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Encouraging parent involvement at your school

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... Parents Reaching Out workshop for ideas that will help your child ... visible set up a parent involvement bulletin board, or create a special section of ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Encouraging parent involvement at your school


1
Encouraging parent involvement at your school
Great Start an orientation and training evening
for school council members October 26, 2009
2
Savi Khanna, Parent Involvement Committee
Co-chair Karen McDonald, Parent Involvement
Committee Co-chair parentinvolvement_at_peelsb.com
Alison Farbar, School Communications
Specialist alison.farbar_at_peelsb.com
3
What is the Parent Involvement Committee?
  • required by the Ministry of Education
  • exists to support student success by helping the
    board encourage meaningful parent involvement
  • think of a board-level school council

4
(No Transcript)
5
Accomplishments so far
  • Help your child learn workshops
  • videos, support for board events and more
  • research report on parent involvement in the
    works

6
Research findings
  • parents typically consider themselves to be
    involve
  • most common involvement daily follow-up
  • parents feel they're most engaged in parenting,
    assisting student learning and communication with
    the school
  • although principals make communication a
    priority, some parents feel they do not receive
    enough info, especially newcomers

7
Research findings
  • parents feel well-connected in the early grades
  • most common involvement daily follow-up
  • overall, findings point to a fundamental
    difference between educational approach in
    Ontario and in most countries of origin
  • inquiry based approach leads to frustration

8
Barriers to involvement
  • busy life/working
  • communication gaps/confusion about how to be
    involved
  • language
  • lack of curriculum information
  • involvement discouraged by older children
  • lack of subject knowledge/confidence
  • transportation
  • selective involvement and others

9
What parents said
  • "I think life just gets in the way."
  • "As a new immigrant, it's hard to be
    involvedbecause we are so busy doing survival
    jobs to support our family."
  • "My son is 16he won't tell me anything. I have
    to work at finding out the information because
    he's 16."
  • "Since there is a language barrier, I cannot
    effectively help my child academically."

10
What does this mean for you?
  • No one-size-fits-all answer
  • Be flexible, empathetic and welcoming
  • Value what is already happening

11
Develop a plan that is inclusive and works
12
Develop a plan that is inclusive and works
13
Start with your audience
  • Who needs to know this?
  • What do they need to know?
  • What is the best time and vehicle to communicate
    to them?
  • How will we know the message has been received?

14
Set communications goals
  • What are you trying to achieve?
  • SMART specific, measurable, action-oriented,
    researched-based, time bound
  • To increase attendance at this year's Parents
    Reaching Out workshop by 20.
  • To recruit 10 new regular attendees to school
    council meetings by the end of the school year,
    including at least two members whose first
    language is something other than English.
  • To increase the number of instances that parents
    are spending time reading or doing other
    educational activities with their child at home.

15
Identify key messages
  • Three messages, repeated at various points
  • Think how does this affect my child?
  • Plan to attend the next Parents Reaching Out
    workshop for ideas that will help your child
    succeed in school.
  • Learning is fun! Read with your child every
    night. Modelling reading encourages reading in
    children.
  • Students do better when parents are involved.
    Your skills and talents are an asset to all
    children at our school. If you're interested in
    volunteering, see the principal.

16
Decide how to communicate
  • Face-to-face communication is most effective.
    Meet parents on the playground, at school events
    or in the community.
  • Reach out to diverse communities. Take time to
    welcome new families and get to know local faith
    leaders. Help parents feel welcome.
  • Repeat your messages often, but not all of the
    time. Be visible set up a parent involvement
    bulletin board, or create a special section of
    the school newsletter.
  • Provide useful information like tips, activities
    or book suggestions.

17
Parent Voice in Education survey of parents
who are actively involved with their childs
school 11 of parents who would be involved,
if they were asked 50
18
Thank you!
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