100 Ways for Parents to Be Involved in Their Child's Education
- Give positive feedback and show appreciation for teachers and the principal.
- Approach interactions with a positive attitude and an open mind.
- Listen to others' viewpoints.
- Share your child's strengths, talents, and interests with your child's teachers.
- Share expectations and set goals together for your child.
- Make appointments as needed to discuss your child's progress or concerns.
- Attend parent-teacher conferences with specific questions you want to ask.
- Indicate the best way to give you information (phone, e- mail, notes, etc.).
- Understand and reinforce school rules and expectations at home.
- Participate in informal opportunities to talk with and get to know school staff and educators.
- Address concerns or questions honestly, openly, and early on.
- Attend PTA or parent meetings regularly.
- Read classroom and/or school newsletters.
- Visit your school's web page.
- Know school staff's extensions and office hours.
- Read and know your school's handbook.
- Request that information be available in all relevant languages.
- Share your family's culture, values, and parenting practices with your child's school.
- Share your perceptions with educators and school staff of how parents are treated.
- Work with school staff and educators to revise and improve perceptions and school climate.
- Meet your child's friends and get to know their parents.
- Contact your school for information on family programs and resources.
- Help establish a parent center at school and use its resources.
- Help create a toy/book lending library and visit it regularly.
- Assist in developing parent support programs/groups and attend them.
- Attend workshops or seminars on various parenting topics.
- Participate in parenting classes on child development, expectations, discipline, etc.
- Attend parent fairs and other events especially for parents and families.
- Start a parent book club to discuss current publications.
- Help create and/or contribute to a school newsletter on parenting.
- Assist in creating and/or offer your services to before- and after-school programs.
- Build a child file with medical records, pictures, fingerprints, etc.
- Make donations and/or offer to work at clothing drives or swaps, food co-ops, etc.
- Talk with your child's teacher for ideas on parent/child games and activities.
- Discuss your child's school day and homework daily.
- Learn your child's strengths and weaknesses in different areas of school.
- Provide a quiet, well-lighted place with basic school supplies for studying/homework.
- Help your children break down projects into smaller, more manageable steps.
- Develop a consistent daily routine and time for studying and homework.
- Provide encouragement and approval for effort and schoolwork.
- Share your interests, hobbies, and talents with your children.
- Provide children with books, magazines, and so forth, and develop a nighttime reading routine.
- View selected TV programs together and then review and discuss them.
- Make family trips to the library, zoo, museum, or park a fun learning experience.
- Talk with your child's teacher on creating home learning games and activities.
- Complete interactive homework assignments with your child.
- Attend meetings on learning expectations, assessment, and grading procedures.
- Help set goals and develop a personalized education plan for your child.
- Participate in activities that help you understand school tech-nology.
- Help plan and attend family nights on improving study habits, doing homework, etc.
- Help develop, visit, or offer services to your school's study/tutor center.
- Participate in fairs and fests for math, science, history, and so forth.
- Respond to school surveys on your interests, talents, and skills.
- Let school staff know your availability to volunteer (days, times, and how often).
- Supervise and coordinate evening and weekend volunteer activities at school.
- Assist your child's teacher in the classroom or on field trips when you are able.
- Work with school staff and teachers to develop volunteer activities you can do from home.
- Assist school staff and educators in creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere for parents.
- Help provide childcare and/or transportation for volunteering parents.
- Help develop creative ways to use volunteers at school.
- Actively help school staff recruit parents and community members as volunteers.
- Attend training and orientation on how to be an effective volunteer.
- Learn and uphold school discipline, confidentiality, and other policies as a volunteer.
- Plan a regular time each week to talk with school staff and educators with whom you are working.
- Help develop volunteer job descriptions and evaluations.
- Participate in organizing and planning ways to recognize and appreciate volunteers.
- Respond to school surveys/questionnaires on how effective volunteer programs are.
- Help develop and distribute a volunteer directory to parents, school staff, and teachers.
- Provide volunteer consulting services to school staff or educators on your areas of expertise.
- Learn of school and district policies and practices that affect children.
- Voice your support or concerns on any issue that will affect your family.
- Be involved in decision on student placement and course and textbook selections.
- Participate in meetings to determine special educational needs and services.
- Attend workshops on problem solving, conflict resolution, public speaking, and so forth.
- Serve on school advisory councils or committees on curriculum, discipline, and so forth.
- Serve on a site-based school management team with teachers and the principal.
- Encourage and support older children in serving in student leadership positions.
- Help your school create a student's rights and responsibilities guide for families.
- Attend PTA, school board, and/or town meetings and speak to issues of concern.
- Learn representatives' backgrounds and participate in school board elections.
- Work with teachers and school administrators to develop a parent involvement policy.
- Write, call, or travel to state capitals to support or oppose pro-posed legislation.
- Participate in petition drives or letter-writing campaigns to Congress on legislation.
- Give testimony at public hearings in support of or opposition to education legislation.
- Vote in local, state, and federal elections for public officials who support education.
- Help your school develop a directory of social and community services.
- Find out information on community resources and organizations and use them.
- Help develop and/or distribute a community newsletter to local agencies and businesses.
- Help coordinate and participate in an event to raise money for a local charity.
- Talk with employers about holding parent meetings or parenting workshops on-site.
- Advocate for flexible work schedules and leave time to attend school functions.
- Encourage employers and local businesses to make donations and support school programs.
- Help organize and/or participate in community health fairs.
