Parent- and Community-Involvement Strategies That Work
The research is clear: When parents and communities are involved in schools, education improves. From New York to California, from an individual student's notebook to community-outreach programs, here are five approaches to parental and community involvement that work! Included: Five successful programs for parent and community involvement plus links to dozens of online resources!
Share the Pride: Create a School Web Site
On March 15, Education World announced the winner of the 1999 Cool School of the Year award -- and more than $10,000 in prizes -- Kenston High School in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. The Cool School award recognizes school Web sites that exemplify good layout, design, and visual appeal -- and provide opportunities for student, parent, teacher, and community involvement. This week, Education World asked our “Tech Team” for advice about creating a winning school Web site.
AN EDUCATION WORLD E-INTERVIEW: Principal-in-Residence Speaks Out on Key Issues
Preventing violence in schools, involving parents in education, and
finding strength in diversity --- in an e-interview with Education
World, Carole Kennedy, the new principal-in-residence at the Department
of Education, touches on those issues and more!
FROM THE P-FILES: Principals Share Parent Involvement Ideas
This month, Education World asked a number of principals to tell us about ways their teachers involve parents in the classroom and the school. Dozens of ideas flooded our e-mailbox! Here we share some of those great ideas! Included: More than 30 practical ideas for including parents across the grades!
Parent Involvement in Schools!
Parent involvement in schools is much more than parent conferences and
PTOs… In this week's edition of Education World, read about
practical ways in which schools are involving parents! Learn
about parent involvement strategies that are working for others - and that
could work for you!
Middle School Helps Parents With Resource Center
Part of a national partnership program to encourage parent and community involvement in schools, a parent resource center in a Connecticut middle school helps parents understand their middle-school-age youngsters.
Included: Tips for starting a parent center in your school!
Fourteen Activities to Promote Parent Involvement!
Research shows that children are more likely to succeed academically and
are less likely to engage in violent behavior if their families are
involved in their education. Many parents say, however, that they feel
unwelcome or uncomfortable in their children's schools. Teachers often
feel under attack by parents who are highly involved. Learn how to
bridge the gap! Included: Fourteen activities to promote parental
involvement and ten tips for involved parents!
Teacher-Created Web Sites Link Home and School --- Virtually!
Discover how to create a virtual link between home and school. It
couldn't be easier! This week, Education World editor Linda Starr shares
the stories of teachers who have seen the possibilities for using the
Web to connect to parents! Included: Tips for making connections to
parents on school and classroom Web sites!
The Homework Dilemma: How Much Should Parents Get Involved?
What can teachers do to help parents help their children with homework?
Parental Involvement Is as Easy as PIE!
A special program in Phoenix, Arizona, makes parents true partners in their children's education. "Parent involvement will probably make more difference than anything else we could ever do to help our children learn," says Bonnie McReynolds, the teacher behind the program.
Celebrate American Education Week by Building a Village
November 14-20 is American Education Week. Celebrate the event and strengthen the bonds between your schools and your community with activities suggested by the National Education Association. Included: Tips for recognizing school staff and involving parents and businesses during American Education Week!
Newsletter Connects Middle-School Parents and Schools
Every Minneapolis parent with kids in fifth grade to eighth grade receives *Middle School Connection* at home. This six-times-a-year newsletter provides information and tools to help parents navigate the web of school choices and become advocates for their kids. Written by parents *for* parents, the newsletter is widely accepted by school administrators. Included: Advice for school administrators ---from parents--- on communicating with parents!
Student-Led Conferences: A Growing Trend
For years parent-teacher conferences have been the primary means of school-home communication. But now, many schools are trying something new --- student-led conferences that communicate not only how a student's doing but also why.
Citizens Speak Out on Public Education
What do people think about our nation's public education? Some of the answers from two polls and a report may surprise you.
Bring Your Fathers to School!
Just in time for Father's Day! A recent study reveals that a father's participation in in-school activities and events can have a significant impact on his children's educational success. Read about the implications of that study and learn some things you can do to make every day Fathers' Day at your school.
Familiar Ground: Traditions That Build School Community
An inspiring new book from the Northeast Foundation for Children describes how a school staff uses traditions to weave a school of individual students, staff, and families into one community.
Family Involvement in Children's Education
Strategies used by 20 local Title I programs to overcome barriers to parent involvement are featured in an idea book recently added to the U.S. Department of Education's Web site. Here we explore in-depth one of those programs.
New Skills for New Schools: Preparing Teachers in Family Involvement
A new report looks at promising methods in preparing teachers to understand the family's role in a child's education and to effectively involve the family.
The Social Context of Education -- 1997
A wide range of social conditions can affect the way kids learn. A report, The Social Context of Education, examines those conditions and how they've changed over the last few decades.
Coming Up: Two Teleconferences From the DOE
Two teleconferences are coming up: one on "preparing teachers to involve families" and one on "supporting quality teachers."
America Goes Back to School!
The America Goes Back to School initiative draws attention to the critical need for parents and communities to support their schools.
101 Ways Parents Can Help Students Achieve
101 Ways Parents Can Help Students Achieve, a booklet from the American Association of School Administrators, is a valuable tool for principals, teachers, and parents.
Room Mothers and a Whole Lot More
Involving Parents as Partners in Education
