CP Blog Entry #5 Question: What compelling information have you found during your research?

The following articles gave me compelling information about the APTT model. This literature review supports my Change Project vision. However, my vision to have my entire school participating may be a little too ambitious.

1. Paredes, Maria. "Academic Parent–Teacher Teams: Reorganizing Parent–Teacher Conferences Around Data." Harvard Family Research Project. Harvard Family Research Project, 1 Oct. 2010. Web. 30 July 2015. <http://www.hfrp.org/publications-resources/browse-our-publications/academic-parent-teacher-teams-reorganizing-parent-teacher-conferences-around-data>.

This article was the catalyst for my choosing the APTT model of increasing parent involvement for my Change Project. It is has information about the entire APTT process. The most compelling information I learned are the benefits to using the APTT model. The article states the following benefits.

1. Improved social networks: Parents report expanded social networks as a result of getting to know other families at team meetings.
2. Increased teacher participation: APTTs are not a district mandate, but rather an optional grassroots project that teachers can adopt if they chose. In the 2009–2010 school year, 12 classrooms participated, while 79 classrooms have already signed on for the upcoming 2010–2011 school year. This increase speaks to the power and success of the program.
3. Increased father involvement: A surprising result has been the high numbers of fathers who have come to team meetings—more than in classrooms with conventional parent–teacher conferences. When fathers were asked what made them more interested in coming to team meetings, they said that they were specifically interested in academics and wanted to be involved in understanding their child’s progress.
4. High attendance: In the classrooms that had APTTs, attendance at meetings was 92% on average. That was much higher than participation in conventional parent–teacher conferences.
5. Improved efficiency and time use: With APTTs, teachers are more efficient and use their time in a more productive way. APTTs require a decreased number of hours then conventional conferences because the entire group of parents meets together at once, but instead of seeing parents only twice over the school year parents and teachers have four formal opportunities to meet.
6. Parents are empowered: Many of the parents who participated in last year’s APTTs asked to continue the program. They want their children to be in a classroom that will be participating in APTT this coming school year."    

 As a teacher, I don't know why I wouldn't want to have all the above benefits!

2. Article: New Ground: Data Systems Transform Family Engagement in Education; Heather B. Weiss, M. Elena Lopez, & Deborah R. Stark; Breaking Harvard Family Research Project; January 2011; Harvard Graduate School of Education, 3 Garden St., Cambridge, MA 02138, 617-495-9108, www.hfrp.org.

 This article states how to help parents become more comfortable in their child's education. Using the APTT model shows parents that they hold the keys to the important factors impacting their children, like attendance, progressing in learning, and overall achievement. The APTT model also "opens the door to meaningful conversations" between parents, teachers, and students.

As a parent with a career in education, my child's education was always forefront in my thinking. I couldn't wait to go to parent-teacher conferences and was disappointed that I would not attend another one after my daughter went on to the secondary institutions. I did not realize that many parents are just uncomfortable discussing their child's school achievements and can be intimidated by a teacher's role in their child's life.

3.  "An Innovative Model for Parent-Teacher Partnerships." U.S. Department of Education. U.S. Department of Education. Web. 30 July 2015. <http://www.ed.gov/oese-news/innovative-model-parent-teacher-partnerships>.

This article gives the reader an idea of how Maria Paredes was able to overcome the obstacle of  teacher buy-in. She states that she first started the APTT process with 12 teachers and now has 79 teachers in her school district who participate yearly. Her district has a 92% success rate with parent participation. She goes on to state, "If you have about 75 percent of your parents responding, you’re still going to see scores go through the roof!"

As the APTT Coordinator at my school, I will need to rely on the information from this article to assist me with teacher buy-in at MPES. I am also looking forward to comparing our participation rates with that of the Creighton School District!