According to research, parental involvement in education not only positively affects student achievement, it contributes to higher quality education and better performance of schools overall. Yet both schools and parents struggle with how to make that involvement happen. In your opinion, what can schools do to get parents involved in their child's education? and what can parents do to become involved in their child's education? (Note: Please answer both parts of the question in reference to schools and parents)
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I think having parent nights at school really encourage parent involvement. We have a family reading night in the fall and a family math night in the spring. We have activities and grade specific ideas on ways to help students at home. Teachers at our school also have a weekly newsletter that goes home to help keep parents informed on upcoming events.
ReplyDeleteI think simply for parents to be involved they need to check their child's folder daily and ask him or her questions about what they are doing at school. If a parent has a question send the teacher an email or note promptly so they can help.
Hilary I agree with you on both accounts. Having parent nights is a good way to encourage parents to become involved in their child's education. This is the ideal time for the school and for teachers to let parents know what is going on at the school and with their child. I also like the idea of the newsletter. I send one home bi-weekly informing parents of what we are studying, test dates, and general information. I also send home a daily folder which tells parents about behavior, test scores, and whatever else I believe they need to be aware of. I also make my self available to my parents and try my best to make them comfortable around me so that we can keep the lines of communication open.
DeleteAfter teaching for two years in a school where there is very little parent involvement, schools can create all types of ways for them to get involved. One way would be to have Math or Reading nights. This could be a way to get these students excited as well, if the teacher displays class work. All students are excited about seeing their work and especially when their parents get to see it. A second way would be to have school programs. This past year we had a Black History Program and the turn out was amazing! I think adding a Christmas program, Thanksgiving program, or even end of the year program would also help with schools getting parents involved in their child's education.
ReplyDeleteParents have the most important role when it comes to being involved. I think for parents to become involved they need to keep in touch with the teacher and the students work. I know most parents are busy with their work and every day occurrences, but their child's education is so important. When a child sees that their parents do not care, then the child will not care either. Parents can download an app like Class Dojo and receive notifications for when their child does something positive or negative. They can also just check for daily behavior notes and be on top of what they need to be accomplishing during the week.
Ann I was blessed to be at the school where you teach for a year during tiers two, three, and four of undergraduate school so I know the dilema that you face when it comes to parental involvement at that particular school. Many times when parents are not involved it is assumed that they don't care. For the most part, that is not the case. Many times, which is the case at your school, the parents are very young and many of them do not know how to get "involved".
DeleteHaving math and reading nights are awesome ideas because so much has changed in reference to the two subjects since many parents were in schoo them selvesl. By doing this, parents learn what their child is learning so that they may assist them homework and studying. Having programs to celebrate the various holidays is also a great way to get parents involved. You have some great ideas.
Daphne, as I commented on Hillary's post, I think a great way to get parents involved is to set up a "parent advice" section of the classroom blog. This way parents can ask questions and discuss with their child's teacher different approaches to improve their academics outside of school. For example, if their child is struggling with math, then the parent could post a question regarding the content they need to work on. The teacher can reply with tips and certain websites, etc. that will give the child extra practice. Second, I think it is so great when parents get involved by creating parent support teams. These teams will help with classroom and school events. Also, in the past, I've worked with parents who were on the sub list. This was an awesome way for the parent to get involved with the school and see what a school day actually entails. Great blog topic!
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