Part 3: Innovations in Professional Growth Public Education and Webcasting in BC: October 2005 to May 2006 Parent Involvement in British Columbia: Building Community November 30, 2005

Activity Package

PARENTING

All parents want the best for their children Parents are the primary source of basic needs:  Physical  Emotional  Social  Developmental Notes:

Examples:

  Parent support programs, parent education, workshops, parent-to-parent connections, and assistance to provide home conditions that support learning at each age and stage of development.

Workshops    Websites Pamphlets and resources Outreach programs

PARENTING:

To help parents fulfil their responsibilities of providing for their child’s well-being and development from pre–school through secondary school and to assist the school in understanding families.

Adapted from Epstein , J (2001). School family and community partnerships: Preparing educators and improving schools. Boulder CO: Westview Press

PARENTING QUESTIONS TO DISCUSS:

1.

Identify ways to connect with parents of pre-school students.

2.

3.

What information do you think families want and need every year from schools to understand child and adolescent development? What information do you think all schools want and need each year from families to understand the students and their families?

Sample Challenges for Success with Parenting

Provide information for parents who cannot attend a workshop or meeting.

Obtain information from parents to help teachers understand their children and families.

One activity that would meet this challenge.

One short-term result the activity is likely to produce. Who will benefit?

Adapted from Epstein , J (2001). School family and community partnerships: Preparing educators and improving schools. Boulder CO: Westview Press

COMMUNICATING

Ongoing communications help educators and families understand each other in the interest of student progress. Communication is from school to home and home to school.

Examples:

 School-to-home: memos, notices, report cards, conferences, newsletters, phone calls, computerized messages, web sites    Information on school programs, tests/assessment and children’s progress Information needed to choose or change schools, courses, programs, activities Home-to-School: Two-way channels of communication for questions, comments, and other interactions.

Notes:

COMMUNICATING:

To share information clearly and continuously with all families; both from school-to-home and from home-to-school.

Adapted from Epstein , J (2001). School family and community partnerships: Preparing educators and improving schools. Boulder CO: Westview Press

COMMUNICATING QUESTIONS TO DISCUSS:

1.

What do families and students need to know about the following aspects of school programs, and what might families and students contribute to the success of these aspects of schooling?

Families need to know Students need to know Families or students may contribute: A. Curriculum, school subjects B. Tests and assessments C. Report cards D. Standards for students’ work E. Other 2.

3.

Think of Examples: A.

Give two examples of how students might help conduct school-to home communications about school programs and student progress in learning and behaviour. B.

C.

Give two examples of how students might hinder school-to-home or home-to-school communications about school programs and student progress in learning and behaviour. Give two examples of what teachers and/or parents could say or do to help students understand the importance of their roles in school-to home-to school communications.

Collect one example of a school or classroom newsletter.

A.

Identify the school level (preschool, elementary, middle, or high school) or grade level of the example.

B.

C.

Analyze the purpose(s) and content of the newsletter: the format; readability; quality of information; participation of students, teachers, administrators, and parents; strategies to enhance two-way communications.

Give two suggestions of how you would improve the newsletter you reviewed.

Adapted from Epstein , J (2001). School family and community partnerships: Preparing educators and improving schools. Boulder CO: Westview Press

Notes:

VOLUNTEERING

Volunteers provide support to children’s learning. Volunteer activities can occur in the school and in the community.

Examples:

  Redefining volunteer to include those who support children’s learning any place, any time: aides, tutors, coaches, lecturers, chaperones and other leaders, as well as audience members for events/ceremonies.

Recruiting and training volunteers.

 Identifying volunteer activities in newsletters.

    Arranging opportune schedules and location for volunteers.

Conducting surveys of parents to gather information about the talents and interests of parents in the community.

Considering a parent for each class, and the development of phone trees and networks to support volunteers.

Appreciate and celebrate volunteers.

VOLUNTEERING:

To support and develop volunteer activities and opportunities.

Adapted from Epstein , J (2001). School family and community partnerships: Preparing educators and improving schools. Boulder CO: Westview Press

VOLUNTEERING QUESTIONS TO DISCUSS:

1.

Suppose you notice that working parents, single parents, or parents who live far from the school do not volunteer as much as other parents. What is one new approach to increase the number of each of the following groups of parents to volunteer in ways that help student learning and success?

School Community members: A. Working Parents B. Single Parents C. Parents who live far from the school D. Fathers One way to increase participation: A.

B.

C.

D.

2.

3.

The number of families who become volunteers at the school building may be increased if parents and other family members can volunteer to assist in classroom, in parent rooms, on the playground, in the lunchroom, and in other locations. Give one idea for how each of the following ways of working with volunteers might be expanded or changed to enable more families to participate. Volunteers must Change to: A. come to the school building.

B. come during school hours.

C. come during the school year.

D. work with a specific teacher.

E. have children in the school.

F. not be involved in curriculum-related activities.

G. Other idea:______________ A.

B.

