Bridging the Gap: A Comprehensive Evidence Map of Family Engagement Programs in PreK-12 Education
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| Title: | Bridging the Gap: A Comprehensive Evidence Map of Family Engagement Programs in PreK-12 Education |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Nathan Storey, Amanda J. Neitzel, Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness (SREE) |
| Source: | Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness. 2024. |
| Availability: | Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness. 2040 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208. Tel: 202-495-0920; e-mail: contact@sree.org; Web site: https://www.sree.org/ |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Publication Date: | 2024 |
| Intended Audience: | Researchers; Practitioners |
| Document Type: | Information Analyses |
| Education Level: | Elementary Secondary Education Elementary Education Secondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Elementary Secondary Education, Parent Participation, Family Involvement, Parent School Relationship, Literacy, Numeracy, Social Emotional Learning, Attendance, Academic Achievement, Elementary School Students, Secondary School Students, Concept Mapping, Value Added Models, Program Development |
| Abstract: | Background: Since the COVID-19 pandemic, American students have demonstrated substantial losses in achievement (Amplify, 2021; Domingue et al., 2021; Dorn et al., 2020; Storey & Zhang, 2023), while chronic absenteeism doubled after the pandemic, with the largest increase among low-income students (Chang et al., 2022; Dorn et al., 2021). Among historically underserved students, the rate of academic failure is far higher than it is among other students. On the National Assessment of Educational Progress reading test (National Center for Education Statistics, 2022b), only 19% of fourth grade students qualifying for free- or reduced-price lunch (FRL) scored at or above "proficient," in comparison to 51% of students who did not qualify. While it is generally felt that higher levels of parental involvement may lead to higher academic achievement (Kim, 2022; Wilder, 2014), attendance (Epstein & Sheldon, 2010), and social-emotional development (Green et al., 2007), research on the effectiveness of family engagement on student outcomes remains mixed (Cosso et al., 2022; See et al., 2022). Schools must therefore search for solutions to address student learning, chronic absenteeism, and social-emotional development from various sources. The identification of approaches with demonstrated effectiveness through evidence appropriate to each school's unique context, population, and requirements is particularly important. This methodology has been shown to be effective in addressing student needs (Slavin et al., 2013; van Geel et al., 2016). Purpose: Given the urgent need to identify and implement effective models to improve student academic and social-emotional outcomes, researchers and practitioners need to develop a stronger understanding of the impact potential interventions may have. In this study, we will develop and provide a visual overview of the extent and distribution of rigorous, high-quality evidence on family engagement programs and interventions in support of K-12 students. Setting: The study will focus on family engagement programs and interventions implemented in elementary and secondary schools. Population: The study will focus on programs and interventions implemented with Kindergarten through 12th grade students. Intervention: The study will focus on school-based family engagement programs and interventions that could plausibly impact the following student outcomes: literacy, numeracy, attendance, and social-emotional learning. Following previous definitions of family involvement (Boonk et al., 2018), we consider school-based interventions to be those that take place in the school, either focused specifically on increasing family engagement, or addressing specific student outcomes of interest with family engagement components. Research Design: This study will utilize existing data on family engagement programs and interventions to produce an evidence gap map. Evidence gap maps (EGM) are considered to be "thematic collections of evidence on effects structured around a framework which schematically represents types of interventions and outcomes of relevance" (Snilstveit et al., 2016, p. 121). EGM illustrate both areas where there is stronger understanding, but also where there are potential areas for additional needed research or analysis (White, 2020). Data Collection and Analysis: Literature Search: A master list of family engagement programs was created, integrating lists of family engagement programs developed by the National PTA. Initial electronic searches were made of educational databases including ERIC, JSTOR, and PsycInfo, to identify studies meeting inclusion criteria for each program. To locate unpublished reports and other possible inclusions, Google Scholar, citations from identified studies and previous reviews, and each program's official websites were also searched. Inclusion Criteria: Accepted studies must: (1) Be published between 1990 and 2019; (2) Evaluate a family engagement program for preK-12 students; (3) Include a comparison group of children receiving "business as usual" services; (4) Take place in the U.S.A.; and (5) Use quantitative measures of student outcomes including reading, mathematics, attendance, or social-emotional learning. Review & Extraction: After a screening of the abstract and title for relevance, all full-text studies were read by at least two reviewers before being included in our set of included studies. For the full systematic review, a number of items were coded. For the present study, only the intervention, outcomes, and whether outcomes were statistically significant were required. The resulting data were cleaned and analyzed using the R statistical software (R Core Team, 2023). The visual evidence maps were produced using ggplot2 (Wickham, 2016) and shared via an online Shiny app. The resulting analytic code, datasets, and interactive Shiny app are publicly available (AUTHORS, 2023). Findings: A total of 48 studies of 20 Family Engagement programs were reviewed, with 34 meeting the initial inclusion criteria (Table 1). Across these included studies a total of 50 broad outcomes were collected. These outcomes were divided into 4 categories: Reading, Mathematics, Attendance, and Social-Emotional Learning. The results are summarized in screenshots of the evidence map in Figure 1. Each study is represented by one dot. A study may be represented in more than one column if it measured outcomes from different categories. The color is based on the outcome findings. A