Four Ways to Get Parents Involved in School

Getting parents involved in school activities and pressing school issues is tough. Scheduling conflicts and communication barriers make getting parents to conferences, workshops and events a huge challenge.

EducationWorld has gathered a list of tips and activities located on our website for administrators to use to get parents to be part of the school community.

1. Brown-Bag Lunches: Administrators at the school and district level are finding that inviting parents and community members to chat over brown-bag lunches gains them allies in the community and helps keep everyone informed. Included: Tips and topic ideas for brown-bag lunches. Jim Wink, principal of Indian Woods Middle School in Kansas uses the "brown bag chats" to communicate back and forth with parents. 

"If you don't have an avenue to talk to parents on an informal basis, I would recommend it," Wink said. "You can establish a rapport with people; often people come regularly. If you know them, then they are willing to pick up the phone and call the school if something happens. I ask people to talk with me before they spread rumors. Then they can dispense accurate information and become ambassadors for the school."

2. Three For Me: Who could say no to giving three hours to their child's school over nine months? That's what the founders of the parent volunteer program Three for Me reasoned -- and they discovered once parents got a taste of volunteering, they were eager to keep coming back. Included: Tips for starting a Three for Me program.

Three for me is a program where parents are asked to "pledge just three volunteer hours a year per child, they have generated more volunteers and volunteer hours than they thought possible." 

"So many parents want to be involved, but don't know how," said Dee Keywood, one of the Three for Me founders. "For schools, if they are looking for ways to increase parent involvement, that truly benefits children, then Three for Me is something to look at."

3. Put Out the Welcome Mat: EducationWorld recommends putting out the welcome mat and making parents feel invited with 12 tips. Some of the tips include:

• Invite families to share hopes for and concerns about children and then work together to set student goals.
• Create a parent resource center. Provide materials on issues of concern to parents, such as child development, health and safety, drug education, special education, and so on. 
• Maintain regular communication by sending home weekly folders of student work, monthly calendars, class newsletter, and more. 

4. Literature Day (And Night): Teachers at Westwood Elementary School in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, found the perfect reward for their students, who read 4,500 books! They organized a Literature Day. Then they did the whole thing over again at night -- so they could include families! Included: Activity ideas and tips for organizing your own literature event! 

"This activity was particularly good for parents because they were able to observe teachers modeling effective read-aloud techniques," said Mary Ellen Imbo, principal at Westwood Elementary School "Additionally, they were able to observe the teacher's instructional strategies."

Article by Kassondra Granata, EducationWorld Contributor