Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement":
California “PTA program creates parent advocates”
PTA program creates parent advocates is an article published in Ed Source describing a parent training program developing by the California PTA. It’s called School Smarts. The article provides a lot of information, including links, about the program.
FEB 20
Video: “Creating the Schools Children Deserve”
A few days ago, I published a post titled St. Paul Federation Of Teachers Is National Model For Engaging Parents. This video is another example of why they are a national model:
“Parent Involvement in Early Literacy”
Parent Involvement in Early Literacy is an Edutopia blog post offering a number of useful suggestions to parents of young children. I’m adding it to The Best Ideas On How Parents Can Help Their Kids Succeed In School.
FEB 19
Parent Involvement & The New Federal Discipline Guidelines
You may have heard about the new school discipline guidelines issued by the federal government last month (see Holder, Duncan announce national guidelines on school discipline from The Washington Post). I didn’t really notice it at the time, but apparently there were a number of issues related to parent involvement discussed in the guidelines. Learning First discusses them at length today in their
FEB 18
Infographic: “Tips For Teachers On Family Engagement”
The National PTA has created a nice infographic titled “Tips For Teachers On Family Engagement.” You can download the entire infographic here. Here’s a partial screenshot: I’m adding it to The Best Infographics About Parent Involvement In Schools.
Good Summary Of “Power Of Parents” Report
Last week, I posted about a new, and good, report by Ed Source titled “The Power Of Parents.” Sheila Stewart has done us all a big favor by writing up a short and sweet summary of the report. Check out Parent Engagement By Association.
St. Paul Federation Of Teachers Is National Model For Engaging Parents
St. Paul’s teacher talks have been a public affair is the headline of a Minnesota newspaper article that shows why the work of the St. Paul Federation of Teachers, led by Mary Ricker, is a national model for parent engagement. Here’s are some excerpts: The St. Paul district and teachers union negotiating teams have huddled behind closed doors in increasingly tense contract talks. But some of the m
“Parents Should Opt Out – And Teachers Should Help”
Parents Should Opt Out – And Teachers Should Help is a post by Dr. John Thompson. Here’s an excerpt: I plead guilty to not being militant enough in resisting NCLB-type testing. Had teachers put up a real fight, including “sick-outs” on testing day, they could not have fired us all, and our students would not have had to endure more than a decade of bubble-in malpractice. The Tulsa World’s Kim Ar
FEB 14
Intriguing Early Ed Program Focuses On Latino Parents In Chicago
I’ve previously written several posts about the excellent parent engagement efforts by the Logan Square Neighborhood Association in Chicago. I’ve also written posts about a program for Latino parents of very young children called Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors. Now, the two groups have combined forces to initiate an intriguing expansion of Logan Square’s work with parents. You can read about it at
The “Family Time Machine”
The Family Time Machine is a well-put-together interactive site that families can access to identify educational and fun activities that they can do together. It’s sponsored by The National Center for Families and Learning. You can learn more about it at an Education Week post titled Report Finds Parents Want Help Deciding How To Spend Quality Family Time.
“Parent Trigger Laws In The States”
Parent Trigger Laws In The States is a report, and chart, from The National Conference Of State Legislatures. It gives a pretty complete explanation and comparison of the different parent trigger laws passed by a few states. Thanks to Alexander Russo for the tip.
FEB 13
“The Power Of Parents” Is A Good New Report From Ed Source
The Power Of Parents: Research underscores the impact of parent involvement in schools is a new accessible report from Ed Source (done in collaboration with New America Media. It provides a well-written summary of a fair amount of parent involvement research, and is definitely one of the best overviews out there. It could have been THE best, but it was a little surprising to me that most of the r
FEB 12
What Has Gotten In To These Guys? Now Leader Of Britain’s Labor Party Appears To Call For A “Parent Trigger”
I just don’t understand how people who consider themselves progressive here in the United States and, now, in Great Britain can support such a fundamentally undemocratic tool as the parent trigger (where a small number of parents can upend a public institution — read more at The Best Resources For Learning Why The Parent Trigger Isn’t Good For Parents, Kids Or Schools). Last night, Ed Miliband, th
FEB 11
“Famed Harlem Children’s Program Will Get New Leader”
Famed Harlem Children’s Program Will Get New Leader is the New York Times headline about Geoffrey Canada’s departure from being Director of the Harlem Children’s Zone (he will, however, stay on as President of its Board). It doesn’t quite fit, but I’ll still add this info to My Best Posts On The Harlem Children’s Zone & Other “Promise Zones.”
FEB 10
Infographic: “Ways A Parent Can Help With Spelling”
I’m adding this infographic to The Best Infographics About Parent Involvement In Schools:
British School Plans Hefty Parent Fines When Kids Are Late — Uh, I Think They Might Want To Rethink That…
Emerson Valley School plans fines for pupil lateness is an article at the BBC. Here’s an excerpt: A school plans to fine parents of pupils who consistently arrive late. Emerson Valley School in Milton Keynes plans to impose the £60 fixed penalty if children miss registration 10 times in a 12-week term. The junior school, which is in special measures, hopes the move will raise standards. But the pl
In The New York Times Today: “Do Parents Care Enough About School?”