green dot means more than half of the outcomes in that study in that category were statistically significant. A red dot means the impacts in that study in that category were not statistically significant. The map illustrates that while some programs such as ParentCorps have multiple studies, others have a single study assessing their impact, while several programs have no studies of effectiveness. Additionally, outcomes were most often measures in the reading domain. Overall, there are few programs with multiple studies documenting multiple significant results across studies or domains. Conclusions: Our evidence map employs a visually intuitive system to represent the distribution and significance of outcomes offering an overview of where these programs stand in terms of empirical support. Our findings call for a concerted effort to expand the evidence base, not only by increasing the number of studies but also by ensuring a broader representation of program types and outcome measures. Future research should aim to address these gaps by focusing on under-studied programs and domains, employing rigorous methodologies to assess program effectiveness, and exploring the scalability and sustainability of successful interventions. While the evidence map provides valuable insights into the effectiveness of family engagement programs, it also underscores the critical need for a more extensive and diversified research agenda. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2024 |
| Access URL: | https://www.sree.org/2024-conference |
| Accession Number: | ED663031 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| FullText | Text: Availability: 0 |
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| Header | DbId: eric DbLabel: ERIC An: ED663031 AccessLevel: 3 PubType: Report PubTypeId: report PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Bridging the Gap: A Comprehensive Evidence Map of Family Engagement Programs in PreK-12 Education – Name: Language Label: Language Group: Lang Data: English – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Nathan+Storey%22">Nathan Storey</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Amanda+J%2E+Neitzel%22">Amanda J. Neitzel</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Society+for+Research+on+Educational+Effectiveness+%28SREE%29%22">Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness (SREE)</searchLink> – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Society+for+Research+on+Educational+Effectiveness%22"><i>Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness</i></searchLink>. 2024. – Name: Avail Label: Availability Group: Avail Data: Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness. 2040 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208. Tel: 202-495-0920; e-mail: contact@sree.org; Web site: https://www.sree.org/ – Name: PeerReviewed Label: Peer Reviewed Group: SrcInfo Data: Y – Name: DatePubCY Label: Publication Date Group: Date Data: 2024 – Name: Audience Label: Intended Audience Group: Audnce Data: Researchers; Practitioners – Name: TypeDocument Label: Document Type Group: TypDoc Data: Information Analyses – Name: Audience Label: Education Level Group: Audnce Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Elementary+Secondary+Education%22">Elementary Secondary Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Elementary+Education%22">Elementary Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Secondary+Education%22">Secondary Education</searchLink> – Name: Subject Label: Descriptors Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Elementary+Secondary+Education%22">Elementary Secondary Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Parent+Participation%22">Parent Participation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Family+Involvement%22">Family Involvement</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Parent+School+Relationship%22">Parent School Relationship</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Literacy%22">Literacy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Numeracy%22">Numeracy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+Emotional+Learning%22">Social Emotional Learning</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Attendance%22">Attendance</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Academic+Achievement%22">Academic Achievement</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Elementary+School+Students%22">Elementary School Students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Secondary+School+Students%22">Secondary School Students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Concept+Mapping%22">Concept Mapping</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Value+Added+Models%22">Value Added Models</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Program+Development%22">Program Development</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: Background: Since the COVID-19 pandemic, American students have demonstrated substantial losses in achievement (Amplify, 2021; Domingue et al., 2021; Dorn et al., 2020; Storey & Zhang, 2023), while chronic absenteeism doubled after the pandemic, with the largest increase among low-income students (Chang et al., 2022; Dorn et al., 2021). Among historically underserved students, the rate of academic failure is far higher than it is among other students. On the National Assessment of Educational Progress reading test (National Center for Education Statistics, 2022b), only 19% of fourth grade students qualifying for free- or reduced-price lunch (FRL) scored at or above "proficient," in comparison to 51% of students who did not qualify. While it is generally felt that higher levels of parental involvement may lead to higher academic achievement (Kim, 2022; Wilder, 2014), attendance (Epstein & Sheldon, 2010), and social-emotional development (Green et al., 2007), research on the effectiveness of family engagement on student outcomes remains mixed (Cosso et al., 2022; See et al., 2022). Schools must therefore search for solutions to address student learning, chronic absenteeism, and social-emotional development from various sources. The identification of approaches with demonstrated effectiveness through evidence appropriate to each school's unique context, population, and requirements is particularly important. This methodology has been shown to be effective in addressing student needs (Slavin et al., 2013; van Geel et al., 2016). Purpose: Given the urgent need to identify and implement effective models to improve student academic and social-emotional outcomes, researchers and practitioners need to develop a stronger understanding of the impact potential interventions may have. In this study, we will develop and provide a visual overview of the extent and