Parents and Schools: Raising Good Kids Together

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Parents and Schools Raising Good Kids Together

• Portland Area
• Private Schools
• September 2008

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Good Kids have Components of Moral Life

• Empathy
• Conscience
• Altruism
• Moral Reasoning

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• these slides at
• www.csee.org/ul/pja08.ppt

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30-minute Plan

• Work on character is worth it
• Parent-school collaboration increases success
• 5 practices
• practical suggestions

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Three Key Studies

• Berkowitz Bier (2005), What Works in
  Character Education (33 programs)
• Catalano et al. (2002), Positive Youth
  Development (77 programs)
• Benninga et al. (2003), Relation of Character
  Education Implementation and Academic Achievement
  in Elementary Schools (681 schools)

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What Works in Character EducationMarvin W.
Berkowitz Melinda Bier, CEP, 2005

• Findings
• It works
• It varies from school to school
• It affects much
• there is ample evidence that character education
  improves academic performance
• It lasts

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What Works in Character EducationMarvin W.
Berkowitz Melinda Bier, CEP, 2005

• Components of Good Programs
• Make the agenda explicit (decide what you want)
• Involvement beyond the school (families!)
• Provide models (live, literary, historical)
• Integrate into the curriculum
• Use multi-strategy approach (peer interaction,
  direct teaching, professional development)

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What Works in Character EducationMarvin W.
Berkowitz Melinda Bier, CEP, 2005

• Effective Program Strategies
• Professional Development
• Direct Teaching
• Peer Interaction
• Skill Training
• Make the Agenda Explicit
• Family Involvement
• Provide Models and Mentors
• Integration into Curriculum
• Multi-strategy approach

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Positive Youth DevelopmentRichard Catalano et
al, 2002

• Looked at 161 programs 77 had evaluation
  criteria sufficient for analysis 25 had
  important youth outcomes
• 96 of effective programs are integrated program
  into curriculum
• Successful programs implemented more than 9
  months
• 60 of effective programs incorporated family
  component

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Catalano Parent Involvement
Parent training Parents implementing program
at home Families need clear, comprehensible
information on child development in order to
produce desired outcomes as well as skills,
techniques and strategies of effective family
management practices
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Character Improves Academics

• Benninga et al., Relation of Character
  Education Implementation and Academic Achievement
  in Elementary Schools (2003)
• 681 schools applying to be Distinguished
  Schools
• sample matched with other schools
• correlate with standardized test scores
• (small) positive correlations between
  character education and higher academic scores

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Character Improves Academics

• Benninga et al.,
• Three criteria characteristic of good character
  ed programs in elementary schools correlate with
  higher academic scores
• ability to ensure clean secure environment
• evidence that parents teachers modeled and
  promoted good character education
• quality opportunities for students to
  contribute in meaningful ways to the school and
  its community

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Parenting Experts

• Diana Baumrind, Berkeley Family Socialization
  Project
• Marvin W. Berkowitz, Sanford N. McDonnell
  Professor of Character Education, UMSL
• Thomas Lickona, Center for the 4th and 5th Rs
  (respect and responsibility), SUNY Cortland
• Larry Nucci, Center for Moral Development, UIC
• Marilyn Watson, National Teacher Education
  Project, Child Development Project

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Parenting StylesDiana Baumrind, Ph.D.

• Unengaged
• Authoritarian
• Permissive
• Authoritative
• (teaching styles, too)

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Parenting Styles

• DEMANDINGNESS
• high low

high NURTURANCE low
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Authoritative Parenting demandingness
1

• set high (but REALISTIC) standards
• communicate the standards/expectations
• expect standards to be lived up to
• monitor whether standards are being met

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Authoritative Parents nurturance
1

• quick to respond in times of need
• provide support, love, encouragement, warmth,
  tenderness
• offer support and involvement needed to meet
  demands
• use disciplinary situations to teach (i.e., low
  power assertion, physical punishment)

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moral reasoning fact

• The level of adolescent moral reasoning is
  predicted positively by authoritative parenting
  style, negatively by permissive style
• (THUS high standards, demands AND high levels of
  nurturance, support)

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Modeling
2

• We are models we present models
• Practice AND Preach
• We teach in discussing moral events and our
  opinions about them
• We teach by inviting others in

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Democratic Family Decisions/Discussions
3

• Show respect by bringing children into
  discussions in meaningful ways
• Negotiate
• Teach and demonstrate conflict resolution skills

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Democratic Decision Making
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• This is where the SKILLS of character are
  practiced (showing others that their opinions are
  respected negotiating later conflicts in life)

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• Induction is perhaps the single most powerful
  parental influence on childrens moral
  development
• Marvin W. BerkowitzMcDonnell Professor of
  Character Education,UMSL

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Induction entails
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• pointing out the childs actions and effects,
  plus
• explaining the reasons for parental (or teacher)
  behavior and its implications for the child and
  others

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why the importance of induction?

• It teaches or reinforces knowledge, with
  feeling
• it links the self and others
• it stimulates understanding of reasons for
  picking one course of action vs another
• research links induction to
• greater empathy
• more highly developed conscience
• higher levels of moral reasoning
• altruism

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Good Kids Components of Moral Life

• Empathy
• Conscience
• Altruism
• Moral Reasoning

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10 areas to work together

• 1. High expectations communicated
• 2. Expectations must be lived up to
• 3. High nurturance
• 4. Scaffold support
• 5. Be the arrow you want to shoot

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10 areas to work together

• 6. Show how others fly
• 7. Explain reasons for good and bad
• 8. Discipline with others in mind
• 9. Invite meaningful participation
• 10. Teach negotiation by negotiating

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Practical SuggestionsExpectations

• Expect partnership
• Make sure this is clear at the outset
• Define what partnership means

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Practical SuggestionsParent Training

• Teach general parenting skills (setting limits,
  negotiating privileges, discipline)
• Five practices for goodness
• Train for volunteer work in school

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Practical SuggestionsParent Implementation of
Program

• Case studies, discussion questions for home
• Carrying out what is learned from parent training
• Holding up parent part of parent-school compacts

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Practical SuggestionsParent Involvement at School

• Meaningful volunteer opportunities
• Database of parent skills
• Participation on committees (character ed,
  certainly)

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Practical SuggestionsParent-School
Compacts/Contracts

• compact for academic/behavior expectations
• compact for nurturance
• compact for athletic or artistic performance
• compact for discipline

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• Character is a set of feelings,
• understandings,
• and skills,
• plus
• the disposition to use them in
• the service of others