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Family Literacy Bridging the Gap through Family Literacy Programming

Michelle L Tarshus

9/15/13

We learn a lot from our parents whether we

like to admit it or not. They are the first to teach us how to smile, laugh, eat, walk, and talk amongst many other things. They are usually the first ones who read and sing to us and teach us the letters of the alphabet and how to count to one hundred by ones, fives, and tens. They teach us how to share and how to be kind to others. I think it’s safe to say that our parents teach us a lot about what it is like to be human and how to socially interact with each other. It is not until we start school though that we learn different subjects like Math, English, Science, and Social Studies as well as different areas of literacy that shape the way we understand the world around us. School provides us with teachers and educators who are supposed to teach us the ins and outs of the world we live in

through past, present, and future exploration. Teachers provide us lessons and homework assignments to build on our understandings that will carry over into other aspects of our lives. They spend hours of the day teaching us information that will become 12+ years of schooling that is supposed to prepare us for College and the “Real World”.

When we get home from school, our parents usually ask us about how our day went, what are we learning, and what homework do we have. Most kids answer these questions with “fine”, “stuff”, and “maybe”. Some parents inquire more, while others carry on with their days for various reasons (e.g. they are busy with work, they have things around the house to do, they have errands to run, or in some cases, they don’t have the same literacy levels to help their children even if they asked for it.) Family Literacy is an ever-growing topic of

What can we do to

increase family

literacy so that

children and

parents are

learning together?

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discussion. It encompasses learning that takes place (or at least is supposed to) at home. In an article, “Family Literacy, Educational Leadership” Holloway, starts off by saying that “Even as schools strive to provide the best reading instruction, educators are aware that factors outside the school influence their student’s success in learning to read for instance” (Holloway, 2004). Unfortunately these various factors can contribute to the lack of family literacy that occurs in households across the United States on a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly basis. This article is intended to talk about Family Literacy and what it is, why it is important, and how we as educators and future librarians can work together with parents and students to build and enhance learning environments outside of the classroom that can then influence learning inside of the classroom and everywhere else.

What is Literacy?

Let’s start with the definition of Literacy, so

that we can better understand the basis of

what Family Literacy entails.

It is common for people to associate literacy

with being ‘literate’ in reading and writing,

but there is more to it than that. According

to an article created by the NYC

Department of Education entitled,

“Opening the Door to Learning—Literacy is

a Family Affair”, Literacy is described as

“the ability to use listening, viewing,

speaking, reading, writing, and presenting

to interact with others, learn new ideas,

exchange information, make decisions and

express thoughts and feelings” (NYC Dept.

of Education 2008). As we can see Literacy

is a broad term that describes ones

understanding based on their abilities to

utilize their skills in various ways. Being

literate in Math, English, Science, and Social

Studies is very important, but literacy is not

limited to these subject areas only. Literacy

also encompasses the understanding of

technical and digital interfaces and their

uses and can also describe financial

understandings as well as different social

understandings in terms of culture and

familial impacts. Essentially, one can be

literate in many aspects of life—social,

educational, and professional-related.

Taking it a step further, literacy is about

fluent understanding and how one decodes,

compresses, and constructs meanings out

of given contexts and perceptions in order

to make sense of new understandings and

meanings. Literacy is an ecosystem. It uses

one’s skills to cultivate one’s learning. The

more literate people are in various ways,

the more capable they are of making

connections and developing critical thinking

skills that will broaden their

understandings.

What is Family Literacy?

Family literacy in short, is the literacy that

takes place within the “home”. When I

started this article, I mentioned how our

parents are our first teachers. I spoke about

some of the practical things they teach us,

like eating and walking, as well as the more

advanced things like talking and

understanding language in spoken and

written forms. The level of a parent’s

literacy can affect the way a child learns and

receives information at home. In an article

entitled: “Family Literacy Programs in

School Libraries: Helping Parents Become

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Teachers, Librarians, Educators

Parents

Students

Their Child’s Best Teacher”, Griffis explains

that “Parents are commonly described as

their child’s first and most important

teachers” and that “over the past two

decades, our society has experienced many

changes that have kept some parents from

fully undertaking this role in their child’s

life” (Griffis, 2003).

