Session Information
14 SES 04, Transitions in Education: Vertical, Horizontal and Intercultural
Paper Session
Contribution
The importance of working with families is one of the underlying tenets of early childhood education. Positive engagement with families is important at all times, but particularly so at points of educational transition when families often seek specific input from educators and other professionals. Times of transition offer opportunities for establishing ongoing patterns of interaction between families and educational settings (McTaggart & Sanders, 2003). This is particularly the case for families who are positioned as outside the mainstream in some way (Homel et al., 2006).
Despite the recognised importance of family involvement in schools, there is evidence that many families – particularly those described as having ‘disadvantaged’ backgrounds – do not actively participate (Christenson, 2004; Miedel & Reynolds, 1999). Multiple reasons have been advanced for this lack of participation, including both structural and psychological barriers (Christenson, 2004). One consequence is that while “parental involvement is a robust predictor of a child’s success at school … the reality is that disadvantaged families are least likely to be involved and listened to in school environments” (Bernard van Leer Foundation, 2007, p. 4).
The Facilitating Children’s Transition to School within Families with Complex Support Needs project aimed to facilitate family engagement in education by seeking to understand multiple and diverse experiences of transition and recognising the strengths that families call upon during this time to help their children make a positive start to school. The project is funded by the Australian Research Council, with collaboration between two Australian universities and two partner family support organisations. The research team consists of active members from all four organisations with expertise in education, transition to school, health, social welfare, child development, family and parenting support. Specifically, the project aimed to:
· identify decision points for families with complex support needs as their children start school;
· assess availability of support for families at these times; and
· generate strategies and resources to support the transition to school.
The project was based on recognition that:
· positive engagement of families in education is a predictor of children’s engagement and success at school;
· transition to school provides an opportunity to build school-family connections to support children; and
· many families with ‘complex support needs’ are unsure of ways to connect with schools or support their children as they start school.
Several theoretical and conceptual bases underpin the project: strengths-based perspective of working with families (Cowger, 1997; Munford & Sanders, 2003; Rapp, 1998); ecological theory (Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 1998) and recognition of the importance of social capital (Beilharz, 2002; Putnam, 2000).
Each of these theoretical perspectives has contributed to the project aims of investigating what happens for families with complex support needs as their children start school and developing strategies for families and educators that promote recognition of family strengths, as well as challenges, to support a positive start to school.
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
Beilharz, L. (Ed.) (2002). Building community: The shared action experience. Brisbane, Qld: Solutions Press. Bernard van Leer Foundation (2007). Issue area framework summary – Successful transitions: The continuum from home to school. Available on-line: http://www.bernardvanleer.org/files/frameworks/transitions.pdf Bronfenbrenner, U., & Morris, P. A. (1998). The ecology of developmental processes. In W. Damon & R. M. Lerner (Eds.), Handbook of child psychology: Theoretical models of human development (5th ed., Vol. 1, pp. 993-1029). New York: Wiley. Christenson, S. L. (2004). The family-school partnership: An opportunity to promote the learning competence of all students. School Psychology Review, 33, 83-104. Cowger, C. (1997). Assessing client strengths: Assessment for client empowerment. In D. Saleeby (Ed.), Common purpose: Strengthening families and neighborhoods to rebuild America (pp. 59-73). New York: Anchor. Homel, R., Freiberg, K., Lamb, C., Leech, M., Batchelor, S., Carr, A., Hay, I., Teague, R.,& Elias, G. (2006). The Pathways to Prevention project: Doing developmental prevention in a disadvantaged community. Trends and issues in crime and criminal justice, No. 323. Available on-line at: http://www.aic.gov.au McTaggart, P., & Sanders, M. R. (2003). The transition to school: Results from the classroom. Australian e-Journal for the Advancement of Mental Health, 2(3), 1-12. Miedel, W. T., & Reynolds, A. J. (1999). Parent involvement in early intervention for disadvantaged children: Does it matter? Journal of School Psychology, 37, 379-402. Munford, R., & Sanders, J. (Eds.). (2003). Making a difference in families: Research that creates change. Sydney: Allen & Unwin. Putnam, R. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community. New York: Touchstone. Rapp, C. (1998). The strengths model: Case management with people suffering from severe and persistent mental illness. London: Oxford University Press. Rinaldi, C. (2005). In dialogue with Reggio Emilia: Listening, researching, learning. London: Routledge Falmer.
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