Program Improvement Project

EDSP 6315
Dr. Reed
Submitted by Kelly Thurber
Purpose:
The purpose of this project is to increase parental involvement in the special education program,
specifically, the RDSPD Program (Regional Day School Program Deaf) at T.H. Rogers School. T. H. Rogers
School is a unique school. The school is comprised of Vanguard (gifted and talented students) and
special education students. There are several populations of special education students at the school.
For the purpose of this project, the Deaf Program is the one program of focus. There are no general
education students and it is not a neighborhood school; it is a magnet school. The students come to T.H.
Rogers from all over the city of Houston. The population is diverse ethnically and socioeconomically.
Parental involvement is high in the Vanguard program, but is very low in the special education program.
There are many factors that contribute to this problem and they include: socioeconomics, language,
single parenthood, transportation, childcare, and apathy. This project will address all of these factors
and attempt to improve the level of parental involvement in the special education program at the
school.
List of Activities Completed
(a)An email survey was sent to the RDSPD faculty in February of 2015. The cover letter attached to the
survey stated the following:
Dear Faculty,
I am conducting a survey in order to assist you in identifying reasons why parental involvement in your
program is low and/or poor. I will utilize this information to create a program that hopefully will aid you
and your students and help to create a sense of cooperation between the school and families. Please
complete the following survey and send it back to me.
Thank You,
Kelly Thurber
Student Intern Educational Diagnostician Program
The survey is attached and 95% of the teachers responded. Overwhelmingly, the results stated that
parental involvement in low and the teachers are frustrated.
(b)A survey was not sent to the parents because the administration felt that since I am not an employee,
I could not solicit that kind of private information because of privacy laws.

(c) The administration also received a copy of the survey and the cover letter. It had to be approved
before being sent to the faculty. A cover letter and survey were not sent to the paraprofessional staff.
(d)The students in the RDSPD program did not participate in the survey.
The only professional growth needed for completion of this project is the reading of the attached
articles and meeting two days after school to discuss implementation.
The resources for the project will be managed by the Special Education Coordinator, The Deaf Education
Coordinator, and me. The resources for this project include:

The impact this project may have regarding diversity, ethics and safety is minimal. The students that
this project will benefit are a diverse group of students and ethical considerations are the basis of the
project. There are no safety concerns in regards to this project.
Review of Literature
Introduction
Parental involvement is a topic that many schools and school districts address. In some cases, there are
the helicopter parents, the parents who cannot seem to let go of their children and trust the schools
and then there is the opposite end of the spectrum. At this end of the spectrum the issues are often
complex and multi-faceted. In the general education setting, the topic of parental involvement is strife
with opinions and possible solutions, but in the special education setting, there are even more facets to
consider. Educators and parents of students with special needs must work together to change school
culture and move from conflict to collaboration. (Thompson, 2012). This is especially true in Deaf
Education. As educators, we need to move from conflict to collaboration (Thompson, 2012).
Parents of Deaf Children
In the Houston Independent School District as in many urban districts in the United States, there is a
large minority population. The issues that minority children and their parents face are not unique, but
when these children are deaf, the complexity of navigating the special education system becomes
overwhelming. For example, in our school, the majority of the children enrolled in the RDSPD Program
are Hispanic and in the majority of these families, English is not the primary language. These students
are arriving to school with two strikes against them.
In the special education population, mothers assume intense and continuous responsibility for the
management of the education of their hearing-impaired or deaf children (Kommatea-Steyer, 2007). The
responsibility is complicated by a lack of knowledge regarding deafness, deaf education, and deaf
culture. Family members often feel mothers are devoting all of their time to the deaf child (KommateaSteyer, 2007). Linguistic and cultural barriers make these mothers jobs even more complicated. Often
the mothers are working at least one job and are single. The stress level of the mothers is intense and
there simply just isnt time for them to delve into deaf education and culture.
The Early Years and the Deaf Child/Family

