20082009 ParentCommunity Involvement Filling In The Achievement Gaps

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2008-2009Parent/Community InvolvementFilling In
The Achievement Gaps

• Module 4
• Family and Community Engagement
• Make It HAPPEN!

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Filling In The Achievement Gap

• 2008-2009
• Parent/Community Involvement Module
• Arkansas Department of Education

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Family and Community EngagementMake It HAPPEN!
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Parent Engagement

• Activity
• Turn to the person next to you and answer this
  question
• What do I believe and value about parent
  engagement?

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Objectives

• Focus on current school atmosphere and
  environment.
• Increase awareness of parental engagement in
  schools and community.
• Highlight examples of activities and ideas that
  have been successful.
• Prompt a commitment to a parental engagement
  action plan for the school.

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Four Elements

• Individual student
• Family
• School
• Community

Make A Difference Video Clip
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Questions For Our Focus

• What do we want for our students?
• What do we need to do to get what we want?

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Family Friendly School Survey

• Please complete the Family Friendly School
  Survey.
• Pair and Share your responses to the last two
  questions.

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Parents Describe Schools They See As Inviting

• All the staff greet students, families, visitors,
  and each other in a genuinely friendly way.
• The front office staff look up as soon as you
  come in and greet you warmly. If you dont speak
  English well, they quickly find someone who can
  interpret.

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Parents Describe Schools They See As Inviting

• At the beginning and ending of the school day,
  teachers are outside greeting students and their
  families.
• The PTA or parent group offers lots of
  opportunities to network and meet different
  people.

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Parents Describe Schools They See As Inviting

• The principal is open and available. Not only are
  there regular office hours to meet with families,
  but the principal also walks the halls and
  schoolyard, attends school events, and visits
  community hangouts.
• The school provides a directory which includes
  pictures of the staff, a map of the building and
  a listing of upcoming events.

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EXPECTATIONS

• What is Expectation?
• Do you have personal Expectations?
• Do you voice your own Expectations?
• Do you voice Expectations of staff or students?

Be a Ron Clark!
Ron Clark Teacher of The Year Video Clip
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Expectations for Partnering With Families
Community

• Expectations for schools and families
• School staff reach out to show they value all
  children welcome families community members
  as their partners.
• Each school develops a plan to engage families in
  their childrens school life. The plan is shared
  with families community leaders posted in the
  school.

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Expectations for Partnering With Families
Community

• Expectations for administrators and
• school districts
• Family resource centers provide technical
  assistance to schools to develop implement
  their family engagement plans.
• Administrators school district personnel hold
  themselves accountable for strong measurable
  outreach procedures to families community
  leaders.

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Expectations for Partnering With Families
Community

• Expectations for community support and
  engagement
• Community business leaders actively engage with
  schools families to support increase
  childrens learning.
• PTAs bridge diversity issues by promoting
  special leadership and seminars to provide
  training in native languages, changes in ethnic
  composition of neighborhoods, other concerns.

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Expectations for Partnering With Families
Community

• Teachers communicate regularly with families (in
  English home language) about their childrens
  progress ways families can support students.
• Examples of schools practices that work
  effectively with families community members are
  highlighted shared with others.

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Expectations for Partnering With Families
Community

• Expectations for administrators and
• school districts
• School Board members District Administrators
  are familiar with community improvement goals
  how families schools fit into the process.

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Bright Idea

• Getting to Know You
• In Corpus Christi middle schools, teachers made
  posters about themselves and put them on the wall
  outside their classroom. The posters showed where
  they were born and went to school, described
  their interests and hobbies, and listed their
  favorite books. Students families liked learning
  about teachers as real people. Middle and high
  school students, who often see seven or eight
  teachers a day, especially appreciate this
  personal touch.

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Switching Places

• Activity
• Handout
• What if you had to deal with one or more of these
  situations? How inclined would you be to come to
  an event at your school if you

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What Are the Hidden Rulesof Your School?

• Dont question our professional judgment about
  your child-we are the experts.
• Parent involvement means coming to PTA
  meetings.
• Dont bring your kids with you when you
• volunteer-theyll get in the way.
• Dress appropriately (like me).

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Bright Idea

• Single Parent Involvement Counts
• Understanding
• Provide assistance to help them understand how
  to help their child at home.
• Do What You Can
• Let them know even a little bit of time and
  effort makes a difference!
• Reach Out
• Contact them for needed help or ideas outside
  the classroom.
• Keep a Positive Attitude
• Support single parents in involvement with their
  childs schooling.

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Preschool to College

• Whether youre a preschool or a high school
  parent, everyone wants his or her child to have
  the option to go to college. Ive learned that
  their childrens class schedules, and whether
  they are taking the courses theyll need to
  prepare for college, rank as parents biggest
  concerns.
• Linda Ariyasu, former coordinator of
  family-school partnerships, District F,
  Los Angeles Unified School District

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Where Do We Go From Here?

• Which of the following suggestions or ideas would
  you be willing to commit and implement?
• Assess and reward a family engagement mentality.
• Acknowledge employees and reward them when they
  do it well.
• Reach out--visit in community centers. Town
  halls, parks or even Adult Education Centers.
• Hold events and activities at the most convenient
  times and days and ways for working families.

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Where Do We Go From Here?

• Take field trips and visits to college campuses.
• Offer child care and transportation.
• Offer after school programs and workshops on how
  to help children at home.
• Send home educational tapes parents can watch at
  their convenience.
• Lend books, computers, and other learning
  materials.

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Where Do We Go From Here?

• For the school board You understand the impact
  of this policy. Demonstrate how a parent
  engagement policy is actually in effect, not just
  on the books.
• Present current Parent Involvement Plan to the
  local school board in order to encourage support
  and additional assistance.

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Summary

• Focused on current school atmosphere and
  environment.
• Increased awareness of parental engagement in
  schools and community.
• Highlighted examples of activities and ideas that
  have been successful.
• Prompted a commitment to parental engagement
  action plan for the school.

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Fill InThe Achievement Gap by Making Family
and Community EngagementHAPPEN!
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Family and Community EngagementMake It HAPPEN!
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Web Sites

• www.ahaprocess.com
• www.prichardcommitte.org
• www.aacte.org/Publications/kinggoodwin.pdf
• www.edu.gov.mb.ca/ks4/specedu/documents.html
• www.idra.org/resource

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Web Sites

• www.sedl.org/connections/resources
• www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/projects/fine/resources/r
  esearch/golan.html
• www.middleweb.com

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Resources

• Beyond the Bake Sale the Essential Guide to
  Family-School Partnerships by Anne T. Henderson,
  Karen L. Mapp, Vivian R. Johnson, and Don Davies
• 176 Ways to Involve Parents Practical Strategies
  for Partnering With Families by Betty Boult
• How Single Parents Can Be Involved at School
• by Arkansas Department of Human Services