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Betty Cooke, Family Education Faculty
University of Minnesota

Why NPEN is important:

Raising young children is challenging; no job may be more challenging and more important to our nation's future than that of a parent. Given this, the development and availability of high quality parenting education is critical, and for this work we need the best prepared and supported parenting educators we can have. NPEN can play an important role in making this happen.

Work and education related to parenting education:

• Parent educator in Minnesota's Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) parenting education program in the public schools for all MN families with children 0-4 for several years
• Provided leadership for Early Childhood Family Education programs statewide at the MN Department of Education for 15 years
• Currently on the faculty in Family Education in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota teaching graduate-level parent education licensure and certificate courses online and in the classroom
• Licensed MN parent educator
• Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE) with National Council on Family Relations
• Ph.D. in education with emphasis on parent education (other degrees in child development and family relations)

Key Issues of Interest in Parenting Education:

• Professional Development and Recognition
• Professional Ethics
• Curriculum Planning and Implementation
• Program Evaluation
• Promoting Parent Development/Growth

Selected Publications:

• Cooke, B. (2006). Competencies of a parent educator: What does a parent educator need to know and do? Child Welfare League of America Journal, 85(5), 785-802.
• Thomas, R., Cooke, B., & Scott, M. (2006). Strengthening parent-child relationships: The reflective dialogue parent education design handbook for parent educators (3rd ed.). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota.
• Thomas, R., Cooke, B., & Scott, M. (2005). Strengthening parent-child relationships: The reflective dialogue parent education design. Zero To Three, 26(1). 27-34.
• Cooke, B. (1998). Best Evaluation of the Year: How ECFE Measured Low-Income Family Outcomes. Family Resource Coalition of America Report, 16(4), 17-19.
• Cooke, B. (1998).Thinking and Knowledge Underlying Parent's Behavior: Implications for Parent Education. In R.G. Thomas & J.F. Laster (eds.), Inquiry into Thinking: Family and Consumer Sciences Teacher Education Yearbook (pp. 129-148). Peoria, IL: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill.

Selected National Presentations:

• Cooke, B., & Pearce, E. (2010, February). Ethical Thinking and Practice for Family Professionals - NPEN. Workshop presented at the annual conference of the  Fatherhood and Families Coalition of America.
• Cooke, B., Wolfe, J., & Long, N. (2010, February). Professional Development and Core Competencies - NPEN. Workshop presented at the annual conference of the  Fatherhood and Families Coalition of America.
• Palm, G., Cooke, B., Fleming, M., & Cassidy, D. (2009, November). Ethical Challenges in a Diverse World: A Case Study Approach. Concurrent session presented at the annual conference of the National Council on Family Relations, San Francisco, CA.
• Walker, S., Cooke, B.,& Cline, H. (2009, November). Reflective Practice in Parent Education: Teaching the Teacher, Learning From the Learner. Poster session presented at the annual conference of the National Council on Family Relations, San Francisco, CA.
• Cooke, B. (2009, March). Competencies of a Parenting Educator: What Does a Louisiana Parenting Educator Need to Know and Do? Keynote address presented at the Louisiana Parenting Education Network Summit, Baton Rouge, LA.
• DeBord, K., Cooke, B., Jacobson, A., & Palm, G. (2006, November). Parenting Educator Competencies, Qualifications and Professional Preparation: Toward a Unified System. Interactive roundtable presented at the annual conference of the National Council on Family Relations, Minneapolis, MN.
• Cooke, B. (2003, November). Using Authentic Assessment in State School Readiness Assessments. Panel presentation at the annual conference of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, Chicago, IL.

Parent Education Activities and Accomplishments:

• Provided leadership in the creation of an online graduate-level Parent Education Certificate Program at the University of Minnesota
• Promoted development of parenting educator competencies with parent educators around the state in my work with ECFE (Early Childhood Family Education) at the MN Department of Education
• Worked on the development and dissemination of the MN Council on Family Relations Ethical Thinking and Practice for Parent and Family Educators that is widely used in MN and other states
• Helped develop the Parent Education Core Curriculum Framework and Indicators document now on the NPEN website, a resource for use in curriculum planning for parent education

Updated: May 2010

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