PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT AND PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES Reyna Ortega

1. PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT AND PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCESReyna Ortega PARENTS AND TEACHERS WORKING TOGETHER

2. No Child Left Behind Act • The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) became the No Child Left Behind Act when it was re-authorized in 2001 and became one of the most significant reforms since the passage of ESEA.

3. Section 1118 of NCLB • requires that every school district and every school receiving Title I dollars must have a written parent involvement policy, as well as build school capacity to effectively implement the parent policy provisions. This policy must be developed jointly with, approved by, and distributed to parents of participating children and the local community. It must ensure that strong plans for parental involvement are in place in every Title I school, and should be designed to encourage and sustain active parental involvement.

4. Defining Parental Involvement • The law defines parental involvement as the participation of parents in regular, two-way, and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities including:

5. meaningful communication • Assisting their child’s learning; • Being actively involved in their child’s education at school; • Serving as full partners in their child’s education and being included, as appropriate, in decision-making and on advisory committees to assist in the education of their child; and • The carrying out of other activities such as those described in section 1118 of the ESEA” Section 9101(32).

6. Building School Capacity and Leadership • Section 1118 also requires that school districts work in cooperation with their Title I schools to build the capacity of parents and school staff for strong parental involvement, which in turn will improve academic achievement. This section recognizes that not all schools have the same experience, expertise, resources and training in building school-parent-community partnerships, and is designed to address those “capacity” needs.

7. The requirements for parent involvement as described in No Child Left Behind: What's In It for Parents?* as follows: • Every Title I school must have a written parent involvement policy, developed with and approved by parents. • School-Parent Compact. Every Title I school must have a school-parent compact, developed with and approved by parents, that describes how the school and parents will build a partnership to improve student achievement.

8. District Policy. Every school district must have a written Title I parent involvement policy that is developed with and approved by parents, and evaluated every year. • Report Cards. The school district must distribute a report card specifying how every school and the district as a whole are performing. This applies to all schools and districts.

9. Title II. All classroom teachers must be highly qualified (as defined by federal law). Parents may ask to see teacher credentials and parents of students assigned to teachers who do not meet the qualifications for the content area they are teaching must be notified.

10. Title III. Bilingual Education. Schools and districts receiving Title III funds must develop plans to involve and effectively communicate with parents of children with limited English proficiency.

11. Title IV, Part A. Safe and Drug-Free Schools. This provision allows parents of students who are victims of violence at school or who attend a "persistently dangerous school" to transfer to a safer public school. States must define "persistently dangerous." Schools applying for Title IV funds must involve parents in establishing and carrying out these programs.

12. Taking Action • The rights and responsibilities of parents under Section 1118 are not meant to be punitive or inflexible, but are designed to benefit the academic and social progress of the student, and strengthen the work and mission of the public school. However, parents and communities need to know the provisions of NCLB and Section 1118 before they can take the actions required to implement effective programs.

14. Potential Challenges to Parent Involvement • Differing ideas among parents and teachers on what constitutes involvement • A less than welcoming atmosphere toward parents and other visitors in schools and classrooms • Negative or neutral communication from schools, • Insufficient training for teachers on how to reach out to both mothers and fathers • Lack of parental education and parenting skills • Time and job pressures • Language barriers

15. Activity • Take one of the statements from the previous slide and find a partner to share your thoughts with. • Now you and your partner find another pair to share your thoughts on the statement you chose. • Repeat the above step so that now the four of you find another pair (group of 6) to share with.

16. ACTION OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMMUNITY LEADERS • Disseminate the plan to community members and parents. After it has been disseminated, find out if it meets the needs and concerns of the parents in your community. • Ask the LEA to consult with community-based leaders as it develops its Title I plan.

