Partnering with Parents

1
Partnering with Parents

• Communication
• Home Learning

High School Module
2
Workshop Overview

• Focus on two areas
• Improving Home-School Communication
• Improving Home Learning
• Briefly discuss each area and present some
  strategies suggested by others
• Utilize the tremendous amount of knowledge in
  this room to generate strategies for possible use
  in this school

3
Communication
4
The greatest problem of communication is in the
illusion that it has been accomplished. George
Bernard Shaw
5
Home-School Communication

• Cornerstone of building parental involvement
• To be effective the communication must be
• Regular
• Two-way
• Meaningful

6
Research Findings

• Consistent, two-way communication between home
  and school results in benefits for students,
  parents, and teachers.
• Students
• Increased understanding of expectations and rules
• Increased awareness of their own progress

7
Research Findings

• Parents
• Improved understanding of school programs and
  policies
• More aware of childs progress
• More involved in childs learning
• Evaluate their childs teachers as being more
  effective
• Teachers and Administrators
• Make more effective use of parent volunteers
• Achieve greater teaching effectiveness

8
Our successes

• What strategies are we presently using in our
  school that appear to be effective in
  facilitating effective home-school communication?
• At the classroom-level
• At the school-level

9
Ideas from others
10
South St. Paul High SchoolSouth St. Paul, MN

• Developed an attendance campaign to increase
  knowledge about attendance issues
• Students in a desktop publishing class developed
  a slogan and posters
• Flyer sent home explaining the importance of
  daily attendance, simple steps to follow when a
  student is absent, also an attendance magnet with
  phone number to call
• Principal wrote an article on school attendance
  for the school newsletter and for the local
  newpaper
• Good News Notes sent home to parents when
  students had perfect or improved attendance.
  Awards given to students (donated by local
  businesses)
• Feedback about the campaign solicited from
  parents

11
Roosevelt High SchoolDallas, Texas

• Walk for Success
• Teams of teachers, parents, and other community
  members walk door to door in neighborhoods to
  talk with parents about their needs and how to
  improve the school
• Parent liaison calls over 30 parents each day

12
Improving CommunicationIdeas from Arkansas
Educatorsin High Schools

• Strengthen PTA/PTO
• Meet the parents night
• Potluck
• Door prizes (community donations)
• Childcare
• Use athletic events to promote parental
  involvement
• Make announcements
• Flyers
• Attach information to report cards
• Suggestion boxes in parent center and other
  locations
• PSAs on cable and radio

13
AR State PIRC/Center for Effective
ParentingStrengthening the Partnership between
Home and SchoolWorkshops Handoutswww.parenting
-ed.org
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Brainteaser
WORD YYYY
15
Brainteaser
IMPROVEMENT IMPROVEMENT IMPROVEMENT IMPROVEMENT

16
Brainteaser


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Solution


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Small Group Activity

• Break into groups of 4-6
• Brainstorm practical strategies to improve
  home-school communication
• For use at the classroom-level
• For use school-level
• Complete the Communication - Group Activity
  Worksheets
• List and then rank strategies
• Select a person in your group who will be the
  recorder and report back to the whole group.

19
Count the Fs
FEATURE FILMS ARE THE RE- SULT OF YEARS OF
SCIENTI- FIC STUDY COMBINED WITH THE EXPERIENCE
OF YEARS
20
Count the Fs
FEATURE FILMS ARE THE RE- SULT OF YEARS OF
SCIENTI- FIC STUDY COMBINED WITH THE EXPERIENCE
OF YEARS
21
Large Group Activity

• Small groups report back to the large group
• Large group identifies overall top 3 ideas at the
  classroom-level and at the school-level (based on
  potential effectiveness and practicality)
• Discussion/feedback/suggestions regarding the
  these top ideas
• Information will be passed on to the principal
  for further action

22
Home Learning
23
Home Learning

• Parents play an integral role in assisting
  student learning
• Help parents realize that they can make a
  significant impact in their childs academic
  achievement
• Many parents who might appear uninterested are
  very intimidated and dont know how to help
• Assist parents in communicating that education is
  valuable and important
• Help parents acquire the skills and knowledge
  they need to help their children learn

24
Research Findings

• Valuing and supporting parents as key figures in
  the childs learning has been found to benefit
  students, parents and teachers.
• Students
• Develop a more positive attitude toward homework
  and school
• Develop more self-confidence in their academic
  abilities
• Get higher grades, higher test scores, and have
  better attendance

25
Research Findings

• Parents
• More knowledgeable of how to support and
  encourage their child at home
• Better understand the curriculum and what their
  child is learning in school
• Discuss their childs school day, homework, and
  class work more regularly
• Teachers and Administrators
• Create more interactive homework assignments for
  parents and children to do together
• Greater recognition of the importance of families
  in motivating and reinforcing student learning

26
Our successes

• What strategies are we presently using in our
  school that appear to be effective in
  facilitating home learning?
• At the classroom level
• At the school level

27
Ideas from others
28
Glenville High SchoolCleveland, Ohio

• Family Nights Out for Fun and Learning
• Purpose is to inform and involve families of
  students who are required to pass the Ohio
  Proficiency Test
• A team of teachers provide parents with resources
  and strategies to help their child prepare for
  the test
• Strategies are presented as games.

29
Collinwood High SchoolCleveland, Ohio

• Parent/Family Report Card Pick-Up Night
• Parents come to the school to pick-up report
  cards
• Started with one night but increased it to three
  nights the second year
• Workshops available on those nights for parents
• Workshops include hands-on math, science, and
  technology

30
Improving Home LearningIdeas from Arkansas
Educatorsin High Schools

• Workshops on motivation and organization, study
  skills, homework habits
• Math night
• Limiting TV and other electronics
• Workshop on understanding testing
• Teacher provided lists of resources

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Brainteaser
dothepe
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Brainteaser
staying the game
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Brainteaser
GOOD BETTER
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Brainteaser

• IX

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Brainteaser

• SIX

36
Small Group Activity

• Break into groups of 4-6
• Brainstorm practical strategies to improve home
  learning
• For use at the classroom-level
• For use school-level
• Complete the Home Learning - Group Activity
  Worksheets
• List and then rank strategies
• Select a person in your group who will be the
  recorder and report back to the whole group.

37
Large Group Activity

• Small groups report back to the large group
• Large group identifies overall top 3 ideas at the
  classroom-level and at the school-level (based on
  potential effectiveness and practicality)
• Discussion/feedback/suggestions regarding the
  these top ideas
• Information will be passed on to the principal
  for further action

38
Unity
I dreamed I stood in a studio And watched two
sculptors there, The clay they used was a young
childs mind, And they fashioned it with
care. One was a teacher the tools he used Were
books and music and art One was a parent with a
guiding hand, And a gentle, loving heart. Day
after day the teacher toiled With touch that was
deft and sure, While the parent labored by his
side And polished and smoothed it oer, And when
at last their task was done, They were proud of
what they had wrought, For the things they had
molded into the child Could neither be sold or
bought. And each agreed he would have failed If
he had worked alone. For behind the parent stood
the school, And behind the teacher, the
home. Author Unknown