Family and Community Engagement: The Role of Parent, School and Community Involvement in the Academic Achievement of African American Males and Females in Elementary School

Family and Community Engagement: The Role of Parent, School and Community Involvement in the Academic Achievement of African American Males and Females in Elementary School

Chapter 1: Introduction

Traditional knowledge of the African-American student embraces the belief that the parent is the most influential mentor and teacher in the child’s life from birth. Most research on child growth and development cites the importance of parental involvement from the early developmental years of the child.  African-American have historically encountered significant barriers and disconnect to a high-quality education. Through the last several decades African American students have been reported to perform lower or underperform in the academic setting and on mandated state-based assessments than any other culture (Mary, Calhoun, Jenson, & Tejada, 2018). Throughout the last several decades, research has demonstrated that parental involvement over all others types of engagement adds higher value and impact to the child’s academic progress, allowing the child to perform better in the educational setting at school

The importance of family and community engagement in schools where there are school-aged students have been well documented, according to (Baker, Wise, Kelly, Gwendolyn, & Skiba, 2016). For obvious reasons, it is evident that the increased interest of parents, community and schools are essential factors in students’ success and achievement in school. Community groups/organizations create partnerships with schools to provide resources and even their time to support the instructional efforts as well as the whole child (social and emotional struggles) to ensure that all students needs are being met. Schools and families work closely together to support and improve the learning and development of the students. According to one school health journal, having a whole child approach model and educational orientation will ensure that all stakeholders are not only aware, but engaged with the schools to ensure all areas are met for the students in the school (Lewallen, Hunt, Potts, & Zaza, 2015).

School-community partnerships have been regarded as a favourable means to assist students and schools who struggle with getting family, community and schools together. During the Progressive Era, the local school was commonly viewed as the community’s central institution (Dewey, 1902). The school community is a place where the community can come together and showcase their resources and expertise to the student body. Influence is a large part of engagement and student success. This influence comes from the home, the community and the school. All stakeholders are valuable to the students’ success in academia at this level.

The NO Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) helped schools to ensure that all students were receiving the highest level of education and tools to equip them with what they needed for the future. This law also made certain that the schools were teaching and that the students were learning at their best abilities in the classroom setting.

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) required that the parent were privy to certain additional pieces of information surrounding their child’s education. The schools had to let the parents know that there were choices in selecting another school if there were doubts about the educational process in one school (United States Department of Education, 1997). Due to this law, every school that receives these funds under the Title I funding source must have a parent involvement policy that explicitly states how they are involved and what the schools are doing to engage them in all student activities. From this era, family and community engagement has since been at the forefront of many of the schools. It is certain that these efforts have only strengthened schools who have embraced the marks of commitment throughout. The community leaders, the school community and home can only set the epitome of what the expectation from our students look like. The saying that it takes a village is indeed a true saying in light of where we would like for our future to hold for our children.

Family and community engagement have been noted, according to Feuerstein (2000) to have a significant role and play a great part and influence on students in schools. Because involvement has been demonstrated to have a substantial effect on students’ performance and actions in the school setting, the factors that influence the engagement and participation have become a matter of great interest to educational decision policymakers (Feuerstein, 2000). The practices and boots on the ground to support schools are needed in order to substantiate the importance of education in some of the students. It is crucial that students understand and know that the support they receive and see within the schools is a product of dedication and a promise to secure a productive and prosperous future.

It has been clear and evident that the schools with engagement and involvement from their stakeholders are amongst those schools that are high achievers and strong partnerships efforts in their communities. These are the schools that are paving the way and making a difference in the lives of the students that matriculate in the schools with these great efforts in place. The offering of a cohesive synergetic environment can ensure a school that will reflect the quality and positive results. These results will bleed into the classrooms, and the students will feel the energy throughout their educational journey within the school. The stakeholders are embedded in the efforts of the school, and the schools is thriving to maintain and allocate that synergy throughout their faculty and staff to push and motivate their students to be the best that they can be in the academic arena.

