Abstract: Family-school engagement in Middle School

Family-school engagement in Middle School: how is it underpinned by school leaders in IB schools?

Parental engagement in childrens’ school experience plays a vital role in supporting student learning and securing positive school-family relations. Existing literature recognizes different levels and forms of family-school involvement, determined by school leadership models, cultural context, parenting practices and types of schools. In this presentation, I attempt to examine the ways in which educational leadership enhances parental engagement in IB schools.

The study will be an ethnography, to gain insight to the insiders’ views, experiences and perspectives of parents and school leaders. A mixed methods approach will be employed, using contextual large-scale questionnaires, interviews and observations with school leaders and parents. The originality of this study lays on the fact that it explores family-school relationships and leadership practices in private IB schools. These schools are currently understudied (Lee, Hallinger & Walker, 2010), as are families of higher socioeconomic status that constitute the schools’ parent community (Hayden & Thompson, 2013). Furthermore, the study focuses on Middle School ages (11-16 years old), where literature shows a sudden drop in parental engagement. This is in paradox with evidence that demonstrates the need for equal or heightened parental support in Middle School, as compared to Primary School (Hayden & Thompson, 2013).

It is hoped that this research will contribute to a deeper understanding of educational leadership in IB schools, two driving forces of educational change on a national and global scale. Keywords: educational leadership; international schools; parenting; relationships; student learning

Research Project file_Elisabeth Neida (download to Powerpoint for sound activation)