PEPP: Parent Engagement and Partnership Program

Connecting families with schools to improve student success

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Parental involvement in education is pivotal for the success of children throughout their school years and beyond
(OECD (2012), Lets Read Them a Story! The Parent Factor in Education, PISA, OECD Publishing.)

PEPP is a tailored framework which supports schools to raise the ambition, access and achievement of students through parent engagement and home school partnerships. Leading Parent Engagement for Ambition aiming high
PEPP builds on a coherent and strategic vision of commitment, collaboration and communication to increase expectations of parents, staff and students through collaborative relationships.

Leading Parent Engagement for Achievement - yes, we can

PEPP improves student academic achievement by engaging hard to reach parents in their childs learning. We build on existing strategies to embed the principles and practice of parent engagement within whole school improvement efforts.

Leading Parent Engagement for Access removing the barriers

PEPP makes a difference in the lives of children and their families by improving access to the school and educational opportunities. We work with school leaders to assess systems, processes, partnerships and professional behaviors to advance practices which increase family engagement.

The PEPP: Parent Engagement and Partnership Program includes:

Up to 12 coaching visits each year from a PEPP Coach who is an experienced professional; Module 1: Welcoming Families a customized review of parent involvement and engagement practice;

Module 2: Collaborative Conversations enhancing teachers skills in working with parents by listening, reflecting, and targeting interventions for students; Support for the PEPP School Champion who leads the initiative in each school; Targeted professional development in parent engagement for teachers, leaders and other staff through workshops and staff meetings; Access to a range of parent engagement strategies to raise student ambition, access and achievement; and Evidence-based guidance on improving parent engagement.

aim to
increase the ambition, access and achievement of all students through improving the quality of parent engagement and home-school partnerships

Purpose: A Parent Engagement and Partnership Program

PEPP raises the ambition, access and achievement of all students through improving the quality of parent engagement and home-school partnerships. The program is based on compelling evidence that family engagement in schooling has been linked to positive changes in school and student achievement - (Henderson & Mapp, 2002; Sheridan, 1997, Lamb 2009, OECD 2012). Through PEPP, schools are supported in the development of a strategic approach to parent engagement and PEPP coaches create custom-built series of intervention. PEPP recognizes that the most effective teachers work with parents as partners. PEPP offers an opportunity to reflect and build on a schools current practice and approach the development of parent engagement in a collaborative way that includes valuable professional development for staff. PEPP aims to raise parent expectations about what their child can achieve as well as encourage parents to engage with the school community, become more positive about what their child does achieve, and more willing to celebrate all kinds of success.

Priority audience: high need students

The model identifies high need students as the priority group of students but all program elements are applicable to the whole school population. The program provides schools with support and resources from which they can develop sustainable local solutions to meet the needs of this group of students and the diverse range of families they belong to.

Key Features: Welcoming Families & Collaborative Conversations

At the center of the framework are two modules focused on accelerating student progress delivered in partnership with school leaders, teachers, parents and students: The Welcoming Families module supports schools in creating an environment that is welcoming to families and conducive to learning. The Collaborative Conversations module provides professional development for teachers that encourages parents, students and teachers to learn from each other while focusing on raising student achievement. This module is a proven approach to enhance the quality of parent-teacher conversations. As part of PEPP, each school is assigned a PEPP Coach, who works with the school leadership to create a more welcoming environment for families and trains teachers in the Collaborative Conversations. Once these two modules become embedded in the school the PEPP Coach will further support schools to identify additional interventions relevant to the particular school and its community. External Assessment: The program will be evaluated by Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.

Anticipated outcomes: connecting a students home and school learning environment

Connecting a students home and school worlds supports learning outside school, thereby equalizing opportunities between affluent students and high need students, most of whom live in some degree of poverty - (Clark, 2002). The PEPP approach is informed by evidence that too many students with high need are not achieving as well as their peers relative to their starting points. These students are more likely to be excluded socially, suffer from bullying and have fewer friendships. Too many children are leaving without the necessary skills that prepare them to become independent adults and world citizens in an increasingly competitive global environment. The PEPP model creates opportunities to link home and school on a number of levels to support student learning.

aim to
raise parental ambitions about what their child can achieve but also encourage parents to engage with the school community

PEPP: A Culture of Family Inclusion

The PEPP Coach: Works with school leadership to customize and assure alignment of the PEPP framework to the existing whole school improvement plan.
Each school is assigned a PEPP Coach who will:
Support schools in Welcoming Families The Coach works with an identified PEPP School Champion to select and prepare a review team, provide tools for reflection, facilitate school walkthrough and make recommendations for improvement. Provide teachers with the tools and strategies to conduct Collaborative Conversations with the parents of students The training sessions will develop participants skills in applying humanistic principles such as reflective listening, empathy and championing solutions that evolve in dialogue rather than in directed advice. Support the school to identify and introduce other interventions which improve parent engagement

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Welcoming Families
Welcoming Families Key Components: First Impressions: Welcoming Environment Reaching Out to Families: A Strong Family Presence In the Classroom: Recognition of Goals and Accomplishments Learning Environment for All: Teaching and Information Centers for Families

Welcoming Families is designed to help parents, visitors and members of the community feel more comfortable coming to school in order to support a childs development and learning. School teams are selected to reflect the diversity of the school, and consist of parents, community members, and staff who review evidence (school practices, parent feedback, and written materials), participate in a school walkthrough, share findings with the school leadership team, and develop recommendations for making the school more inviting.

