Parental Roles in Promoting School Performance

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Parental Roles in Promoting School Performance
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Parenting is an Art, Not a
Science
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Topics Presented

• Developmental Assets/Social Issues
• Road Blocks to Academic Success
• Adolescent neurology
• Promoting Effective Study Skills
• Monitoring Performance (home/school
  communication)
• Motivating the Unmotivated

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Boosting Student Achievement The Asset Approach

• Research suggests roughly 40 Assets (refer to
  Asset Checklist)
• External Assets
• Examples include family support, church or club
  involvement, effective schools, etc.
• Internal Assets
• Examples include personal integrity, self
  esteem, sense of purpose, etc.
• The more assets, the more likely a student will
  be successful and not engage in destructive
  behavior.

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Promoting Positive Attitudes and Behaviors
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Protecting Youth from High-Risk Behaviors
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Average Number of Assets by Grade Gender
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As a parent, you can make a difference

• Understand peer pressure
• Anticipate push for independence
• Promote school and community activities
• Establish clear and consistent expectations
• Stay involved
• Encourage independence through negotiation and
  problem solving

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Road Blocks to Academic Success

• Drugs/Alcohol Use
• Symptoms of Immediate Impairment (vary with drug
  consumed and amount)
• Dilated pupils or bloodshot eyes
• Lethargy, or
• Heightened arousal and activity level
• Impaired speech or coordination
• Emotional lability
• Changes in respiratory and cardiovascular rates

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Road Blocks to Academic Success

• Drugs/Alcohol Use (cont.)
• Long Term Changes to look for
• Change in peer group
• Unusual mood swings
• Change in sleeping patterns
• Increasingly secretive, seeks isolation from
  family
• Drop in school performance
• Escalating defiance and family conflict
• Loss of interest in activities

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Road Blocks to Academic Success

• Sleep Deprivation
• Medical Conditions (ADD/ADHD, seizures,
  diabetes, etc.)
• Learning Difficulties v/s Disabilities
• Family Conflict (divorce, abuse, alcoholism,
  etc.)
• Social stress (breakups, harassment, etc.)
• Emotional stress (depression, anxiety, etc.)
• Excessive Absences

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Adolescent Neurology

• Neurological connections peak when girls are
  about 11 and boys are 12 ½.
• Prefrontal cortex is last to develop.
• Area controls impulse control, planning, etc.
• Adolescence is a time of neurological pruning
  (fewer but faster) and
• raging hormones.

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Adolescent Neurology Influence of Hormones

• Greater influence from the Amygdala (emotional
  center of the brain) and less influence from the
  Prefrontal Cortex.
• Thus, adolescents more emotional
• Often misread others emotions
• Actively seek risks to heighten emotional
  intensity
• Risk taking more prevalent in group behavior
• More likely to respond to immediate reinforcement
  or punishment

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Promote Effective Study Habits

• Multiple Modalities Principal
• Involve multiple senses when learning
• Control the Learning Environment
• Provide a non-distracting setting
• Explore elevator music
• Monitor production
• Request preferential classroom seating

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Promote Effective Study Habits

• Time Management
• Avoid prolonged study periods
• Encourage physical activity
• Promote daily routines
• Complete homework the day its assigned
• Encourage goal setting (What are you going to
  work on first? How long ?)
• Avoid evening cram sessions
• Tackle the most difficult subjects first
• Follow study sessions with something reinforcing
  (fun)

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Promote Effective Study Habits

• Organization
• Use of daily planner
• Separate class binders
• Weekly assignment sheet
• Prioritize assignments via to do list
• Check assignments for accuracy

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Promote Effective Study Habits

• Encourage Study Partners
• Responsible peers
• parents
• Student or adult tutors

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Promote Effective Study Habits

• Encourage Initiative (students who actively
  seek support do not fail)
• Teachers are the first line of support (Ask
  questions!)
• Parents, peers, adult tutors, and counselors can
  all play a role in providing support
• Emphasize and reward personal responsibility

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Promoting Effective Study Habits

• Take good notes
• Dont wait for teachers cues to take notes
• Request copy of teacher outlines if available
• Compare/exchange notes with peers
• Confirm assignments with teachers (they could
  initial agenda entries)

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Student Handout on Study Habits

• Get Organized.
• - Consistently use a weekly agenda to keep track
  of assignments
• - Maintain different binders/folders for courses
  of study
• - Take accurate and detailed notes. Use these
  or note cards when
• preparing for tests.
• Ask for help.
• - Teachers are the best resource. Also,
  consider friends and family
• members. Use study buddies when
  preparing for tests, use
• study guides, etc.
• Whenever possible complete homework the day its
  assigned.
• - Doing so makes its easier to remember whats
  required
• - Allows greater opportunities to ask for help
  if you dont understand
• - Avoids possible obstacles should you wait
  until the last minute
• Do the hard stuff first. Save the fun stuff for
  later.
• - For example, hang out with friends after
  youve done your
• homework, or do your math before coloring
  the map of Europe.

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-
Student Handout on Study Habits, continued. .
.

• Study in a quiet environment.
• - TV is very distracting, while soft background
  (elevator) music has
• proven beneficial for most students.
  (If you are humming to the
• music, its distracting.)
• Establish routine times to study each day.
• - Studying past 830 or 900 is often
  counterproductive
• Study for short time periods punctuated by brief
  activity breaks, as these are more effective than
  marathon sessions.
• - For most, this means 30 to 45 minute periods.
• - Breaks should enhance alertness and increase
  blood flow. (e.g.
• snacking, physical exercise.)
• Maintain healthy sleeping habits.
• - Most high school students need 8 to 9 hours
  of sleep per night
• - Loss of sleep can not be restored by
  crashing on the weekends
• - Sleep deprivation impairs memory and
  concentration, and
• increases irritability and
  frustration

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The Home/School Communication Loop

• E-mails last name, first initial
  _at_peninsula.wednet.edu
• Progress Reports
• Walk around
• Emailed
• Snail mailed
• Teacher web sites (check class syllabus)
• Individual Conferences or Staffings
• Phone Contacts

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Motivating the Unmotivated

• The more immediate the consequence, the more
  successful it will be
• Focus on effort, not grades
• Catch them doing something right
• Dont argue, do negotiate
• Search for logical consequences
• Provide resources and strategize for success
  (What do you need ?)

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Motivating the Unmotivated

• Communicate consequences clearly, before they are
  implemented
• Dont feel you need to treat all your children
  alike
• Be cautious of efforts that prove
  counterproductive
• If you have to choose, protect your relationship
  but allow for natural consequences and dont
  rescue

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Parenting Roles Conclusion
When I was a boy of 14, my father was so
ignorant I could hardly stand to have the man
around. But when I got to be 21, I was surprised
at how much he had learnt in 7 years. Mark
Twain