Stirling Conference March 2011
The effect of parental involvement on children’s learning and development Professor Charles Desforges OBE
Children born thinkers expecting, exploring making sense of: language their world you themselves
Doing well nature or nurture? skills attitudes values
lo ach hi
Factors shaping educational outcomes child’s characteristics family characteristics parental involvement school quality community peer group family support services
Teenage outcomes and socio-economics Poorest Richest 25% 25% 5 GCSE ( A* to C inc 20% 75% Ma & Eng) NEET at 17 15% 2% Truant at 14 24% 8%
Explaining the link: major factors parents’ attitudes and behaviours material resources young person’s attitudes and behaviours “What parents do is more important than who they are”
Effects of parents/effect of schools achievement parents / school effects age 7 0.29 / 0.05 age 11 0.27 / 0.21 age 16 0.14 / 0.51 from Sacker et al (2002)
Barriers to parental involvement extreme poverty and social chaos substance abuse depression the difficult relationship lack of confidence or knowledge alternative values barriers set up by schools
Factors in parenting warmth consistency authoritative style skill hle
Challenges to modern parenting Changes in: relationships social networks working circumstances children’s power finances
Implications for leadership strategy for parent support analysis vision personalisation resourcing partnerships MER
Leadership driven by ‘families matter’ vision whole school approach proactive outcomes focussed capacity building (capacity = motivation x skill x opportunity)
Needs based questionnaires focus groups surveys parents as researchers knowledge exchange
Good practice in family learning (Ofsted 2009) leadership targeting and recruitment specifically designed programmes (not off-the-shelf) focus on building … confidence communication skills literacy/numeracy
Lessons from research (Goodall and Vorhaus: in press) best programmes train academic and parenting skills best effects: effect size parents helped to read to child 0.18 parents helped to listen to child read 0.51 parents helped to teach specific reading skills 1.15
References Allen, G. (2011) Early Intervention: the next steps (an independent report to HM Government, Jan 2011) www.c4eo.org.uk Field, F. (2010) The foundation years: preventing poor children becoming poor adults (the report of the independent review on poverty and life chances) (www.frankfield.co.uk) Lexmond, J., Bazalgette, L., and Margo, J (2011) It is time to be honest about what good parenting involves: the home front. Demos (www.demos.co.uk) www.nationalcollege.org.uk Leadership parental engagement and look out for ... Ofsted report on parental engagement due NOW DfE/IoE report ‘Best practice in parental engagement due SOON
Charles Desforges c.w.desforges@exeter.ac.uk
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