FAST logic model linking family strengthening to school turnaround¶

Theory · All theories
Evidence · 6 claims (1 for, 3 mixed, 2 against) · 1 study (1 causal), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 6 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The FAST program rests on a logic model (Exhibit 1) in which parent-child relationship building, parent-school engagement, parental social support, and improved home environment lead to improved child behavior and classroom climate, which in turn produce improved school climate and ultimately school turnaround. In the validation design, FAST was expected to overcome nonacademic barriers in low-performing schools by engaging parents to increase comfort with school, countering parent and child stress through trusting relationships, and reducing family conflict by empowering positive parent-child interaction.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• High participation penetration (60 percent of kindergarteners) was considered necessary for the program to meaningfully contribute to whole-school turnaround

Constraints¶

• The evaluation found the program unlikely to meaningfully contribute to turning around low-performing schools in this context

Target Learners¶

• Kindergarten students and families in persistently low-performing schools

Target Learning Objectives¶

• Family engagement
• School climate improvement
• Early academic outcomes

Claims¶

• Fast Rct No Meaningful Enduring Effects [-M]
• Fidelity of FAST program-component delivery was high (97–98 percent overall), but reach to families fell far below design expectations [+M]
• Small isolated effects on family conflict (negative) and parent-teacher joining (positive) appeared but were not enduring and may be spurious [~M]
• The impact of FAST did not differ significantly by student subgroups or school characteristics in the RCT [~M]
• Students who attended FAST three or more times showed strong positive effects on Grade 1 reading and more modest effects on mathematics, but a strong negative effect on kindergarten attendance [~M]
• FAST take-up was far below the projected 60 percent participation rate, with only about 20 percent typical participation per year [-M]

Related Theories¶

Examples¶

• Families and Schools Together (FAST) program

Key Sources¶

• Bos, J., Spier, E., Bandeira de Mello, V., González, R., & Huang, F. (2018). Investing in Innovation (i3) Validation Study of Families and Schools Together (FAST) Final Report. American Institutes for Research. https://evidenceforessa.org/program/families-and-schools-together-fast/