Parent Involvement

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Parent Involvement

• Tips, Tools and Strategies for Parents and
  Professionals
• Oregon r.i.s.e. Center

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What is the Oregon r.i.s.e. Center

• We are a statewide organization that encourages,
  educates, and empowers children and young adults
  with disabilities, their parents, family members,
  and professionals to collaboratively achieve
  unlimited success. We are a regionalized model
  with staff living in the area that they serve.

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Current Programs
Partners Program
Statewide Conferences
Bullying Prevention and Awareness Diversity O
rPTI Transition
IEP Partners Transition Partners Mediation
Partners
Annual Parent Conference Building
Futures Infant and Early Childhood Conference
Special Education Helpline 1-888-891-6784 Monday-F
riday, 9am to 3pm info_at_oregonrisecenter.org
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Oregon r.i.s.e Center/Parent Training and
Information Program
Coming together is a beginning, Keeping
together is progress, Working together is
success.
Henry Ford
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Research Shows

• Parent involvement in children's learning is
  positively related to achievement.
• The more intensively parents are involved in
  their children's learning, the more beneficial
  are the achievement effects.
• The most effective forms of parent involvement
  are those which engage parents in working
  directly with their children on learning
  activities in the home.

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Research shows

• Considerably greater achievement benefits are
  noted when parent involvement is active--when
  parents work with their children at home,
  certainly, but also when they attend and actively
  support school activities and when they help out
  in classrooms or on field trips, and so on.
• The earlier in a child's education that parent
  involvement begins, the more powerful the effects
  will be.

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Five guiding principles for involving parents in
schools

• Offer parents opportunities in the context of a
  well-organized and long lasting program
• Allow parents to choose from a range of
  participation options
• Engage parents in decision making at all
  available levels
• Intentionally design a parent friendly
  environment
• Communicate regularly and acknowledge parent
  involvement

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Offer parents opportunities in the
context of a well-organized and long lasting
program

• Offer parent participation inservice during the
  year
• Develop parent involvement programs in
  instruction- at home, school and after school
• Develop a parent mentoring program that matches
  involved and uninvolved parents
• Provide professional development opportunities
  for parents

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Allow parents to choose from a range of
participation options

• Options need to accommodate schedules,
  preferences and capabilities
• Offer short term and longer term projects
• Develop projects that can be done at home and
  brought back to school
• Assign parent involvement homework assignments
  (family history, daily schedules)

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Engage parents in decision making at all
available levels

• Invite parents to be part of classroom as well as
  school or district wide decision making
• Allow opportunities for parents to complete
  surveys or short feedback forms on specific
  topics
• Identify ways that parents can take a lead role
  is task forces or meetings
• Involve families in evaluating the effectiveness
  of family involvement programs

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Intentionally design a parent friendly
environment

• Recognize the communitys ethnic, linguistic and
  cultural composition and resources and reflect
  that in school
• Identify a parent center for parents to use while
  at school
• Give parents a badge that identifies them as a
  parent partner at school
• Hire and train a family coordinator

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Communicate regularly and acknowledge parent
involvement

• Keep parents informed of their childs
  performance through notes, email, newsletters,
  etc.
• Be available for quick conversations with parents
  during drop off and pick up time
• Recognize parent participation in regular
  newsletters
• Provide social opportunities for teacher and
  parents

.
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Five Guiding Principles for Parents Who Want to
be Involved

• Share attributes, strengths and skills that could
  support your childs classroom or school
• Communicate with your childs teacher
• Ask to participate in school improvement and
  decision making opportunities
• Support classroom curriculum and activities at
  home
• Participate in a positive, collaborative and
  trusting manner

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Share attributes, strengths and skills that
could support your childs classroom or school

• Organization, planning skills
• Clerical, copying
• Hobbies, crafts, talents, artistic abilities
• Special expertise

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Communicate with your childs teacher

• Email, phone, written notes
• Attend Parent-Teacher conferences
• Attend school open house or other social events
• Before or after school check-ins

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Ask to participate in school improvement and
decision making opportunities

• Site council
• Parent clubs or Parent-Teacher club activities
• Staff selection committees
• Special project task forces

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Support classroom curriculum and activities
at home

• Make time and space for homework at home
• Follow through with assignments at home
• Make phone calls to other parents
• Prepare art projects or pieces at home for school
  projects

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Participate in a positive, collaborative and
trusting manner

• Follow through on tasks or commitments
• Develop relationships with school personnel
• Express concerns or needs with a friendly
  demeanor
• Be considerate of time that teachers have for
  one-on-one conversations
• Approach participation as adding to the education
  of ALL children

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Attributes of Successful Partnerships

• Mutual respect
• Trust
• Shared problem solving
• Common vision and goals
• Conflicts, when present, are openly acknowledged
  and addressed
• Focus

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Elements of Collaboration

• Inclusive decision making
• Caring attitudes
• Sharing information
• Consideration of cultural factors
• Trust

• Considering the whole child
• Responsive services
• Families as a resource

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Getting to the CORE

• True collaboration occurs with CORE - when these
  ingredients are present
• Connection
• Optimism
• Respect
• Empowerment

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CORE

• Connection
• Trust building
• Shared goals
• Common vision
• Conflict resolution
• Optimism
• Problems are system, not individual, problems.
  (interface)
• No one person is to blame. (non-blaming,
  solution-oriented)
• All concerned parties are doing the best they
  can. (non-judgmental, perspective taking)

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CORE

• Respect
• Each person brings different, but equally valid
  expertise to the problem-solving process.
• Respect requires acceptance of differences,
  especially perceptions about a childs
  performance.
• Empowerment
• Both parties have strengths and competencies.
• Both parties believe they can help.
• Both parties have a role for which they feel
  comfortable.
• Both parties see that their efforts make a
  difference in the success of students education.

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Involving the Uninvolved

• Newer school practices include
• Identifying families who are not responding to
  current outreach and making a personal contact.
• Keeping interaction focused on genuine interest
  in improving the childs school success.
• Understanding parents goals for their childrens
  education.
• Being persistent about the importance of a family
  learning environment.

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The Future of Parent Involvement

• How will generational changes influence parents
  expectation of participation?
• How will participation change as a result of the
  economic climate for schools?
• How can the schools need to do more with less
  and the potential of parent participation create
  a win-win solution?
• How will you use this discussion to increase
  parent participation at your school or workplace?

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Contact Information

• Call us at 503-581-8156 or 1-888-505-2673
• (toll free in the state of Oregon)
• Special Ed. Help Line 1-888-891-6784
• Fax us at 503-391-0429
• Email us at info_at_oregonrisecenter.org
• Website- www.oregonrisecenter.org