Educators continuously point to parent involvement as one of the key indicators leading to student achievement, but many educators seem to struggle with how to foster parental involvement.
Students perform better when parents are engaged with the education of their children. Parents can have a positive impact on the outcome of the education of a child by communicating to children that education is a priority and by actively supporting the student’s learning process.
Web-based student information systems go a long way toward allowing parents to track the progress of the student. Properly implemented, these systems allow students and parents to instantly access test results and assure that assignments are completed on a timely basis. While technology can leverage communication, it cannot replace the human element.
Educators at every level need to be accessible and communicate proactively with parents to jointly educate students. Parents who abdicate the responsibility of educating their child to the school are not properly providing the foundation for the student to succeed. Schools who do not fully engage the parent in the education process are not leveraging one of the most effective resources available to them. An active partnership between the school and the parent will enhance the shared goal of a student learning to his or her full potential.
Because parental involvement is such a key factor in the achievement of the student, schools need to foster a culture of parental involvement. Any organization that wants to change its culture knows that the change must come from the top. In the case of school districts, this means the senior administration and the school board must lead the way. The first step is by example.
Parents should have access to all activities of the board. This includes proactively placing all governance documents that can be legally shared online in a searchable format. Meeting agendas, supporting documents, strategic goals, policies, and procedures should be shared with the public. In the case of meeting materials, well in advance of the meetings so they can be reviewed. Then, if the parent decides they should come to the meeting they will arrive more informed and better-connected to the activities of the board. After the meeting, each agenda item that results in action should indicate the motion and the results of the vote. Attaching an audio recording of the discussion to each agenda item will better allow stakeholders to understand the rationale.
Policies and procedures should be shared with the public. As soon as the board adopts a policy or approves an administrative procedure it should be posted on the Web site. The resulting centralized, searchable on-line policy and procedure manual should accessible to all stakeholders via the districts Web site. The policies should include and support the board's desire for all staff members to treat parents as partners in education.
At the school level, principals should maintain a school-wide communication system that provides information to the parents in the way they wish to receive it. This should include a consistently updated Web site, proactive emails and written communications to the home. Automated phone and paging alert solutions should be used to communicate important events and not only used for emergencies. Accessibility should also be a priority so that parents with concerns are treated with respect and issues are quickly addressed. Too often, Web sites look good, but the information is not kept current and schools choose one method of communication rather than relying on many forms to assure the message gets through.
The most important place to engage parents is at the classroom level. This should take place in advance of the first day of school and continue throughout the year. Teachers should have the ability to share developmental and academic expectations with parents so that everyone understands the goals far in advance of the term. Parents should be allowed to communicate the specific learning needs for their student to the classroom teacher. Fostering an early parent-teacher dialog can firmly establish the educator as a respected professional to the parent. This respect can be reinforced in the home - from the parent to the student. This foundation of professional respect and early communication will serve the parent-teacher partnership well, should the need to address specific concerns occur during the term.
Teachers should utilize technology to engage and inform the parent throughout the year. This includes building and maintaining a classroom Web site that supports classroom activities. The site should include a summary of projects, deadlines, classroom activities and study aids that so the parent and student can be fully prepared for what is to come. Teachers should also promptly update the district’s student information system so that parents and students have immediate home access to the classroom performance of the student.
Ongoing communication is also important to maintain the parent-teacher partnership. Teachers can set the expectation that email is the preferred communication tool. Email can provide the ability for a teacher to reach out to a parent or for a parent to ask the teacher a quick question at any time without fear of interruption or the need to make an appointment.
Top to bottom, open communications can be the basis for forming a partnership between the school and the parent that will ultimately enhance the school experience for the student. Starting at the top will show the district staff and parents that the board is serious about partnering with parents. Ultimately, it may be the least costly initiative that a district can implement that will directly affect the performance of the children.
Students perform better when parents are engaged with the education of their children. Parents can have a positive impact on the outcome of the education of a child by communicating to children that education is a priority and by actively supporting the student’s learning process.
Web-based student information systems go a long way toward allowing parents to track the progress of the student. Properly implemented, these systems allow students and parents to instantly access test results and assure that assignments are completed on a timely basis. While technology can leverage communication, it cannot replace the human element.
Educators at every level need to be accessible and communicate proactively with parents to jointly educate students. Parents who abdicate the responsibility of educating their child to the school are not properly providing the foundation for the student to succeed. Schools who do not fully engage the parent in the education process are not leveraging one of the most effective resources available to them. An active partnership between the school and the parent will enhance the shared goal of a student learning to his or her full potential.
Because parental involvement is such a key factor in the achievement of the student, schools need to foster a culture of parental involvement. Any organization that wants to change its culture knows that the change must come from the top. In the case of school districts, this means the senior administration and the school board must lead the way. The first step is by example.
Parents should have access to all activities of the board. This includes proactively placing all governance documents that can be legally shared online in a searchable format. Meeting agendas, supporting documents, strategic goals, policies, and procedures should be shared with the public. In the case of meeting materials, well in advance of the meetings so they can be reviewed. Then, if the parent decides they should come to the meeting they will arrive more informed and better-connected to the activities of the board. After the meeting, each agenda item that results in action should indicate the motion and the results of the vote. Attaching an audio recording of the discussion to each agenda item will better allow stakeholders to understand the rationale.
Policies and procedures should be shared with the public. As soon as the board adopts a policy or approves an administrative procedure it should be posted on the Web site. The resulting centralized, searchable on-line policy and procedure manual should accessible to all stakeholders via the districts Web site. The policies should include and support the board's desire for all staff members to treat parents as partners in education.
At the school level, principals should maintain a school-wide communication system that provides information to the parents in the way they wish to receive it. This should include a consistently updated Web site, proactive emails and written communications to the home. Automated phone and paging alert solutions should be used to communicate important events and not only used for emergencies. Accessibility should also be a priority so that parents with concerns are treated with respect and issues are quickly addressed. Too often, Web sites look good, but the information is not kept current and schools choose one method of communication rather than relying on many forms to assure the message gets through.
The most important place to engage parents is at the classroom level. This should take place in advance of the first day of school and continue throughout the year. Teachers should have the ability to share developmental and academic expectations with parents so that everyone understands the goals far in advance of the term. Parents should be allowed to communicate the specific learning needs for their student to the classroom teacher. Fostering an early parent-teacher dialog can firmly establish the educator as a respected professional to the parent. This respect can be reinforced in the home - from the parent to the student. This foundation of professional respect and early communication will serve the parent-teacher partnership well, should the need to address specific concerns occur during the term.
Teachers should utilize technology to engage and inform the parent throughout the year. This includes building and maintaining a classroom Web site that supports classroom activities. The site should include a summary of projects, deadlines, classroom activities and study aids that so the parent and student can be fully prepared for what is to come. Teachers should also promptly update the district’s student information system so that parents and students have immediate home access to the classroom performance of the student.
Ongoing communication is also important to maintain the parent-teacher partnership. Teachers can set the expectation that email is the preferred communication tool. Email can provide the ability for a teacher to reach out to a parent or for a parent to ask the teacher a quick question at any time without fear of interruption or the need to make an appointment.
Top to bottom, open communications can be the basis for forming a partnership between the school and the parent that will ultimately enhance the school experience for the student. Starting at the top will show the district staff and parents that the board is serious about partnering with parents. Ultimately, it may be the least costly initiative that a district can implement that will directly affect the performance of the children.
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