- Help recruit community members (seniors, business people) to volunteer at school.
- Become active in community groups such as YMCA and Roy and Girl Scouts.
- Serve on local community advisory councils and committees.
- Work with local authorities and public officials to sponsor community events.
- Help organize and/or participate in a community "clean up" or "beautification" project.
- Encourage and help facilitate your child's participation in community service.
- Be a role model, be active in community service yourself or together with your child.
National PTA
330 N. Wabash Ave., Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60611-3690 (800) 307-4PTA (4782)
Phone: (312) 670-6782 Fax: (312) 670-6783 www.pta.org
Getting Involved In Your Child's Education
Be an active partner in your child's education.
Participate in every facet of education and development of your child from birth to adulthood.
Recognize that YOU are the primary influence in your child's life.
Three types of parent involvement are critical in a young person' s education:
- Parents as first teachers at home
- Parents as partners with the school
- Parents as advocates for all children.
Research shows that parent involvement increases student achievement and self-esteem in large and small communities, preschool through high school, in rich and poor areas, in urban, rural, and suburban communities. Strong parent involvement programs:
- produce students who perform better
- benefit schools and communities.
Involved parents develop a more positive attitude towards school and their additional resources are a bonus for today's schools.
Parents as First Teachers at Home
- Provide basic needs for children
- Make education a first priority in your home
- Reinforce learning at home with help from the classroom teacher[s]
- Limit TV viewing, preview programs
- Encourage reading and read with your child
- Attend parent education programs in the school or community
- Introduce your children to community resources (e.g. museums, parks, libraries)
- Use parent resource library/parent center
- Attend weekly parent discussion groups Watch video tapes of parent education programs
Parents as Partners with the School
Home-school communication ideas
- Frequent dialogue, written/oral
- Two-way communication of expectations, home to school and school to home
- Homework hotline, "good news" postcards, happy- grams, monthly classroom calendars
- Home visits Personal notes
- Parent bulletin board in school
- Parent handbook from school
- Positive two-way parent/teacher contacts early in the school year
Parents as supporters
- Volunteer as a room parent, field trip chaperone, tutor, speaker
- Attend school open houses
- Attend parent-teacher conferences
- Attend school functions; e.g. plays, concerts, sports events, assemblies
- Join the school's PTA/PTSA
Parents as Advocates for all Children
- Actively participate with your school's PTA
- Link with community groups, associations and local government
- Attend school board meetings
- Be aware of local issues through school district communications
- Participate on building/district committees
- Dialogue with other parents
- Participate on school-based planning teams
- Be familiar with legislative issues
- Speak for ALL children
Strategies to Increase Parent Involvement
To help you be an involved parent, work with your school to adopt the following:
Time
- Survey regarding the best time for parents and staff to meet
- Varied meeting times: before-school breakfasts, during-school lunches, after-school teas, potluck dinners, evening dessert and coffee hours, weekend open houses, meetings, conferences
- Convenient times for working parent[s]
- Better and more timely communication through newsletters, phone calls, fliers, and community publications; so the parent[s] can plan ahead,
- Scheduling that allows the parent[s] with limited time to help in the classroom
- Evening office hours for the principal
- Meetings repeated at different times of day
- Work-site parent conferences
- Meetings/programs scheduled at apartment complexes or community centers Suggestion boxes conveniently located
- A form for parents to submit questions, ideas, and comments
Child Care
- On-site child care during programs, meetings, open houses
- Sufficient advance notice so arrangements can be made
Two-Way Communication To Increase Awareness
- Easy to understand language
- Eliminate educational jargon
- Home-school handbook
- Multi-lingual communications
- A schedule of regular meeting times, phone calls, fliers, newsletters, community newspapers
Transportation
- Parent networks
- Volunteer coordinator to arrange car pools
- Small group meetings in community centers, homes, or other convenient places
Cultural diversity
- Be aware of the values, attitudes, and manners of other cultures
- Know what religious holidays and observances are among all groups within your school
School climate
- Use welcome signs in all appropriate languages
- Encourage parents to visit school during the day
- Teachers and administrators attend parent group meetings
- Recognize parents as equal partners in education
- Encourage meaningful parent involvement
- Sponsor parent involvement training for all school staff Accept new ideas
YOU can become involved by encouraging your school to consider these successful ideas. Contact your principal or your child’s teacher. Working together will benefit your child’s education.
Unsure of how to become involved?
- Contact the volunteer coordinator at your school.
- Call your PTA/PTSA president.
- Attend orientation meetings on how to become involved.
- Contact your child’s teacher early and often.
NEW YORK STATE PTA
Branch of the National
119 Washington Avenue
Albany, New York 12210-2284
1-518-462-5326
Ten additional ways to participate in your children's education
- Build your children's self-esteem. Listen to what they have to say and praise them for the things they do well.
- Encourage your children to talk about their feelings, accomplishments and problems.
- Be a positive role model for your children. Teach them right from wrong at an early age.
- Tell your children it's all right to make mistakes, as long as they learn from them.
- Allow your children to see you read daily newspapers, books, etc. Read stories aloud and tell them about your culture and heritage.
- Show an interest in your children's school activities by helping them with their homework and getting to know their teachers.
- Take your children to museums, the local library, and other free educational and cultural events whenever possible.
- Ask that report cards and other school documents be made m available in both English and Spanish.
- Ask the school to provide a translator for meetings and whether English as a second language (ESL) classes are available.
- Join the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) or volunteer at your children's school
|