Understanding what it takes to influence and motivate students is half the battle. When they have and know the feeling of support and guidance in their educations, positive results will follow.

Statement of the Problem

Engagement with family and the community is a significant movement within schools during them 21^st-century era. Research has shown that increased achievement with students in schools today correlates highly with socioeconomic status and the appropriate involvement with the school community. According to (Hanover, 2014), socioeconomic barriers that are trending in today’s society are non-flexible workforce schedules, the lack of knowledge due to communication, the lack of resources due to finances, and negative past experiences with school districts around the globe when it relates to homes and many families in the African American community.

Undeniably, in some instances, schools have not created a secure nurturing environment for black parents or even community stakeholders to play an active role in schools. The economy, political, and the social structure of society has systematically place African Americans at the pit of the economic chain, which has resulted in discriminatory practices. These practices have also included unfair housing situations that have developed and produced in the advancement of the black communities to be stagnant.

African Americans have been historically deprived of equitable education in schools. Training since Brown v. Board of Education ruling

In a study by (Lewallen, Hunt, Potts-Datema, Zaza, & Giles, 2015), it indicates that family and community engagement is a vital variable of success of students enrolling in schools today. According to Hanover (2014), factors that commonly affect participation in schools are school climate, the quality of parent involvement, the quality of communication between parents, community involvement in schools, and parent’s perceptions of the roles they should play in a student’s education. All stakeholders are accountable to each other to increase productive and active involvement in schools. Appropriate efforts are significant to ensure successful perceptions and carry through family and communicable engagement in schools.

The significant disconnects between the three entities (Family, Community, & School), is most likely due to the communication efforts that have been established initially between the parties. Global Family Research Project (2019) found that participation of community and family partners are vital to the overall success of a school, and especially the study body. Involvement in a student’s educational matters has been found to be very instrumental in their success. Commitment from family, school, and the community plays a major in influencing the expectations of a student’s future and promotes learning in the school environment.

Ensuring all parties understand their roles are just as important as the action. According to (Haggen, 2016), having a strategic plan that includes professional development on partnerships are best practices that are deliberate and meaningful in nature. This professional development process can be implemented by way of seminars and workshops for home, school, and the community to sit at the table together to discuss goals and objectives for each year or for the school as a whole. These sessions will ensure collaboration and a shared plan of action to produce student success in the academic setting. The purpose of professional development is to provide a partnership between the partners are implemented with fidelity. These opportunities are designed to help all stakeholders effectively take action and collaborate to facilitate a wholesome and fruitful relationship to guide student achievement.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study is to evaluate the impact of the Family and Community Engagement Compact on an elementary school that serves Kindergarten through Fifth grade students. According to (Quezada, Alexandrowicz, & Molina, 2013), the need for engagement between families, schools, and the communities can no longer be ignored. Educators can no longer carry the torch alone in providing the influence, support and resources for students. Increased family and community involvement leads to student’s success in academic settings and the school environment. This elementary school is located in a rural and impoverished area of southwest Georgia. The purpose of engagement is that it will encourage the positive input and involvement of families as well as community stakeholders in schools.

Theoretical or Conceptual Framework

 The study will review some of the specific theories in developing the understanding of the role that the parent, school and community involvement have on the child’s or students’ academic achievements. Some of the theories that the study is likely to evaluate or examine include theories of cognitive development through aided procedures how such methods do enhance the academic progress and the level of involvement on the overall outcome in a student’s academic achievements. The study will examine three theories includes; Maslow’s need hierarchy theory, Mc Clelland’s achievement theory and the Herzberger two factor theory. The study will develop a conceptual framework for the understanding of how the three group’s involvement is key in the general learning and academic development of a student (African-American)

Nature of the Study

The study will apply the use of the quantitative approach of education in developing an understanding of the role in which family and community involvement in the academic achievement of African America students. According to this approach, the researcher will align the study question on the questions in line with the problems statements of the study. It will pay closer attention to on the examination and analysis of the role of the entities (parent, school and community) in the promotion of the academic achievements of the students.

Research Questions

1. What roles do stakeholders (family, school, community partners) play in student achievement at schools?
2. What stakeholders’ actions (family, school, community partners) impact student engagement and achievement in schools?
3. What strategies should schools implement to encourage family and community engagement?

Significance of the Study

            The study evaluates and examines the role of the family and community involvement in the academic achievement of the African-America and the elementary school population. Often most African American do believe that the community plays one of the most crucial roles in the child’s upbringing. As such, the Africa-American communities tend to leave and value the communal kind of child upbringing with a benefit that the contributions of the various members of the community have a significant impact on the academic performance or achievement of the student.  The significance of the study is to evaluate the actual role played by the parent, school and community through their involvement in enhancing the academic achievement of such students.

Definition of Key Terms

Summary

Chapter one has sketched a problem statement that relates to the role of family and community engagement and the role that it plays in the African-American students’ academic achievement. The problem statement, the study objective and the significance of the study developed in these chapters will need to be evaluated using a research instrument. The vital tool that will be used in the study is an extended form of literature review which will correctly be used in the gathering of information and survey-based research to develop an understanding of the topic. In case all the objective of the study is met. The final purposes are the formulation of the critical family and community involvement framework obtained from the various review of various literature and hence the outcome of the study.

Chapter 2: Literature Review

Theoretical/Conceptual Framework

Theme or Subtopic

Summary

Chapter 3: Research Method

Research Methodology and Design

The research presented provides the theoretical literature to support the effectiveness of family, school, and community engagement in the lives of students. The study was created to provide additional data on the impact of family, community, and schools on the achievement of students matriculating in grade school, specifically a rural Georgia elementary school housing kindergarten through fifth grades.

This qualitative phenomenological study is designed to focus on the research and the common characteristics of those experiences. The collection of data will take place as the inquirer will develop a composite description of the essence of the experience for all of the individuals. This phenomenological study will focus on the resources, assistance, and strategies involved in the stakeholder partnerships for the school. The study will be comprised of relevant data collected shown to impact the FACE (Family and Community Engagement) plans in the school setting.

Population and Sample

The benefits of family and community engagement are important to the faculty, staff, families, students, and the surrounding community of the study school. The school, located in an impoverished area of Albany, Georgia, was built in 1963 with some additions and renovations in the early 2000s. According to the (Bureau, 2017), Dougherty County, Albany, Georgia had a population of 91,522. The county has a poverty rate of approximately 30.5 per cent. Households have a median annual income of $34, 541, which is less than the yearly median income across the United States. The economy of Dougherty County employs approximately 34,000 people, with some of the largest employing industries being healthcare and education.

The population of the study school has been consistent in the past five years. The 2019-2020 student enrollment is 431, with 95 per cent of the students qualifying for free and/or reduced breakfast and lunch under the federal guidelines, and therefore is designated a Title 1 school. The writer believes that this study can provide pertinent answers that can result in the way engagement between schools, home, and the community are initiated.

Materials and Instrumentation

            This study involves the development of a design that will make the use of the research instruments that is key to ensuring that a piece of optimal information about the topic is achieved. It is from this element ha the actual instrumentations is needed. For this study, questionnaires will be used as a prudent tool for the data collection on the Family and community engagement and its impact on academic achievement.  The study will, therefore, rely on the element of combinations of both closed and open-ended questionnaire in evaluating the importance of parent, school and community involvement in the academic achievement of the African American students.

Study Procedures

The study will be based on an analysis of the response from the selected respondents on the research topic. The procedures will specifically include the investigation of the impact of the parental, school and community in the academic achievements among the African-American males and females students.  The research will investigate the role played by the family and community involvement through administration and analysis of questionnaires.

