Supporting School Success® Facts and Frequently Asked Questions
Program Facts | Program FAQs | Training
Program Facts
The Supporting School Success® program is a series of five 2-hour workshops:
Workshops 1 & 2/The Learning Foundation
Parents learn how to create a learning environment in the home and improve communication among family members.
Workshops 3-5/Parents' Choice
Based on their specific concerns, parents select three workshops from the list below:
- Reading and Writing
- Math
- Homework
- Problem Solving
- Teaching Skills
Kids' Kamp
In Kids' Kamp, children participate in fun-filled activities that promote skills paralleling those their parents are learning. Parents and children join up during the last 20-30 minutes of each workshop session to practice their new skills with each other.
Summary:
The Supporting School Success program helps parents of children in grades K-3 improve their child's academic skills. Based on the theoretical framework of the Seattle Social Development Project (SSDP), it seeks to replicate the successes of that program in improving academic performance and classroom behavior.
Goals:
The goals of the Supporting School Success program are to promote effective parent involvement and to boost children's academic performance, especially in the areas of reading and math.
Target Audience:
Parents of children in grades K-3
Program Length:
Typically five 2-hour workshops
Materials:
The Core Program provides all leader's materials and includes: 2 Workshop Leader's Guides (with PowerPoint® presentation), 2 Family Guides (for Workshop Leader reference), and 2 Kids' Kamp Guides. Handouts can be printed from the PowerPoint slides, and full-color transparencies can be purchased separately.
Family Guides are available for purchase as part of the Workshop Leader's Package (includes the Core Program plus 25 Family Guides), or separately in any quantity. Each family will need its own copy.
Providers:
Teachers, parent educators, and others who are comfortable facilitating workshops for adults
Effectiveness:
Parents who complete the Supporting School Success program are more likely to:
- interact with their child's teacher
- spend more time reading to their child
- share the school's views on discipline, socialization, and academic expectations...
which means their children
- attain better achievement-test scores
- get better grades
- show more commitment and attachment to school
- exhibit less misbehavior in school.
Source: Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, March 1999
Duration of Effects:
Up to six years after completion of the program
Recognition:
The Seattle Social Development Project, a research study that developed the theoretical framework that the Supporting School Success program is based on, has been honored with:
- Research-based program with positive results, National Institute on Drug Abuse
- Promising Program, Blueprints Project for the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, University of Colorado
- Promising Program, U.S. Dept. of Education, Safe and Drug-Free Schools Programs' Expert Panel.
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Program FAQs
What is the Supporting School Success program?
Aimed at parents of children in grades K-3, the Supporting School Success program, which is research-based, is designed to improve a child's academic and social success by teaching parents the skills they need to interact effectively with their child and their child's school.
Who developed the Supporting School Success program?
It was developed by J. David Hawkins, Ph.D., and Richard F. Catalano, Ph.D., professors of social work and directors of the Social Development Research Group at the University of Washington. Dr. Hawkins and Dr. Catalano, pioneers in the field of prevention research and developers of the Social Development Theory, are internationally known for their groundbreaking work in the area of risk and protective factors.
How do we know the Supporting School Success program works?
It draws on twenty years of research that shows that children whose parents spend time every day talking about school score higher on standardized tests and exhibit reduced levels of misbehavior in school. In a rigorous clinical study, children who participated in the Seattle Social Development Project, a research study that the Supporting School Success program is based on, showed better achievement-test scores, higher grades, more commitment and attachment to school, and less misbehavior in school than control-group students -- with these results being sustained up to six years after the program ended (Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, March 1999).
How long is the Supporting School Success program, and how is it structured?
It is typically a five-session workshop program. The first two foundational sessions cover core skills (creation of a learning environment in the home and effective communication among family members) parents need to become active partners with their child's school. For the remaining sessions, parents choose three out of the following five activities: reading, math, homework, problem solving, or teaching skills. In addition, while parents are participating in the workshops, their children attend Kids' Kamp, a program of children's activities that reinforce the program's content.
How much does the Supporting School Success program cost?
The Supporting School Success Core Program costs just $629, including materials for two Workshop Leaders. The Workshop Leader's Package costs $949. Family Guides are available separately at $25.00 each; quantity discounts are available for orders of 25 or more. (Please note: Each family should have its own Family Guide.) (Prices effective August 1, 2008, subject to change without notice.)
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Training
Training is available from certified, experienced trainers who will assist in the implementation of the program and help ensure its fidelity. The training contact for Supporting School Success is:
Dr. Dorothy Ghylin
81 NW Doncee Dr.
Bremerton, WAS 98311-9110
(360) 649-8903 (mobile) or (360) 692-9986
(360) 613-0726 (fax)
dr.d.ghylin@comcast.net
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