Improving Parent Involvement

“One of the most important factors in creating a good school is always going to be parental involvement in its life”
(U.S. Department of Education, 1993, p.7.)

Parent involvement includes a wide variety of parent behaviors. Research indicates that what parents do at home with their children has more influence in their children’s academic performance, than how much parents are involved in their children’s school activities. Most often those parents who are most knowledgeable and engaged in their children’s school activities are also most nurturant of their children’s academic performance at home. When parents are involved, students perform most successfully and have fewer learning problems.

“According to scientific analysis, when parents are more involved, their children are 30% more successful in school”
(Parent Institute – www.parent-institute.com)

When parents fail to become involved, educators may have the tendency to blame the parents, as being “too busy, experience too may barriers to overcome to become involved, too disinterested, having their own problems."

This section of the website is designed to provide educators with suggestions of ways to proactively engage parents in the education of their children. Before “blaming” parents for non-involvement, it would be worthwhile to determine how many of the following suggestions your school has tried. This list of suggestions is designed to help educators view parents as resources and partners, rather than as obstacles.

The suggestions for improving parent involvement fall into the following categories:

1. improving the school’s climate so it is more inviting to parents;
2. improving communication (both written and oral) with parents;
3. taking proactive steps to involve parents (“reaching out”);
4. providing administrative support for parent involvement.

Once again, if the principal of the school is not committed to improving parent involvement and providing supports, then the amount of parent engagement would be limited. At the end of this section we have also included an example of how parents can be proactive in contacting the principals in an effort to reduce bullying.

1) Improving the School’s Climate

What happens when parents appear at your school? Parents are made to feel welcome. Welcoming office staff is helpful and courteous to the parents. There are signs that welcome parents to the school; teachers greet parents when they pass them in the hall; there is a parent reception area with written material, newsletters and coffee.

• Principal and teachers view parents as “partners.” They convey interest and cooperative collaboration when discussing the parent’s child. The importance of parent involvement and commitment is highlighted.

• School facilities are inviting (clean and neat school, bathrooms and cafeteria).

• School ensures that the parents’ and students’ ethnic, social and cultural diversity are represented and respected. Nurture cultural diversity so all students and parents feel welcome.

• School helps create a cohesiveness among parents (e.g., Parent Teacher Association meetings or volunteer parent activities such as inviting parents to attend opening morning, student assemblies, work as a group on improving playground or with fund raising activities).

2) Improving Communication with Parents – Written and Oral Written Communication With Parents

• Use multilingual messages to parents

• At the beginning of the school year teachers send a letter home to each parent highlighting how much they look forward to teaching their son/daughter, working with them as partners in education, establishing an ongoing dialogue regarding their child’s progress, and extending an invitation to contact the teacher.

Sample letter adapted from Walker et al. 2004

Dear Parents:

Just a quick note to welcome your child to my classroom. I am looking forward to the school year and getting to know you and your child. Always feel free to get in touch with me by (list telephone number, email address) and I will get back to you as soon as I can. Our working together will make this a successful school year for your (son, daughter – include name). Over the first few weeks of school we will be (provide brief summary).

I look forward to teaching (student’s name).

Sincerely,

• Provide parents with a Parent’s Handbook that includes school rules, policies, activities, Mission Statement, Code of Conduct, names of key personnel, telephone numbers and a classroom calendar.

• Provide parents with ongoing Class Newsletter about what students will be working on and why it is important (e.g., description of unit objectives, types of problems and assignments, list of books to be used, and ways parents can be of help). Indicate that their daughter/son will be interviewing them about various topics, learning strategies, and the like.

• Indicate that students will be bringing home a folder of their schoolwork labeled TAKE HOME / BRING BACK. There will be spaces for parents to initial and comment on their son/daughter’s work.

• Ask parents to fill out a Survey Questionnaire about their child’s reading behavior (e.g., list of books read to student, average amount of reading time, leisure reading habits, favorite books, authors, reading strengths and weaknesses).

• Send parents occasional TEACHER-GRAM and invite them to send back a PARENT-GRAM about their child’s progress. Include GOOD NEWS NOTES of student’s progress and achievements. Encourage parent to ask “what” and “how” questions of “what” their son/daughter did and “how” did he/she go about doing the task. Discuss the processes of learning and reinforce efforts.

• Send home parent requests on how they can be of help as illustrated in the following parent memos:

MEMO 1 Example

WHAT PARENTS CAN DO ABOUT BULLYING
(These suggestions have benefited from the guidelines offered by K. Dorrell, Oct. 2006 www.canadaliving.com and from the Massachusetts Medical Society guidelines on bullying www.massmed.org.)

1) Talk about bullying with your child.

Help your child know what bullying looks like and feels like, and if he/she or classmates are being mistreated and bullied.

Help your child understand that bullying involves more than physical aggression.
Sometimes bullying can be verbal and social in the form of name calling, hurtful teasing, threats, humiliation, gossiping or spreading rumors and damaging
friendships.

Let your child express him/herself. If your child reports being bullied, then there
are a number of steps for you to take.

These include: