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Submission on Parliamentary Inquiry into engaging parents in the education of their children

In late 2013, Jeanne Biddulph was invited by the Chairperson of the Education and Science Committee to make a submission to the Committee's Inquiry into engaging parents in the education of their children. Jeanne's submission was informed by key findings from best evidence, and her experience and expertise in education, teacher education, and research and development of educational programmes, within and beyond New Zealand.

Contents of Submission

Submission on Inquiry into engaging parents in the education of their children

Section 1: The Heart of the Matter
Section 2: Effective strategies for engaging parents, families, whānau, aiga, and communities in formal education: A summary of some key research findings
Section 3: The Reading Together® programme: A best practice example of an approach within New Zealand that enables parents and communities to support their children's learning
Section 4: The Early Reading Together® programme: A best practice example of an approach within New Zealand that enables parents and communities to support their children's learning
Section 5: The Reading Together® Project: A collaboration between the Ministry of Education, schools, community libraries and the National Library
Section 6: Concluding Statement

SOURCE: A PDF of the Submission is available here.

Excerpts from Submission

Uninformed parental involvement can have negative effects on children's learning, but informed parental support can have significant and sustained positive effects on children's learning.

SECTION 1: The Heart of the Matter (Reference 1)

About 40 to 65 percent of variance in outcomes is attributable to the influences of family and communities, depending on the outcome of focus, according to a literature review commissioned by the Ministry of Education.

SECTION 1: The Heart of the Matter (Reference 2)

Report of the Education and Science Committee

The Report of the Education and Science Committee on the Inquiry has been published. An excerpt from the report:

Summary of recommendations
The Education and Science Committee makes the following recommendations to the Government: ...
4. That it review the coverage and take-up of the Early Reading Together and Reading Together programmes, with a view to possible expansion of the Early Reading Together programme.

Government Response to the Report

The Government Response to the Report of the Education and Science Committee on their Inquiry has been published. An excerpt from the Government Response to Recommendation 4 detailed above:

Response: Accept
Government supports this recommendation.
... The Ministry of Education is committed to continuing to build the capacity and capability of the ECE sector to effectively implement the Early Reading Together® programme with families, in association with partner schools. [pp 8-10]

References

  1. Alton-Lee, A., Robinson, V., Hohepa, M. and Lloyd, C. (2009). School Leadership and Student Outcomes: Identifying What Works and Why Best Evidence Synthesis. Wellington: Ministry of Education.
  2. Nechyba et al (1999) In A. Alton-Lee, (2004). Improving Educational Policy and Practice through an Iterative Best Evidence Synthesis Programme. Paper prepared by Dr Adrienne Alton-Lee (NZ Ministry of Education) for OECD-US Seminar, Evidence-based Policy Research. Washington D.C. April 19-20, 2004.

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