17. ACTION OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMMUNITY LEADERS • Offer to provide the following services to SEAs and LEAs either on a voluntary or a contractual basis: • – Professional development training for teachers in working effectively with parents • – Training in ways that schools and parents can work together more effectively • – Training and skill-building activities for parents, e.g., how to negotiate with schools when adopting parental involvement policies, how to monitor compliance with policies, how to understand and analyze achievement and report card data distributed by SEAs and LEAs, and how to use the data to increase student achievement.

18. Checklist

19. How to develop an effective policy • This policy was developed by a committee of parents, teachers, support staff, and community members. Here is what they did: 1. They conducted focus groups with families, staff and community members, and did a school climate survey to find out what was important to them. 2. They drafted a policy and distributed it widely for comment. 3. They revised the policy using the comments and had it ratified by the school council, the parent organization, and the faculty.

20. KEYS TO SUCCESS • Remember, there is no "one size fits all" answer to partnerships. • Set clear and measurable goals based on family and community input. • Develop a variety of outreach mechanisms to inform families, businesses, and the community about family involvement policies and programs. These can include newsletters, flyers, personal contacts, slide shows, videotapes, local newspapers and cable TV, web sites, and public forums.

21. KEYS TO SUCCESS • Ensure that families and students have complete information about the standards students are expected to meet, examples of student work that meets these standards, and understanding of how students will be assessed. For example, hold curriculum nights to feature the standards and exhibit student work. Provide workshops about the state's testing program, with a chance for parents to take the test.

22. KEYS TO SUCCESS • Use creative forms of communication between educators and families that are personal, goal-oriented, and make optimal use of new communication technologies. One idea might be telephones in every classroom with voice-mail capacity. • Find positive messages to send to all families about their child on at least once a month. • Provide professional development opportunities for educators and families to enable them to work together effectively as partners in the educational process.

24. Quote • When schools, families, and community groups work together to support learning, children tend to do better in school, stay in school longer, and like school more. Henderson and Mapp, 2002

25. Ask Yourself: • In what ways are your schools, family and community working together effectively? • What might schools, parents/families, and the community do differently to work together more effectively? • What are possible benefits when schools, parents/families, and community groups work together?

26. Higher performing schools that succeed in engaging families from diverse backgrounds share three key practices: • focus on building trusting collaborative relationships among teachers families and community members. • recognize, respect and address families’ needs, as well as class and cultural difference. • embrace a philosophy of partnership where power and responsibility are shared.

27. Research shows that students with involved parents, no matter what their income or background, were more likely to: • earn higher grades and test scores, and enroll in higher-level programs • be promoted, pass their classes, and earn credits • attend school regularly • have better social skills, show improved behavior, and adapt well to school • graduate and go on to postsecondary education

28. Group Activity • Break out into small groups Group A: What can parents do to get involved with their children’s education (at the campus, community, home level)? Group B: What type of activities can you (as a teacher) do in your classroom that would promote parental involvement?

29. Online Resources • parent pointers • NEA phamplet

30. Stakeholders • School Administrators • Teachers • Parents and Family Members • Community Members

31. Teacher’s Role in Parental Involvement • COMMUNICATION -Phone calls (phone log)/Eduphoria/School plus -online If you speak to parent: Introduce yourself and state something positive about student. Record time, date and phone number (home, cell, work) of phone call If you did not speak to the parent(s), Write down the name of person who you spoke to or if you left a message with someone. -Letters Keep a copy of any/all letters sent home with student(s) in teacher student file. -Email Keep a log of emails sent to parents -Home visits (depending on district)

32. Teachers • Ways to Involve Parents -Send home parent-child activities -Classroom Projects -Community activities (visit local library) -Campus “Family Nights” -Open House -Book Fairs -Christmas Programs -Literacy Night-Meet the Author

33. Parent-Teacher Conferences • Questions parents may want to ask teachers • Always have student supporting documents on hand (ex. assessments, test scores, reading fluency level, Renaissance, etc.) • Always keep a Parent-Teacher Conference log and have parent sign at the end of each conference.

