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Youth Development & Families News

7-11-02 Hughes grant supports natural history teaching

3-25-02 $4 million grant to prevent child abuse and neglect

4-28-99 CU opens new family research center

6-99 IFNL mission and faculty

6-99 Bullying can have serious consequences

6-99 Schools need to foster parent involvement

1-14-00 Researchers suggest ways to prevent school violence

1-21-00 CU establishes national center for rural justice

3-10-00 CU researchers address school safety issues

7-14-00 New center supports grassroots organizations

NEWS ARCHIVES

DATE: 3-25-02       

CONTACT: Gary B. Melton, 864-656-6271 gmelton@clemson.edu   

WRITER: Maureen Lee, 864-650-8348 mlee@clemson.edu

CLEMSON GETS $4 MILLION DUKE GRANT
TO PREVENT CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT

CLEMSON - "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
We know that as the Golden Rule. Can it help prevent child abuse and neglect in southern Greenville County? The Duke Endowment plans to invest nearly $4 million over four years to find out.

The Duke grant will be used to develop and evaluate a model community-wide initiative, "Strong Communities for Children in the Golden Strip," that will provide systems of support for families of young children.

"Strong Communities" will build, strengthen and renew community norms of neighbors' helping each other and watching out for their own and their neighbors' children.

"There may never have been such a comprehensive effort across an entire community in the prevention of child abuse and neglect," said Gary B. Melton, director of Clemson's Institute on Family and Neighborhood Life and leader of this initiative.

"This initiative reflects our belief that every family and every child should be confident that someone will notice and someone will care whenever they have cause for joy, sorrow, or worry," Melton said.

"In effect, 'Strong Communities' is designed to give new strength in application of the Golden Rule in participating communities as they care for their youngest members."

The grant, given through the Clemson University Research Foundation, is part of a broader Duke Endowment initiative to demonstrate effective ways of preventing child abuse and neglect. The Duke Endowment, established in 1924 by North Carolina industrialist and philanthropist James B. Duke, is one of the nation's largest private foundations. 

Its mission is to serve the people of North Carolina and South Carolina by supporting selected programs of higher education, health care, children's welfare and spiritual life. In 2001, the Endowment awarded grants of almost $117 million. Grants since 1924 have totaled more than $1.6 billion. The grant to Clemson is the largest that the university has received in the social, behavioral and health sciences.

"The Endowment has over the years made a number of grants to support smaller projects to prevent child abuse and neglect," said Rhett N. Mabry, director of the Child Care Division of The Duke Endowment.  "But this is our first attempt to fund a comprehensive effort to effect a measurable decrease in child abuse and neglect within a targeted community.  We are pleased to be able to make this grant and to work with the Institute on Family and Neighborhood Life in such an ambitious effort." 

"Strong Communities" is built on the research-based premise that, to be effective, child protection must become a part of everyday life in the neighborhoods where children live, study and play. For children to be safe and families to be strong, they must be able to count on others noticing family needs and reaching out to help. If the children at greatest risk are to be protected, a standard of mutual assistance must be built for all families.

The nation's child protection system has become one that focuses on reporting and investigating suspected cases of abuse and neglect rather than helping families to solve their problems. "Strong Communities" seeks to prevent abuse and neglect before it happens. 

The initiative's designers believe that a comprehensive community effort to increase such parent leadership and mutual support will not only prevent child abuse and neglect, but will also enhance neighborhood quality of life, strengthen family well-being, and encourage children's healthy development and readiness for school.

"Strong Communities" is based at the Golden Strip Family and Child Development Center in Simpsonville. The project builds on partnerships with the Piedmont Center for Mental Health Services, the School District of Greenville County, Prevent Child Abuse Greenville, Prevent Child Abuse South Carolina, and numerous other local and state organizations.

The initiative is relying on the efforts of scores of community volunteers from Fountain Inn and Simpsonville to Piedmont and from Fork Shoals to Conestee and Mauldin. It embraces the contributions that many sectors can make to the well-being of children and families: businesses, civic organizations, Cooperative Extension, housing agencies, health agencies, law enforcement, local government, religious organizations, schools and social service agencies.

