Teachers In Greensville County, Virginia, converted a mobile home into
a parent resource center so they could meet with parents at their homes--or
workplaces, or even store parking lots--to help them help their children
learn. At Anderson Elementary in Reno, Nevada, a former gang member advised
parents on keeping their kids out of gangs. When new computers arrived
at Heather Hill School in Flossmoor, Illinois, a call went out to parents
to serve as trouble-shooters and consultants. At schools across the country,
parents are invited to classrooms to share insights and information about
their careers.
In ways large and small, administrators everywhere are seeking to expand
and improve parental involvement in children's education.
"We know from three decades of research that children with involved parents
do better in school and are more successful in life," says National PTA
President Joan Dykstra.
In the new Handbook on Parent/Family Involvement Standards (available
online, see below), the National PTA highlights six standards it believes
are essential for any school or program involving parents and families:
Regular, two-way, meaningful communication between home and school
Promotion and support of parenting skills
Active parent participation in student learning
Parents as welcome volunteer partners in schools
Parents as full partners in school decisions that affect children
and families
Outreach to the community for resources to strengthen schools
Successful implementation of these ideas, however, requires an essential
ingredient: parents. Parents, as one educator points out, who may lack
confidence in their abilities, who may have child care problems, who may
have transportation problems, and, perhaps most common of all, who may
feel too busy to be involved. According to a Newsweek-PTA poll, 40 percent
of parents across the country believe they are not devoting enough time
to their children's education. That's not necessarily bad news. The fact
that they believe they're not doing enough indicates they believe they
should, and likely desire to, do more.
Eleanor Macfarlane, associate director of the Family Literacy Center
at Indiana University, offers advice on engaging these parents in "Reaching
Reluctant Parents" (Education Digest, Vol. 61, No. 7). To meet
child care and transportation needs, for example, Title I funds can be
used. To draw in parents who feel too busy, help refocus their priorities
by "selling" the importance of family involvement.
The first step in promoting the importance of parental involvement is
to establish positive and meaningful communication between school and
home, experts agree.
According to a report by the Center on Families, Communities, Schools
and Children's Learning at Johns Hopkins University, parents who received
information from teachers about classroom activities, their children's
progress, and how to stimulate learning were more likely to talk with
personnel at their children's school, monitor their children's schoolwork
and help their children learn.
Another strategy to encourage involvement: public relations. Don't be
afraid to boast about -- and toast -- the achievements of successful partnerships.
Publicize existing partnerships in school and district newsletters and
in local newspapers. Celebrate successes with a recognition program. The
National Education Association also suggests creating a speakers bureau
with teachers and parents who are prepared to give interviews, field questions
on call-in shows and make presentations to community groups on partnership
activities.
As author and educator Anne Henderson says, summarizing an increasingly
popular view, "The single most important determinant of a child's success
in school, and ultimately throughout life, is not family status, education
level, income, or IQ. It is whether that child's parents are involved
in his or her education."
Parental
Involvement A comprehensive offering from Education
Week, including numerous articles from its archives, related web
sites and suggested background reading.