Some of the factors that have affected

Family Literacy in positive and negative

ways include, but are not limited to, the

following:

Factors Pros Cons

1st

and 2nd

Generation Immigrant

Families

Enriched cultural

understanding

Can produce language &

cultural barriers

Economic Variance

Can instill lessons on monetary

value

Can create tension or a

lack of resources in

the home

Non-traditional “Family

Planning” (Teenage/Young

Adult, Single Parent, Non-

Parental homes)

Enriched perspective

and Understanding

of family values

Can create tension or a

lack of support or motivation

Parents who did not complete

formal education

Enriched perspective

and motivation to achieve higher

Can create barriers in

understanding or a lack of

support

Size of Family

Enriched perspective,

constant learning and growing from all members

Can lead to neglect or lack

of equal support of all

children in the household

It’s important to note that these factors are

not a complete representation of all

families that fall into any of these

categories. They are simply a means to

address certain factors that can lead to a

positive or negative family literacy

experience. Please do not associate these

factors subjectively or assume they

represent an entire population.

Family Literacy Programs

These various factors that impact a

student’s living environment and family

literacy can also have an effect on the way

the student then learns in school. In an

effort to address these issues and relieve

the stressors that they create on families,

schools and other organizations have

created Family Literacy Programs (FLPs)

which have gained support from federal

and state legislatures. Griffis states that the

“goal of family literacy programs is to

increase the literacy skills of the entire

family, this helping the family to achieve

self-sufficiency and enabling parents to

become active participants in their child’s

education” (Griffis 2003). Family Literacy

Programs allow parents and educators to

connect with each other in order to enrich

student learning experiences, especially

ones that occur within the home.

I will address Family Literacy Programs and

their challenges and opportunities in the

next section so that we can understand the

roles of individuals and stake-holders that

contribute to their success.

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Challenges and Opportunities

There are many challenges that arise in the

establishment and sustainability of Family

Literacy Programs, but there are also many

opportunities to expand on in order to

make them more efficient and impactful.

The following is a breakdown of individuals

who play a role in the success of any given

Family Literacy Program and the challenges

and opportunities they can overcome to

make an FLP successful.

Teachers and Educators

Teachers and Educators have opportunities

to contribute to family literacy. Since they

make up the other half of the student

literacy equation, teachers play an integral

part in establishing grounds for family

literacy to take place. Unfortunately, there

are several challenges that teachers face

when trying to understand family literacy

and the role they play within it.

Challenges

Most of the challenges that teachers and

educators face when addressing family

literacy are directly and indirectly related to

a lack of communication with parents and

with other educators and administrators.

Teachers become heavily invested in their

responsibilities to standards and getting

students to pass assessments that they tend

to forget about the importance of

communicating with parents to make sure

they are on the same page.

Although studies have shown that teachers

agree that parents should be involved with

literacy, many of them place a stigma on

parents saying that “they are not qualified

to give input” (Griffis , 2003) and instead

pass up the opportunity to involve parents

in as many activities as they could.

Similarly, the lack of communication

between teachers and administrators is a

hindrance in the potential of family literacy

because there is no common thread of

thought taking place between those who

are educating and those who are

establishing a means for education and

learning to take place.

Aside from a lack of communication,

another challenge that arises for teachers

and educators is the difficulty of measuring

literacy differences between school and

home, especially on a student by student

basis. Additionally, it’s hard to monitor

children’s familial support and whether

they are receiving the adequate amount of

motivation from school and from home to

engage in literacy to the highest degree.

Although these two factors are hard to

quantify, they are still important to consider

in terms of challenges.

Opportunities

Based on the challenges I have already mentioned, the biggest opportunity that teachers and educators can embrace is to build stronger communications with parents (and students for that matter). This can be done by meet and greet events that cater to follow-ups with parents, or even bi-weekly or monthly newsletters/email blasts that ask for parent input on various topics. Any way to get teachers and educators communicating with each other frequently is a great start to learning more about the family literacy that takes place in the homes of our students.

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Another noteworthy opportunity that teachers and educators can embrace is a positive attitude. This may sound cliché, but it’s very important to keep in mind. Attitude is everything and according to Griffis, 2003, it’s a major barrier in understanding family literacy, especially with presumed stigmas that weigh in. Being open-minded and willing to communicate are two ways of fostering a positive attitude that will only further enhance the family literacy ecosystem.

