A social ecological, relationship-based strategy for parent involvement: Families And Schools Together (FAST)
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JCS-07-2015-0025 |
| Pages | 218-230 |
| Date | 21 September 2015 |
| Published date | 21 September 2015 |
| Author | Lynn McDonald,Hannah Miller,Jen Sandler |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Vulnerable groups,Children's services |
A social ecological, relationship-based
strategy for parent involvement: Families
And Schools Together (FAST)
Lynn McDonald, Hannah Miller and Jen Sandler
Professor Lynn McDonald is
based at Middlesex University,
London, UK.
Hannah Miller is
based at University of
Wisconsin-Madison,
Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
Dr Jen Sandler is based at
University of Massachusetts
Amherst, Amherst,
Massachusetts, USA.
Abstract
Purpose –Most schools struggle to get busy and stressed parents to come repeatedly to the sch ool building for
events. At primary schools, especially those withpupils living in low-income communities or with many immigrants,
involving parents to come at all is seen as a challenge. The purpose of this paper is to present a social e cological
strategy of using the school building as a site for families to gathera ndfor community networks to grow by building
relationships between parents who have same-aged child ren attending that school. When families know other
families, they feel more comfortable coming into the school building, and probably will returnfrequently.
Design/methodology/approach –A large randomised controlled trial of 52 urban schools with an average
of 73 per cent Latino students situated in disadvantaged neighbourhoods in the USA has data to examine the
impact of this strategy on parent involvement. Parents of all first-grade students (age 6 or 7) at schools
assigned either to Families and Schools Together (FAST) or services-as-usual were invited to participate.
At schoolswith the social ecologicalstrategy universalinvites were made to those in the studyto attend any one
of eight weekly multi-family group sessions offered after-school at the building. Trainedteams were culturally
representative of the families (language,ethnicity) and made up of local parents andprofessionals; each team
hosted up to tenfamilies in a hub for two and a half hours (83families attended at one session).Parents were
socially included, treated with respect, coached by the team to lead a family meal, singing, family crafts and
games at a family table. Parent time (respite) was provided with chat-time in pairs, followed by parent-led
discussion groups. Parents were coachedin one to one time, “child-led”responsive play for 15 minutes.
Findings –Parent involvement data showed that on average, 43.6 per cent of all first-graders’families
(an averageof 44 familiesper school) attendedat least one session;of those,who attended at leastone session,
69 per cent returned for another.On average, of those families who attendedat least once, the averagefamily
went four times; an average of 22 families per school attended six or more sessions. Parent graduates led
monthly booster sessions open to all families. In half of the families, both fathers and mothers attended;
immigrant parents attended statistically significantly more than native-born ones. In surveys, more parents in
schools withFAST vs control reportedattending three or more events at school.
Practical implications –The FAST programme encourages the involvement of reluctant parents in school
events. This benefits both children’s general well-being and academic attainment and so contributes to
preventative public health strategies.
Originality/value –This paper brings new perspectives to the challenges faced by educators in involving
parents at school by a sociologist-led research team introducing a social worker-developed social ecological,
systemic strategy to schools in low-income communities using a randomised controlled design. This novel
social ecological approach has consistently and effectively engaged whole families into increased
involvement in schools in 20 countries, especially in low-income communities. Headteachers consistently
report increased school engagement of FAST parent graduates for years, suggesting that the early intensity
builds ongoing relationships of trust and reciprocity across home, school and community. Policy makers
should note that building social capital in disadvantaged communities through partnerships with parents and
schools can result in decreased disparities in health, social care and education.
Keywords Social capital, Community involvement, Education disparities, Family engagement,
Parent empowerment, Parent partnerships
Paper type Research paper
Received 9 February 2015
Revised 21 July 2015
28 July 2015
Accepted 10 August 2015
PAGE218
j
JOURNAL OF CHILDREN'S SERVICES
j
VOL. 10 NO. 3 2015, pp. 218-230, © Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1746-6660 DOI 10.1108/JCS-07-2015-0025
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