Engaging Families and Communities for Student Success Killester College A Case Study Building Social Capital Field 2003 defines it in the following terms The theory of social capital is that relationships matter How By making connections with one another and keeping them going over t ID: 603274
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Slide1
From My School to Our School
Engaging Families and Communities for Student SuccessKillester College: A Case StudySlide2
Building Social Capital
Field (2003) defines it in the following terms: The theory of social capital is that relationships matter. (How).. By making connections with one another, and keeping them going over time.
George Otero speaks strongly on the theme of Relational Learning
http://relationalearning.com
Robert Putnam - Better Together
The heart of our work is one on one with people-it’s about building relationships, it is not about meetings-it’s about conversations.Slide3
Research suggests...
Bryk et al 2010 from the Chicago study states:“the quality of the social relationships within a school is a core resource for improvement.”“schools are four times more likely to improve in reading and 10 times more likely to improve in mathematics when parent involvement was strong.”Slide4
3 Lessons Learned
It’s OK to make mistakes - we are all learningIn a successful partnership between school and home, school will probably learn more and benefit more than home.Progress will be slow and it requires a consistent, a persistent and a steady strategySlide5
2 Non Negotiables
If you are wishing to build Social Capital, to build connections there are two non-negotiables:Connection points need to be meaningful and not tokenisticthere must be a preparedness by all to remain diligent and committed to achieving the goal of more meaningful connectionsSlide6
Our School - a Snapshot
Student Numbers - 880All Girls Secondary CollegeCatholic School Multi-faith, Multi-Cultural
37% of Families state that English is the spoken languageOne of the lowest SES schools in the ArchdioceseSlide7
A Snapshot Continued
Families - 775182 Families - Vietnamese84 Families - Cambodian61 Families - Indian
40 Families - Sri Lanka
18 Families - China
17 Families - Phillipines
15 Families - AfricanSlide8
National Smarter School Partnerships
In 2010 we were informed that we were eligible for funding under the NSSP programKillester one of only four Secondary Catholic schools.Funding was threefold
LiteracyNumeracy
Family School PartnershipsSlide9
The Triggers
FSP InitiativeStudy tour to USA in September 2010Opening of the Family Learning CentreAppointment Of Sue Brown, FSP Convenor
Appointment of FLC Co-ordinator, Roger Van Langenberg
Development of a core working teamSlide10
The Journey
Researched our Cultural Mix Sought feedback from parents about needs Researched current Family Connection Programs
Looked to develop partnerships with external agencies interested in delivering Parent Workshops.
Limited Success
Decision made to link into Culturally Specific groups.
African and VietnameseSlide11
The Cornerstone
Developed a program called Community ConversationsGeorge worked as:Consultant/Mentor
LeaderCritical FriendSlide12
Community Conversations
Decision made to work with the following “most disengaged and at risk” Cultural Groups:Sudanese/AfricanVietnamese
CambodianChineseSlide13
Aims of the Program
To inform and empower parents that:Education is a partnership between school and familiesFamilies provide essential support to student success
School and Family Partnerships at Killester are a priority
Two way communication with families is the ultimate outcomeSlide14
A Taste
Slide15
Examples of the
ProgramListing the Aspirations of their daughtersListing the Expectations of Killester in attempting to meet these aspirations
Identifying key questions that parents want answered about the Australian Schooling System.Identifying key questions about Killester
College protocols and proceduresSlide16
Learnings
Parents are very keen to be partners in their daughter’s education.Language and Education levels of parents are enormous barriers to communicationUnderstanding of School Culture and Mission is a challenging message to share
Understanding of school protocols/practices are very difficult to understandSlide17
Progress to date:
Greater understanding of the Cultural background of our families by staffDiscipline issues are easier to manage as relationships growRelationships on an anecdotal level are developing between school and familiesSlide18
From Little Things ....
Partnership with AMESConversational Classes for AdultsComputer Classes for Adults (with Student Tutors)Four Vietnamese mothers have joined the Parents and Friends committee in 2013Slide19
Our FLC in ActionSlide20
A word from our
Parents