40. No. 6. pp. 6-14.
Copynght 2008 CEC.
14 COUNCIL FOR ExcErTiONAL CHILDREN