The initiative includes six programs:

• several community working groups to assess needs and then to plan and implement strategies for strengthening children's safety in particular domains of community life

• a competitive mini-grant program by which such community groups can obtain seed money for projects to enhance children's safety

• expansion and enhancement of Healthy Families/Parents as Teachers programs to make voluntary home visitation and support for families of young children more widely available

• a program to increase social support for 4-year-old children in kindergarten classes and their families and to promote parent leadership

• community education and mobilization to enhance children's safety

• work with state policymakers and donors to enable replication of such programs in other communities in South Carolina

Working with a sister project funded by The Duke Endowment at Duke University, the "Strong Communities" project will be evaluated by researchers at Clemson and the University of North Carolina

For information about how to get involved with this project, contact Patricia Hashima, associate project director, Institute on Family and Neighborhood Life, Clemson University, 864-656-6711, hashima@clemson.edu.
   
END

DATE: 7-14-00

CONTACT: Kathleen Wilson, (864) 656-6284 wilson5@clemson.edu

            Tom Keith, (803) 254-0230 tkeith@usit.com

WRITER: James Compton, (864) 656-6319 jcmptn@clemson.edu

NEW CENTER SUPPORTS GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATIONS

CLEMSON - A leadership-training center has been established at Clemson University for grassroots and nonprofit organizations across South Carolina. Called the South Carolina Center for Grassroots and Nonprofit Leadership, it will provide affordable training, technical assistance, information and networking for these organizations.

 "This is an exciting and much-needed resource," said Dr. Linda Nalty of Community in Schools-South Carolina, Inc. "Not only will it help our staff, but it will empower our entire community."

The center will be partially funded by the South Carolina Collaborative on Nonprofit and Grassroots Leadership, currently a group of 16 nonprofit organizations and public agencies in the state. 

The Collaborative selected Clemson University's Institute on Family and Neighborhood Life as the managing partner of the Center because of the University's capacity to provide high quality public service programs, its developed distance learning capacity, its information dissemination systems and dynamic leadership and faculty resources.  Kathleen Wilson, well-known authority in community development, will serve as the Director of the Center that will have up to 12 staff when fully operational. 

"Philanthropic organizations, faith-based and civic groups and education institutions have united their resources to make the Collaborative and the Leadership Center a reality," said Tom Keith, Executive Director of the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina and Chair of the Collaborative Steering Committee. 

The Leadership Center will help nonprofit and grassroots groups develop community-level leadership through education, professional enrichment and technical assistance.  The Center will also develop and collect useful information for groups and is in the process of developing several partnerships with major statewide and national organizations for this purpose.  In addition, the Center plans to develop high-quality distance learning system using South Carolina Educational Television Network and Clemson University's Distance Learning facilities.

There are over 8,000 nonprofit organizations in South Carolina involved in a myriad of efforts including childcare, family support, affordable housing, economic development, and youth and family services.  The Center staff will focus specific services on groups that have similar missions.  Some of the Center's services will be available to all nonprofits and grassroots groups at little or no cost.  Other services will be targeted to groups identified in contracts and grants received. 

Current grant and contract obligations will focus on building educational and technical resources and opportunities for nonprofits and voluntary associations involved in child care, full service family support centers, child abuse and neglect prevention, community development corporations, father engagement initiatives, community in school efforts, faith-based community development initiatives, and those affiliated with local United Ways. 

There will also be a substantial grassroots and nonprofit leader scholarship program.  This program will reward excellence and also help support leaders willing to play key roles in South Carolina so services become available where gaps now exist.  Donors for the scholarship program are still being located to fund this facet of the Center's offerings.

"With government cutbacks to social and community programs, communities rely on grassroots and nonprofit organizations for support. With stronger leadership, organizations are more likely to have more effective management and use of resources, less duplication and fragmentation of services and more capability to respond in unity to community challenges and changes," said Charlotte Berry, Chairman of the Board of the United Way of South Carolina and member of the Collaborative Steering Committee.  "We hope to provide the tools and resources for this to happen."

