I Don’t Get A Sense That The Chicago School District Has A Clue About Parent Engagement
Following the backlash from closing huge numbers of neighborhood schools and making it difficult for parents to opt-out of standardized testing, you’d think that the Chicago school district would have learning something about the importance parent engagement. No such luck. This week they “yanked-out” elementary students for interviews to see if their teachers influenced them to opt-out of a test t
Secretary Duncan Visits Los Angeles Family Center
U.S. Education secretary praises L.A. program is the headline of a Los Angeles Times article on a visit Education Secretary Arne Duncan recently made to a center designed to provide support to both parents and students. It sounds like an interesting program, and is part of the Promise Zone initiative. You might also be interested in My Best Posts On The Harlem Children’s Zone & Other “Promise
MAR 20
I’m Interviewed In Podcast “Parent Involvement Versus Parent Engagement: Is There Really a Difference?”
I was a guest during #PTchat on Twitter last week discussing the difference between parent engagement and parent involvement (you can see the tweets here). As a follow-up to that conversation, I was a guest on PTchat Radio, and you can listen to it here. I’m adding it to My Best Posts, Articles & Interviews On Parent Engagement.
REALLY Interesting Story About New York City Public School Begun By Parents
At a new school started by parents, uncertainty about how to include them is the headline of an article over at Chalkbeat that is one of the more interesting pieces on parent engagement I’ve read in awhile. Here’s an introductory excerpt: Over the course of nearly a decade, the parents recruited local clergy and elected officials to join a coalition, met with Department of Education officials, and
MAR 17
“Efforts To Close The Achievement Gap In Kids Start At Home”
I’ve been a little skeptical about the effort in Providence to have children wear clothes with built-in audio recorders to county the number of words heard at home (you can see those pieces at The Best Resources For Learning About The “Word Gap”). NPR just ran a piece on it titled Efforts To Close The Achievement Gap In Kids Start At Home. I’m still skeptical, but would be happy to be proven wrong
“Anti-Bullying from the Parent’s Perspective”
Anti-Bullying from the Parent’s Perspective is a useful post from Think Inclusive. I’m adding it to The Best Resources — Specifically For Parents — On Bullying.
MAR 16
“Parental engagement in learning and schooling: Lessons from research”
Parental engagement in learning and schooling: Lessons from research looks like a useful review of studies on the topic. It’s a report by the Australian Research Alliance for Children & Youth for the Family-School and Community Partnerships Bureau. Thanks to Joe Mazza for the tip. I’m adding it to “The Best Research Available On Parent Engagement.”
Video: “Parent Involvement Builds Academic Success”
Five hundred parents and educators recently met at a family engagement conference in Reno, Nevada. Here’s news video coverage of the event:
MAR 15
“5 Things Teachers Wish Parents Knew: Your Children Can Do More Than You Think”
5 Things Teachers Wish Parents Knew: Your Children Can Do More Than You Think is a good piece by Jessice Lahey in The New York Times. You might also be interested in My Advice To Parents In “USA Weekend.”
Official Common Core Site Tries To Makes Itself More “Parent-Friendly”
The official Common Core Standards site unveiled a redesign this week in an effort to make it more accessible and understandable to parents. I’m adding this info to The Best Resources For Talking To Parents About The Common Core Standards.
The Difference Between Parent “Involvement” & Parent “Engagement”: Selected Tweets From #PTchat
I was a guest on a recent #PTchat to discuss the difference between parent “involvement” and parent “engagement.” Here are some selected tweets from that chat. [View the story "The Difference Between Parent \"Involvement\" & Parent \"Engagement\": Selected Tweets From #PTchat" on Storify]
“Teacher Home Visits: The Importance of Sharing a Meal”
Teacher Home Visits: The Importance of Sharing a Meal is a nice post in Education Week by a teacher in Minnesota. Here’s the last paragraph: That home visit was the best way for me to get to know Omar and his family. It made the task of teaching him come alive by attaching their story, their life, to him. There is nothing quite like sharing a meal with someone to bring you closer together. It is w