Data Collection and Analysis

As a part of the critical role or purpose of the given research, the element of data collection and analysis do play one of the most crucial components is assisting the process of research. This entails all the various techniques and process of gathering and handling the primary data, and the information is gathered in the process. For the study on the subject of determination of the actual role that the Family and community engagement plays on the African American students academic achievements.  The qualitative content analysis method will be used in carefully analyzing the open-ended questions from the various open question in the questionnaires. This is to enable the research process to be conducted in a manner that classifies the collected data collected into the usable form.

Assumptions

The study will assume various question on the topic of study. All these elements are considered not accurate and in reality, does not affect the outcome of the study. For this research, some of the critical assumptions that will be made include; the study will assume that the Familial structure, school and community structure of these African-American students are the same. The outcome of the survey from a given location on the impacts of the Family and community engagement will is the same for all other places since it will affect other students equally.

Limitations

The study will be limited to Dougherty County, Albany, Georgia. It will focus on a maximum of two schools which are lying adjacent to each other. This limitation of the study is hover based on the assumption of the study that all other schools with the higher population African-Americans do have the same nature. It will also be limited to the academic element of the family and community engagement on academic achievement.

Delimitations

In the view of the McMillan (2000) delimitation as education is an interdisciplinary field of enquiry that applies or get other information from another related field such as psychology and political science. In this study, the major delimitation of the study is that it is bound to a given location, Dougherty County, Albany, Georgia. However, the study will use diverse sources, regionally, nationally and globally regarding the family and community engagement in the academic achievements of the students.

Ethical Assurances

The research does observe the ethical consideration of any study. The research will have to obey all the moral element of the data collection and storage. First, the data that will be collected for the study will be used for the research and nothing else. The information obtained from the individual’s respondents involved in the study should be done anonymously as the responded are not expected to indicate their name anywhere during the survey. They have to sign an agreement of privacy of their information, and the information will be based on the aspect of voluntary as the responded will not be coerced to share any information. Besides, as an ethical measure, the respondents are given the freedom of existing the study any particular point of the study whenever key feel like doing so. The identities of the researchers will also be protected through the research period and after.

Summary

Different partnership models exist to assist various entities in the home and community engagement progression. In support of schools to expand and improve beyond academia, a focus on the “whole” child, as well as the “whole” school approach must support the partnerships from home, school, and the community (Lewallen, Hunt, Potts-Datema, Zaza, & Giles, 2015). Outcomes from these partnerships from home, school, and the district are proven to grant improved academic outcomes, improved student relations, enhanced family relations, and enhanced school and community relations.

Chapter 4: Findings

Trustworthiness of the Data

Results

Research Question 1

Evaluation of the Findings

Summary

Chapter 5: Implications, Recommendations, and Conclusions

Implications

Recommendations for Practice

Recommendations for Future Research

Conclusions

Appendices

Reference

Anderson, B. D., H, L., Iachini, A., Bean, J., Flaspohler, P., & Zullig, K. (2008). Commuity collaboration to improve schools: Introducing a new model from Ohio. Children & Schools, 161-172.

Baker, T., Wise, J., Kelly, Gwendolyn, & Skiba, R. (2016). Identifying Barriers: Creating Solutions to Improve Family Engagement. School Community Journal, 161-184.

Bureau, U. S. (2017). Census Bureau Data. United States Census Bureau.

Dewey, J. (1902, October ). The School as a Social Centre. The Elementary School Teacher, pp. 73-86.

Feuerstein, A. (2000). School characteristics and parent involvement: Influences of participation in children’s schools. The Journal of Educational Research, 29.

Global Family Research Project. (2019). Why Family Engagement Matters for Student and School Success. Global Familiy Research, 2.

Haggen, M. (2016). Family and Community Engagement Is a Partnership. Scholastic Education.

Hanover, R. (2014). Best Practices in Family and Community Engagement. District Administration Practice, 1-26.