Collaborative members have already pledged nearly $1.5 million for three years.  To accomplish its entire strategic plan, the Collaborative projects an operating budget of $1.3 million per year.  Center and Collaborative leaders are still raising the remaining $2.4 million to fund a three-year plan of work. The rest of the funds will be raised through gifts, contracts, grants and fees for service.

Local groups and others interested in learning more about the Center should contact Kathleen Wilson, Director of the South Carolina Center on Grassroots and Nonprofit Leadership, Institute on Family and Neighborhood Life, Clemson University at 864-656-6284 or wilson5@Clemson.edu.

END

DATE: 3-10-00

CONTACT: Susan P. Limber, (864) 656-6271 slimber@clemson.edu

WRITER: Maureen Lee, (864) 650-8348 mle@clemson.edu

CLEMSON RESEARCHERS ADDRESS SCHOOL SAFETY ISSUES

COLUMBIA - Two Clemson University child researchers presented successful approaches to school safety at a recent Mental Health Association of South Carolina conference, "School Violence: Prescriptions for Prevention."

Gary Melton, director of Clemson's Institute on Family and Neighborhood Life, and Susan Limber, an associate professor at the Institute, joined Scott Henggeler, director of the Family Services Research Center and professor of psychiatry and behavioral science at the Medical University of South Carolina, to discuss successful approaches to curbing school violence.

One of the programs they discussed was a bullying prevention program that Melton and Limber initiated and studied in six South Carolina school districts. The program is included in a national publication, "Blueprints for Violence Prevention," by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence (University of Colorado-Boulder).

 "Children have a fundamental right to learn in a school environment without fear of being oppressed, harassed, or belittled by their peers,"said Limber. "It is up to parents, teachers, principals, school personnel, and even community members to stop bullying when they see it happening. The message should be that bullying is unacceptable and will not be tolerated."

END

DATE: 1-21-00

CONTACT: Robin Kimbrough-Melton, (864) 656-6285 rkimbro@clemson.edu

WRITER: Maureen Lee, (864) 650-8348 mle@clemson.edu

NATIONAL CENTER FOR RURAL JUSTICE AND CRIME PREVENTION ESTABLISHED AT CLEMSON UNIVERSITY

CLEMSON, SC - A national center that will help rural communities work with the justice system to prevent and reduce crime and violence has been established at Clemson University's Institute on Family and Neighborhood Life.

With financial support from the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance, the National Center for Rural Justice and Crime Prevention will conduct research to determine the unique challenges that rural communities and small towns face as they seek to keep their residents safe.

Rural society is changing. Fewer jobs in rural areas have caused many people to leave in search of work. Also, as urban areas expand, they often reach into nearby rural communities. One of the consequences of these and other changes has been an increase in rural crime levels, although crime rates in rural areas are still less than those in urban areas. Violent crime in rural counties increased 53 percent from 1983 to 1997, according to the National Center for Rural Law Enforcement. In 1997, violent crimes in cities with populations of 1 million people or more dropped 6.2 percent, while rural counties experienced a 3.1 percent increase. Other problems such as gangs, delinquency, and drug use by rural youth have emerged as well.

In the last few years, crime and violence prevention strategies have focused on building partnerships between community citizens and the justice system. These collaborative efforts-such as community policing, community courts, and community prosecution-have sought to identify and address potential problems before they happen, revitalize troubled neighborhoods, and develop alternatives for resolving problems that involve community residents. Most community justice programs have been designed for use in urban areas, although in recent years some have been implemented in rural communities.

 "We will try to identify and describe regional differences in rural areas that might affect the application of these strategies and models. Then we will study ways to modify these successful community justice programs to 'fit' rural communities and small towns," said Robin Kimbrough-Melton, director of the new National Center for Rural Justice and Crime Prevention.

 "Relatively little is known about how to engage rural communities in building stronger connections with law enforcement, the courts, and prosecutors to prevent and reduce crime and violence," she said.