C.

D.

E.

F.

G.

Discuss ways to identify the talents, skills, and time that parents can share with the school.

Adapted from Epstein , J (2001). School family and community partnerships: Preparing educators and improving schools. Boulder CO: Westview Press

LEARNING AT HOME

Activities that involve families with their children which influence children’s achievement, decisions, and choices.

   Developing skills Homework Goal Setting  Curriculum related activities Notes:

Examples:

 How to help with homework.

 Skills required to pass each subject.

   Curriculum related decisions.

Students’ goal setting for success in school and post secondary planning.

Developing other skills and talents.

LEARNING AT HOME:

To involve families with their children at home in activities or decisions about learning and school.

Adapted from Epstein , J (2001). School family and community partnerships: Preparing educators and improving schools. Boulder CO: Westview Press

LEARNING AT HOME QUESTIONS TO DISCUSS:

1.

How are parents affected if the school DOES or DOES NOT provide the following information? On the chart below, list one result for parents that you would expect if the school does/does not provide information on the following items: A.

B.

Item C.

D.

E.

Homework policies Requirements for passing each subject How to monitor students’ homework How students can share something that they learned in class How to make choices of academic courses in math, science, foreign language, and electives in high school.

If the school DOES provide information….

If the school DOES NOT provide information….

2.

Select one result from your chart that you believe is particularly compelling. Describe one activity that might help teachers provide the information to all parents and that would produce the result you expect.

3.

Select one result from your chart that you believe is particularly troublesome. Describe one problem that could arise and an activity that would help solve that problem.

Adapted from Epstein , J (2001). School family and community partnerships: Preparing educators and improving schools. Boulder CO: Westview Press

DECISION-MAKING

Activities that involve families as participants in decision-making of all kinds. Parent Advisory Councils School Planning Councils Notes:

Examples:

      Council/committee membership, participation, leadership, representation.

Advisory councils, School Planning Councils, school improvement teams.

School site management teams, other committees.

Opportunities for training are available.

Representatives reflect on all members of diverse communities served by the school so all families have a voice in decisions made.

Educators, parents and students work together to improve and extend discussions which lead to better decisions.

DECISION-MAKING:

To encourage and assist parents to participate in decision-making in a variety of ways and to obtain information from/provide information to other parents about decisions made.

Adapted from Epstein , J (2001). School family and community partnerships: Preparing educators and improving schools. Boulder CO: Westview Press

DECISION-MAKING QUESTIONS TO DISCUSS:

Improving districts and schools work with all parents to improve student achievement.

1.

Describe how the school board: A. Consults with the SPCs.

B. Approves school plans.

2.

3.

4.

How can the community be engaged in this process at the school level?

What strategies are used to seek input from groups such as parents, staff, students, and the community? A. Suggest some additional strategies to enhance opportunities for input.

How are parents and parent groups, including the PAC(s) and DPAC, involved in efforts to improve student achievement?

5.

6.

Suggest some strategies that the district can use to enhance decision-making opportunities. What strategies are you finding most useful in engaging others?

Adapted from the Ministry of Education District Review Guide 2005/06.

COLLABORATING with the COMMUNITY

Building Partnerships: Activities bring resources to the school from the community and from the school to the community.

Community services support and enhance school programs and directions.

Notes:

Examples:

 Information about community programs and services are shared and families have equal access to the programs/services.

    Community contributes to schools, students, families.

Business partners, agencies, cultural groups, health services, recreation, and other groups strengthen programs and curriculum.

Schools, students, and families contribute to community.

Service learning, special projects to share talents, solving local problems.

COLLABORATING WITH THE COMMUNITY:

the community.

To bring talents and resources to the school/classroom from the community and to share the resources of the school with Adapted from Epstein , J (2001). School family and community partnerships: Preparing educators and improving schools. Boulder CO: Westview Press

COLLABORATING WITH THE COMMUNITY QUESTIONS TO DISCUSS:

1.

Give one example of a school, family, and community partnership activity that would fulfill the spirit of each of the following redefinitions of selected activities for the six types of involvement.

A.

B.

Workshop is not only a meeting on a topic held at the school building but also the content of that meeting, which may be viewed, heard, or read at convenient times and varied locations.

Communications about school programs and student progress are not only from school-to-home but also from home-to-school and with the community.

C.

D.

E.

F.

Volunteers are not only parents or others who come to help during the school day but also those who give their time to support school goals and children’s learning in any locations.

Help at home does not mean that parents must know how to “teach” school subjects, but that families guide, encourage, and interact with their children on homework and school-related decisions.

Decision-making means exchanging views to plan and implement an effective, coordinated partnership program that will help students succeed in school. It is not a power struggle.

Community includes not only families with children in school but also all citizens who are interested in and affected by the quality of education.

Adapted from Epstein , J (2001). School family and community partnerships: Preparing educators and improving schools. Boulder CO: Westview Press