Lewallen, T. C., Hunt, H., Potts-Datema, W., Zaza, S., & Giles, W. (2015). The whole school, whole community, whole child model: A new approach for improvement educational attainment and healthy development for students. Journal of Student Health, 729-739.

Manen, v. M. (1990). Researching lived experience: Human science for an action sensitive pedagogy. Albany, New York: State University of the New York Press.

Quezada, R. L., Alexandrowicz, V., & Molina, S. (2013). Family, school, community engagement, and partnerships: an imperative for k-12, and colleges of education in the development of twenty-first-century educators. Teaching Education, 119-122.

United States Department of Education. (1997). Overcoming barriers to family involvement in Title I schools. Washington, DC: Office of Educational Research and Improvement .

Appendix

Annotated Bibliographies

Anderson-Butcher, D., Paluta, L., Sterling, K., & Anderson, C. (2018). Ensuring healthy youth

development through community schools: A case study. Children & Schools, 40(1), 7-16.

doi:10.1093/cs/cdx026

The purpose of the research in the case study is to look at data related to the trends of student absenteeism and academic achievement improvements. Community partnerships with home and school have made. A tremendous impact on the growth and development of students around the globe. The case study shows that there are several factors that contribute to the success of students in the academic setting. Being involved and visible in the lives of the students are a major contributing factor to growth and success due to the care and concern that are present and surrounded in these efforts. Some of the problems that the researcher addressed in the case study were the fact that being involved takes more than just distance contributions. It takes the visibility and the understanding of the roles and responsibilities of partners and family to make it all a success story in reality. In this mixed-methods study, community partnerships are evaluated and studied to ensure the accessibility of the accurate and appropriate resources to students in schools today. To advance this research, this study examined outcomes associated with the implementation of community schools and building partnerships. One of the weaknesses in the study was the fact there were limited resources that handled and/or addressed the non-academic needs of students and the partnerships that are needed to assist in these critical concern areas that are out of academia. A research question that was addressed in this case study was, “What are the main implications of academic achievement needed by pertinent partnerships?’. For future research approaching and /or addressing the non-academic concerns in correlation with the academic areas may be discussed.

Anthony, C. J., & Ogg, J. (2019a). Parent involvement, approaches to learning, and student

achievement: Examining longitudinal mediation. School Psychology, 34(4), 376-385.

doi:10.1037/spq0000282; 10.1037/spq0000282.supp (Supplemental)

Although there has been a multitude of research that states that parental/family involvement has a massive impact on student achievement, there are still many gaps due to the type of parental and family involvement given positively enough to affect the student. This particular study takes a look at the overall effect of the impact of parental involvement and the student in a classroom setting. The discussion of student achievement and the impact on reading development was also displayed as a topic and/or issue of interest represented with parental/family involvement. There are several gaps in the theoretical and methodological approaches of research on student achievement. The methodology utilized in this study illustrated the mixed-method approach. The disaggregating of data that was taken from the subgroups to arrive at the effectiveness of parental involvement practices were highlighted. The current findings have several implications. One is the fact that there are overall positive correlations of parental involvement on student achievement and only some moderate correlation in the area of reading development. Some future implications in the study to ensure that the availability of resources is accessible to families and that they are aware of where to retrieve assistance from in collaboration with schools.

Epstein, J. L. (2018). School, family, and community partnerships in teachers’ professional work. Journal of Education for Teaching, 44(3), 397. Retrieved from http://proxy1.ncu.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edb&AN=129668186&site=eds-live

In this study, teachers were interviewed and evaluated on their effective strategies in

communicating with partners to ensure the success of their student populations. Starting with a

program designed to orientate the teachers on how to build effective partnerships were at the

forefront. After creating awareness, giving strategies to reach out and build, not only with the

home front but in the community as well. Understanding the rationale behind the importance of

community engagement and the correlation to the families at home and how it can help students

were a significant task in this study and with this program. Some of the problems that the researcher

faced in the study was the mindset of what community assistance looks like as it pertains to

helping schools and family with student achievement. This study utilized a qualitative structural

method to poll new and veteran teachers, as well as family and community stakeholders. The

results of the research revealed that the need for the engagements between family and home, as

well as, the community is still a vital factor and structural necessity in all areas in schools today.

