Communication

This tool was developed for the school context and used unmodified in this course. Some characteristics may not suit other institutional contexts.

1. Read the instructions and fill the survey

This instrument helps assess whether your school is involving parents, community members, and students in meaningful ways. The measure is based on the framework of six types of involvement and focuses on how well activities are meeting challenges to involve more – or all – families in their children’s education.  

At this time, your school may conduct all, some, or none of the activities or approaches listed. Not every activity is appropriate at every grade level. Not every activity should be conducted often – some may be implemented once or twice each year. In a goal-oriented partnership program, activities will be selected and outlined in detail in your One Year Action Plan for Partnerships to help reach specific school improvement goals.  

Your school may implement other activities for each type of involvement. These should be added on the blank lines and rated to account for the major partnership practices that your school conducts. 

Directions

Use the scoring rubric below to rate your school on the six types of involvement. As you review each item, circle the response that comes closest to describing how the activity is implemented at your school. 

Scoring Rubric

1–Never: Strategy does not happen at our school. 

2–Rarely: Conducted in one or two classes or with a few families. Not emphasized in this school’s partnership program. 

3–Sometimes: Conducted in a few classes or with some families. Receives minimal emphasis in this school’s partnership program across the grades. Quality of Implementation needs to improve. 

4–Often: Conducted in many, but not all, classes, or with many, but not all, families. Given substantial emphasis in this school’s partnership program across the grades. Quality of implementation is high; only minor changes are needed. 

5–Frequently: Occurs in most or all classes and grade levels, with most or all families. An important part of this school’s partnership program. Quality of implementation is excellent. 

The Measure is designed to be discussed and completed annually or every other year by an Action Team for Partnerships (ATP) to assess program progress. The results not only indicate the scope and quality of involvement activities, but also suggest new directions and needed improvements for the next One Year Action Plan for Partnerships 

2. Downloadable Table

Measure of School, Family, and Community Partnerships 

Karen Clark Salinas, Joyce L. Epstein, & Mavis G. Sanders, Johns Hopkins University. 

Deborah Davi s& Inge Aldersbaes, Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory.