Goodbye Old, Hello New

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Goodbye Old, Hello
New!
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Goodbye Old, Hello
New!

• Adjusting to Change
• Developing Skills for Transition to High School

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• The goal of this training is to provide
  information to teachers that will assist them in
  enhancing parental involvement during the
  transition from middle school to high school.

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Transition Levels

• Preschool Kindergarten
• Elementary Middle School
• Middle School High School
• High School Post Secondary

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• Why is it important for schools to work to help
  parents stay involved during this transition?

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• Parents involved in transition stay involved
  through high school
• Student achievement increases with increased
  duration and intensity of parental involvement
• Students with involved parents have
• Higher test scores and grades
• Better attendance
• More positive attitudes and behavior
• Higher graduation rates
• Henderson and Berla 1994

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• Parents academic level, socioeconomic level, and
  ethnic or racial origin are not determining
  factors for academic success
• Successful students have parents that
• Have a positive attitude about education
• Believe their children can do well academically
• Convey that belief to their children

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Mandates for Parent Involvement

• No Child Left Behind
• IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education
  Act)
• Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of
  1973(revised)
• Title I
• Arkansas Standards
• ACSIP (Arkansas Consolidated School Improvement
  Plan),
• Act 603 of 2003

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High School TransitionsWhat do we do to help
students and their parents transition to high
school?
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What Challenges Will Students Face?

• Physically
• Move to new building
• New more rigorous academic and disciplinary
  setting
• More students
• New principal and teachers
• New expectations

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What Challenges Will Students Face?

• Socially
• New social connections
• Pressures may increase
• Balance school work and social life

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What Challenges Will Students Face?

• Academically
• More choices to make in their curricular and
  extracurricular activities
• May have different scheduling
• Harder courses and more homework
• Organizational and study skills
• Communicating with the teachers

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What Challenges Will Students Face?

• Emotionally
• Mixed feelings excited and concerned
• Dealing with change
• Establishing independence from the family

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Components for successful transitions

• Collaboration between Middle School and High
  School teachers
• Transition programs

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Components for successful transitions

• Welcoming environment
• Establish open communication
• Provide school information and dates
• Provide curriculum information

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How Can Schools Help Students Transition to
High School?

• Develop a partnership with parents
• Understand and be responsive to cultural
  diversity
• Provide a warm and welcoming atmosphere
• Establish two-way communication

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• All kinds of parents become involved in their
  childrens education when the school
• Welcomes their participation with a warm and
  inviting environment
• Honors their participation
• Connects with parents through a focus on their
  child and the educational development of that
  child

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• All kinds of parents become involved in their
  childrens education when the school
• Honors the needs of the parents
• Gains the trust of parents and lets them know how
  they can be involved
• Parent involvement programs that are successful
  in engaging diverse families recognize, respect
  and address cultural and class differences.
• Henderson and Mapp 2002

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• High schools can have more involvement if they
• develop strong partnership programs
• include different types of involvement in these
  programs
• directly contact parents and invite them
• to participate in programs
• Henderson and Mapp 2002

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• Parents Suggestions for How the School Can
  Improve Parent Involvement
• Make parents feel more welcomed
• Change the attitudes of school staff so that they
  recognize the advantages of teachers and parents
  working together
• Consider the educational level, language,
  culture, and home situation of parents
• Give teachers time to plan and organize parent
  activities

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• Take parents interests and needs into
  consideration when planning activities
• Recognize that even if parents cannot be present
  at school, helping their children at home is also
  a valuable contribution
• Provide parents with knowledge about how to be
  involved in a range of involvement opportunities
• If you address the barriers to involvement,
  parents will be more likely to come.
• Henderson and Mapp 2002

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How Can Schools Help Students Transition to
High School?

• Physically
• Have an orientation night for students and
  parents
• Give students and parents a tour of the school

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How Can Schools Help Students Transition to
High School?

• Socially
• Welcoming and friendly environment
• Plan activities that provide opportunities for
  students to meet and develop positive
  relationships with older students and other
  incoming students

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How Can Schools Help Students Transition to
High School?

• Academically
• Provide transition programs for students in
  eighth grade and their parents
• Provide orientation programs
• Develop programs that combine teacher, staff,
  parent, and student collaboration
• Provide responsive remediation programs

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How Can Schools Help Students Transition to
High School?

• Emotionally
• Provide warm, caring atmosphere
• Provide a safe and secure environment
• Anticipate causes of stress for students and
  parents and develop strategies to address the
  causes
• Provide supportive advisory group activities

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How Can Schools Help Students and Parents
Transition to High School?

• What are some of the causes of stress for new
  students that you see in your school?
• What are some of the causes of stress for parents
  of students?
• What can the school do to address these issues?
• What can the school do to involve parents in
  identifying and addressing these issues?

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How Can Parents Help Students Transition to
High School?

• Socially
• Talk about making new friends
• Talk about peer pressure
• Talk about conflict
• Talk about finding balance

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How Can Parents Help Students Transition to
High School?

• Academically
• Attend orientation programs
• Learn about school routines and timetables
• Help develop good study habits
• Help with organizational skills
• Help set priorities
• Keep in touch with teachers

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How Can Parents Help Students Transition to
High School?

• Physically
• Participate in the orientation programs
• Organize travel arrangements to and from school
• Discuss back-up travel arrangements

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How Can Parents Help Students Transition to
High School?

• Emotionally
• Be interested and enthusiastic about high school
• Be encouraging
• Listen to expectations and experiences
• Discuss changes they will experience
• Keep communication open

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How Can Parents Help Themselves?

• Take good care of themselves
• Keep up their health
• Find ways to handle stress
• Keep a positive attitude
• Build a support network
• Keep a sense of humor

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• Remember the good old days when the messes they
  made were disposable?

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