Anderson (SC) County Solicitor George Ducworth called the Center a valuable resource for rural communities and small towns nationwide. "The timing is perfect for a program like this because of the recognition of the need for collaboratives for crime prevention and early intervention. Communities are more willing than ever to work with local justice systems," he said.

Clemson Police Chief Johnson Link said the Center will help identify workable programs and solutions to rural and small community crime problems. "The often cited 'big-city' solutions to crime problems are not always successful in smaller communities because of financial and employee limitations," he said.

The Center will focus on research, education, technical assistance, and dissemination. It will:

            .      Test strategies for strengthening collaboration between residents in rural areas and local justice agencies in developing comprehensive, community-focused initiatives to enhance community safety.           

            .      Provide consultation and technical assistance to rural communities and small towns in identifying and implementing justice initiatives relevant to their strengths, needs, and unique characteristics.           

            .      Examine the diversity and regional aspects of rural communities and small towns and how these differences might affect implementing model crime and violence prevention programs in rural areas.

            .      Evaluate community-justice collaboration initiatives in rural communities, and disseminate information about those that prove to be successful.

Part of the Center's research will involve working with rural communities around the nation to develop strategies for creating a sense of community and neighborhood responsibility in preventing and reducing crime.

The National Center for Rural Justice and Crime Prevention is part of the Institute on Family and Neighborhood Life, located within the Division of Public Service and Agriculture at Clemson University. The Institute seeks to generate, share, and apply the knowledge needed to strengthen ties between families and communities.

Work at the Institute is based on the premise that strong communities support strong families and vice versa, and that both are necessary for the healthy development of children and youth. Researchers at the Institute study programs and polices that encourage children and youth to participate in community life in a meaningful way. They also develop and evaluate programs, perform policy analyses, and provide technical assistance and community education.

DATE: 1-14-00

CONTACT: Gary Melton, (864) 656-6271 gmelton@clemson.edu

WRITER: Debbie Dalhouse, (864) 656-0937 ddalhou@clemson.edu

CLEMSON RESEARCHERS SUGGEST WAYS TO PREVENT SCHOOL VIOLENCE

COLUMBIA - Two Clemson University child researchers presented successful approaches to school safety at a recent Mental Health Association of South Carolina conference, "School Violence: Prescriptions for Prevention."

Gary Melton, director of Clemson's Institute on Family and Neighborhood Life, and Susan Limber, an associate professor at the Institute, joined Scott Henggeler, director of the Family Services Research Center and professor of psychiatry and behavioral science at the Medical University of South Carolina, to discuss successful approaches to curbing school violence.

One of the programs they discussed was a bullying prevention program that Melton and Limber initiated and studied in six South Carolina school districts. The program is included in a national publication, "Blueprints for Violence Prevention," by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence (University of Colorado-Boulder).

 "Children have a fundamental right to learn in a school environment without fear of being oppressed, harassed, or belittled by their peers,"said Limber. "It is up to parents, teachers, principals, school personnel, and even community members to stop bullying when they see it happening. The message should be that bullying is unacceptable and will not be tolerated."

END

DATE: June, 1999

CONTACT: Susan P. Limber, (864) 656-6271 slimber@clemson.edu

WRITER: Maureen Lee, (864) 656-6271 mle@clemson.edu

BULLYING CAN HAVE SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES

CLEMSON - School can be a miserable place for children who are repeatedly bullied by their peers.

Children bullied at school may suffer both immediate and long-term effects of being tormented. They may become sad or depressed. Their school work may suffer as they lose interest in school or try to avoid attending. Occasionally, victims of bullying react violently to their situation by attacking their tormentors or by harming themselves, researchers say. The emotional effects of bullying can continue into adulthood.

 "Parents and school personnel should be concerned about bullying behavior," says Susan Limber, a researcher with Clemson University's Institute on Family and Neighborhood Life. "Research shows that bullying is a common and potentially damaging form of aggression among children."

Limber, along with colleagues at the University of South Carolina, worked to implement and evaluate a comprehensive program to reduce bullying in schools. The Bullying Prevention Program was selected by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence (University of Colorado-Boulder) for inclusion in the Center's national Blueprints for Violence Prevention publication.

A recent survey of children in rural communities in South Carolina showed that nearly one-fourth of all middle school children reported that they had been bullied with some regularity within a 3-month period. One in five students admitted to bullying other students with some regularity.

Bullying occurs when one or more children repeatedly hurt another child through words or actions. Bullying behavior may be physical, such as hitting or kicking; verbal, such as teasing or name-calling, or it may involve more indirect kinds of actions, such as excluding a child from activities or manipulating friendships.

Research has shown that students who bully may be engaged in other types of antisocial behavior as well. Many of these bullies find themselves in trouble with the law as they grow older. A 1993 long-term study by Norwegian researcher Dan Olweus found that by age 23, about 60% of the boys identified as bullies in middle school had at least one criminal conviction and that 35% to 40% had three or more convictions. Conviction rates were substantially lower for non-bullies in the study.

Limber says that many children who are bullied are reluctant to tell their parents or teachers. Adults need to know the warning signs that indicate possible bullying and what they can do if they find that a child is being bullied.

Children may be victims of bullying if they:

• have few, if any, friends           

• seem afraid to go to school or complain of headaches or stomach pains 

• appear sad, anxious, depressed, or moody         

• are quiet, sensitive, passive, or have poor self-esteem.

Children may be bullying others if they:

• tease, threaten, kick other children           

• are hot-tempered, impulsive, or have a hard time following rules  

• are aggressive toward adults

• are tough, show no sympathy toward children who are bullied.

Parents who suspect that their child is being bullied at school should talk with their child frequently about what he or she is doing at school and how he or she is being treated, Limber says. If parents feel that their child may be the victim of bullying at school, they should get in touch with the child's teacher, principal, or counselor.

As for school personnel, Limber says that they should step in when they witness fighting among children and when they see children being verbally harassed or socially isolated by their peers.

 "Children have a fundamental right to learn in a school environment without fear of being oppressed, harassed, or belittled by their peers," Limber says. "It is up to parents, teachers, principals, school personnel, and even community members to stop bullying when they see it happening. The message should be that bullying is unacceptable and will not be tolerated."

Which types of children are victims of bullying?

• Victims tend to be cautious, sensitive, quiet, withdrawn, passive, and shy.

• Victims have trouble asserting themselves among their peers, and they appear anxious, insecure, and have poor self-esteem.

• Boys who are victims tend to be physically weaker than their peers.

• Typically, physical characteristics, such as weight problem, glasses, etc., are not the reasons why children are bullied.

Which types of children are bullies?

• Bullies have strong needs to dominate and subdue other students, to get their own way, and to assert themselves through the use of power and threat.

• Bullies tend to be oppositional, defiant, and aggressive toward children and adults.

• Bullies are not anxious or insecure, contrary to some commonly held assumptions.

• Bullies tend to be older and somewhat bigger than their victims.

END

DATE: June 1999

CONTACT: Gary Melton, (864) 656-6271 gmelton@clemson.edu

WRITER: Maureen Lee, (864) 650-8348 mle@clemson.edu                                                             

INSTITUTE ON FAMILY AND NEIGHBORHOOD LIFE -- BACKGROUND

Director: Gary B. Melton          

Our Mission

The Institute on Family and Neighborhood Life at Clemson University helps to generate, share and apply the knowledge needed to strengthen ties between families and communities. We believe that help is most acceptable, efficient, and effective when it is built into everyday life. We are particularly interested in the everyday experiences of children, youth, and adults in neighborhood institutions, such as schools, workplaces, religious organizations, civic groups, and courts.

We seek to provide the knowledge necessary to enable these institutions to ensure respect for individual dignity, enhance "natural" social assistance, build a sense of community, promote civic participation, and foster family and neighborhood responsibility. We also strive to understand ways that public policy supports or hinders families and neighborhoods in these tasks and to offer alternatives that foster the creation of neighborly ("family-friendly") communities.

Our Work

To accomplish these goals, the Institute conducts empirical research, performs policy analyses, develops and evaluates programs, and provides technical assistance and community education. We work at all levels from neighborhood to global, because a comparative perspective offers new insights in understanding grassroots phenomena in neighborhoods and developing effective responses in public policy and community-development practice.

Institute Themes

The Institute's work is focused on three themes. We conduct research and provide public service related to these broad topics:

• the nature of everyday life in families and neighborhoods

• the development, maintenance, and enhancement of community institutions  

• current and alternative public policies supportive of family and neighborhood life

Institute Programs

The Institute organizes much of its work in two centers that address the content areas central to its mission: the Center for Neighborhood Development and the Center for Youth Participation and Human Rights. Two other centers in the Institute provide special opportunities to address our core themes in particular domains but on a large scale: the National Center for Rural Justice and Crime Prevention and the Southeastern Center for Family Support and Parent Leadership.

Institute Faculty

. Natalie Hevener Kaufman (BA, Pennsylvania; PhD, Virginia) specializes in international human rights law related to the status of women, children, and families. She studies youth participation around the world. 864-656-6319 kaufman@clemson.edu

. Robin J. Kimbrough (BS, Southern Methodist; JD, Nebraska) directs the National Center for Rural Justice and Crime Prevention. Kimbrough has long been active in service system reform in juvenile justice, criminal justice, education, social services, substance abuse services, and courts. She specializes in the areas of crime prevention and treatment within the justice system. Currently she directs projects to strengthen crime and violence prevention efforts in rural areas. She also is developing recommendations for designing and implementing juvenile and family drug courts, and she is involved in efforts to strengthen community-based services to juveniles in the juvenile justice system. 864-656-6285 rkimbro@clemson.edu

. Susan P. Limber (BA, Virginia, MA, MLS [Master of Legal Studies], PhD, Nebraska) directs the Institute's Center for Youth Development and Human Rights. Limber's research and writing have focused on legal and psychological issues related to youth violence, child protection, children's rights, and youth participation in community life. She was the 1987 recipient of the Saleem Shah Award from the American Psychology-Law Society for early career excellence in law and policy. 864-656-6320 slimber@clemson.edu

. James R. McDonell (BA, Methodist; MSW, North Carolina; DSW, Columbia) primarily focuses his efforts on developing community supports for families and youth in risk environments, and on building assets in high-need rural communities through community-based economic development strategies such as microenterprises and individual development accounts (IDA). His current research includes a 3-year study of a comprehensive, community-based intervention program for pregnant and parenting teens in several low-wealth counties in South Carolina. 864-506-1463 jmcdnll@clemson.edu

. Gary B. Melton (BA, Virginia; MA, PhD Boston University) directs the Institute on Family and Neighborhood Life and the Southeastern Center for Family Support and Parent Leadership. He also is director of the Consortium on Children, Families, and the Law (a national network of policy research centers) and president of Childwatch International (a global research network sponsored by the Norwegian government). Melton studies child abuse and neglect, juvenile justice, child mental health, and the application of international human rights law to child and family policy both here and abroad. A nationally recognized child and family policy and psychology expert, Melton has testified several times before the U.S. Congress and has served as a consultant to numerous state social service, mental health, legislative and court-administrative agencies. He recently served as a member of the U.S. Attorney General's Expert Panel on Youth Violence.

The author of more than 250 publications, Melton has published or is currently writing or editing books on diverse topics of child and family policy and psychology, such as pediatric AIDS; forensic mental health services; child advocacy; rural psychology; research ethics; children's competence; the law's effects on behavior; motivation in family relationships; use of social science research in legal reform; child mental health policy; child protection policy; and international developments in child and family policy. 864-656-6271 gmelton@clemson.edu

. Mark A. Small (BA, MA, Nevada-Las Vegas; JD, PhD, Nebraska) is interested in the development and evaluation of policies and programs to strengthen neighborhood institutions, such as churches, schools, and civic organizations. He has written on topics related to child and family maltreatment, community development, and justice. 864-656-6286 msmall@clemson.edu

. J. Marlene Snyder (BA, MS, PhD, Nebraska) is the facilitator for a project designed to disseminate information to judges, educators, juvenile justice professionals, and human service/ mental health service providers on research findings of promising practices for delinquency prevention. She is involved in rural justice projects (e.g., community development for small-town crime prevention) in the West and the Midwest. 406-862-8971 snyder@digisys.net

. Kathleen Karah Wilson (BA, Moody Bible Institute; MEd, Texas Women's University; PhD, Michigan State) directs the Institute's Center for Neighborhood Development. Her field is community planning, with special emphasis on social policy and program planning for children, youth, and families. Wilson has done extensive community development work related to human service and health systems reform, and food, agriculture and natural resource management.  She is nationally and internationally known for her theoretical and applied work on systems-based approaches to community improvement, which is used to transform and create social organizations, government, and community social structures and processes. 864-656-6284 wilson5@clemson.edu

END

DATE: June, 1999

CONTACT: Gary B. Melton, (864) 656-6271 gmelton@clemson.edu

            Susan P. Limber, (864) 656-6271 slimber@clemson.edu

WRITER: Maureen Lee, (864) 656-7271 mle@clemson.edu

SCHOOLS NEED TO FOSTER PARENT INVOLVEMENT

CLEMSON - When parents are involved in their child's education, everyone wins - students, parents, teachers and schools.

Research shows that students do better academically, have higher attendance rates and have more positive attitudes about school if their parents are aware of what goes on at school and take an active role in their child's education.

 "Teachers and school administrators hold the key to strong home-school partnerships. They must believe that parental participation is a core element of education," said Gary Melton, director of Clemson University's Institute on Family and Neighborhood Life. "Parents are more likely to be involved in their children's education when they feel that schools are doing things to include them.

 "Indeed, the big message of research on parent involvement in the schools is that the barriers to parent's participation are to a large extent within the school's control," he adds.

Melton and fellow Clemson researcher Susan Limber, have identified several barriers to parent involvement in a chapter they have written for The Transition to Kindergarten, a book edited by Robert C. Pianta and Martha J. Cox that will be published in October. The barriers to parent involvement include:

Conflicting perceptions of role. Typically, teachers and parents define parent involvement differently. Educators perceive parent participation as parents coming to school for meetings or to do volunteer work. Parents, on the other hand, tend to view involvement in their children's education as something that occurs primarily in the home, such as monitoring homework or talking with their child about the school day.

Logistical problems. Most parents work outside the home during school hours, which makes it difficult for them to get to their child's school. Even if parents work in the home, they may have transportation or child-care difficulties that prevent them from getting to their child's school for meetings or to volunteer.

School resistance. The most difficult obstacle to parent involvement probably is staff resistance, whether overt or passive. Researchers say that, on average, schools take very few steps to encourage parent participation or to offer tips to parents about ways to enhance their children's education, especially in the secondary grades. Many parents report that they do not feel welcome at their children's school.

Characteristics of parents. Although a number of parental characteristics such as education level, income, marital status and ethnicity can affect the level of parent involvement in schools, these characteristics play less of a role than conventional wisdom would indicate. Children's school performance is less dependent on who their parents are than on what they do to help them, such as discussing homework and enforcing consistent rules in the home.

Research indicates that most parents, regardless of their social class, desire information about the best ways they can support and enhance their child's education.

Perhaps the conflicting view that parents and teachers have as to what constitutes parent involvement is the key reason why many educators say that parents do not care about their children's education and school life. Teachers view parents as apathetic when they do not come to the school for meetings or to volunteer. Parents, however, define involvement in terms of home-based educational activities.

Melton and Limber's review of parent involvement research suggests that teachers who are leaders in the use of parent involvement understand the potential barriers to engaging parents in their children's education and find ways to overcome them.

 "Such teachers believe that parents want to be involved in the schools and that their involvement is an important element in the school program. These teachers actively seek parental involvement in a variety of ways, including those that do not require the parents to be present at the school," Limber says.

Many model school-based family programs go to great lengths to find ways to involve parents. For example, some schools hire a full-time coordinator to work solely on promoting parent involvement and to build links to the community. Others find ways to overcome transportation and child-care problems so parents can come to their child's school. These schools are committed to involving parents because they know that strong connections between families and schools are important to a child's well-being.