Parents

According to a study entitled “Constructing

a Family Literacy Program: Challenges and

Opportunities” conducted by Jay and Rohl,

they begin by stating that “Home

environments may be influenced by a

number of related and unrelated adults and

children, covering two or more

generations” (Jay and Rohl, 2005). Parents

(and guardians as well as others in the

immediate household) are at the forefront

of family literacy. As teachers spend a

significant amount of time with students,

parents and families typically spend the

most time with students since they live

together, eat together, play together, etc.

Jay and Rohl also state that family literacy

includes the “parental ‘transfer of behavior,

beliefs, practices, expectations and

potential to their progeny” (Jay and Rohl,

2005). With that in mind, there are just as

many challenges and opportunities that

parents face in terms of family literacy.

Challenges

The biggest challenge that parents face with

family literacy though is time. Between

work, errands, chores, and other tasks,

parents are usually constantly on the move

(the same can be said about students when

it comes to school, practice, homework, and

hanging out with friends, etc.) and although

literacy can take place in a subconscious

manner, time can create a boundary for

family literacy to occur in a comfortable and

controlled environment.

The relationship that is fostered between a

parent and their child can also have an

effect on family literacy. If there is any lack

of communication or lack of understanding

that occurs without compromise or

remediation then this disconnect will

continue to grow, and the parent and their

child will have to work harder to get back

on the same page.

Similarly, if the parent doesn’t have a

formal educational background (which can

mean many things depending on the

context), or isn’t at least self-taught in some

way, then there could be a lack of

understanding or a feeling of

embarrassment on the parent’s end that

may leave them also feeling stressed or

incapable of helping their child with their

school needs.

Opportunities

Despite all of these challenges, there are

always opportunities that parents can

partake in to enhance their child’s literacy.

For starters, parents can get to know their

children’s teachers, educators, and

librarians. If parents are in communication

with the people who are schooling their

kids, then they are likely to be more

involved and invested in their child’s

learning and literacy.

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Better communication will also help parents

build better relationships with their

children. They will be more aware of what

is happening in their child’s life and will

have a clearer understanding of what their

child is getting into inside and outside of

school. This will in turn motivate the child

to continue to strive to do better and will

give the parent more perspective on their

child’s goals and aspirations.

One last opportunity that parents can take

advantage of is learning with their children.

Although educational levels may vary from

parent to child, the parent can use this as

an opportunity to learn and grow with their

child instead of feeling a sense of

embarrassment or incapableness. Learning

together can take place at home or through

family literacy programs that are promoted

through the schools.

Students

In terms of family literacy, students are the

ones who are directly affected the most.

They are constantly in between home and

school and are influenced greatly by both

environments. Students are especially

vulnerable to literacy and the world in

general because they are still growing and

constantly learning about the life around

them.

Challenges

Many of the challenges that students face

with family literacy is often a reflection of

their environments. If they are experiencing

a lack of support from home or school then

they may feel discouraged when it comes to

learning and may not feel motivated to take

learning into their own hands.

A lack in communication and guidance can

also affect students. If they do not feel they

are receiving adequate attention or do not

feel they are connecting with those who are

supposed to be helping them excel, then

they may interpret this void as a means to

‘act out’ or not do what is expected of

them. This can then lead to distractions

and other possible negative influences that

can turn into bad habits inside and outside

of their learning and home environments.

Opportunities

Despite these challenges, there are also

several opportunities that students can take

advantage of. If students feel that they are

not gaining the support they need, they can

communicate that with their parents and

teachers so that more can be done to

provide them with that adequate support.

Students need to take charge of their

education and learn ways to enhance it

instead of allowing various factors to mold

it for them. This is obviously easier said

than done and takes the contribution of all

persons involved in the family literacy

equation to maintain a space that has open

communication that students feel

comfortable expressing themselves in.

Students can also take advantage of various

learning opportunities that are inspired

inside and outside of the classroom. If

students find a hobby or take up an interest

that is not related to the coursework they

are learning, they should feel empowered

to pursue it as opposed to feeling obligated

to relate it back to school. As I have

mentioned earlier, literacy is not only

consistent of reading and writing. It

translates across different mediums and is

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all encompassing of the world we live in. If

students are encouraged to participate in

programs that will teach them different

literacies, then the possibilities for learning

are endlessly intertwined, and that’s a

beautiful thing.

