Parent Involvement Policy: Annotated Bibliography

There are many ways for parents to actively participate in their student’s education. Scholastic.com recommends including tips for helping parents get involved. In this 6th grade classroom, each EC parent will receive a copy of their child’s IEP goals, along with the date of their annual review and re-evaluation date, if applicable to this school year. Parents are asked if there is a preferred day of the week and time to best schedule future IEP meetings. Attached to this information will be contact information for both co-teachers including email address, school phone number, planning time and a calendar denoting the designated monthly parent-teacher conference days and times. Additional components of the parental involvement piece to Curriculum Night includes an invitation to join our PTO, sports schedules, and information about proctoring. Parents are also encouraged to occasionally eat lunch with their child in the school

Reflecting back over the years since receiving my initial National Board Certification, I clearly see that the mentoring roles I have been a part of have been the most rewarding. Mentoring has enabled me to collaborate with others new to the profession as well as with veteran teachers in the classroom. Through this collaboration in a variety of settings, I have been able to improve the effectiveness of my teaching practices which in turn has had a positive impact on my students. A study from Teacher Collaboration in Instructional Teams and Student Achievement by the American Educational Research Journal (2015) states that the quality of teacher collaboration positively influences teacher performance

Teacher Collaboration measures the degree to which teachers engage in constructive dialogue that furthers the educational vision of the school.

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.

Roberts, S. & Pruitt, E. (2003). Schools as Professional Learning Communities: Collaborative Activities and Strategies for Professional Development. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Aside from my parents and students it is also important to communicate with other peers. With access to social networks, it is a good idea to network with other teachers from my school and from other schools. By networking with other teachers we will be able to share ideas, assist each other with lesson plans, and communicate stress to someone who understands and is in the same boat. We must be balanced in doing this, remembering that this is a professional communication and that we must remain confidential when it concerns our class or our students. With that being said I do believe this is essential to any teacher’s success. Another way of networking with other teachers may be things like breakfast meetings before school with other teachers, or group trips to visit other schools when we have an opportunity to learn other methods and gain ideas we can use in addition to our own.

Partnering with other schools and teachers is beneficial to learning new ways to reach students. Using e-mails and class websites can be helpful in communicating with other teachers. Text messaging can also be helpful in setting up activities between the two schools.

Collaboration between teachers is a key component to professional development that will lead to higher student achievement. There is a need for schools to set up time for teachers to be able to collaborate together. This allows for teachers to help each other, matchup content, teach each other new and best practices, troubleshoot student issues just to name a few of the areas that collaboration time can help foster within a school. The key is to build time for teachers to be able to collaborate during the school day or week. This collaboration time needs to be between grade levels, departments, and cross curricular when needed. For many schools this is an afterthought to the school schedule or a fleeting thought after the master schedule is completed. A principal needs to keep an open mind to any strategy that will enable the teachers to be able to collaborate for the good of the students and the school.

Parents should be included in decision-making regarding school decisions and actions. Parental advisory boards (PAB) are an effective strategy to increase participation by parents. PAB advocate for the discussion and development of a shared vision of the educational needs of all students. Advisory committees are a great way for parents to participate in academic decisions and policies. PAB members meet monthly to learn about school-wide issues and programs, dis-cuss district-wide concerns, and offer advice and feedback. These meeting can take place at the school level, or on the district level. School districts should strive to make parents aware of events and meetings they can attend that address issues important to parents. To promote student growth and school success at every grade and age, well thought out parent-community-school partnerships, linked to school improvement goals, are needed in every community (Van Roekel, 2008).

Purpose of / Need for the Policy: Parental involvement is important for student success. High-quality education cannot be provided without involving parents in the learning process. When enrolling a student, parent sign a Contract of Excellence, committing to 40 parent hours each year, to help with their student’s achievement. The school will provide parent workshops, communication, clubs, and activities to coach, train, and empower parents so they can better assist their child’s quest of a first-rate education.

“Educators have known for quite some time that building a collaborative culture in which people work together interdependently to fulfill their shared purpose and achieve their common goals is an essential strategy for sustained school improvement,” (DuFour & DuFour, 2008, p. 173). ISLLC Standard 1, working toward a shared vision is an exemplified in this process; and Sorenson & Goldsmith note that encouraging people to collaborate is a one of the ten most wanted strategies for school a positive school culture (p.

The symbiotic relationship between teachers and parents is crucial to the educational success of a student. Parents must be involved with their child’s education through consistent attendance of IEP meetings and advocate for their child and their needs at school. Teachers can encourage parent involvement through, traveling notebooks home and note home programs which establish an open line of communication between teacher and parent. Parent-teacher conferences are a great way for teachers and parents to be involved in the success of the student's educational experience.

During my second preclinical experience at Westview Hills Middle School, I learned the importance of cooperation and collaboration among teachers at a school. I was able to observe team and department meetings during this experience. It became clear that it is important for teachers to work together in order to provide a positive atmosphere at a school and in a specific department. Although it became obvious that personalities and teaching styles were different throughout the school, the teachers still acted professionally and used each other as resources in

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.

Fundamentally the role of the classroom teacher is to implement strategies to support, engage and extend the learning of all individuals. In order for this to occur we need to also consider how we involve, collaborate and communicate with parents, fellow colleagues and specialised teachers. Ashman and Elkins (2008) state that teachers need to make themselves aware of the support systems they can access or create to support the needs of all students. This in turn will ultimately enhance teaching potential allowing teachers to fully maximise learning for all. I personally believe that collaboration is not only essential to the professional growth of teachers (Cramer & Stivers, 2007), but a vital key when acting in the best interest of the students and their families.