Fathers Matter!
Involving Fathers in Children's Learning

A Kit for Educators and Other Professionals
Talking Points for Overheads

Overhead 1—Cover Slide:

This kit was developed in support of fathers? involvement in children's learning. In October 1999, the nationwide teleconference "Fathers Matter!" was hosted by the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It brought national attention to the importance of fathers? involvement in children?s learning. Examples of effective practices from across the nation were featured during the broadcast. The program was received by hundreds of downlink sites nationally.

Overhead 2—True or False

1. In two-parent households, if mothers are not involved, their children do not achieve well.

False. Research shows that fathers? involvement is important to children?s academic standing at all grade levels. In two-parent families, fathers? involvement, but not mothers? involvement, is associated with an increased likelihood that children in the first through fifth grades get mostly As. Among children in the sixth through 12^th grades, after controlling for a variety of resources that parents offer at home, fathers? involvement, but not mothers? involvement, remains a significant influence on the likelihood that children get mostly As. In two-parent families, the involvement of fathers exerts a distinct and independent influence on whether children have ever repeated a grade, get mostly As, enjoy school, and participate in extracurricular activities, even after controlling for mothers? involvement in school. In two-parent families, the proportion of children with highly involved fathers remains fairly constant from elementary school (30%) to middle school (25%) to high school (23%). (See notes for Overhead 8)

Overhead 3—True or False

2. Nonresident fathers involved in their children?s schools have little impact on their children?s success in school.

False. The involvement of nonresident fathers in their children?s schools is particularly important for children in grades 6-12. It reduces the chances that these children will be suspended or expelled from school or repeat a grade. Nonresident fathers? involvement is also associated with a greater likelihood that children in all grades participate in extracurricular activities. There is also evidence that the involvement of nonresident fathers increases the likelihood that children in grades 6 through 12 get mostly As and that they enjoy school. However, of children in contact with their nonresident parents, only 31 percent have fathers who have participated in at least one school activity, and only 9 percent have fathers who are highly involved. (See notes for Overhead 5 for definitions of high and low involvement.)

(Nord, Brimhall & West, 1997)

Overhead 4—True or False

3. Fathers? involvement is as critical to child development in the early years as it is in the later years.

True. Fathers spend less time with their children as their children grow older, in part because children themselves desire to spend more time with peers. However, just the opposite is needed. The older children get the more important their father?s involvement is to their development, especially for sons. Some evidence suggests that children and youth rely upon their fathers to provide factual information. Children also tend to believe that, with respect to family goals, the most important one for fathers is that "everyone learn and do well in school." On the other hand, children are more likely to say that mothers think it is more important to make "everyone feel special and important." This suggests mothers' involvement is beneficial for the social and emotional adjustment of children to school, particularly that of young children, but that fathers' involvement may be key to academic achievement throughout a child's schooling.

(Nord, Brimhall & West, 1997)

RESEARCH

Overhead 5-Family Involvement and Student Achievement

Thirty years of research clearly shows that family involvement in education is a "win/win" for both students and schools. In particular student benefits in education are higher grades, better attendance and homework completion, more positive attitudes toward school, higher graduation rates and higher college enrollment rates. Research also shows that strong family-school-community partnerships make a positive difference in student achievement.

School benefits from family involvement are improved teacher morale, higher ratings of teachers by parents, more support from families, and better reputations in the community.

(Henderson & Berla, 1994)

Despite this clear evidence of benefits, efforts to involve families are often weak. Schools and teachers need to develop better ways of working with fathers, as well as with mothers.

(U.S. Department of Education, 1994)

RESEARCH

Overhead 6—Family Involvement and Student Achievement Among Two-Parent Families.

• Compared to students in a two-parent family—whether natural or stepparents—whose parents had low involvement in their schooling, students whose parents were highly involved, either together or singly were
• more likely to get mostly As,
• less likely to be suspended or expelled, and
• less likely to have repeated a grade.
• High involvement by the father or mother can make a positive difference for children?s learning across grades K?12. (Nord, Brimhall & West 1997)
• Research shows that 87 percent of students who got mostly As and Bs report that their parents were available to help them with their schoolwork when needed. For students getting worse than C grades, 72 percent said that their parents were available. (Harris 1998)

• High involvement means that one or both parents had done three or all four of these activities during the school year: attended a general school meeting, attended a regularly scheduled parent-teacher conference, attended a school or class event, and served as a volunteer at school. Parents were said to have low involvement in their children?s schools if they had done none or only one of the four activities. (Nord, Brimhall & West, 1997)