Early intervention has positive results for deaf children (Galludet University Press, 2003). Early
intervention leads to more social and communicative competence. There are several characteristics
that have shown to be relevant to the success of early intervention. They are: a childs hearing level, age
at identification, presence or absence of additional conditions, the parents hearing status, ethnic group,
and educational level of parents. The average age of identification of deaf children is 17 months
(Galludet University Press, 2003). Regarding sign language exposure, the numbers vary by race and
ethnicity. The average age for white children is 9 months, for Hispanic children is 15 months, and for
African American children is 19 months. There are several factors for this distinction, but most studies
point to socioeconomics.
Parental Experience with Schools
In a survey of mothers of deaf children, most felt that deaf education programs did little to involve them
(Kommatea-Steyer,2007). Most mothers felt a preference for the oral approach to deaf education and
were hopeful about cochlear implants for their child. Most deaf education programs had numerous
strategies intended to foster parental involvement. The studies showed that the strategies to facilitate
participation are insensitive to the needs and daily realities of the parents. Also, there appears to be
little attention given to the special needs of language minority families.
Some Strategies
Schools should communicate with families about school programs and student progress with school to
home and home to school contact such as notices, memos, conferences, report cards, newsletters,
phone and email, and video conferencing (Kommatea-Steyer, 2007). Using volunteer programs that fit
the needs of the parents as well as the school is another strategy. Finally, finding creative ways to
involve families in the academic learning of their children is the most important component to a
successful integration of home and school.
Project
The research used for this project proved that there is a disconnect between home and school when it
comes to deaf education. Using some of the strategies discussed and creating new strategies will
hopefully improve this issue at my school.
Program Improvement Project Details List of Activities
After surveying the deaf education teachers, it was obvious that parental involvement is poor and in
many cases nonexistent. I met with four of the teachers (a representative sample) and we brainstormed
ideas to improve parental involvement. The biggest issue is communication is poor between the child
and parent. There are two language barriers (English and Sign Language). It was decided that the
schools approach to communicating and disseminating information is successful. Forms and notices
return to the school and the communication folder and the weekly teacher emails are working. The
difficulty is engaging the parents in the academic areas or in events such as field trips, field day,
programs, etc.
Our Solutions to improve Parental Involvement
We were able to implement a sign language class. This class had been offered in the past, but
participation was low and it was dropped. Two of the four teachers agreed to teach beginning sign

language to parents. The class will start at the beginning of each semester (In March there is a mini class
advertised as the prelude to the fall) and will be taught in the evenings (6:30-8:00). The school has some
discretionary money and will pay the teachers an hourly wage for this project. Notices for the class have
gone home in the weekly communication folder and have been sent in email blasts to the parents. So
far, there are ten parents committed to attending the class. An issue is child care and there are NJHS
(from the Vanguard Program)students who will provide babysitting and homework time for the deaf
children and/or their siblings. The hope is that with better communication skills, the parents will be able
to better help their children at home and feel more a part of the deaf community. Deaf culture is an
important part of this process and the parents understanding this aspect of deaf culture will help them
to feel more a part of their childs education. This is the first part of the project improving the
communication skills of the parents with their children and it is off to a good start.

The second part of the project is actually getting the parents in the school more( In the classrooms, on
the fields, and active in the PTO). The second stage of this project involves volunteer opportunities for
the parents. Currently, the volunteer opportunities are just during the school day. We are working on
volunteer activities in the evening and on Saturdays. Ideas for these activities include: Book
Nights/Saturdays, Art and Math Nights/Saturdays, etc. These would be just for the deaf education
program. The Vanguard students have these events and volunteer opportunities, but the deaf
education program does not.
Since most of the parents are single mothers, with limited English and Sign Language skills, they feel
intimidated by that prospect. Our committee devised a plan to have Deaf Awareness Nights. These will
be nights twice a semester in which parents deaf students are invited to the school (babysitting
provided) to meet with one another and the staff. The staff will start with roundtable type discussions
(Spanish interpreters provided) and the hope is that a support group of parents of the deaf will develop.
This is all in the planning stages, but will be implemented in the Fall. Again, this is an idea that the
teachers and staff support and certainly means more time for them. The Vanguard teachers (NJHS
Sponsor in particular)are very supportive. Their students will be involved in assisting with babysitting,
homework time and setup/cleanup. The goal of these evenings is for parents to connect with one
another. The research and surveys show that most parents do not feel that connectedness to the
school. Interestingly, that is a common problem in all deaf education programs.
Through all of these ideas, the hope is that parental involvement in the deaf education program will
increase. It will be at least a year before we will see the results of these ideas. In a large school district,
things move slowly, but progress is being made and the teachers and I are hopeful.

Evaluation of Project
There have been no formal evaluations at this time since the whole project is still a work in progress.
The evaluation data I have received has been in the form of positive feedback from the staff. They are
very excited to have someone to organize them and push them into tackling this issue. It has not
happened before simply because the teachers are already overworked. It just took a little time to
organize ideas, brainstorm, and put it all together. The administration at this school is always open to
ways to improve upon an already phenomenal school. The principal stated, If we could get our deaf
education parents as involved as our Vanguard parents, the RDSPD Program will be talked about as

much as our Vanguard Program. I certainly agree. These students will enjoy and benefit from their
mothers involvement in their education.
Progress
Progress is being made, because the word is out. The deaf parents are most excited about a support
group. They want to network with one another. One concern has been transportation and that is
something that is still being discussed. Progress is being measured by the fact that so many parents are
interested in learning sign language. One teacher said, Juan is so excited because his mother got a
book from the library on sign language and she is learning her alphabet.
Conclusions
It is difficult to measure with charts and graphs the results of this project since it is in the
implementation stage. I believe that if the teachers and administration stand behind this and devote
the time necessary to launch this initiative, parental involvement in the RDSPD Program will improve. I
look forward to following the launch of the program in the Fall and will maintain contact with the
teachers to see how it is working.
Overall, the experience was very interesting. It was great to have the opportunity to brainstorm with
the teachers about what will work best for their students and parents. It was so interesting for me to
see how closely the research was to our particular school. My hope is that the parents will feel more a
part of the whole process.
Reflection First Visit, February 10th
Artifact:

