programs : family partnership
Family Partnership is the Fund’s newest initiative and seeks to improve the performance of children ranked in the lowest academic quartile by encouraging their parents’ active involvement and removing barriers for participation.The Family Partnership Program is the Fund’s newest initiative focused on narrowing the achievement gap. Research clearly shows that:
-When schools work with families to support learning, children are more likely to succeed.
-Economically disadvantaged and minority students under-perform academically when compared to their more affluent peers.
Embracing this research, the FPP is attempting to form an intentional and formal partnership with the key family members of underachieving students to enhance their child’s academic achievement. With guidance from an impressive external advisory team (Ron Ferguson, Karen Mapp, Heather Weiss, Penny Hauser-Cram), the program’s co-leaders are interviewing BHS parents, students, and staff to guide their final program design. In November 2006, program leaders attended a national symposium at the Harvard Graduate School of Education aimed at identifying current best practices in family partnerships. A small scale pilot study took place in spring 2007 with families of current freshman to test drive program design before implementing a larger scale study.
The first year highlighted a need for increased staff to design and implement program components — family support circles, home/school contracts, and intensive teacher mentoring. Preliminary results already demonstrate improved grades among many pilot participants. A rigorous program evaluation began in spring 2007, led by Marji Erickson Warfield from the Hella School at Brandeis.
The Family Partnership reflects the Fund’s sharper focus on incorporating rigorously crafted evaluation metrics into program proposals.