Overhead 7—Single Fathers? Involvement and Student Achievement

• Compared to students in single-parent families whose fathers had a low level of involvement, students with highly involved single fathers were
• more likely to get As,
• less likely to be suspended or expelled, and
• less likely to have to repeat a grade.
• In single-father families
• 32 percent of children in grades K?12 whose fathers were highly involved got mostly As, compared to 17 percent for those whose fathers had low involvement.
• 35 percent of children in grades K?12 whose fathers were not highly involved were suspended or expelled, compared to 11 percent whose fathers were highly involved.
• 18 percent of children in grades K?12 whose fathers were not highly involved repeated a grade, compared to 13 percent of those whose fathers were highly involved.
• 44 percent of children in grades K?12 whose fathers were highly involved enjoyed school, compared to 30 percent of those whose fathers were not highly involved.

(Nord, Brimhall & West, 1997)

RESEARCH

Overhead 8—Non-Resident Fathers? Involvement and Student Achievement

• Compared to students neither of whose parents was involved, students whose non-resident father was highly involved in school activities were
• More likely to get mostly As,
• less likely to be suspended or expelled, and
• less likely to have to repeat a grade.
• Research shows that, for children with non-resident fathers
• 35 percent of those in grades K?12 whose fathers were highly involved got mostly As, compared to 29 percent of those whose fathers were not.
• 28 percent of those in grades K?12 whose fathers were not highly involved were suspended or expelled, compared to 14 percent of those whose fathers were.
• 18 percent of those in grades K?12 whose fathers were not highly involved repeated a grade, compared to 7 percent of those whose fathers were.
• 45 percent of those in grades K?12 whose fathers were highly involved enjoyed school, compared to 35 percent of those whose fathers were not highly involved.

(Nord, Brimhall & West, 1997)

RESEARCH

Overhead 9—Involvement of Single Fathers in Their Children?s Education Across Grade Levels

In general, fathers? involvement in their children?s schools decreases as children grow older. Part of the decline may be attributed to a corresponding decline in opportunities at school for parental involvement as children grow older. However, the pattern of decline differs between fathers in two-parent families and those in single-father families. In two-parent families, the proportion of children with highly involved fathers drops from 30 percent to 25 percent between elementary (grades K?5) and middle school (grades 6?8), but then drops only slightly more, to 23 percent, in high school (grades 9?12). Among children living in single-father families, there is no decrease in the proportion who have highly involved fathers between elementary and middle schools (53 percent at both grade levels), but a large decrease between middle and high school (to 27 percent).

These results were based on simple tabulations of the data that do not take into account such factors as the parent?s education or mother?s employment. For example, single fathers are likely to be more educated than fathers in general and this influences involvement.

(Nord, Brimhall & West, 1997)

OPINION

Overhead 10—What People Say About Fathers

According to a 1992 National Center for Fathering Gallup Poll, 96 percent of those surveyed agreed that fathers need to be more involved in their children?s education, by, for example, helping with homework or attending parent-teacher conferences. Furthermore, 54 percent agreed that fathers today spend less time with their children than the respondents? fathers did with them. Only 42 percent agree that most fathers know what is going on in their children?s lives.

(National Center for Education Statistics, 1997)

OPINION

Overhead 11—What Students Say About Fathers? and Mothers? Involvement

Students say that fathers? and mothers? involvement is key to their success in school. Research shows that highly involved fathers can be as important to children?s success as highly involved mothers. Fathers can have a positive impact on their children?s academic achievement whether they live in the residence or outside the residence.

(National Center for Education Statistics, 1997)

OPINION

Overhead 12—What Teachers Say About Fathers? and Mothers? Involvement

According to teachers, the "single most important thing public schools need to help students learn" is involved parents. (Henderson & Berla, 1994)

Educators and schools recognize the importance of fathers? involvement. Ways in which schools can involve fathers include:

• Providing training for fathers and other men, as well as women, to learn how to tutor students in basic subjects;
• Inviting fathers to talk about how their education helped prepare them for their careers; and
• Hosting father-child breakfasts or dinners where fathers can meet teachers and school staff.

Overhead 13—Ways to Improve Family Involvement in Education

* Note to the presenter: Select ideas from each category of this list if time is short.

• Strategies that strengthen family involvement in education must take into account barriers that confront families, schools, and communities.
• Barriers include lack of time, not knowing what works, differences in language and culture, unsafe neighborhoods, and schools that do not have a family-friendly environment and are not organized to work with families.
• Finding ways to attain the following objectives will help to reduce barriers to family involvement in education. Here are some practices from actual schools as described in the recent Idea Book from the U.S. Department of Education.