Implications for further research was to evaluate current programs in place and tailor these

programs as well as new programs to meet the specific needs of the schools and families that are

attached to these particular environments.

Medina, M. A., Cosby, G., & Grim, J. (2019). Community engagement through partnerships:

Lessons learned from a decade of full-service community school implementation. Journal of

Education for Students Placed at Risk, 24(3), 272.

This study addresses social reform as it relates to community and family engagements in schools.

This study discloses the variety of impactful events that take place that affects schools, families,

and most essential students in all settings. Understanding what life is like in the home setting

and relating these circumstances and situations to school is an essential factor to consider in the

the building process of students who need assistance and supports for achievement at school and thriving away from the school environment. In this study, some of the implications are that some community programs and collaborating schools with comparable demographics that are working to build effective partnerships to address social problems in ways that are stable and productive in nature. In this qualitative research study, two different selective communities were chosen and polled and evaluated to check the perception of what the families and communities feel as is essential and vital to student success. The relationship between social status, social change, and family needs are evaluated and taken into consideration in the research. In the study, the effect on families and the social problems in society today was said to have a direct correlation to student success and structural design of success in schools today.

Sheldon, S. B. (2003). Linking School–Family–Community partnerships in urban elementary

schools to student achievement on state tests. The Urban Review: Issues and Ideas in Public

Education, 35(2), 149. doi:10.1023/a:1023713829693

The purpose of the research was to examine the relationship between the quality of the school,

family, and programs surrounding community partners and its correlation to student performance on state-mandated achievement assessments. Due to so many school programs launching, it is vital to ensure that the accurate supports are in place for the appropriate population of students as well as families in an environment. In this research, the finding demonstrated that the

academic efforts on the school’s behalf to involve families and the community is a useful

approach to assist the student population in achieving in school.  This research examined Epstein’s theory of the six types of involvement framework with families and the community. School outreach to involve the community home in a student’s educational journey is an essential strategy for increasing the number of individuals involved and increase the consequences of efforts. In this research, data were collected from an assessment completed by the Maryland Schools Performance Assessment Program that is required by one of the students in the school system. The data revealed that the prior level of student performance is a strong predictor of what the student’s performance level assessed. In taking a closer look at the data, schools will have a tool to make an informed decision in their efforts

Appendix Reference

Anderson-Butcher, D., Paluta, L., Sterling, K., & Anderson, C. (2018). Ensuring healthy youth development through community schools: A case study. Children & Schools, 40(1), 7-16. doi:10.1093/cs/cdx026

Anthony, C. J., & Ogg, J. (2019a). Parent involvement approaches to learning, and student achievement: Examining longitudinal mediation. School Psychology, 34(4), 376-385. doi:10.1037/spq0000282; 10.1037/spq0000282.supp (Supplemental)

Anthony, C. J., & Ogg, J. (2019b). Parent involvement approaches to learning, and student achievement: Examining longitudinal mediation. School Psychology, 34(4), 376-385. doi:10.1037/spq0000282; 10.1037/spq0000282.supp (Supplemental)

Epstein, J. L. (2018). School, family, and community partnerships in teachers’ professional work. Journal of Education for Teaching, 44(3), 397. Retrieved from http://proxy1.ncu.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edb&AN=129668186&site=eds-live

Medina, M. A., Cosby, G., & Grim, J. (2019). Community engagement through partnerships: Lessons learned from a decade of full-service community school implementation. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, 24(3), 272. Retrieved from http://proxy1.ncu.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edb&AN=137641129&site=eds-live

Sheldon, S. B. (2003). Linking School–Family–Community partnerships in urban elementary schools to student achievement on state tests.