Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement":
“Four Ways to Spot a Great Teacher”
“Four Ways to Spot a Great Teacher”
Four Ways to Spot a Great Teacher is a Wall Street Journal column by Dana Goldstein that might be useful to distribute to parents. You can see my interview with Dana here.
Newark School Fiasco Continues For Students & Parents
I’ve written a number of previous posts about the on-going fiasco at Newark schools, and it isn’t getting any better. Some very understandable angry and furstrated parents called for a boycott on the first day of school last week, and there is some effort to make it a long-term one. I don’t know the details on the ground there, but I do have to say from my community organizing experience that ther
“SchoolCircle – Organize Your Communication to Parents”
SchoolCircle – Organize Your Communication to Parents is a post by Richard Bryne about a new online teacher/parent communication tool called… SchoolCircle. I’m adding it to A Beginning List Of The Best Resources On Using Technology To Help Engage Parents.
Interesting Idea: “Digital Parent Volunteers”
Here’s an interesting idea from George Couros: You might also be interested in The Best Sources Of Parent Engagement Advice For Teachers.
“A Checklist for Back to School Night”
A Checklist for Back to School Night is a useful post for every teacher. It’s by Heather Wolpert-Gawron and appeared in Edutopia.
“Parents’ ability to track student grades, attendance by smartphone has growing app-eal”
Parents’ ability to track student grades, attendance by smartphone has growing app-eal is a new article in the Sacramento Bee about the growing popularity of mobile apps by schools for parents and students. You might also be interested in A Beginning List Of The Best Resources On Using Technology To Help Engage Parents.
“NY City schools will push for more ‘family connections,’ parent involvement, Chancellor Carmen Fariña says”
City schools will push for more ‘family connections,’ parent involvement, Chancellor Carmen Fariña says is the headline of a New York Daily News article. Here’s are some excerpts: Family engagement at schools will be getting an overhaul, the city schools boss tells the Daily News. Changes include longer one-on-one parent-teacher conferences, workshops for parents and support for GED and English as
AUG 31
Advice To Parents Starting School — British Version
Starting school: what every parent should know is from The Telegraph, a British newspaper. It reviews what students of different ages should know, and how parents can help them know it — using the UK “National Curriculum” as a guide. It’s interesting to compare it the Common Core — see The Best Resources For Talking To Parents About The Common Core Standards.
AUG 30
“Fla. School Board Candidate: Allow Some Parents With Criminal Pasts to Volunteer”
Fla. School Board Candidate: Allow Some Parents With Criminal Pasts to Volunteer is the title of a blog post over at Ed Week. Here’s how it begins: A candidate vying for a seat on the Pinellas County School Board in Largo, Fla., this November wants principals to have more control over how the district’s policy that bars most parents with criminal records from volunteering at schools is implemented
AUG 28
This Is Interesting: Parents Help Decide Curriculum & Hire Teachers At Pennsylvania School
State College’s Delta Program middle school off to busy start is the headline of an article about a middle school in Pennsylvania begun by a local district to reduce loss of students to charters. Here’s an excerpt: Delta Director Jon Downs said the alternative program for State College middle school students — the complement to the established secondary school — operates on a democratic model wher
“Teacher home visits ease kindergarteners’ fears of first day of school”
Teacher home visits are certainly in the news these days! Here’s the latest article about what’s going on in Tulsa: Teacher home visits ease kindergarteners’ fears of first day of school. Here’s the final sentence in the story: “We’re really trying to focus on family engagement, not just involvement,” Velez said. “We really are trying to let them know how they can keep learning going at home.”
“How to Get Kids to Class: To Keep Poor Kids in School, Provide Social Services”
How to Get Kids to Class: To Keep Poor Kids in School, Provide Social Services is the headline of an op-ed in The New York Times by the president of Communities in Schools. Here’s the last paragraph: Putting social workers in schools is a low-cost way of avoiding bigger problems down the road, analogous to having a social worker in a hospital emergency room. It’s a common-sense solution that will
Nice Piece For Parents: “12 ways to identify a good school”
Jay Mathews has just published a nice post in The Washington Post titled 12 Ways To Identify A Good School. Here’s how it begins: Fourteen years ago, I wrote a Washington Post magazine piece about a young couple seeking a school for their daughter, including 12 things to look for in a good school. The article survives online. Parents still ask me if I would change any of those recommendations. I w
Infographic: “Connecting With Parents – Tips & Tricks For Smooth Sailing”
I’m adding this infographic to The Best Infographics About Parent Involvement In Schools: