By
Watertown Public Schools has formed a pilot-program partnership with Lynch School of Education faculty in an effort to encourage more families to participate in programs and events at their children’s schools.
Watertown’s schools educate roughly 2,600 students in K-12, a third of whom come from families where English is not the primary language. In fact, the town is home to 35 different languages.
Lynch School Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership Rebecca Lowenhaupt, the project’s lead researcher, says those families that are more established in the community tend to be very engaged with the schools. “They come to all the parent-teacher conferences and are active members in parent-teacher organizations, the school-site council, and so on. But other community members are much less likely to become involved.”
The difficulty in fostering participation in schools is not a Watertown-only phenomenon, however, she adds. “This is a common problem: Many school districts are trying to find innovative ways to engage families, particularly immigrant families who are not used to working with a school system.”
Lowenhaupt says her team, which includes Watertown Middle School Assistant Principal Jason Del Porto, school district administrators and Lynch School researchers, will undertake a system-wide needs assessment of family engagement using focus groups, data analysis and conversations.
The Lynch School-led team will use the data to come up with a strategic plan and new initiatives to get more families involved, she says, with the hope of having solutions ready by next summer.
“The first stage of the work is to talk to different community groups and community members about their experiences with public schools. If they’re not participating, why? What could the school do differently to welcome them more?” says Lowenhaupt. “We’re also collecting information about some of the exciting initiatives schools have recently implemented to increase family participation.”
A grant from the Lynch School’s Collaborative Fellows Program is supporting the project, the first research collaboration of its kind between Watertown and the Lynch School.
“I’m delighted to be partnering with the Boston College Lynch School on this important initiative,” says Watertown Public Schools Superintendent Jean Fitzgerald. “I believe that a strong school community is built through the positive connections we make with the families of our students. The collaboration between the Lynch School and the Watertown Public Schools will shine a light on the strengths and opportunities for increasing those connections and expanding family engagement here in Watertown.”
Adds Del Porto, “As the liaison between Watertown Public Schools and Boston College, I look forward to facilitating meaningful conversations about this issue in the district.”