Impacts and Implications

The impacts and implications of family

literacy from a librarian standpoint are also

critical to mention. Coming from a School

Media Specialist perspective, I see the need

for family literacy to be taken into high

consideration and the role the school

library plays as an open vessel to foster this

ecosystem.

Librarians

Instead of reiterating the challenges that I

mentioned before among teachers and

educators, parents, and students, which all

seem to go hand in hand; I will simply state

more opportunities that Librarians can

engage in to enhance family literacy

especially through programming.

Librarians have a unique opportunity to

change the way family literacy is

understood and cultivated. According to

Griffis, “The library media specialist (LMS)

should be considered an important member

of the planning and facilitating team for

family literacy programs” (Griffis 2003).

Librarians are the liaison between teachers,

administrators, parents, and students; they

are in the perfect position to enhance the

way that family literacy is communicated

amongst all persons involved, which also

puts them at the forefront for expressing

how family literacy is stimulated at home

and at school. Creating an open forum for

communication will help librarians push

FLPs in the right direction for success.

Another opportunity that librarians can take

advantage of is using surveys to gage family

literacy from the student’s perspective.

Librarians establish a unique trust with

students, as they are not in the same

position as parents or teachers. Students

who engage and build relationships with

their school librarians are more likely to

open up about various things in their lives.

This could provide the librarian with insight,

especially on family literacy, that can lead

to programming ideas or other enrichment

opportunities that reach the needs of

students (and families).

The most obvious opportunity that

librarians can engage in, which all previous

points have led up to is finding and creating

programs around family literacy. In Griffis’

article, she suggests several programs and

ideas that librarians could use to promote

family literacy and attract students and

their families to the library. The following

list contains a few ideas that she mentions

and descriptions of each program:

Program Idea Description

Reading Bags

Create interactive literacy bags parents and children can check out from the library

Library Visit Take a field trip to the local library

Book Fair Host a book fair where parents and students can purchase books

Favorite Food Festival

Invite each family to bring their favorite food or snack to share

Book Selection Inform parents about selecting quality books that fit the needs

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and interests of their children and provide examples of these books

Family Bookmaking

Guide parents and children as they explore simple bookmaking techniques and allow time for writing and illustrating

Home Literacy Centers

Give parents simple, inexpensive ideas for creating home literacy centers for their child and discuss ways that it will help improve literacy

“Meet My Family”

After sharing several books on families, ask parents and children to write “Meet My Family” books by answering questions about their family that can be shared with others

Griffis, 2003

There are a few obstacles to keep in mind

when librarians are pushing Family Literacy

Programs forward. They include:

Planning

Although the librarian may be establishing FLPs, s/he should create a team that consists of stakeholders that represent each demographic (parents, students, administrators) to ensure that there is something relevant and enriching for everyone involved and as well as to provide balance.

Funding

Be sure to find reliable sources of funding either through government/local grants to ensure that any programs and events established can continue to be maintained.

Implementation

Implementing FLPs will take time. Make sure stakeholders are aware of details and that programs are suitable for diverse communities.

Attitude

There will be various attitudes in regards to the direction and implementation of FLPs. Be sure to stay open minded and goal oriented so that negative push-back doesn’t influence the purpose of the program.

Participation Create relevant programs and make sure proper promotion

occurs to enhance the visibility and participation of the program(s).

Retention

Program success is typically determined by the participant retention. Evaluate programs and collect feedback from participants to ensure that family literacy needs are being met and then make adjustments where necessary.

With these barriers in mind, librarians have

the ability to create sustainable programs

that reach students and their families and

truly provide a positive impact on their

family literacy. The possibilities are endless

when it comes to Family Literacy Programs

and how librarians play a lead role in

establishing them in their libraries.

Whether the librarian wants to create

different events or provide regular

programs, the library is the perfect

environment to promote and foster family

literacy that continues to grow at home and

that is enhanced daily in the classroom.

Here are additional resources that are

centered on enhancing family literacy.

http://www.smartfamilyliteracy.org/

disciplines/Technology

http://barbarabushfoundation.com/

http://www.famlit.org/

http://www.flreads.org/Family-

Literacy/links.htm

A Librarian’s Story

In 2011, Mariana Tessleton1 graduated with

her MS in Library Information Studies with a

Specialization in School Media from the

School of Information Studies at Syracuse

1 Name has been changed.

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University. She was excited about her new

Librarian job in Northern California, and was

eager to make a positive impact on her high

school students and school community.