The Welcoming Families review process is tailored to the needs of a particular school making the focus of the review vary from school to school.

Review of different aspects of the school environment

Action teams implement changes to improve the environment for parents

Families feel welcomed into the school, allowing for more meaningful parent engagement

Families Welcome Review

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Collaborative Conversations

Success in the UK: An evidence-based approach to parent engagement

Parent engagement has been successful in the UK through the work of the charity Achievement for All 3As. They currently work with more than 1,500 schools in diverse communities throughout England to increase parents engagement with their childs learning and improve their childs educational success. Collaborative conversations have been shown to achieve: Better relationships between families and schools; Engagement of parents in their childs learning and school life more widely, including the hard to reach parents; and Improved student ambition, confidence and achievement. In doing so they have also been shown to contribute to: Improved student academic success; Improved student attendance; Improved quality of instructional practices; Greater engagement of a diverse range of families; Significant reductions in bullying and behavioral problems of students; Staff professional development and whole school improvement programs; and Cost savings for schools (Achievement for All 3As, 2012).

Collaborative Conversations are crucial to the success of PEPP in raising student ambition, access and achievement. Collaborative Conversations help teachers to work more effectively with parents and students. The Collaborative Conversation describes a dialogue between the teacher and the parents/ family that is focused on developing a partnership centered on student learning. Including students and parents as equal members in supporting learning at home and in school is particularly important in the case of students with high needs. (Achievement for All 3As, 2012; Humphrey and Squires, 2011). These conversations encourage both parents and teachers to learn from each

others perspective, understand the different contexts (home-school) and develop a trusting relationship. For students with disabilities, improving a students educational plan by engaging parents as active participants, focusing on obtaining baselines and prioritizing measurable goals and assessing progress, has been shown to have a positive impact on student achievement. (Herr and Bateman, 2006). Throughout the program, the PEPP Coach is committed to providing our partner schools with a quality assurance process that is designed to improve the schools Parent Engagement and Partnership Program.

Start Point: Teachers and families talking together

Review new learning behaviors

Collection of data

Establishing new learning behaviors in schools and at home Collective discussion on next steps and target settings

Reflect on teaching and learning

The Collaborative Conversation

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Supporting Other School Interventions

In the most successful schools the effective engagement of parents has had a profound impact on childrens progress and the confidence between the school and parent
Brian Lamb, Chair of Achievement for All 3As (Lamb Inquiry into Parental Confidence in Special Educational Needs. DCSF, 2009)

When the Welcoming Families and the Collaborative Conversations modules are completed, teachers will relate much more effectively with parents and in a positive parent-engaged school culture. Some successful parent-engaged schools have introduced: Home/School Visits A method focused on 1:1 relationship between teachers and parents that builds confidence and trust, improves communication and helps establish the home and school connections important to get families involved in their childs education.

Accelerated Learning Strategies A GEMS Education family learning strategy called 3-a-day that reinforces good learning habits at home. Parents are encouraged to 1) talk about learning 2) share learning and 3) encourage learning every day. This can be supported through the use of a 3-a-day smartphone application. Community Asset Mapping A strategy where a volunteer group of parents and teachers, and members of the community come together to assess community facilities and resources to identify gaps. Partnerships are then established to support student and family learning throughout the school community.

The program has been developed through a partnership with GEMS Education and Achievement for All 3As. About GEMS Education:
GEMS Education is an organization that develops and delivers high quality education to children across the world from pre-school to pre-University years. Led by experienced teachers and educationalists, it draws on 50 years of experience running schools and now provides education to more than 100,000 students in over 151 countries with the help of 10,000 educational professionals. GEMS students have been accepted into 567 universities across 37 countries, including some of the best universities in the US and the world. GEMS Education Solutions is the consultancy arm of GEMS Education. With offices in the US, UK, Middle East, East Asia and East Africa, Education Solutions harnesses the award-winning insights and expertise gained from the GEMS global network of schools to improve standards of education provision worldwide. www.gemseducation.com

About Achievement for All 3As:

Achievement for All 3As is an independent non-profit organization that supports schools in helping all vulnerable children and young people to develop their skills, interests and capabilities to realize their potential. The organization was founded by Professor Sonia Blandford, working nationally and internationally with a team of educational experts to raise the ambition, access and achievement of children with special educational needs, vulnerable and disadvantaged students. Currently working across 1,500 schools in the UK, and advising governments in the UK and Europe, Achievement for All 3As work has been shown to have a profound impact on the outcomes and achievements of students. www.afa3as.org.uk

Contact Details:
Project Lead: Ana Tilton (atilton@gemseducation.com) Project Coordinator: Alice Cornish (alice.cornish@gemseducation.com) US Office Details: GEMS Education Americas 555 Madison Avenue, 18th Floor New York, NY 10022 Tel: (212) 644-8619 Fax: (212) 644-8749