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Resources

The Resource Section is intended to help users delve more deeply into the forum topics. The resources represent a broad range of perspectives and include varied types of documents, including items developed by the forum panelists. The categories used in this section correspond to key topics from the forum:

  • Reframing Engagementredefining the concept of engagement through in-depth explanations, examples of best practice, and research-based suggestions
  • Infrastructuredemonstrating the value of federal, state, and local policy and systemic programmatic design in promoting effective engagement practices
  • Data Useillustrating the importance of data collection and analysis in promoting meaningful engagement practices that focus on student learning and foster relationships between families and schools
  • Targeted Supportdescribing a systemic approach to support student learning and whole school improvement that incorporates partnerships, collaborations, and shared responsibility among family members, educators, community members, and service agency staff

Displaying 20 resources from the category "Data Use." Click here to view all resources.

10 Essential Elements of a State Longitudinal Data System, Data Quality Campaign
Resource Category
The Data Quality Campaign provides a forum for learning about the current status of statewide data systems and  strategies for improving them. The 10 Essential Elements and 10 State Actions describe a process that state policymakers can use to create a well-designed system for communicating performance information to educators, families, and the larger community.
Citation: Data Quality Campaign. (n.d.). 10 essential elements of a state longitudinal data system. Washington, DC: Author.
Resource Type: Tool
Academic Parent Teacher Teams (APTT)
The Creighton School District (AZ) uses a well-defined model—Academic Parent Teacher Teams—to ensure that educators and parents share responsibility for student academic success. The district created two online videos demonstrating its approach. The videos, which document two APTT meetings, provide real world examples of effective home-school partnerships that promote shared responsibility for student learning.
Citation: Creighton School District (Producer). (2010). Academic Parent Teacher Teams: Student Learning as a Shared Responsibility [Online Videos 1 & 2].
Resource Type: Web-based Video
Adapted Hoover-Dempsey & Sandler Model of Parental Involvement: School/Teacher Version Questions
Ron Mirr’s adaptation of the instrument used in the Family-School Partnership Lab's Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler Model of Parental Involvement adds focused questions to the model’s scale for parental involvement. These questions can help determine progress toward achieving engagement goals.
Citation: Mirr, R. (2009). Adapted from the Hoover-Dempsey & Sandler model of parental involvement: School/Teacher version. Iowa City, IA: Iowa Parental Information and Resource Center (PIRC).
Resource Type: Tool
ARIS Parent Link
Resource Categories
The New York City Department of Education provides information to parents on the academic progress of their children through an online data tool, ARIS Parent Link. Even though the data-display portions of the site are restricted to ensure student privacy, the Web site portal includes two resources that may be of use to anyone with an interest in creating a similar Web-based data portal for parents:
  1. Welcome video that invites parents into the Web site and encourages them to take advantage of the data portal
  2. User guide for parents that provides step-by-step directions in how to access and use the data portal
Resource Type: Web Site
Assessing the Impact of Policies & Programs on Families
Resource Categories
This checklist, created by the Policy Institute for Family Impact Seminars, was developed primarily for policymakers and provides specific explanations about issues that should be addressed through policy related to engagement. However, it also provides clear descriptions and characteristics of leaders who create and foster policy that supports engagement.
Citation: The Policy Institute for Family Impact. Seminars. (2000). Assessing the impact of policies & programs on families. Madison, WI: Author.
Resource Type: Tool
Breaking New Ground: Data Systems Transform Family Engagement in Education
Developed by the National PTA and Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP), this policy brief describes a new view of effective family engagement—a data-driven education reform model that builds on a systemic approach to family engagement. The brief describes qualities that are central to effective engagement and provides 6 case studies of practice from 4 school districts about how to use data systems to improve family engagement.
Citation: Weiss, H. B., Lopez, M. E., & Stark, D. R. (2011). Breaking new ground: Data systems transform family engagement in education (Issue Brief). Washington, DC: National PTA and Harvard Family Research Project.
Resource Type: Policy Brief
Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) School Matters Web Site
Resource Category
This Web site provides a method for the public to get a snapshot of an individual school’s performance and demographics and to compare performance data for schools in their state.
Resource Type: Web Site
Data Collection Instruments for Evaluating Family Involvement
Resource Category
This resource provides information for practitioners and researchers on collecting and using data for continuous improvement including
  • a list of commonly used and standardized data collection instruments on family involvement, with detailed information on using them;
  • factors to consider in choosing a data collection instrument; and
  • suggestions for improving data collection and evaluation practices.
Citation: Westmoreland, H., Bouffard, S., O’Carroll, K., & Rosenberg, H. (2009). Data collection instruments for evaluating family involvement. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Family Research Project.
Resource Type: Tool
Data Driven: Making Student and School Data Accessible and Meaningful to Families, Webinar 3
This webinar, the third in the Achieving Excellence and Innovation in Family, School, and Community Engagement webinar series, addresses a key question about the use of data in engagement efforts:
How do districts and schools use data to engage families in their children’s education?
The online archive includes the recorded webinar, presentation slides, text transcript, resource links, and questions and answers with additional resources.
Citation: U.S. Department of Education, National PIRC Coordination Center. (Producer). (2010, August 10). Data driven: Making student and school data accessible and meaningful to families [Webinar 3]. Achieving Excellence and Innovation in Family, School, and Community Engagement webinar series.
Resource Type: Webinar
Data Quality Campaign Web Site
Resource Category
