Now Perhaps More Than Ever, Schools Need To Develop Strong

Family involvement plays a major role when helping students prosper in the school setting. In order for children to be successful, as a teacher, we have to provide support to the parent’s to make an effort in wanting to play apart in that success. Communication plays a major part in the effective relationship between families and school. Giving the parents a sense of idea as to how their child is doing in school is built through the student’s academic needs.

Many schools want to incorporate a powerful and positive parent involvement community, yet face a challenge in how to implement effective strategies to involve parents in helping students reach academic achievement. I believe parents want the very best for their child, even if they do not know how to go about helping their child reach success. Students come to school with countless attributes that I may or may not acknowledge, yet parents know the many accolades about their child that I must embrace. As I build a partnership with families, we become a partnership in their child’s education. We begin to collaborate to ensure the student maximizes

Probably one of the most important issues when it comes to Family/Community Partnership is trying to get the families/community involved in what we are doing. By engaging parents, it will help us to see what we are lacking and what we need to do in order to have our families fully engaged. I feel that if our families/communities are not engaged in our program then we need to reevaluate in order to encourage their participation. By reevaluating our program we can further access what we need to work on. If parents/communities feel that they are not valued as part of our team, they won’t engage in our program. Both the parents and the community play a big role in the education of our children. Parents are their first teachers and the communities have valuable resources for the children.

Parent involvement is key to a child’s academic success; this can be accomplished through the parent’s participation in an advisory council. A parent-teacher organization meets regularly to discuss the workings of the school and the parents that take part in the meeting are rewarded with a voice to make suggestions and give active feedback to the school. This enables parents and teachers to discuss matters dealing with the education of their child. Another council that advocates the voice of parents is the Mississippi Read

I am quite fortunate to work at a site that I was able to be part of creating our school’s vision. Lorena Falasco Elementary School’s mission statement is: “In partnership with our community, Lorena Falasco Elementary School is committed to creating a safe and positive environment with high expectations that encourage success and lifelong learning for everyone.” With that in mind, parent education and involvement are crucial for a school to be successful in doing so. At this time I am co-leading a parent education class that is being held at Lorena Falasco Elementary School we have completed seven of the eight workshops. The parenting workshop combines parenting and leadership skills that will empower parents to become vital contributors to their children’s academic success. There are eight workshops that we will present, which will create parent leaders and also provide positive

The most direct and meaningful impact on children’s education and advancement of social competence comes from parents and families. Students work harder, excel more, show attitudes and behavior that is positive, and feel at ease in new settings. Educators must connect to families so that they may develop relationships that employ them as active partners in their children’s learning

Understanding the importance of a family-school partnership is essential in order for school districts and families with children to grow and strive. If an imbalance occurs within any of the various parts that play a key role, difficulties will rise to the surface. Several of these roles include: communication, decision making, volunteering, and learning and parenting at home. All of these factors must work together in order to create a successful school environment in which children are able to learn and strive. When a school is successful in fulfilling each of these roles, there are several benefits. These benefits include: better positive attitudes toward school, higher achievements, better attendance, higher graduation rates, an increase in enrollment rates in post-secondary education, and overall better schools to attend (University of West Virginia).

The article Involvement or Engagement by Larry Farlazzo focuses on how to engage families, the school and the community to work together to promote both student and parent success within the school and the community. The article began with discussing the different between parent involvement and engagement. Larry Farlazzo (2011) states “A school striving for family involvement often leads with its mouth—identifying projects, needs, and goals and then telling parents how they can contribute. A school striving for parent engagement, on the other hand, tends to lead with its ears—listening to what parents think, dream, and worry about. The goal of family engagement is not to serve clients but to gain partners”. It’s important to understand the

All three articles stated that the impact of the community has a positive influence on the school and the academic achievement of the students. “Because of these multiple influences, schools need to attend to school, family, and community context and develop programs and practices that enable parents and community partners to help students reach school goals for high achievement and school success.” (Epstein, 1997) Article 1.1 focuses on the overlapping components of partnership which include, school, family, and community. Article 1.2 focuses mainly on the school and the community. Article 1.3 focuses on strong parental involvement. Although all three articles had a different focus, it is very clear that it takes collaboration amongst the school, the family, and the community to promote a positive environment for students be successful

Although it is important for families to be involved with their child’s school, school personnel should also strive to create a positive interaction with families of students. Carl Dunst (2002) states that school and parent collaboration is necessary, and if schools take on a more family-centered approach, it will help create a supportive environment and help to strengthen a family’s capacity to enhance and promote a child’s development and learning.

My focus this month is for all families to actively participate in their child’s education both in and out of school. Presently, I am planning to prioritize the role of families in schools this year by expanding parent and family engagement in the Castle Hill School District. When schools come together with families within the community to support our children’s education, research suggests that this increases the success rate of children in schools. In response to findings within our school district that were identified last

I am very involved in my school's community. To begin with, I currently serve as my school’s S.A.C. chairperson. In this capacity I am responsible for presiding over the S.A.C. meetings, collaborating with the principal to prepare agendas, and ensuring that all stakeholders are aware of the meetings. Serving as the S.A.C. chairperson allows me opportunities to receive insight from parents as to their desires for the academic lives of their children. As a result, I am able to help foster partnerships between families and the school that will ensure that the academic dreams that we have for OUR children come to fruition. Additionally, I am an active participant in all Parental Involvement initiative at my school. I am responsible for co-facilitating

One of my biggest contribution as a teacher at Carver Dual Language is my involvement in our parent community events. I have always been a big advocate of creating parent involvement in our school. When I worked for Citizen Schools in Oakland, CA, I worked a lot with our teachers and Citizen Schools fellow to create family events and bring in resources to our school for our families. Through Citizen Schools, I was put in charge of running our Family Fellows program for Citizen Schools in California. I worked with our fellows to better support them in their role. When I moved to Kansas City and started working for Kansas City LINC (Local Investment Commission), I continued my work with families. During the school year 2012-13, I worked with Whitter’s Elementary parent liaison to create events

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.

In some instances, literature which highlights a particular form of community school may also be focused on a particular agenda, and therefore, not necessarily represent all the characteristics of school-community partnerships (Valli, Stefanski, & Jacobson, 2014). Family and interagency collaborations promote the coordination of service delivery including educational, health, and social services for families and students. Full-service schools deliver school-based services, focusing on strengthening support networks (Valli, Stefanski, & Jacobson, 2014).