She had always been one to think outside of

the box and really enjoyed starting new

things wherever she went.

Tessleton became the new Librarian of

Laddenbrook High School1. Laddenbrook is

a medium-sized high school in an urban

community with grade levels ten through

twelve. It has a diverse population of about

seven-hundred students. Eighty percent of

its students are bi-lingual and sixty percent

of the bi-lingual population speaks Spanish,

while the other twenty percent speak

various languages ranging from Urdu,

Arabic, Créole, French, Portuguese,

Cantonese, and Tagalog. Literacy rates at

Laddenbrook High School have gone up

over the past three years and graduation

rates are now surpassing eighty-five

percent.

Laddenbrook also has a diverse faculty and

staff. Many of its teachers have received

tenure and are shifting their focus to

incorporating Common Core Standards

more fluently into curriculum. As a note,

family literacy at Laddenbrook High School

had been poorly documented over the

years, prior to Tessleton’s work.

Laddenbrook High School had the ideal

location and demographic that Tessleton

had always wanted to be a part of. Ever

since she started studying Librarianship she

knew she wanted to work with students

and families from a diverse urban

population. When she arrived at

Laddenbrook on her first day, she was

delighted at what she saw and she couldn’t

wait to get started.

Tessleton took over for the previous

librarian who had been at Laddenbrook for

the past seventeen years. The previous

librarian developed some connections with

teachers in the building, but failed to

maintain collaborative efforts on a regular

basis. Overall, many teachers and students

utilized the previous librarian and library

only when they needed to.

As Tessleton was getting situated, the first

thing she wanted to do was get to know

people in her building, from faculty and

staff to teachers and students. She walked

around and was surprised at the encounters

she had with others, especially when she

introduced herself as the new librarian.

Despite her enthusiasm, many shrugged her

off and continued on their day. Feeling

discouraged, Tessleton went back to the

library and started brainstorming ways to

engage the community of which she was

now a part of within Laddenbrook High

School.

During lunch, Tessleton noticed a group of

students making their way into the library.

She greeted them with a smile and a

“Hello” and they smiled back as they sat at

a table near the far window. There was little

interaction, but Tessleton sensed

something interesting about these

particular students. Before she knew it

though, lunch was over and the rest of her

first day was coming to an end.

The rest of Tessleton’s week was similar,

but she was trying the best she could to

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establish herself as the new librarian at

Laddenbrook High School. Over the next

couple of weeks, Tessleton spent her time

still trying to get to know teachers and

students and was slowly beginning to gain a

respected trust among her peers. She

started taking on opportunities to

collaborate with core curriculum teachers

and was even starting to develop events

that would attract more students to the

library. She really felt like her degree was

paying off, but she still felt that something

was missing.

Tessleton had been performing spoken-

word poetry since she was in college, and

decided that it was about time she brought

her love of poetry to the library. She started

out by having an open-mic during the

students’ lunch period on a Friday

afternoon. To her surprise, about eleven

students came to the open mic with their

poetry and other creative writings. Among

the students that showed up, were the ones

who came into the library for lunch on her

first day. Tessleton was very excited to hear

their poetry and was intrigued by the

various styles they had, and the cultural and

social topics they spoke about.

After the open-mic was over, Tessleton

inquired about how long the students had

been writing and if they had ever

performed in the past. Most of them said

they had been writing for “a while” or “a

few years” and more than half of the

students that came had never performed

their poetry in front of anyone before.

Tessleton also asked the students if their

families ever heard their poetry. Most of

the students said ‘no’, but there were a

couple who replied ‘yes’ or ‘sometimes’.

Overall, Tessleton was happy that the open-

mic was a success and started planning for

the next one.

The following Monday during lunch, the

same group of students came into the

library again. Tessleton decided to get to

know the students more and to find out

what they would like to see or experience in

the library. The students gave ideas related

to technology, commons, and especially

poetry. They asked for workshops on

performing and publishing their poetry; two

areas that Tessleton was already versed in.

She continued thinking of more ways to

enhance the library, but as she parted ways

with the students, she overheard one of the

girls talking to another girl. She was

expressing much she wished her mom could

hear her poetry because it would really help

her get through the loss of her father, the

girl’s grandfather.