This Web site gives the public access to a web-based data system that contains data on the progress of individual schools toward providing a high-quality educational experience to all children as well as explanations to help in interpreting the data . The interactive Web site includes information on the following topics:
  • Types of longitudinal data education agencies collect
  • Ways each state makes data available to the public
  • Essential elements of longitudinal data systems
  • Status of longitudinal data collection across the nation and for each state
Resource Type: Web Site
Essential Supports for School Improvement
This report on a longitudinal, comparison study of effective schools in Chicago, created by the Consortium on Chicago School Research at the University of Chicago, describes a framework of essential supports and resources for school improvement. Family and community engagement is one of these essential supports. The report provides detailed information and data on the development and use of family and community engagement in this framework.
Citation: Sebring, P. B., Allensworth, E., Bryk, A. S., Easton, J. Q., & Luppescu, S. (2006). The essential supports for school improvement. Chicago, IL: Consortium on Chicago School Research at the University of Chicago.
Resource Type: Report
Five Design Principles for Smarter Data Systems
Resource Category
In this online commentary, the author describes the current status of district and state data systems that provide information on school and student performance. He promotes five principles to help educators and noneducators as they work together to create data systems that provide the information needed to promote student learning and school improvement.
Citation: Tucker, B. (2010, March 8). Five design principles for smarter data systems [Online Commentary]. Washington, DC. EducationSector.
Resource Type: Online Commentary
Organizing Schools for Improvement
In this article for Phi Delta Kappan, Bryk provides an overview of research findings from a longitudinal, comparison study conducted by the Consortium on Chicago School Research at the University of Chicago. The Consortium found that there are five essential supports for school improvement. One of those supports is family and community engagement. The author includes an explanation and justification for the importance of engaging family and community in school improvement.
Citation: Bryk, A. (2010). Organizing schools for improvement. Phi Delta Kappan, 91(7), 23–30.
Resource Type: Article
Organizing Schools for Improvement: Lessons From Chicago
These presentation slides include information on the five essential supports for school improvement and data charts that demonstrate why family and community was identified as one of the essential supports by the Consortium on Chicago School Research at the University of Chicago. Detailed information on the Consortium’s longitudinal study of Chicago Public Schools was published in Organizing Schools for Improvement: Lessons From Chicago (Bryk, Sebring, Allensworth, Luppescu, & Easton, University of Chicago Press, 2009).
Citation: Bryk, A. S., Sebring, P. B., Allensworth, E., & Luppescu, S. (2010, January 14). Organizing schools for improvement: Lessons from Chicago. [Presentation slides].
Resource Type: Presentation Slides
Parent Involvement Tracking Kit and Evaluation Report
Resource Category
The Nevada State PIRC has created a collection of tools called the Parent Involvement Tracking Kit and Evaluation Report. The set of tools include
  • a detailed explanation of what data to collect and how to track the data,
  • a sample Excel spreadsheet for tracking data, and
  • a sample report document.
Citation: Nevada State Parental Information and Resource Center (PIRC). (n.d.). Parent involvement tracking kit and evaluation report (Toolkit). Reno. NV: Author.
Resource Type: Guide/Toolkit
Parental involvement: Model Revision Through Scale Development
In this article, the authors describe their efforts to effectively implement the Family-School Partnership Lab model’s scale for increasing involvement. They emphasize the importance of using an approach that integrates
  • well-grounded theory,
  • ongoing data collection, and
  • data analysis.
Citation: Walker, J. M. T., Wilkins, A. S., Dallaire, J., Sandler, H. M., & Hoover-Dempsey, K. V. (2005). Parental involvement: Model revision through scale development. The Elementary School Journal, 106(2); 85–104.
Resource Type: Article
Rapid Response—Web-Based State Longitudinal Data Systems
Resource Category
This resource provides succinct information on how to develop large-scale databases that provide information on student and school performance, particularly for low-performing schools. Drawing on best practice and research, the authors describe the elements of an effective data system and the three actions necessary for creating such a system.
Citation: SEDL, Southeast Comprehensive Center. (2009). Rapid response—Web-based state longitudinal data systems (Brief). Austin, TX: Author.
Resource Type: Brief
Title I Parent Involvement: A Self-Evaluation Tool for New Jersey Schools
Resource Category
The New Jersey State PIRC created this guide as a resource for district and school staff to help them collect and use data related to the Title I parental involvement provisions. The guide includes detailed explanations and sample documentation forms.
Citation: New Jersey Parental Information and Resource Center (PIRC). (2000). Title I parental involvement: A self-evaluation tool for New Jersey schools. New Brunswick, NJ: Prevent Child Abuse–New Jersey
Resource Type: Guide/Toolkit
User’s Guide to Advocacy Evaluation Planning
Resource Categories
This resource provides a variety of tools to assist users in matching evaluation focus to the data collection methodology and program improvement. It includes
  • strategies for promoting effective policy based on evaluation data,
  • suggestions for organizing resources needed when creating an evaluation, and
  • measures for determining effectiveness.
Citation: Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP). (2009). A user’s guide to advocacy evaluation planning. Cambridge, MA: Author.
Resource Type: Guide/Toolkit
Working Systemically in Action: Engaging Family & Community
This guide provides detailed information on a process for embedding family and community engagement into a systemic approach to school improvement. The guide includes explanations of key concepts related to effective engagement and districtwide and schoolwide change as well as suggested strategies and tools for fostering a systemic approach to engagement that focuses on student learning.
Citation: Ferguson, C., Jordan, C., & Baldwin, M. (2010). Working systemically in action: Engaging family & community. Austin, TX: SEDL
Resource Type: Guide/Toolkit
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This policy forum is funded in part by the U.S. Department of Education's Parental Information and Resource Center program. The content of this policy forum does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department of Education.