The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA) requires schools to help every student achieve a high level of proficiency in math, reading, and science by 2014. It also requires districts and schools to involve families in ways that will boost student achievement. Yet, most districts, and schools are struggling with how to implement effective partnership programs and how to measure the """"""""value added"""""""" effects of family and community involvement for student achievement in specific subjects. This proposal is for a five-year, multi-cohort, longitudinal study of the effects of the National Network of Partnership Schools (NNPS) intervention model to increase and improve family and community involvement to support student achievement in reading, math, and science. The project will """"""""scale up"""""""" professional development tools, guidelines, and approaches for curriculum-linked involvement activities that have been developed, pilot tested, and shown to (a) produce systemic and sustained change in district and school knowledge, policies, and programs of school, family, and community partnerships, (b) effectively improve the involvement of parents and the community, and (c) increase student reading, math, and science achievement, and other indicators of student success. The Main Study will include five cohorts of 10 school districts with 8 schools each for a total sample of 50 districts and 400 schools, including elementary, middle, and high schools in urban, suburban, and rural communities across the U.S. Using random-assignment and strictly-matched samples, and conducting longitudinal hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) analyses, we will study the """"""""nested"""""""" effects of district policies and leadership on the quality of school programs and practices family and community involvement, and the contribution of school, family, and community partnerships to student achievement. Three Special Focus Studies also will be conducted. These include longitudinal studies of (1) case and comparison districts and schools on the processes and results of district leadership, facilitation, and support for school programs of partnership; (2) randomly assigned schools within districts on the effects of """"""""interactive homework"""""""" on student achievement in math in the elementary grades and reading/language arts and science in the middle grades; and (3) the effects of the quality of partnership programs on the characteristics and influences of parent social networks on student attitudes and achievement in reading, math, and science. ? ?
| Sheldon, Steven B; Epstein, Joyce L; Galindo, Claudia L (2010) Not Just Numbers: Creating a Partnership Climate to Improve Math Proficiency in Schools. Leadersh Policy Sch 9:27-48 |
