Together We Can Do So Much

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Posted on March 24, 2023 by childrenslearninginstitute

Aligned School and Home Efforts Using a Multi-Tiered Systems of Support Framework

Published:

March 20, 2023

Publication:

Handbook on the Science of Early Literacy, Chapter 22

CLI Authors:

Tricia Zucker, PhD; Gloria Yeomans-Maldonado, PhD; Sarah Surrain, PhD; and Susan H. Landry, PhD

Book Abstract:

Synthesizing the best current knowledge about early literacy, this comprehensive handbook brings together leading researchers from multiple disciplines. The volume identifies the instructional methods and areas of focus shown to be most effective for promoting young children’s (PreK–2) growth in reading, writing, oral language, and the connections among them. In 33 chapters, the Handbook covers conceptual foundations; development and instruction of both code- and meaning-related literacy skills; professional development and family engagement; supporting equity across populations; and learning beyond traditional boundaries, including digital and out-of-school contexts. Highlighted throughout are issues around access to high-quality instruction, working with multilingual populations, and data-based decision making and interventions.

Chapter Abstract:

Increasingly, researchers and school leaders are using multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) structures to design school-family partnerships that enact evidence-based approaches to  early preventive support (McIntyre & Phaneuf, 2008; Weingarten, Zumeta, Edmonds, &. Arden, 2020). We argue in this chapter that school-family part­nerships in MTSS frameworks provide (I) opportunities for collaboration and problem solving between parents and teachers with the shared goal of improving students’ language, literacy, and academic outcomes; (2) a logical and equitable structure for organizing family engagement efforts with a rationale for decisions to increase family support for students who need it; and (3) a proactive approach to planning services for culturally and linguistically diverse caregiv­ers that is manageable for schools to deliver. We use the terms  parents, caregivers, and family interchangably, acknowledging that there are are diverse family structures. We first describe a framework for early childhood school-home MTSS including the unique affordances of this over traditional family engagement approaches. Then we explain our initial tests of this model that demonstrate the promise of doing more with teachers and parents together, rather than with interventions in the school or rhc home alone. We close with a call for other researchers to examine school-home MTSS that will help educators understand the potential of this approach.

Citation:

Zucker, T.A., Yeomans-Maldonado, G., Surrain, S., & Landry, S.H. (2023). Together We Can Do So Much: Aligned School and Home Efforts Using a Multi-Tiered Systems of Support Framework. In Cabell, S.Q., Neuman, S.B., & Terry, N.P. (Eds.), Handbook on the Science of Early Literacy (pp. 269-282). The Guilford Press.

ISBN:

1462551564, 9781462551569