Parental involvement in the school system involves more than the occasional parent-teacher conference or trip to the principal's office, according to Education World. Parental involvement leads to higher academic achievement, as well as improved student attitudes and attendance, according to the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory. When teachers and administrators have an open line of communication with students' families, they are better able to prepare and provide educational services based on each student's needs.
Step 1
Send weekly newsletters home with students detailing the next week's lessons and activities. Include information about how parents can participate in the classroom.
Step 2
Collect the email addresses of your students' parents. Keep these on file and use them to send regular notes to parents. Email offers a quick way to address academic or behavior issues with parents without relying on the student to transport the message.
Step 3
Send home family activities that, once completed, become a display in the classroom. These activities should require that parents work with the student to complete them. One such example can be a getting-to-know-my-family project, which would require parents to help find pictures of family members to include in the finished project.
Step 4
Offer workshops that cover parenting topics relevant to both the demographic your school services and topics that are relevant to all parents. Topics such as tax preparation, budgeting and disciplinary methods are common issues that can be addressed with all parents.
Step 5
Create opportunities for parents to volunteer. For working parents, daytime volunteering may require taking time off of work but sending home items that need to be cut or organized will give working parents the opportunity to help you and become more involved.
Step 6
Schedule multiple parent-teacher meetings throughout the year. Situations with students' families change regularly, and keeping in touch via face-to-face meetings gives you a chance to adjust the way you are dealing with a student. Providing childcare services during meetings will allow you and the parents to focus on the topic at hand, according to Leah Davies, M.Ed.
Step 7
Set specific days for parents come to the school to have breakfast or lunch with their students. Send home flyers the week and day before the event to promote participation. This will give you the chance to interact with parents on a more casual basis.
Step 8
Start a home reading program. Give students tally sheets and send home information to parents about how to encourage reading at home. After a specific amount of time, host a celebration in the evening at the school where both students and parents can attend and receive a reward for their hard work at home.
References
- Education World: Parent Involvement in Schools
- Kelly Bear: Increasing Parent Involvement in Schools
- North Central Regional Educational Labratory: Critical Issue: Supporting Ways Parents and Families Can Become Involved in Schools
- Brookes Publishing: Newsletter Archive: How to Increase Parent Involvement in Schools
