Parent Involvement: Helping Parents Help Their Children

I found this article in the Saint Louis Post Dispatch. The author makes the point (and I agree) that the most important kind of parent involvement takes place in the home. Talking with your children about school and its importance, can pay big dividends in children academic acheivement and any parent can do this. You don't need a big education or even be able to speak English well. Just let your kids know that school is their "job" and it is the most important thing they do every day.

Even though schools aren't in the home, they have an important role to play. Namely, helping parents help their children with homework, getting into college, providing workshops on state standards, local and state testing programs, etc. Take a look at the article here .

For more articles on Parent Involvement in Schools click here.


Technorati Tags: ParentInvolvement, ParentInvolvementinSchools

Technorati Tags: ParentInvolvement, ParentInvolvementinSchools

Technorati Tags: ParentInvolvement, ParentInvolvementinSchools

Technorati Tags: ParentInvolvement, ParentInvolvementinSchools

Technorati Tags: ParentInvolvement, ParentInvolvementinSchools

Parent Involvement: Video Using Blogs in Schools

Here is a video from Intel which shows how teachers are using blogs in high school. It interviews teachers and students about the process and the benefits of using this technology to improve interactivity in an English class.

Could this technology be adapted to use in improving parent involvemnt in schools?

email me at camodeo@nycap.rr.com if you have ideas.

To view the video click here.

For more information about parentinvolvement in schools click here

Parent Involvement: Time for a New School Structure?

A recent article in the New York Times reported that a group in the New York City Schools wants more oversight of parent involvement activities. Some complained that parent coordinators have been hired and that, in some cases, they failed to establish a functioning PTA or PTO.

Could it be that the time is right to look at the whole concept of school organization as it relates to parent involvement? Many urban schools have no functioning parent teacher organization. This lack of parental involvement in the school leadership structure mirrors the many ills of urban schools such as discipline, truancy, and a feeling of hopelessness on the part of some staff as well as and parents.

One of the dirty little secrets of public education is that schools use some subtile and not so subtile methods to discourage parents from becoming involved in the school. teachers and administrators have actually expressed to me that they don't want parents any more involved then they are now!

A number of schools today are hiring parent coordinators or facilitators to encourage parent involvement. This is not a bad first step but it can lead to that person being seen as the "guru" of parent involvement in the school. All issues fall to this person and other staff see this an opportunity to sidestep any involvement on their own part. The very nature of parent involvement requires the involvement of all staff, from the custodial staff to the principal.

With this introduction I make modest proposal:

Lets look at combining PTA/PTO functions with parent involvement efforts in the building. Bring them under one umbrella. This new group (which I call a Parent Partnership Team) would support not only the fund raising efforts undertaken by PTO's but also directly support the linking of school goals to parent involvement activities.

In this way we better utilize scarce resources by taking a team approach to parental involvment and avoid the sometimes fragmented approach I find so common.

If you would like to read more about parent involvment in schools, please visit my website here

Mississippi Pain for Middle Schools Students

Lest we forget. Here is a link to NPR weekend edition that visited a midde school in Mississippi during November 2005. They interviewed students and administrators about the ongoing issues they are dealing with on a daily basis.

Students are fearful, depressed, and uncertain about their futures. Many are living in tents, and trailers, while other families survived seemingly unscathed. But many of those students carry the guilt of not having to deal with as much as their classmates.

For the audio link, click here.

For more articles on parent involvement visit my website here

Getting Parents to School Workshops

Here are some parent involvement tips when trying to get parents to school activities and events.

• Divide and Conquer

Provide activities for parents separate from the children. For instance, the parents could to be in the school library to listen to a speaker talk about how to read to your child at home. At the same time, children are in the auditorium listening to a storyteller or watching a quality video, or playing games.

• Get the Kids Excited

Have a pep rally before the parent involvement activity just as you would hold a pep rally for a sports event. Talk up the event, mentioned how much fun it is going to be. Talk about the refreshments to be provided and the prizes to be awarded. Once the kids are excited they will go home and do their very best to recruit their parents for the event.

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