T.H. Rogers School Visit

Describe:
This first visit to the school was simply an observation day. I observed a class of 3rd
Grade RDSPD students. The teacher is a friend/former colleague of mine. She taught a Reading lesson
and it was fascinating to see her interact with her students. She is hearing, but speaks and uses sign
language all day to communicate with her students. She has 7 students in her class and a
paraprofessional most of the day. All 7 of her students are on different levels. It is 3rd grade, but only 2
of her students are working on a 3rd grade level. The other 5 students are well below 3rd grade. Each
student has an IEP and each student is getting individualized (almost ) instruction.
Analyze:
It was important for me to observe her class and understand what her teaching day is
like. We worked together for 15 years, but never observed one another teach. This helps me
understand the perspective of the deaf education teacher as well as the child.
Appraise:
I feel the observation was important because I needed to see what the culture in the
deaf education classrooms is like. I also needed to see the various levels of achievement.
Transform:
If I am ever an administrator, visiting classrooms will be a priority. It is important to
understand the students and the teachers who teach them and to remember that is the reason we are
all there.

Reflection 2 Meeting with RDSPD Teachers, February 17th

Artifact:

T.H. Rogers School Conference with Deaf Education teachers

Describe:
I met with the teachers to discuss ways to improve parental involvement. We discussed
research articles I brought and how they related to what they see every day. All of the teachers have
taught for more than 15 years and they lamented the fact that parental involvement is as low as its ever
been. We brainstormed and agreed upon three strategies. It was agreed upon that I would approach
the administration and that I would send out the initial email to all of the RDSPD staff. This was a
planning meeting.
Analyze:
This meeting was important for planning purposes and important for me to know the
specific needs of the teachers, students, and parents. This is important to me as a Diagnostician
because in order for me to assist my students I will need to understand the whole child.
Transform:
I certainly realize that meeting together to brainstorm solutions to problems is very
beneficial. It is time consuming, but beneficial. I plan to use the strategies we discussed to implement a
plan to improve parental involvement in the deaf education program.

Reflection 3 Meeting with RDSPD Teachers, February 24th

Artifact:

T. H. Rogers School Conference with Deaf Education teachers

Describe:
I met with the same four teachers and we worked on the handouts for the parents,
emails, etc. We had received administrator approval so we put our plan into action.
Analyze:
This prescribed meeting time was important so that we could have the time needed to
organize or strategies and our jobs.
Transform:

I will utilize these strategies and am excited to see the results.

Reflection 4 Visit to the school to see how the implementation is working, February 28th
Artifact:

T. H. Rogers School Visit to an RDSPD Classroom

Describe:
Visited 5th grade deaf education class. During this time I charted the number of times
that parents have signed and responded to the weekly folders and was able to review the schoolwork of
one student. The teacher requires the parents sign the tests and write comments. This particular folder
did not have one signature. The teacher has difficulty communicating with the mother (the mother
never returns phone calls or emails). We discussed how to alleviate that problem and discussed how
important a support group for deaf moms would be for this particular parent.
Analyze:
This was important for me to see the level of parental involvement in just one
classroom. As a Vanguard teacher, I didnt have that issue. My parents were very involved and willing to
communicate regularly.

Appraise:
This was an important task for me because I was able to see how difficult it is to
motivate and reinforce behaviors and academics when the parents are uninvolved.
Transform:
I hope to be an integral part of my students lives and their families lives. Having that
connectedness is extremely important.

Reflection 5 Visit to T. H. Rogers School March 3rd

Artifact:

Email responses regarding the strategies being implemented

Describe:
The facultys response was overwhelming. They are all excited about the changes being
implemented starting in the Fall. They have been talking to their parents and students and everyone is
especially excited about the Deaf Awareness Nights.
Appraise:
I feel that with the facultys support, these strategies will improve the communication
chain at the school and that it will benefit everyone. The teachers will feel they have a partner in their
students education and more importantly, the parents will feel like they are no longer alone. Their
needs will be met and they will know other parents of deaf children and they can communicate.
Transform:
The use of support groups and sign language classes will transform the parental
involvement in program. Parents will no longer feel intimidated and because of the childcare being
offered, they will have an opportunity to visit with teachers, staff and other parents.

References
Building Trust in the Special Education Setting, Leadership, Thompson, March/April 2012, Vol. 41, Issue
4, pages 16-19.

The Experience of Minority Mothers with Early Childhood Deaf Education Programs, A Qualitative
Investigation, Kommatea-Steyer, 2007.

Trends and Challenges in Teacher Preparation in Deaf Education, Volta Review, Summer 2010, Vol. 11,
Issue 2, pages 117-128.

Parent to Parent Support for Parents with Children Who are Deaf, Leadership, Dec. 2012.

Parents and Their Deaf Children: The Early Years, Galludet University Press, 2003.