“Parent Engagement Requires ‘Trust, Not Blame’”
Parent Engagement Requires ‘Trust, Not Blame’ is Part Two in my Education Week Teacher series on…parent engagement. Jane Baskwill, Julia Thompson and Bryon V. Garrett share their thoughts. Here are some excerpts:
This Looks Like A Useful Study: “Meta Analysis of the Studies of High Performing Family Literacy Programs”
Meta Analysis of the Studies of High Performing Family Literacy Programs comes from Toyota Family Literacy Program Research Project, and it looks pretty useful. Here’s a description: The National Center for Families Learning (NCFL) announces the release of Toyota Family Literacy Program Research Project, a meta-analysis of high-performing family literacy programs in a variety of communities/cities
YESTERDAY
My Best Posts On The Harlem Children’s Zone & Other “Promise Zones”
, President Obama announced grants to five communities designated at “Promise Zones” that are planned to replicate — more or less — the Harlem Children’s Zone. I’ve published many posts about the Harlem Children’s Zone — both positive and less than positive — including concerns about parent engagement and how they relate to local institutions. Though I don’t know all the specifics of these five ne
JAN 08
“Universal preschool may help parents more than children — and that’s okay”
I think the evidence is more clearly positive in favor of the advantages of pre-school education for children than the author of the Reuters piece, Universal preschool may help parents more than children — and that’s okay, suggests. And, I’m not entirely comfortable with his somewhat condescending attitude towards poor parents. Nevertheless, I think he does make a good point that we proponents of
JAN 07
“Listening To Parents With Our Heads And Hearts”
Listening To Parents With Our Heads And Hearts is my latest Education Week Teacher post. This is the first post in a three-part series on parent engagement. Today, Katy Ridnouer, Janice Fialka, and Joe Mazza provide their guest responses
The Best Articles Questioning The View That Single Parents Are A Problem
As most people know, there is a common narrative suggesting that single-parent households can be a cause of many problems affecting children — in and out of school. I’ve previously posted some articles questioning that view, and a new study has just been published. I thought it would be worthwhile to put them all in one post: Marriage Promotion Has Failed to Stem Poverty Among Single Moms has just
Under Political Pressure, D.C. Schools Chancellor Invites Parent Input — Sorta’
Before creating plan to improve D.C. middle schools, chancellor wants community input is a Washington Post article discussing the D.C. Chancellors efforts at parent involvement — only after receiving substantial political heat to do so. But it doesn’t sound like her heart is really in it: Maury Elementary parent Joe Weedon, who has been active in efforts to improve Eliot-Hine Middle School, said i
Interesting: “Calif. Charter Caters to Home-Schooled Students”
Calif. Charter Caters to Home-Schooled Students is an article in Education Week that offers a “take” on family involvement with schools that you don’t often hear about: It’s a truism that a child’s most important teacher is his or her parent, but one charter school here uses that mantra literally, as a blueprint to reconnect one group of families that have become disengaged from public schools: ho
“Special Education Toolkit: Resources”
Special Education Toolkit: Resources is from the National PTA and it has a lot of…resources related to special education. I’m adding it to The Best Resources To Help Engage Parents Of Children With Special Needs – Help Me Find More.
JAN 03
“How Teachers and Parents Work Together for Student Success”
How Teachers and Parents Work Together for Student Success is a useful article from NEA Today. Here’s an excerpt: If you show a willingness to learn more about your students from their parents, then they’ll be more willing to work with you throughout the school year. Show an interest in them, and they’ll return the favor. Mellanay Auman, a middle school language arts teacher, uses the beginning of
“Avoiding the Midwinter ‘Back to School’ Slump”
Avoiding the Midwinter ‘Back to School’ Slump offers good advice to both parents and teachers, and couldn’t be more timely! It’s by Jessica Lahey, and appears in The Mother Lode blog at The New York Times.
“Parents and Relationships “
Parents and Relationships is the title of a very good post by Steve Vessey, Superintendent of the Beaver Dam Unified School District. I’m adding it to The Best Sources Of Parent Engagement Advice For Teachers.
JAN 01
“Is Parental Input the Key to Healthy Student Eating Habits?”
Is Parental Input the Key to Healthy Student Eating Habits? is a good explanation and analysis of a recent study that showed sending home “report cards” on student lunch eating habits caused them to eat healthier. I just wonder, though, if instead of that, or “twinned” with such a report, some non-preachy lessons on the impact of good nutrition might be a less “behaviorist” way of improving studen
“New Schools Chancellor Stresses ‘Fun’ and Parent Communication”
The New York City public schools have had a long history of problems engaging parents. The new Chancellor, however, promises to change that. Here’s an excerpt from The New York Post’s article, New Schools Chancellor Stresses ‘Fun’ and Parent Communication: Ms. Fariña emphasized the need to treat parents as partners, not adversaries–a frequent critique of the outgoing Bloomberg administration. She