34. Parent/Teacher Conferences Before the Conference: • Inform parents ahead of time about the purpose of the conference. • Gather file folders or portfolios of each student's work. • Review notes on each student's behavior, academic progress, and interactions. • Establish no more than two or three concerns or issues.

35. Parent/Teacher Conferences • Establish a waiting area outside your classroom. For reasons of confidentiality, you only want to meet with one set of parents at a time • Don't conduct a parent-teacher conference from behind your desk. A teacher's desk is sometimes referred to as “power furniture,” and it tends to inhibit conversation and makes many parents uncomfortable. Instead, conduct your conferences at a table. Don't sit across from parents; instead, sit on the same side of the table as your guests. You will discover heightened levels of conversation and “comfortableness” on the part of parents this way.

36. Parent/Teacher Conferences During the Conference: • Greet parents in a positive manner with a smile and a handshake. • Provide parents with specific academic information. • Invite and obtain additional information from parents. • Listen carefully to parents. If you're nervous, you will tend to “take over” the conversation—by as much as 90 percent. Try for a 50-50 balance.

37. Parent/Teacher Conferences • Combine your perceptions and their observations into a workable plan of action. Ask for parent ideas, and use those ideas in addressing challenging situations. • Let parents know that you are always available for follow-up (phone calls, personal meetings, etc.).

38. Parent/Teacher Conferences • When talking to parents, always remember: show, don't tell. Provide specific examples of a student's work or behavior rather than labels or adjectives. Instead of saying, “Frankie is poor in math,” paint a clear picture for Frankie's parents: “Last week Frankie struggled when we were learning to add two-digit numbers, and he didn't finish his assignment.” Always provide parents with concrete examples rather than very broad generalities.

39. Parent/Teacher Conferences • If you are sharing some negative information with parents, be sure you “sandwich” it. Begin with some positive information, then share the negative information, and conclude with another piece of positive information.

40. Parent/Teacher Conferences • Always look for common solutions (“I understand your concern with Carmelita. Let's see if we can work on this together”). Have some duplicated resource sheets available for parents. These may include (but aren't limited to) the following: a list of community social service agencies, a homework help line, a list of private tutors in the community, websites for homework help, etc.

41. TIPS: Teachers Involve Parents in Schoolwork | NNPS

42. Parent/Teacher Conferences • It is far better to “invite” parents to become part of the solution than “tell” them what they should or should not do. • Summarize some of the major points, and clarify any action that will be taken. • Most important, always end a conference on a positive note! Don't just dismiss parents from the table. Stand up with them and personally escort them to the door with a smile, a handshake, and a “Thank you for coming.”

43. Parent/Teacher Conferences After the Conference: • Save a few minutes after each conference to jot down a couple notes. • Don't take notes during the conference—it tends to inhibit many parents and makes eye-to-eye conversation difficult. • Record your observations, perceptions, and suggestions • Break between conferences; you need time to gather your thoughts, regroup, and get ready for the next conference. A long string of back-to-back conferences will only add to your stress and increase your anxiety. • Be sure to follow up (as necessary) with phone calls, notes, messages, or letters to every parent, including those who didn't attend (“I'm sorry I missed you at the parent-teacher conferences last week. May I call you for a personal meeting?”). Immediate feedback is necessary to ensure parent cooperation and participation in any shared solutions. Read more on Teacher Vision: http://www.teachervision.fen.com

44. Campus Contacts“Know Your Students” • Parents • Nurse • Counselor • Administration • Previous Year’s Teacher • Tutorial Teacher

45. Home Visits • Have you ever thought of visiting your student’s homes? • The child with high absenteeism. • The campus Parent Liaison can accompany you. (Check with your campus administration for guidelines)

46. What needs to be done…… • Focus efforts to engage families on developing trusting and respectful relationships. • Embrace a philosophy of partnership and be willing to be share power with families. Make sure that parents, school staff, and community members understand that the responsibility for children’s educational development is a collaborative enterprise. • Build strong connections between schools and community organizations. • Include families in all strategies to reduce the achievement gap.