South Bend Tribune: No Parent Left Behind: Federal money expanding efforts in South Bend schools:
"It's part of a two-year effort at the South Bend Community School Corp. to tackle one of the most daunting challenges of students who fall behind: How do you get their parents more involved?
Henson is paid with federal stimulus money in the district's new Helping Hands program, which this fall began hiring parents of struggling students in various jobs at 11 of its Title I schools, which contain large numbers of poor kids. For $10 an hour, parents help up to 20 hours a week in the cafeteria, at recess, in the classroom, whatever is needed.
'By osmosis, they will learn how the school works,' says James Husband, program coordinator.
Deeper lessons, though, come from a partner program that's also fueled by stimulus money, Parent University, where parents at the same schools learn to help their children learn.
'We believe parents care; they just don't know how to help,' says Husband, who'd served as assistant principal at Jefferson and Marshall intermediate centers."
"It's part of a two-year effort at the South Bend Community School Corp. to tackle one of the most daunting challenges of students who fall behind: How do you get their parents more involved?
Henson is paid with federal stimulus money in the district's new Helping Hands program, which this fall began hiring parents of struggling students in various jobs at 11 of its Title I schools, which contain large numbers of poor kids. For $10 an hour, parents help up to 20 hours a week in the cafeteria, at recess, in the classroom, whatever is needed.
'By osmosis, they will learn how the school works,' says James Husband, program coordinator.
Deeper lessons, though, come from a partner program that's also fueled by stimulus money, Parent University, where parents at the same schools learn to help their children learn.
'We believe parents care; they just don't know how to help,' says Husband, who'd served as assistant principal at Jefferson and Marshall intermediate centers."
