Transcript Ms. Decker’s Third

The Parent and Community
Connection: the Essence
of Successful Students
Presented by:
Dr. Shante’ MooreAustin
Welcome!
 Introduction
a. Asst. Prof of Educ.
b. former secondary
teacher
c. former member of
the School
Improvement Plan
Team at the sec. level
d. former Yearbook
Advisor
Overview
 Research in the area of Parental/Community
Involvement
 Effective Programs
 Beneficial Program Features
 Promising Approaches
 Winning Strategies
 For your classroom
 For your school
Parental/Community
Involvement
 Why is this so
important?
1. As the old proverb
states “it takes a whole
village to raise a child.”
2. By incorporating the
parents of our students
and the community
into the overall
learning process, we
will have successful
students.
Research on
Parental/Community
Involvement
What do the researchers
say?
 They have agreed that when parents
get involved in education, children try
harder and they achieve more at school
(Epstein, 1995).
 Programs that include the following are
more effective:
1. Those that focus on parenting skills and
the development of home conditions that
support learning,
Other Effective
Programs
 School to home and
home to school
communication about
school programs and
children’s progress,
 The use of volunteers at
the school in the school,
and
 The participation of
families in decision
making (Bauch, 1994)
Beneficial Program
Features
 Parent enrollment in
parenting or adult
education classes
 Efforts to help parents
provide learning
experiences at home
 In class involvement
of parents and
community leaders,
(Bauch, 1994, Davies,
1991).
Promising Approaches
 Total Village Project –
implemented in West Virginia –
parent-teacher action teams,
home visits, assistance to
teachers, and through mentoring
programs there has been an
increase in parental involvement.
 Even Start- this program was
piloted in Montana with a purpose
to “ improve the educational
opportunities for children and their
parents,” (Center for Community
Education, 1989, p. 2).
Winning Strategies
Within your classroom
 What should you
do at the
beginning of the
school year or at
the beginning of
each semester?
 Contact the
parents of your
students
Contacting the Parent
 Please don’t wait until
there are behavior
issues.
 Call to introduce
yourself to the parent
and let him/her know
that they are welcome
to visit your class
anytime.
Communication to the
Parent
 Send a welcome
letter to the
parents.
 Send a welcome
email to the
parent.
Activities for the
beginning of the year
 Invite the parents of your students to a pizza
party, a refreshment social, or some type of
welcoming function that includes food.
 Pancake Supper or Spaghetti Dinner
 Attend sporting events and have the parents
of your students sit in a certain section and
have t-shirts with the same slogans.
 Invite community leaders to talk to your
students about their professions.
Activities for the
beginning of the year
 While you’re at these events talk to the
parents about the importance of
volunteering.
 Set up a volunteer list
 Talk to parents about what they can do to
help with the overall learning process
 Involve everyone- please let all parents know
that there is something that they can do.
 Invite community leaders to talk to your
students about their professions.
Activities for the end of
the year
 Plan a picnic or barbeque for you and the
students of your classes.
 Always plan activities that involve everyone.
 Recognize all of your students at these
events as winners. Make sure that the
parents understand how much you care
about their children.
Strategies for your
school
 Fall or Spring Festival
 Invite community leaders to your
schools for career day or other big days
 Special day honoring parents,
grandparents and the guardians
 Emphasize the importance of everyone
working together to ensure that kids are
successful
 Family Fun Day
School activities
 Offer classes to parents and those in the
community:
 Homework help sessions
 Tutoring and GED classes
 Discuss what they can do as parents and
members of the community
 Give parents or people in the community
opportunities to teach classes on their field of
expertise
Your Ideas
Work with a partner
 Discuss one or two different activities
that you feel could improve
parental/community involvement.
 Be prepared to share those thoughts
with the group.
Final thoughts
 Always involve the parents and the community in the learning
process.
 There will be times when you encounter those students who
have parents who aren’t concerned, please continue to work
with the child and continue to make an impact on that child’s
life.
 When thinking about activities, try to do things that will be fun
and entertaining.
 Our students need us and they also need others to invest time
in their education. We must plant a seed, water it through
teaching and involving parents, and then sit back and watch it
grow. In other words by doing this we will be able to watch our
students become even more successful.
References

Bauch, J. P. (1994). Categories of parent involvement. The School Community Journal,
4(1), 53-61.



Center for Community Education. (1989). A model for rural schools to involve parents in the
education of their children. Bozeman, MT: Montana State University. (ERIC
Document Reproduction Service No. ED 329 395) .
Davies, D. (1991). Schools reaching out: Family, school, and community partnerships for
student success. Phi Delta Kappan, 72(5), 376-380.
Epstein, J. L. (1995). School/family/community partnerships: Caring for the children we
share. Phi Delta Kappan, 76(9), 701-712.
Let’s Have a Great Year!
Contact Information:
• Dr. Shante’ Moore-Austin
• Assistant Professor of Education
• Liberty University, 1971 University Blvd.,
Lynchburg, VA 24502
• Email: [email protected]
• Office Ph: (434)592-3760