(Funkhouser and Gonzalez, 1997)

1. Overcome time and resource constraints.
• Find time for teachers
  Hire parent coordinators with Title I funds to organize outreach and inform staff of family needs.
• Provide resources to support school outreach to families
  Use voice mail and information hotlines to make communication more efficient.
• Help parents overcome time and resource constraints
  Provide early notice, transportation, and child care for parent meetings and send home information to parents who cannot attend.
2. Provide information and training to parents and school staff.
• Provide training to inform and involve parents
  Support children?s learning at home via parent workshops or home visits.
• Organize a family resource center in school
  Here, parents can read or borrow books on parenting, meet informally with teachers, attend small workshops, and learn of local jobs, services, and programs.
• Provide information and training for school staff
  Provide resources on making home visits and positive phone calls, appreciating diversity and family strengths, developing skills for parent-teacher conferences, and helping families become stronger learning environments.
3. Restructure schools to support family involvement.
• Design parent involvement around family needs
  Schools can conduct needs assessments through parent surveys, focus groups, town meetings, and neighborhood walks to gather ideas.
• Include parents as partners in school-wide restructuring
  Invite parents to be on school decision-making committees, site-based management councils, and planning groups.
• Make known new uses of school space
  Use welcome signs and volunteers to guide entering parents, and make good use of parent centers.
• Organize unusual school-family activities
  Have parents join teachers on school planning retreats; provide student health and counseling services at school.
4. Bridge school-family differences.
• Reach parents who have little formal education
  Call parents about student progress instead of sending written information.
• Break the language barrier
  Provide bilingual parent liaisons and parent volunteers, and conduct meetings and send materials home in several languages.
• Promote cultural understanding
  Provide home-school liaisons who understand the background of parents so the school can build on the strengths of other cultures.
5. Tap external supports for partnerships.
• Develop school-community partnerships that marshal added resources
  Local businesses, agencies and colleges can help provide family services such as educational programs, social services, health care, and transportation to school events.
• Gain district- and state-level support for school-family partnerships
  Education agencies can assist with policies, funding, training, and family services. (Funkhouser and Gonzales, 1997)

(U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement,1997)

Overhead 14 - How Fathers Can Get Involved With Their Children at Home

Helping children learn at home can increase success in school. Fathers can take steps that make a positive difference academically, such as:

• Reading with their children—even older children can enjoy this collaborative activity.
• Discussing the day?s events with their child—it shows interest and builds knowledge.
• Working with their child on homework and special projects—this helps children understand the steps involved and gives them encouragement.
• Using TV wisely—limiting viewing to no more than two hours a school day gives children more time for reading, doing homework and having conversations with the family.
• Establishing a daily routine in the home?setting a time for homework, chores, and other activities helps children be more productive.

Overhead 15— How Schools Can Involve Fathers

• Include fathers:
• in parent/teacher conferences
• in after-school and extracurricular activities
• in mentoring and tutoring activities
• Schools can keep fathers informed of their children?s progress and performance through ongoing contact, including newsletters, conferences, and telephone calls.

Overhead 16— Types of Parent/Family Involvement Practices

How can schools take the lead to promote family involvement in education? One way is to look within the school.

The National PTA Standards for Parent/Family Involvement Programs are based on six types of parent involvement identified by Joyce Epstein. These are:

• Communicating—Communication between home and school is regular, two-way, and meaningful.
• Parenting—Parenting skills are promoted and supported.
• Student Learning—Parents play an integral role in helping students learn.
• Volunteering—Parents are welcome in the school, and their support and assistance are sought.
• School Decision-Making and Advocacy—Parents are full partners in the decisions that affect children and families.
• Collaborating with the Community—Community resources are used to strengthen schools, families, and student learning.

Use these PTA Standards to evaluate what your school is doing, and to identify areas you would like to strengthen for working with families and especially for working with fathers.

(National PTA, 1997)

Overhead 17— Information on Fathers? Involvement

If you are interested in obtaining more information about family and fathers? involvement, contact the U.S. Department of Education, which has many resources on this topic.

Call 1-800-USA-LEARN
Or
Visit the following Web sites:

Site address

http://pfie.ed.gov

Partnership for Family Involvement in Education

http://fatherhood.hhs.gov/

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Fatherhood

http://www.nces.ed.gov/pubs98/fathers/index.html

ED Pubs, The U.S. Department of Education?s site for ordering publications

http://www.4fathers.com

Illinois Fatherhood Initiative

http://www.fathers.com

National Center for Fathering

http://www.fatherhood.org/index.html

National Fatherhood Initiative