Tessleton was sad to hear this conversation,

but eager to provide an opportunity for the

girl’s ‘wish’ to come true. She started

thinking about ways to bring parents and

families to the library so that they could

hear the poetry these students were

writing. In November, before Thanksgiving

Break, Tessleton planned an Open Mic and

invited families to come and hear the

students speak and perform their poetry.

She also invited teachers and

administrators to the event and encouraged

everyone to share a piece (though some

respectfully chose not to).

Students shared pieces that spoke about

their lives inside and outside of school.

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They talked about the boys and girls they

liked, school lunches, bullying, domestic

violence, gang warfare, loss, success,

college anticipation, and even about the

awesome janitor that is friendly to

everyone.

The young lady whose grandfather passed

away also shared her piece in front of her

mother, bringing her to tears. After the

open-mic, the student and her mother

approached Tessleton to give her a hug. The

mother thanked her for allowing her

daughter to have a place to share her

poetry and expressed her appreciation for

her daughter’s piece. Until that day, the

mother had struggled with the loss of her

father and wasn’t sure how to talk to her

daughter about it. After hearing her

daughter’s piece, the mother felt more at

ease about moving forward.

Though some of the pieces were explicit,

more so in content than language,

Tessleton explained that it was all self-

expression and that students should feel

free to express themselves without

judgment in a respected safe space.

Everyone agreed, and the open-mic was the

start of many further conversations that

strengthened the relationships and

understandings among parents and their

children as well as among teachers and

administrators with their students.

Since November 2011, Mariana Tessleton

has had eleven successful open-mics (now

planned mostly by the student-established

group, Poets of L.H.S.) each one growing

and attracting more students, and has had

several poetry workshops around writing,

performing, and publishing. She has invited

local writers to come in and share with

students and has encouraged parents and

families to accompany the students in any

of these workshops. Tessleton has fostered

a space where families are writing and

performing together inside and outside of

the library which has brought them closer

than ever before.

Tessleton’s programming efforts are high

and wide. Though many are centered on

poetry, they have all helped students

establish their voice and build confidence

within themselves that they translate into

other areas of their lives inside and outside

of the classroom. Her poetry program has

developed into a full out family literacy

program that encourages self-expression

through the arts, whether related to poetry,

creative writing, drawing, painting, etc.

Tessleton has made her mark on

Laddenbrook High School and has indeed

thought outside of the box to start

something new.

Tessleton never gave up; despite feeling

discouraged as a new librarian when no one

seemed to want to give her the time of day.

She continued trying to get to know her

students and her peers though, and ended

up finding a way to connect her personal

passion and love for poetry to her love for

librarianship.

Tessleton is no longer the ‘new librarian’;

she has established herself as the “Poetic

Librarian of Laddenbrook High School” and

has built strong trust and friendships among

families, students, teachers, and

administrators, one poem at a time.

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Conclusion

Family literacy is unique to each family and

should be embraced. Family literacy should

no longer hinder students or their families.

It is not a determining factor of brilliance or

potential, but instead an ecosystem that

fosters growth inside and outside of the

classroom. No family is perfect, and not all

families are subject to the same

experiences, opportunities and literacy

fluencies. However, family literacy gaps can

be bridged through Family Literacy

Programs with the guidance of School

Librarians and with the help of students,

families, educators, and administrators.

Learning does not start when the school

bell rings at 8 am and it does not end when

the school bell dismisses at 3 pm. Learning

is constant. It is an ongoing process that is

continuously evolving and is fostered by

one’s environments. Literacy is how

learning develops and enhances. It is how

we connect the dots of our daily lives. We

begin learning from birth, and our learning

continues to develop with the help of family

literacy as we grow older. Family literacy

connects generations; one word, one book,

one laugh, and even one poem at a time.

Resources

Griffis, J.(2003). Family Literacy Programs in

School Libraries: Helping Parents

Become Their Child’s Best Teacher.

Library Media Connection, 22(1), 30-

34. Retrieved from

http://search.ebscohost.com.libezpr

oxy2.syr.edu/login.aspx?direct=true

&db=llf&AN=502908624&site=ehost

-live

Holloway, J. H. (2004). Family Literacy.

Educational Leadership, 61(6), 88-

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