Return-Path: <nifl-family@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id g0ACrW020272; Thu, 10 Jan 2002 07:53:32 -0500 (EST) Date: Thu, 10 Jan 2002 07:53:32 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <NCBBKFFJMKFIFAGAFGNEIEEBDFAA.blogan@famlit.org> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-family@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-family@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-family@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: "Brenda Logan" <blogan@famlit.org> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-family@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-FAMILY:593] FW: X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook IMO, Build 9.0.2416 (9.0.2910.0) Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; Status: O Content-Length: 4353 Lines: 91 Response from Brenda Logan Director of School Reform Initiatives National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL) I would like to attempt to answer several topics/questions that have been raised about implementation of family literacy services in the elementary school setting. I speak from experiences as an elementary classroom teacher, an elementary school principal whose school provided family literacy services for the community and one who has worked with 45 family literacy programs in Title I elementary schools across the country in my work with NCFL. An article I wrote for the November 1999 Momentum can be found on the NCFL website www.famlit.org. What was written in that article remains true today but we have evidence from research collected from those 45 school programs that family literacy is making a difference in elementary schools. It is not an easy process. It does take time to orchestrate. But family literacy services connect children, parents and schools in a different kind of way. We began implementation of family literacy in these schools realizing many of the concerns posted today and we addressed these issues as we provided professional development for these school districts. It is a fact that you do have to have "district" support for the initiative. Your principal does have to be a champion for family literacy. Your school staff does have to be on board and your elementary classroom teachers do have to understand the very positive results that can result for them . Your parent population has to understand how this initiative can positively affect them. All this takes planning on the front end to yield the kinds of results that you are seeking. An article which will appear in the January NCFL publication Momentum and written by a principal at one of our 45 school sites states the following: The task of implementing family literacy services in our school seemed very arduous. We knew as a school that we would have to change our thinking about the way parents would be involved. We understood the four components and felt that Parent and Child Together (PACT) Time would be the greatest challenge but would also be the catalyst to make the other components fall into place. We all agreed on the following guidelines upfront: -PACT Time will be the central focus of the program -All teachers in the building must be given the opportunity to participate -All parents in the program must be involved in PACT Time -PACT will be four hours per week for each parent -Parents must be willing to learn the teaching strategies used in the classroom -Parents must debrief PACT with the adult teacher Other guidelines included: -All faculty and staff will be trained in implementation and integration of the four components -We will establish by-in from all players -We will have a recruiting fair to share information with community/parents -We will meet with interested parents who want to commit to the program -We will hold a training for parents and explain the four components of family literacy Tony Covarrubia, former principal at Summit View in Tucson, further stated that family literacy became a critical part of the school's focus and it made a positive difference in each child and parent involved. This scenario has been repeated in many of the schools where we have worked and we have seen whole school cultures change. Title I principals are saying this is the first "true" parent involvement initiative that has meaningfully connected parents to the school. Classroom teachers are seeing the value in PACT Time and extending PACT to involve other parents. One district superintendent has stated that she would like to see family literacy services offered in all the Title I schools in the district. It is exciting to see what is happening in these schools with this initiative. Data collected by NCFL from teachers of family literacy students across the nation give convincing evidence that student achievement and student behavior are being positively affected because of the comprehensive involvement of the parent in the program. This is what classroom teachers need to hear. Brenda W. Logan Director of School Reform Initiatives National Center for Family Literacy 325 West Main St., Suite 200 Louisville, KY 40202 (502) 584-1133 ext. 134 fax: (502) 584-0172
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