Week 7, Assignment 2: Blog Post

                This week’s assignment was to create an annotated bibliography. After researching for 7 weeks about my research question I have gained a greater appreciation for databases. Without them I would have been sitting in a library for hours looking through books and articles. For this assignment I added two new creditable sources to my annotated bibliography. I found Dr. Becky Bailey’s book on my own personal book shelf. I was looking for ideas for what to say to parents to get them excited about being involved in their child’s education. Her book is written like a guide for parents and teachers to come together for what is best for the child. The article that I used was titled, “Why do parents become involved in their children’s education?” (Walker, Shenker, Hoover-Oempsey 2010). This article contained several new ideas about my research question. The framework that they used to guide their inquires was called the Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler’s model of the parent involvement process. I decided to research this model and print it for further reference. During my research I have come upon references to the Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory which suggest that the child’s environment has direct influence on the child’s development. For my final project I would like to get a better understanding of this theory. The aspects of my research report that I hope will interest a wide audience are suggestions for communication between parents, teachers and children. Communication is the key to establishing trusting relationships with parents. I also believe that learning about the families cultures will help teachers enormously when attempting to form positive relationships with parents.

My Research Question: How can teachers form healthy relationships with parents that get them excited and actively involved in their child’s education?

Bailey, Becky (2003). There’s Got to Be another Way: Discipline That Works for Parents

   and Teachers. Oviedo, FL: Loving Guidance, Inc.

Dr. Becky Bailey is an author and an inspirational speaker who encourages parents and teachers to work together for what is best for the child. She has written several books in regards to effective collaboration between parents and teachers. Learning about the family’s culture is of upmost importance when creating a parent, teacher and child bond. This book encourages parent and teachers to learn new ways to work together to agree upon effective ways to provide discipline and structure for children in the home and classroom. When parents and teachers work together for the child, many behavioral concerns begin to subside. This book provides exercises to practice that encourage children to participate in effective ways in the home and classroom. Dr. Beck Bailey says, “So, this book is a joyous journey from control to structure, from perfection to acceptance, from resentment to forgiveness, from apathy to action and from fear to love” (Bailey, 2003, p. viii).

Berk, Laura E. (2001).  Awakening Children’s Minds. Oxford, New York: Oxford

            University Press.

Laura Burk is a professor of Psychology at Illinois State University, with more than 30 years of experience with researching and teaching about early childhood development. This book was written for the adults who are currently involved with children ages 2 to 8 years old. Communication is the key to effectively educate children to help them reach their full potential. Parent and teacher communication is extremely important for the child’s educational success. Laura Burk Says, “Early education marks the dawning of children’s capacity to interact skillfully with others, to reflect on their own thinking, and to plan and guide their own behavior”(Burk, 2001). When parents and teachers are able to form healthy relationships and communicate about the child’s needs and developments regularly they are more likely to help the child reach their educational goals.  

Bruckman, Marlyn & Blanton, Priscilla W. (2003). Welfare-to-Work Single Mothers’

Perspective on Parent Involvement in Head Start: Implications for Parent-Teacher Collaboration. Early Childhood Education Journal, 30(3), 145-150. Doi: 1082-3301/03/0300-0145/0

Marilyn Bruckman works for the School of Family, Consumer, and Nutrition Sciences at Northern Illinois University. Priscilla W. Blanton works for the department of Child and Family Studies at the University of Tennessee. This article addresses the parent involvement portion of the families Head Start experience. This study was conducted to further the research of how the Head Start parent involvement portion effects the way parents get involved in their child’s education. The focus of this study was on how single mothers felt about the program and how the communication with teachers affected their level of participation in their child’s education. The type of involvement included, extending classroom learning experiences with the home, classroom parent volunteers, going on field trips with the class, taking leadership roles in the Head Start Policy Council and attending monthly parent meetings. The article says, “Research shows that parents respond positively to schools that are intentional in their attempts to collaborate with them” (Bruckman, 2003, p.147).

Hindman, Annemarie H., &Morrison, Frederick J. (2011). Family Involvement and

Educator Outreach in Head Start: Nature, Extent, and Contributions to Early Literacy Skills. The Elementary School Journal, 111(3), 359-386. Doi: 10.1086/657651

Annemarie Hindman is an assistant professor of curriculum, instruction, and technology in education at Temple University in Philadelphia PA. Frederick J. Morrison is a psychology professor at The University of Michigan. This article is about the relations between parent involvement and the development of early literacy skills in Head Start children. From this empirical study they have found that parent involvement in the child’s education can increase the child’s levels of literacy development and interest in books. The article says, “Head Start is shaped by Bronfenbrenner’s ideas about the central roles that both teachers and families play in child development; as such, a cornerstone of the program is outreach to families to encourage their involvement in children’s learning and schooling” (Hindman, 2011, p.360). This quote has sparked my interest to do more research on Bronfenbrenner’s ideas about parent involvement and how he got involved with Head Start.

Petrie, Jessica T. & Holloway, Susan D. (2006). Mothers’ Representations of the Role of

Parent and Preschools in promoting Children’s Development. The Author(s), 8(2). Retrieved from http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v8n2/petrie.html

Jessica T. Petrie received her PH.D. in Human Development from the University of California, Berkeley. Susan D. Holloway is a faculty member in the School of Education at the University of California, Berkeley. This article is about a study involving mothers of preschoolers and how they feel about their role in their child’s education. The study took place in San Francisco involving 185 mothers form 21 public preschools. Out of the 185 surveys filled out, 16 of the mothers agreed to be interviewed for further study. The mother’s beliefs’ about their self efficiency were split into two groups’ high self-efficiency beliefs’ verses low self-efficiency beliefs’. They were also categorized by working class mother’s verses middle class mothers. The study found that many of the working class parents checked in with the teachers informally to get advice on discipline for their child. They also discovered that the working class mothers responded to the teacher’s advice more often than the middle class mothers. The conclusion of the article states that, “Learning more about the areas in which mothers feel confident and those where they lack confidence is key to understanding and supporting their parent involvement efforts” (Petrie, 2006, p. 9).

Walker, Joan M.T., Shenker, Susan S. & Hoover-Oempsey, Kathleen V. (2010). Why Do

         Parents Become Involved in Their Children’s Education? Professional School

         Counseling, 14(1), 27-41. Doi: 10.1096/24095462956

Joan M.T. Walker is an associate professor at the School of Education, Pace University in Pleasantville, NT. Susan S. Shenker is the assistant professor in the Department of Counseling and Development at Long Island University in Brookville, NT. Kathelln V. Hoover-Oempsey is associate professor in the Department of Psychology & Human Development at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. This article is about the direct connections that parent involvement has on the child’s ability to form positive personal goals and motivations in their education. Parent modeling is a key factor for influencing children to become motivated to take an active role in their own education. Parents can encourage their children to do homework and get good grades but without positive modeling the children may never develop the positive beliefs of participating in their own educational goals. The focus of this study was on how school counselors can encourage the positive bonds between the teachers and families in the upper grads but it is also true for preschool. This article focuses on how teacher’s invitations to parents can encourage active parental involvement and in turn encourages children to be an active participant in their own education. The research was guided by the Hoover-Dempsey and Sadler’s model of the parental involvement process which has guided me to learn more about this model.