Texas Literacy Initiative/ Patricia Cisneros Young, (Presenter)

1. Texas Literacy Initiative/ Patricia Cisneros Young, (Presenter)

2. IndexSix Slices of Parental Involvement • Increasing student achievement by mobilizing parent, family and community volunteers inside and outside schools • Strengthening fitness &nutrition by supporting family participation in physical activities and healthy eating. • Enhancing the learning environment by utilizing alumni and community giving- as universities do – to finance the rebuilding of public schools as green buildings. • Communication • Designated activities that enhance literacy from 0 to 12th grade • College for ALL BISD Students

3. The most common barriers to family involvement include: • Lack of teacher time. • Educator’s misperceptions of parents' abilities. • Lack of understanding of parents' communication styles. • Family mobility, limited family resources, such as transportation and child care. • Parents' lack of comfort and vested interest in the school along with tension in relationships between parents and teachers. • Difficulties of involvement in the upper grades. (Jones, 2001; Baker, 2000; Caplan, 2000; American Association of School Administrators, 1998; Liontos, 1992)

4. Additionally, family involvement programs are often not fully implemented because: • School staff had not been trained to work with families. • Administrators and teachers worried that increased family involvement would add to their already busy schedules. • Educators were concerned that closer relationships with families would mean giving up power and decision-making. • Families were not sure how far they could go in making suggestions or asking questions; they worried that children would be punished for their parents' actions by a teacher or principal who was annoyed or threatened by the parent.

5. Effective strategies to increase parent involvement programs • Engage in two-way, regular communication with families. • Use the Parent Center • Tailor programs to schools' specific needs and be respectful of diversity. • Foster a climate of mutual respect and trust. • Welcome families into the school. (Blazer& Drake 2000)

6. The Four Myths of Parental Involvement Not all parent involvement activities are created equal! The National Center for Family and Community Connections with Schools at the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL) has combed through research to learn how parents can help improve their children's achievement. Based on this research, SEDL responds to four misconceptions of parent involvement in schools.

7. Myth #1: As a parent, the best way to get involved in my child's education is by joining the local parents' organization. Parents who are dues-paying members of their children's school PTA are supporting the oldest and largest child advocacy organization in the United States. But being a member alone doesn't ensure effective involvement in a child's learning. To support achievement, research suggests the most effective parental involvement focuses on learning activities-reading to children, letting them figure prices at the grocery store or setting aside time and space to do homework and projects. There are benefits in joining an organization like the PTA or PTO, such as the opportunity to share experiences and information with other parents and access to organizational resources. Just the same, parents can provide the support needed at home for their children to be successful in school without joining a local parent organization.

8. Myth #2: The teacher is the sole expert in educating a child, so a parent should never question a teacher or staff on school-related issues. Teachers and parents or family caregivers play different roles in a child's education. And a good relationship between a teacher and a parent, based on mutual respect and trust, benefits students. At times, parents may need to ask a teacher or school staff member for clarification about a specific issue or information. Parents should contact their children's teachers or other school staff when they have questions about their children's education. Most school staff members begin to see parents as partners when they know they will ask questions when information is unclear.

9. Myth #3: The influence of parent involvement on school achievement depends on the parents' income, level of education, and employment status. A large body of research confirms that family involvement in children's school experiences has a positive effect on children's attitudes toward achievement in school, regardless of how much money parents have or how many years of school they completed. More important is the parents' attitude toward learning. Working parents may not have much time to be involved at their children's schools, but they can show how much they value education and take an active interest in what their children are learning.

10. Myth #4: The key actors in parent involvement are the teacher, parents or family, and the student. Meaningful and successful parent involvement is not limited to partnerships between parents and teachers. Parents and family caregivers should think of the following educators and decision makers as participants in their children's educations-teachers, the principal, the school board, the superintendent, and public officials. Parents can influence school board members and public officials by participating in meetings, voting, and engaging in discussions of education matters and child advocacy issues.

