In some school contexts, using poetry in a program to promote family involvement has been shown to increase participation because it provides opportunities for participants to use their own language and understanding to reflect their experiences (McKiiiney, Lasley, & Holmes-Gull, 2008). These programs also create a space where teachers can learn with and from students and their families.
The goals of the literacy program are an important indication of whether families will be involved; two significant factors are that the activities should relate to the developing needs of the adolescent and match the Clearance MBT Shoes ways that families are able and comfortable with participating (Spielman, 2001). Writing poetry has been described as a way for students to express themselves and explore important aspects of their identity through descriptive and metaphorical terms (Jocson, 2005; Steinbergh, 1999; Wiseman, 2007). There have been many studies that describe how powerful poetry can be for giving students voice, allowing for opportunities for critical engagement (Kinloch, 2005; Staples, 2008; Wissman, 2007) and even increasing academic language through songs and hip hop culture (Morrell & Duncan-Andrade, 2002) and by encouraging multiple languages and dialects (Hadaway, Vardell, & Young, 2001). Not only should school practices support adolescents developing autonomy, but also they need to support students' complex home and school literacy practices, and poetry programs have the potential to do this.
Hoover-Dempsey and Sandier and colleagues (Green et al., 2007; Hoover-Dempsey & Sandier, 1995, 1997; Walker et al., 2005) described three primary sources of motivation for parents to be involved in school-based programs: beliefs about their parenting roles and their efficacy for supporting children in school; perception of invitations for the school from both their children and others; and life context variables such as parents' skills and knowledge as well as the time and energy that they have for involvement. As a result of the developmental needs of students at this age, cultural and economic factors, and ways that literacy practices can either support or exclude families, it is necessary to expand our understanding and conceptual frame regarding how we define and encourage involvement in a literacy-based school program.
Through conversations and observations with students, I have examined how students perceive these points within a MBT Shoes poetry program that was developed for families to participate in various ways at the school. The question my research attempts to answer is, How do students' attitudes, actions, and feelings affect their families' participation in a poetry program designed to improve family involvement?
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