 "When parents feel that schools are really trying to involve them, they, in turn, get more involved in their child's education," Melton says.

END

DATE:  4-28-99

CONTACT: Maureen Lee, (864) 650-8348 mle@clemson.edu

EDITOR: Bill Baker, (864) 656-3875 bbaker@clemson.edu

CLEMSON UNIVERSITY OPENS NEW FAMILY RESEARCH CENTER

GREENVILLE - Clemson University has established the Institute on Family and Neighborhood Life to study how healthy, safe neighborhoods create and sustain strong families and to generate, apply and share research that strengthens the ties between families and communities.

The announcement was made in Greenville Wednesday by Clemson President Constantine Curris.

 "We believe that there is a role here for a land-grant university such as Clemson," Curris said. "We have a historic mission to serve youth and families and to provide assistance to communities. We also are the only university that has the means not only to conduct research but also to immediately share the results of that research with families and communities through our Extension network.

Located in the Division of Public Service & Agriculture at Clemson University, the Institute will provide the research foundation for Cooperative Extension services to promote youth, family and community development. Clemson University has identified family and youth development as one of its five public service priorities.

 "We are pleased to have recruited several top faculty to Clemson to establish this Institute. They will conduct research that addresses issues facing families, neighborhoods and young people and share this information with families and communities through our Extension network," said Dr. John Kelly, vice president for Public Service & Agriculture at Clemson.

Dr. Gary B. Melton, director of the Institute, said work at the Institute is based on the premises that strong communities support strong families and vice versa, and that both are necessary for the healthy development of children and youth.

 "We believe that help is most acceptable, efficient and effective when it is incorporated into everyday life. Therefore we are especially interested in the everyday experience of children, youth, and adults in neighborhood institutions such as schools, workplaces, religious organizations, civic groups and courts," Melton said.

Melton, the author of more than 250 publications, is a past president of the American Psychology-Law Society and the American Psychological Association's Division of Children, Youth, and Families. Last year, he served on an expert panel that U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno appointed to advise her on school violence. He is founder and director of the Consortium on Children, Families, and the Law (a national network of scholars who study legal policies affecting children, youth, and families) and president of Childwatch International (a global network of child research centers).

The Institute's work will focus on three themes: 1) the nature of everyday life in families; 2) the development, maintenance, and enhancement of community institutions; and 3) current and alternative public policies that support family and neighborhood life.

Institute faculty will conduct research, develop and evaluate programs, perform policy analyses, and provide technical assistance and community education. Researchers will study the development and evaluation of programs and policies that encourage children and youth to participate in community life in a meaningful way.

Other areas of study include developing and evaluating new strategies for use of the legal system, including alternatives to traditional courts, in the promotion of personal, family, and community responsibility.

In addition, the Institute plans to work with other researchers and organizations in the South to conduct research and share knowledge necessary to develop or enhance culturally competent family support and parent leadership programs throughout the region.

 "It is difficult to imagine a more important issue, particularly in light of the tragic events that took place in Littleton, Colorado, last week, and that are taking place all too often in our society," Curris said. "We must find ways to preserve what is strong and fix what is wrong with America's families and young people."

Wednesday's announcement was part of a daylong series of Clemson-related activities in the Greenville area. Breakfast and lunch meetings with civic and business leaders were followed by an afternoon "Solid Orange" fair at the Palmetto Expo Center for the general public, prospective students and their parents. The Greenville Clemson Club planned an evening event featuring Curris, head football coach Tommy Bowden and men's basketball coach Larry Shyatt.

Using the theme "Focus on South Carolina: Clemson in Your Community," similar programs have been presented in Aiken, Myrtle Beach, Charleston and Rock Hill with future stops planned for Columbia and Florence.

The Focus tour grew out of a recommendation by the President's Commission on the Future of Clemson University, a group of almost 300 alumni, business and professional leaders that spent a year reviewing Clemson's plans. A recurring theme in their final report was a recommendation that Clemson spend more time out in the state listening and responding to constituents.