12. VOLUNTEERING BISD encourages all campuses to foster a healthy working relationship between them and the parents. Parents participate by assisting in clerical duties, fundraising, educational opportunities for themselves(GED and English Classes), and healthy living practices such as nutrition and exercise (Zumba) Slice 1 VOLUNTEERING

13. PARENTING GOAL: Help all families establish home environments to support children as students. SAMPLE BEST PRACTICES • Home visits at transition points to preschool, elementary, middle and high school; and neighborhood meetings to help families understand schools and to help schools understand families. • School provides suggestions for home conditions that support learning at each grade level, provides workshops, videotapes, and/or computerized phone messages on parenting and child-rearing . • Parent education and other courses or training for parents (e.g., GED, college credit; family literacy), and family support programs to assist families with health nutrition, and other services. Slice 2 PARENTING

14. COMMUNICATING GOAL: Design more effective forms of school-to-home and home-to-school communications with all families each year about school programs and their children's progress. SAMPLE BEST PRACTICES • BISD schedules two OPEN HOUSE events with follow-ups as needed every school year. • BISD and the school campuses utilize SCHOOL MESSENGER to communicate with parents. • Clear information on all school and district policies, programs reforms, and transitions. Clear information on choosing schools, or courses, programs, and activities within schools. All of the above is online. Slice 3 COMMUNICATING

15. LEARNING AT HOME GOAL: Provide information and ideas to families about how to help students at home with homework and other curricular-related activities, decisions, and planning. SAMPLE BEST PRACTICES • Information on homework policies and how to monitor, and discuss schoolwork at home, and skills required for students in all subjects at each grade. • Information on how to assist students to improve skills on various class and school assignments. • Service to the community by students, families, and schools (e.g., recycling, HOSA, INTERACT CLUB & Rotary Club, NHS, FCCLA, SCIENCE FAIRS, Gladys Porter Zoo, Nursing Homes, art, music, drama, and other activities for seniors or others, etc.) • Goal setting for students with families each year, and for future plans for college or work. Slice 4 LEARNING AT HOME

16. DECISION MAKING GOAL: Include parents in school decisions, developing parent leaders and representatives. SAMPLE BEST PRACTICES • Active PTA/PTO or other parent organizations, school advisory councils for parent leadership and participation. • District level councils and committees for family and community involvement. • Independent advocacy groups to work for school improvements and to provide networks to link all families with parent representatives. • Information on school or local elections for school representatives. Slice 5 DECISION MAKING

17. COLLABORATING WITH COMMUNITY GOAL: Identify and integrate resources and services from the community to strengthen school programs, family practices, and student learning. SAMPLE BEST PRACTICES • Information for students and families on community health, cultural, recreational, social support, and other programs or services. • Information on community activities that link to learning skills and talents, including summer programs for students. • Service to the community by students, families, and schools (e.g., recycling, HOSA, INTERACT CLUB & Rotary Club, NHS, FCCLA, SCIENCE FAIRS, Gladys Porter Zoo, Nursing Homes, art, music, drama, and other activities for seniors or others, etc.) • Alumni to link to school programs for students. Slice 6 COLLABORATING WITH COMMUNITY

18. "It Takes A Parent”Federal, state, and local officials must do a better job of abiding by the parental involvement sections of the No Child Left Behind Act. "It Takes A Parent" is a report based on research involving 18 school districts in six states. The report finds that: • Current parent involvement provisions of the law are solid and ambitious, but require more faithful implementation and greater enforcement. • Teachers and administrators often lack training in how to engage parents; and parent involvement has fallen to the bottom of the list of NCLB requirements, though it is integral to the success of the law and of students and schools. • Data reports are often confusing and overwhelming, and parents wait months for performance results, often into the next school year. (Appleseed Foundation 2006)

19. Works Cited American Association of School Administrators, 1998 Appleseed Foundation, 2006 Baker, 2000 Blazer & Drake 2000 Caplan, 2000 Epstein, et. al. 2002, Six Types of Parental Involvement Jones, 2001;;; Liontos, 1992 The National Center for Family and Community Connections with Schools at the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL)