Abstract
This study examines the results of a family literacy intervention to teach teachers to build on families’ home literacy practices. A quasi-experimental design was used to study effects on: (1) the use of home-based literacy practices at school; (2) teachers’ beliefs about the family's role in children's literacy development; and (4) first-graders’ literacy achievement. The study was conducted in two first-grade classrooms with culturally diverse student populations. In the treatment classroom, the teacher learned practices for building home-school partnerships. This teacher incorporated specific opportunities to involve parents in children’s literacy learning that led to an increase in parent-teacher collaboration. A combination of teacher and parent participation in the intervention resulted in statistically significant differences in students’ scores on the Concepts About Print (CAP) assessment compared to students in the control classroom. This study is small; yet, it provides a timely and relevant model to promote parent involvement, which is particularly important given the renewed emphasis on building effective home-school partnerships.
Highlights
Introduction to classroomsMath/literacy nights Committees Family day Parent breakfastOne for each subjectSchool Parent Council (Parent members) Parents welcomed into classroom once in fall Open houseOne for each subject School site council (Parent/teacher members) N/AAs part of the weekly intervention sessions, the treatment teacher learned that many parents, those who were non-native English speakers or who attended school outside the United States, were unfamiliar with the language teachers use to describe their children’s literacy learning
The results of this study indicate that changes were evident in three areas: 1) teacher’s knowledge of home literacy practices; 2) teacher’s beliefs about parental involvement; and 3) children’s early literacy achievement
This study found that when teachers are provided with opportunities to learn how to learn from parents about the literacy practices occurring in the home, they are able to employ practices to involve parents meaningfully in their children’s literacy learning
Summary
As part of the weekly intervention sessions, the treatment teacher learned that many parents, those who were non-native English speakers or who attended school outside the United States, were unfamiliar with the language teachers use to describe their children’s literacy learning. She compared the parent workshop she implemented to the district-initiated Literacy Night and explained: With Literacy Night parents don't really see what the instruction looks like. The parent workshop initiated as part of the study enabled the teacher to promote parents’ knowledge of their children’s school-based literacy instruction by inviting them into the classroom. It allowed her to assess parents’ home-literacy practices and how she could help parents connect these practices to the instruction their children received in school
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