distribution of rigorous, high-quality evidence on family engagement programs and interventions in support of K-12 students. Setting: The study will focus on family engagement programs and interventions implemented in elementary and secondary schools. Population: The study will focus on programs and interventions implemented with Kindergarten through 12th grade students. Intervention: The study will focus on school-based family engagement programs and interventions that could plausibly impact the following student outcomes: literacy, numeracy, attendance, and social-emotional learning. Following previous definitions of family involvement (Boonk et al., 2018), we consider school-based interventions to be those that take place in the school, either focused specifically on increasing family engagement, or addressing specific student outcomes of interest with family engagement components. Research Design: This study will utilize existing data on family engagement programs and interventions to produce an evidence gap map. Evidence gap maps (EGM) are considered to be "thematic collections of evidence on effects structured around a framework which schematically represents types of interventions and outcomes of relevance" (Snilstveit et al., 2016, p. 121). EGM illustrate both areas where there is stronger understanding, but also where there are potential areas for additional needed research or analysis (White, 2020). Data Collection and Analysis: Literature Search: A master list of family engagement programs was created, integrating lists of family engagement programs developed by the National PTA. Initial electronic searches were made of educational databases including ERIC, JSTOR, and PsycInfo, to identify studies meeting inclusion criteria for each program. To locate unpublished reports and other possible inclusions, Google Scholar, citations from identified studies and previous reviews, and each program's official websites were also searched. Inclusion Criteria: Accepted studies must: (1) Be published between 1990 and 2019; (2) Evaluate a family engagement program for preK-12 students; (3) Include a comparison group of children receiving "business as usual" services; (4) Take place in the U.S.A.; and (5) Use quantitative measures of student outcomes including reading, mathematics, attendance, or social-emotional learning. Review & Extraction: After a screening of the abstract and title for relevance, all full-text studies were read by at least two reviewers before being included in our set of included studies. For the full systematic review, a number of items were coded. For the present study, only the intervention, outcomes, and whether outcomes were statistically significant were required. The resulting data were cleaned and analyzed using the R statistical software (R Core Team, 2023). The visual evidence maps were produced using ggplot2 (Wickham, 2016) and shared via an online Shiny app. The resulting analytic code, datasets, and interactive Shiny app are publicly available (AUTHORS, 2023). Findings: A total of 48 studies of 20 Family Engagement programs were reviewed, with 34 meeting the initial inclusion criteria (Table 1). Across these included studies a total of 50 broad outcomes were collected. These outcomes were divided into 4 categories: Reading, Mathematics, Attendance, and Social-Emotional Learning. The results are summarized in screenshots of the evidence map in Figure 1. Each study is represented by one dot. A study may be represented in more than one column if it measured outcomes from different categories. The color is based on the outcome findings. A green dot means more than half of the outcomes in that study in that category were statistically significant. A red dot means the impacts in that study in that category were not statistically significant. The map illustrates that while some programs such as ParentCorps have multiple studies, others have a single study assessing their impact, while several programs have no studies of effectiveness. Additionally, outcomes were most often measures in the reading domain. Overall, there are few programs with multiple studies documenting multiple significant results across studies or domains. Conclusions: Our evidence map employs a visually intuitive system to represent the distribution and significance of outcomes offering an overview of where these programs stand in terms of empirical support. Our findings call for a concerted effort to expand the evidence base, not only by increasing the number of studies but also by ensuring a broader representation of program types and outcome measures. Future research should aim to address these gaps by focusing on under-studied programs and domains, employing rigorous methodologies to assess program effectiveness, and exploring the scalability and sustainability of successful interventions. While the evidence map provides valuable insights into the effectiveness of family engagement programs, it also underscores the critical need for a more extensive and diversified research agenda. – Name: AbstractInfo Label: Abstractor Group: Ab Data: As Provided – Name: DateEntry Label: Entry Date Group: Date Data: 2024 – Name: URL Label: Access URL Group: URL Data: <link linkTarget="URL" linkTerm="https://www.sree.org/2024-conference" linkWindow="_blank">https://www.sree.org/2024-conference</link> – Name: AN Label: Accession Number Group: ID Data: ED663031 |
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| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Languages: – Text: English Subjects: – SubjectFull: Elementary Secondary Education Type: general – SubjectFull: Parent Participation Type: general – SubjectFull: Family Involvement Type: general – SubjectFull: Parent School Relationship Type: general – SubjectFull: Literacy Type: general – SubjectFull: Numeracy Type: general – SubjectFull: Social Emotional Learning Type: general – SubjectFull: Attendance Type: general – SubjectFull: Academic Achievement Type: general – SubjectFull: Elementary School Students Type: general – SubjectFull: Secondary School Students Type: general – SubjectFull: Concept Mapping Type: general – SubjectFull: Value Added Models Type: general – SubjectFull: Program Development Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Bridging the Gap: A Comprehensive Evidence Map of Family Engagement Programs in PreK-12 Education Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness (SREE) – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Nathan Storey – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Amanda J. Neitzel IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 19 M: 09 Type: published Y: 2024 Titles: – TitleFull: Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness Type: main |
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