The Importance of Getting Involved: The Dual Capacity-Building Framework
Studies conducted since the 1980s show that when families are engaged in their child's education, the child performs better academically. This is the power of family engagement and involvement, and the Office of Family and Community Engagement wants our families, staff, students, and community members to know just how much of an impact parents and families have on the success of our students and our schools.
The Office of Family and Community Engagement follows a model called the “Dual Capacity-Building Framework.” This model guides us in all that we do.
So where does this framework come from?
Karen L. Mapp, who is a lecturer in Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Paul J. Kuttner, who focuses on conducting research related to reforming school systems through family and community engagement, came together to devise a framework that can guide families and schools in creating and maintaining positive relationships. This framework is known at the Dual Capacity-Building Framework for Family-School Partnerships. One of its major goals is to build positive and reliable relationships between home and school, so that families feel more connected to teaching and learning goals for their students. This helps to foster a learning community that champions collective learning, collaboration, and an overall improved learning environment.
Family engagement thrives through capacity building, but only when both families and staff work together to cultivate partnerships. To achieve greater capacity building among families and staff, Mapp and Kuttner suggest mastering the concept of “the 4Cs” before enhancing partnerships between families and school.
The 4Cs are: capabilities, connections, confidence, and cognition.
Capabilities include human capital, skills, and knowledge. In order to build capacity, schools and families should be aware of the different types of resources available in their communities.
Connections mean social capital in the form of significant relationships and networks.
Confidence signifies an increased level of self-efficacy that results in increased willingness to engage in partnerships, especially in the face of cultural differences.
Cognition includes assumptions, beliefs, and worldview.
Staff and families must share the value of embracing partnerships to strengthen student learning. Once these four concepts are achieved, some of the challenges in building family-school partnerships are mitigated.
What do “the 4Cs” look like in action? Stanton Elementary school in Washington D.C. exemplifies how the implementation of the Dual Capacity-Building Framework was successful in improving the learning environment of students and the relationships between parents and teachers in the elementary school.
In 2010, the new principal of Stanton Elementary, Carolyn John, identified the need to improve instruction, build a new behavior management system, and improve the overall school culture. She knew that in order to accomplish all of this, it would be necessary to garner the support of parents as well as build strong connections between families and teachers.
In terms of the 4Cs, Confidence and Connections needed to be heavily improved upon. Therefore, two programs were established at Stanton Elementary: the Parent-Teacher Home Visit Project and the Academic Parent-Teacher Team model. The Parent-Teacher Home Visit Project gave teachers the opportunity to interact more intimately with parents about their student’s learning and progress. They were also able establish relationships in the communities that their students lived in.
Parents also gained more trust in the teachers and the schools. This program helped mitigate the negative assumptions related to parent-teacher conferences. Teachers visited parents in their home to have conversations, not necessarily to inform them that their child was in trouble. The Academic Parent-Teacher Team model changes the focus from individual learning to group learning and collaboration. All of the parents of the children in the same class meet with the teacher, which allows them to be able to create networks with other parents. Stanton Elementary saw remarkable progress their academic progress, school culture, and family engagement with the school once families gained confidence in teachers and built the connections they needed to better support their children’s education.
Remember: it takes a village to raise a child. We hope you feel excited about volunteering or joining a group at your school this year. If you have any questions about how to engage in your child’s education, please reach out to your Family Engagement Liaison!
