Parent Engagement Representatives (PERS), 2015-2016. Research Educational Program Report
Author: Houston Independent School District (HISD), Department of Research and Accountability
Date: 2016-11-07
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Parent Participation,Parent School Relationship,School Community Relationship,School Districts,Grants,Partnerships in Education,Conferences (Gatherings),Parent Teacher Cooperation,Community Resources,Community Programs,Elementary Schools,Middle Schools,High Schools,Low Achievement,Program Effectiveness,Parent Education,Workshops,Educational Environment,Attendance,Academic Achievement,At Risk Students,Economically Disadvantaged,Achievement Gains,Mathematics Achievement,Reading Achievement,Grade 3,Grade 6,Grade 7,Grade 8

Parent, school, and community engagement is widely established as a collaborative strategy to improve the school experience and educational outcomes for children and youth (Epstein &amp; Sanders, 2006; SEDL, 2013; Weiss, Lopez, &amp; Rosenberg, 2011; Barr &amp; Saltmarsh, 2014). Consistent with this viewpoint, the Houston Independent School District (HISD), through the Family and Community Engagement (FACE) Department, initiated the Parent Engagement Representatives (PERs) program. The PERs program is funded by the Title I, Part A Parent Involvement grant. The program was aligned with the Dual Capacity-Building Framework for Family-School Partnerships. This home to school partnership model incorporates activities that are designed to enhance parent/teacher conference participation and parent awareness of district and community programs and resources. PERs partnered with school staff at 20 HISD elementary, middle, and high schools to build stronger school communities through intensive communication. Targeted schools consistently struggled with low student academic achievement. Throughout the school year, PERs actively developed and supported parent and community organizations through volunteerism at campuses, led staff development and parent workshops, supported parent organizations within campuses, scheduled and facilitated speakers at Parent Centers and other events, and attended community events. These activities were designed to increase school climate, student attendance, and student achievement. To that end, this evaluation addressed the impact of PERs in the following areas: (1) Delivery of parent-related activities; (2) Academic achievement; and (3) Attendance of students at targeted PERs schools. Key Findings include: (1) PERs impacted 16,892 students at 20 HISD elementary, middle, and high schools during the 2015-2016 academic year. Students at PERs schools were predominately Title I, economically disadvantaged, and at risk of dropping out of school. Targeted PERs schools and comparison-group schools consistently struggled with low student academic achievement. Academic achievement outcomes reflected higher mean scale scores on the 2016 English STAAR reading test at the third, sixth, seventh, and eighth grade levels for students at PERs schools relative to students at comparison-group schools; (2) The 2016 English STAAR math mean scale scores of students at PERs schools were higher than the mean scale scores of students at comparison schools at third, seventh, and eighth grades; and (3) On the Algebra I and English I End-of-Course exams, students at PERs schools attained significantly higher mean scale scores than comparison-group schools. Recommendations are provided.