Involving Parents in Child's Education

The following evidence is a student's Semester Two Report. The report demonstrations that I involve parents and carers in their children’s learning (3.7.2). The report is contextualized as comments and grades provide parents and carers with an insight on their child’s strengths, while also suggesting areas for improvement. This allows parents, carers and teachers to work together to assist the student’s future development (3.7.2). Each semester report is accompanied by a parent-teacher interview. This facilitates face to face interaction and establishes further opportunities for parents and carers to be involved in their children’s learning (3.7.2).

The second is Communication between the Home and School. In order to help families create settings within the home to support their children as students we, the teachers, can provide suitable materials which give information and assistances on how the parents can help at home. Through pamphlets, e-mails, and phone calls teachers can inspire and encourage parents to converse and work with their child. Through our involvement with the families, parents become more aware of their child’s school platform, they interact on a more positive level with their children they are more skilled to reinforce the teacher's objectives in order to achieve better schoolwork. When we give parents information to become more knowledgeable partners with the school, their child sees that their parents and teachers are communicating with one another about their schoolwork, which allows them to become more aware of their parents involvement and abilities. This will open up the opportunity for the child and parents to talk openly about the child’s schoolwork and the decisions the child makes at school.

When Initially planning a parent/ carers teacher conference concerning a child’s performance in the classroom. It is essential to be prepared and show sensitivity towards parents and children. As a kindergarten teacher and mother of 1, I understand the anxiety parents feel in regards to their children and their achievements. We as educators need to address professional standard 3.7 Engage parents/carers in the educative process this can be achieved by describing a broad range of strategies for involving parents/carers in the educative process (AITSL, 2010).

During the placement I was able to spend time observing interactions between parents, children and staff. I witnessed many positive aspects in the schools approach to engaging parents and was particularly impressed by their open door policy for parents and the support provided to families in times of need by the learning mentors. As part of the admission process to the school, staff visit the parents and child at home and discuss the implementation of the home-school agreement (appendix 1.b). This agreement sets out the expectations of each of the parent, school and child in regard to their actions and attitude towards their time in school. This is often one of the first interactions teacher and parents have and Grayson (2011) suggests most teachers report these home visits to have a lasting positive effect on the child and parent-teacher relationship. During the school’s inspection in 2014 Ofsted identified relationships across the school and with parents as a key strength.

A statement of when the parents will be notified of their child’s progress, which must be at least as often as the regular education student.

Carrion, Elder Homework as a lifestyle Education has been adding new methods in order to give students the opportunity to be capable of becoming successful individuals in society. On the other side, the quantity and frequency of homework assigned may generate discrepancies in how kids are organazing their time after a prolonged journey in classes. Also, the relevance of homework impacts the process of learning and the formation of kids’behaviors. As Alfie Kohn points out in “Kids May Be Right After All: Homework Stinks,” the period of time that homework takes is indirectly creating a gap in certain areas; kids spending more time with their family, having less fulfilling lives, as well as, being kids.

By informing parents of the ways in which they may be able to assist (Fellowes, 2010), paired with flexible commitment offers, teachers are setting a comfortable and casual scene for parents to become involved in their child’s learning.

In order to find out how the homeroom teacher Ms. Mendez*, collaborates with parents an interview took place on February 21 after school. The interview has taught me the importance of documentation. When conducting parent teacher conferences or speaking to administration, data needs to be presented in regards to students’ academic progress. Thus, documenting everything the student does will serve as evidence to parents and faculty. Additionally, Mrs. Mendez makes sure to bring grades, test scores, anecdotal notes, and work samples when conferencing with parents and/ or the school administration. Although, the school sends out progress reports every four weeks and report cards every semester, Mrs. Mendez uses ClassDojo for parents to be informed of the class content each week.

One of the most important things that we need to remember as middle level teachers, is that every young adolescent is different, and because of those differences, we need to make sure that our lessons and activities reflect this aspect of young adolescents. The middle school age student is extremely complex. On one hand, they don’t fit into the elementary age of little kids, yet aren’t quite as mature as high school aged students. At this age, it is imperative to create lessons that are unique and captivating. Often the biggest problem about teaching middle school aged children is that they need motivation to do their work. In high school, students are worried about not doing well enough to get into college, while in elementary school their

Maybe even go over flash cards together at home. For example, cards that are of objects like television, car, door, chair, table, kitchen, house, dog, pillow, or blanket. Simple words that can not only help the English language learner, but maybe even the parents as well. Of course I would add pictures on the opposite side, so they know exactly what it is. In this activity, the purpose is for the parent to interact with their child and help them memorize words and know what they have trouble with.

Homework can become more closely monitored to assure that the work being assigned to students is useful and engaging. Parents and students are unhappy with homework assigned as busy work which offers little depth and instead just consumes the student’s time (Melvin). If the High School could keep a closer eye on what teachers are assigning students, this would help to alleviate students who are stuck performing monotonous tasks night after night that do not contribute to their overall educational experience. To elaborate on this, different forms of homework impact certain students differently and good teachers will be able to deliver educational value through different types of work. (Terada). Teachers who always assign only a single type of homework will inevitably be unable to engage their entire class. In order to fully get everyone to become involved and engaged in the work allotted, the school system should make sure that the homework teachers assign to students is constantly

Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972) talked about the Free Exercise Clause by putting together a three-part explanation to balance out people 's education and religious freedom. “The balancing test marked the move from belief-action doctrine in the nineteenth century.”(Politics, 2014) Through the case its decisions impacted the debate regarding parents control of their children 's education. Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment posed some challenges to court, which was faced with the conflicts between the church and the state. “The clause, which protects the free exercise of religion, fails to define religion, leaves its protective parameters unclear, and invites a wide range of interpretations.” (Industries, 2016) Free Exercise is difficult to understand but it is important in a nation as diverse as the United States. In the United States religious groups look for exemption from state or federal laws based on their own beliefs.

Many studies have indicated that parental involvement is important to the success of various educational and intervention programs (Granger, Rivieres-Pigeeon, Sabourin & Forget, 2012; Hastings & Johnson, 2001; Neymotin, 2013; Solish & Perry, 2008). The National Research Council Report (2001) strongly recommends parental involvement in autism interventions. Additionally, in his 1987 study, Lovaas required that parents apply no less than 10 hours per week of the intensive behavioral intervention (IBI) program with their own children. Parents participating in Lovaas’ IBI program are often encouraged to be full members of the therapy team (Lovaas & Buch, 1997). The increased intervention hours that come from parental involvement are supposed to improve the child’s cognitive, language, social, and adaptive skills (Sallows & Graupner, 2005). In addition, parental involvement can help these skills more successfully generalize from the treatment setting to the natural environment (Lovass, 1987).

Parental involvement in education is a vital essential for creating a cooperative environment for the student to thrive and succeed in. When a student knows that he or she is receiving support both inside and outside the school, the chances of that child becoming responsible for and active in their education are more likely. I know that there can be difficulties including parents for many reasons. Such parents may be too busy, uninterested or just feel helpless. However, as an educator, I will still have an obligation to reach out to these parents and assist them.

Parents are their child’s first teacher. The elementary age is the most crucial time for