The New York Times regular feature, “Room For Debate,” features this question today: Do Parents Care Enough About School? There are some excellent responses — it’s a must-read!
The Best Student Projects That Need Family Engagement — Contribute Your Lessons!
I’d like to create a very lengthy list of lessons that require students to engage with their parents and families in a positive way. I know I’ve previously posted about some, but I need to track them down. I’m also hoping that lots of teachers will send in summaries of successful lessons that they’ve done. I’ll add them to list and, of course, give you credit. You can find all my parent engagement
“District Leaders Urged to Rethink Community Engagement Strategies”
District Leaders Urged to Rethink Community Engagement Strategies is an interesting post over at Education Week about a recent address by former Milwaukee School Superintendent Howard Fuller. Here’s an excerpt: Fuller said school district leaders must reflect the racial makeup of the families they serve in order to achieve meaningful community engagement. That presents a real challenge, he added,
“How Budget Cuts and PTA Fundraising Undermined Equity in San Francisco Public Schools”
How Budget Cuts and PTA Fundraising Undermined Equity in San Francisco Public Schools is a very interesting article in the San Francisco Public Press that deals with issues of funding inequity far beyond the confines of San Francisco. In fact, it may be the best piece I’ve seen on role of parent fundraising in this problem and ways to deal successfully with the challenge. Here’s how it ends: The m
The Best Posts On The inBloom Data Fiasco
I’ve written several posts about the inBloom data fiasco — inBloom is the company that’s basically trying to collect, store and share student data and is supported by the Gates Foundation. I thought I’d put together a quick Best list: Where inBloom Wilted is from Ed Surge. Irate Parents Fight to Keep Information on Their Kids Private is the headline of an article about an effort to create a nation
Parent Engagement Enters “Twilight Zone” In Newark
I’ve published a couple of posts over the past two weeks about the wild stuff going on in Newark schools. It’s getting wilder. Check out Newark parent leader arrested, jailed, after criticizing state plan to close schools.
What Should Parents Do If They Think A Teacher Is Ineffective?
Problem In the Classroom? Tread Lightly is a New York Times post by Jessice Lahey giving advice on how a parent should handle things if they believe their child’s teacher is not an effective one. The post, plus the comments, might be worth sharing with parents…..
FEB 05
Important NY Times Article: “Can Marriage Cure Poverty?”
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 wonder about that view, and have previously published The Best Articles Questioning The View That Single Parents Are A Problem. The New York Times has now published an exceptional article titled Can Marriage Cure Poverty? I think it’
” The Flip Side of Parent Communication”
The Flip Side of Parent Communication is a blog post from ASCD In Service that discusses taking the popular ideas of flipping classrooms and applying to parent communication: DeWitt started documenting school events and introduced parents to the concept of flipped communication. Some of the videos he shared recapped the week’s activities (e.g., 11-26-13 and 11-18-13) and others chronicled bigger o
FEB 04
“Parent Universities help districts tap into feedback required under funding formula”
Parent Universities help districts tap into feedback required under funding formula is an article in Ed Source reporting on Parent Universities in California — particularly in Long Beach and Fresno. It sounds like some good work is being done. However, as I have written regularly in this blog, they do some to be falling into the typical Parent University “rut.” As I’ve said: Parent “universities”
“How to Increase Parental Engagement in Urban Education”
Dr. Anthony Moore has written two posts in Ed Week about How to Increase Parental Engagement in Urban Education. You can see Part One here and Part Two here. Part Two has a useful list of ten pieces of advice to parents about how they can help their child, and the might be worth sharing with parents (though you might want to make modifications). Here are six of them: Make school a priority and ins
“Parents Look to Teachers for Help Using Educational Media at Home”
Parents Look to Teachers for Help Using Educational Media at Home is a useful article from The National Writing Project. It shares different ways schools are providing assistance to parents in helping them guide their child’s use of online sites. I’m adding it to A Beginning List Of The Best Resources On Using Technology To Help Engage Parents.
Arkansas School District Expands Parent Involvement Programs — At A Price
Last month, the Springdale School District in Arkansas won a major grant to expand parent involvement programs. Unfortunately, they’ve received the monies through the federal Race To The Top program. Here’s how the National Center For Families Learning described the grant: half the $26 million RTT-D award will go toward family engagement programs — strategies first introduced to SPS by Toyota Fami
New York Schools Chancellor Moves On Parent Engagement
New York City schools have a recent history of not being very effective around parent engagement, but it appears that new Chancellor Carmen Fariña might be beginning to change that…. Here are two recent articles from Chalkbeat describing her plans: Fariña’s parent engagement strategy starts with index cards Parent coordinators look for specifics, and reassurance, from Fariña