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From: "Lynda Terrill" <lterrill@cal.org>
To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-family@literacy.nifl.gov>
Subject: [NIFL-FAMILY:657] Re: Documenting and Measuring PACT Time
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Thank you Pat for bringing your concerns to the list. I completely agree with these concerns. What you say bears repeating: "families come in so many different shapes, sizes and from many different cultural backgounds." In my 18 years in ABE, GED, ESL, family literacy, workplace classes, etc., I don't know if I have ever met a parent in any class who did not 'care about' his or her child, although I certainly have met many parents who interact somewhat differently with their children than I do with mine. For example, one idiom all of my children learned at my knee was: "de gustibus non est disputandum"--there's no accounting for taste! As we all seek in different ways to serve parents and children, it is important that we understand that such emotionally-laden concepts as "warmth" or "sensitivity to a child's interest" may not be appropriate items to be documented, measured, or assessed. Again, I second Pat's comment that ESL families need access to English and literacy programs to help serve their needs and goals.
Lynda Terrill
Washington, DC
-----Original Message-----
From: Patricia Bowyer [mailto:bowyer@erols.com]
Sent: Wednesday, January 16, 2002 10:39 AM
To: Multiple recipients of list
Subject: [NIFL-FAMILY:646] Re: Documenting and Measuring PACT Time
Does anyone else share my concern about the direction that the family literacy
PACT component seems to be headed? Who gets to decide how much parental warmth or
sensitivity is being displayed by an individual parent? Is that really our role in
family literacy? How would any one of us feel about an outside entity measuring
these qualities about our own families' interactions? Or is PACT best used to
provide access to appropriate materials for parents and children and to model ways
to use these materials together? Families come in so many different shapes, sizes
and from many different cultural backgrounds. What may seem appropriate to us in
one culture may be totally inappropriate in another. I have worked with ESL
families in family literacy programs for over ten years and although I have not
tried to measure these qualities, I have not noticed a lack of parental support on
the part of these parents. What I have found are families who need access to
English language and literacy programs so that they are better equipped to meet
the everyday demands of their daily lives.
Pat Bowyer
MWPotts2001@aol.com wrote:
> Thanks to the panel of experts, Brenda, Laura and Shani, for an extremely
> interesting and informative week of discussion about family literacy in K-6.
> And thanks to Cyndy Colletti, for sharing the useful article.
>
> Now, I have a concern about how that PACT Time is documented and measured.
> Jon Lee mentioned that in Colorado the impact was measurable. What
> instruments were used? What outcomes were reported?
>
> What are others using to record the parentsâEUR(tm) knowledge of child development,
> and their values and beliefs about literacy? Their engagement in
> language-rich interactions, their support for literacy-enhancing activities
> in the home?
>
> Are there other critical factors that are important to child wellness that we
> need to track?
> What might you use, for instance, to record growth over time in these areas:
>
> 1. ParentsâEUR(tm) Expressiveness toward the child
> 2. Parental Enjoyment of parent-child interaction
> 3. ParentsâEUR(tm) Warmth toward child
> 4. ParentsâEUR(tm) Sensitivity to child's interest
> 5. ParentsâEUR(tm) Responsiveness to the child
> 6. ParentsâEUR(tm) Appropriate Achievement Orientation
> 7. Parental Stimulation and Inventiveness provided for child
> 8. Appropriate Verbal Praise
> 9. Effectiveness in keeping child engaged
> 10. Appropriate Pace in parent-child interactions
> 11. Acceptance of the child
> 12. Understanding of Directive Behaviors
>
> One of the groups that I am working with is not satisfied completely with
> surveys, self-reports and checklists. We are beginning to use an adapted
> version of the Family Portfolio, originated many years ago at NCFL by Dr.
> Robert Popp. This, of course, requires a commitment to a collection of
> products, conferencing, and evaluation, as well as skilled observation and
> recording. Yes, it sounds like a lot of work, but we think the rich
> descriptions and resulting data will be worth it.
>
> We are also using a rating scale, adapted from the study completed at the
> University of Michigan by Gerald Mahoney and Amy Powell (1988), which
> correlates with Child Wellness Indicators, published each year by the
> GovernorâEUR(tm)s Council on Education.
>
> And I canâEUR(tm)t leave out the very important Equipped for the Future Family
> Member Role Map, which is our starting point for goal setting and our focus
> for curriculum development. The Performance Indicators that accompany this
> Map provide another point of reference for assessment.
>
> Who knew that staff participation in family literacy programs would be this
> complex? And who ever dreamed that it would be so rewarding?
>
> Meta Potts
> Glendale, Arizona
>
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