Federal and State ProgramsFocus on Family Involvement

Effective Ways to Involve Parents

Presented by Margaret Shandorf

Research shows No matter the socioeconomic status, when parents

are involved students are more likely to:

•Earn better grades

•Obtain better test scores

•Pass courses

•Be promoted to the next grade

•Attend school regularly

•Have better social skills

•Adapt to change

•Graduate

Not only are the students impacted

Parents become empowered Teacher morale is improved Student performance increases The community is strengthened

Common Forms of Parental Involvement

School volunteers Members of school and district councils Communication between teachers - parents Participation at events, trainings and activities Parent- teacher conferences Support from the community Strategies that assist student learning at home Effective homework practices

Change Needs to Happen

If a school operates under archaic belief systems in its approaches to family

involvement, we will never raise the bar.

Six Types of Parental Involvement Based on the Work of Joyce Epstein

Parenting Communicating Learning at Home Volunteering Decision Making Collaborating with Community

Parenting Page 8 - 176 Ways to Involve Parents

Schools help families and caregivers understand the growth and development of their children through:

Parenting and child rearing skills Understanding child and adolescent development Establishing age and grade appropriate home

conditions that support children as students Families provide information to schools so educators

and administrators can better understand families’ backgrounds, cultures, and goals for their students

Parenting - Sample Activities

Host family learning workshops on topics suggested by parents, held at times and places easily accessible to all parents and providing childcare

Provide families with information on child development Provide families with information about developing home

conditions that support school learning Arrange support groups for families with special interests and

needs Provide guidance to parents with transitioning children from

middle and high school levels

Communicating Page 79 - 176 Ways to Involve Parents

Encourages families to provide reactions, ideas, and preferences to the school as well as ask questions about student progress and school programs

Promotes school-to-home and home-to-school communications about the district, school, classroom programs and student progress

Communicating shows: Cooperation between school and home. Students that their parents and teachers are working together

to help them succeed.

Communicating - Sample Activities

Schedule parent-teacher conferences to establish student learning goals for the year

Send home positive messages about students Make home visits Involve families in student award and recognition events Encourage and make provisions for staff members to

communicate with parents about their children’s progress

several times each semester

Learning at Home Page 72 - 176 Ways to Involve Parents

Students are the primary participants in learning at home activities as their homework is essentially their responsibility

Families can enhance the impact of learning at home through their involvement with:

Information and ideas about the academic work their children do in class

Coordinating what is happening in the classroom with activities at home

Guidance in helping children with homework Ongoing communication with the teacher

Learning at Home - Sample Activities

Have specific goals and activities that keep parents informed and involved in their children’s homework

Offer learning activities and events for the whole family Invite parents to utilize the school resource room and media

center Help parents understand student assessments and student

performance measures Involve community and business partnerships to provide

resources and services to support student learning

Volunteering Page 18 - 176 Ways to Involve Parents

Families are encouraged to share their time and talent to support the school, classrooms, teachers, and their children

Volunteers tell students, faculty and the community that parents care about the school and its students

Volunteering can take place in many areas of the school Helping in the library, computer room, family room, resource

room or lunch room Assisting with after school programs or field trips Attending student performances, extra curricular activities,

assemblies, celebrations and other events

Volunteering - Sample Activities

Gather information about the level and frequency of family and community members participation in school programs

Offer youth service learning opportunities for students who want to volunteer in the community

Assist school staff to learn how to work with parent and community volunteers

Acknowledge volunteers on an ongoing basis by recognizing them as volunteer of the month and spotlight them in the school newsletter

Host a program to recognize your school volunteers

Decision Making Page 89 - 176 Ways to Involve Parents

Parents must have an active voice when it comes to decision making at the school.

Parents who are involved as stakeholders create feelings of ownership of the school’s programs and activities.

Having the opportunity to give valuable input will impact all children.

Decision Making - Sample Activities

Encourage parents to attend school improvement team meetings and give input

Develop the Family Involvement District Policy with direct input and discussion with parents

Develop the School’s Policy/Plan and Compact with direct input from the parents

Support parents in their roles and responsibilities as they give input on various school based committees such as SAC

Parents have the opportunity to learn and discuss topics as they are involved in school trainings and Parent Universities

Collaborating with Community Page 66 - 176 Ways to Involve Parents

Communities have a significant role to play in the education, development, and well being of students

Identify and integrate community resources that support school programs and student achievement

Encourage and support networking between schools, community groups, organizations, agencies and parents

Collaborating with Community- Sample Activities

Provides information and recommendations about services available for families in the community

Encourage local civic and service groups to become involved in schools in a variety of ways including mentoring students, volunteering, speaking to classes, and helping with fundraising events

Encouraging the support of local businesses, mentors and volunteers to enhance student work skills

Opening of school buildings for use of the community beyond regular school hours

Measurement of Effectiveness of Family Involvement

Family Involvement needs to be measured on an ongoing basis to show the effectiveness of family involvement practices, strategies, trainings, events, and activities through evaluations

Samples of evaluations are: surveys, pre and post tests, needs assessments, discussion group notes, SAC minutes, Family Involvement Surveys and parent-teacher conferences

Parents and school staff should discuss the evaluation results and look at the data to determine if the family involvement opportunities are effective

The evaluation process increases the effectiveness of family involvement as it addresses the needs of the school in a continuous manner

Title I Annual Meeting Requirement

Preferably held at the beginning of the school year to explain: The Title I Program How Title I students will be assessed How parents will be kept informed Parental involvement opportunities Required documentation of the meeting includes: sign-in

sheets, agendas and meeting minutes which must be kept for audit purposes

Parental Involvement Policies

Each school must write a District Family Involvement Policy and School Policy/Plan with parent input

District Family Involvement Policy must be addressed every two years

Must have an annual review of School Policy/Plan with parent input

School- Parent Compact

Each school must have a written school-parent compact

Compact must have parent input Compact must be distributed to all parents Compact must be discussed with parents and a signed

document must be collected Compact must be updated annually

Questions, Suggestions, Comments

Margaret Shandorf

Federal and State Programs

Phone 963-3843 (PX) 43843