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Friday, February 14, 2014

2-14-14 Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement"

Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement":




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.



“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 research it cited (with a few exceptions) was ten years old or more. There have been a fair number of more recent studies (so many, in fact, that I have a lengthy collection to review for a chapter in an upcoming book), and their report could have been the best thing out there if they had incorporated more of them.
Nevertheless, it’s still an excellent piece of work, and I’m adding it to The Best Research Available On Parent Engagement and to The Best Overviews Of Parent Engagement.
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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, the leader of Great Britain’s Labor Party, appeared to call for the creation of a UK version of the parent trigger. Here’s an excerpt from his speech:
Clearly, we need greater local accountability for our schools.
And in the coming months, David Blunkett will be making recommendations to us about how to do .
As part of that plan, we must also empower parents.
Parents should not have to wait for some other body to intervene if they have serious concerns about how their school is doing, whether it is a free school, academy or local authority school.
But at the moment they do.
In all schools, there should be a “parent call-in”, where a significant number of parents can come together and call for immediate action on standards.
power exists in parts of the United States.
And I have tasked David Blunkett with saying how that can happen here too.
I don’t know who David Blunkett is, but I sure hope he does his homework and is able to dissuade Miliband from making such a foolish move…
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“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.”
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2-13-14 Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement"
Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement": “The Power Of Parents” Is A Good New Report From Ed SourceThe 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