Parent EngagementEffective strategies

Miriam VillegasEl Sol Science & Arts Academy Teacher

Sandy BarbaEl Sol Science & Arts Academy Room Parent and PTO Treasurer

What does the research say? Regardless of family income or background, students

whose parents are involved in their schooling are more likely to have higher grades and test scores, attend school regularly, have better social skills, show improved behavior, and adapt well to school.

When parents are involved at school, the performance of

all the children at school, not just their own, tends to improve. The more comprehensive and well planned the partnership between school and home, the higher the student achievement.

Henderson, A.T., and K.L. Mapp. 2002. A New Wave of Evidence: The Impact of School, Family, and Community Connections on Student Achievement

Why is Parent involvement important?For Teachers

•Creates an effective partnership with parents.•Extra hands in the classroom.•Helps you to “really” know your parents and take

advantage of their diverse talents. •Keeps communication open•Identify leads (room parents) that can help you

communicate with other parents in classroom)•Engages working parents•Reduces amount of time working on tedious tasks,

thus focusing on student learning .•Copying, grading, data entry•Preparing materials for learning stations•Cutting, gluing, coloring, etc.

Why is Parent involvement important?For Parents

Involved in Childs educations and success More time with Child Show child the importance and value to education Approachability-Feel more comfortable asking teacher

questions Accountable for my child education Advocate for your Child Ownership and Pride

How to engage parents1. Know your purpose for involving parents-What do

you want parents to do? 2. Create an environment that welcomes participation. 3. Start Early4. Communication5. Everyone can help6. Accommodate Family Needs7. Showcase Students8. Involve Family in Learning9. Get Involved outside the class

Welcoming environment Signs that greet families warmly at the

school door, the central office, and the classroom should be in the languages spoken by the community.

A school-based family resource center providing information, links to social services.

Opportunities for informal meetings with staff and other families also contributes to a family-friendly atmosphere.

Start Early Set Expectations Early

School registration packet Mandatory 20 Hours Parents Volunteer Work Pre-school to 8th grade Emphasize at back-to-school night Use Room Parents

Outline how they can help you Set guidelines to limit instruction

interruptions

Communication Have open line of communication Use Social Media & Electronics

Professional Class Facebook Text E-mail

Use Room Parents to send and retrieve information We obtain parents contact info for ourselves for

those that are open to it. Set Parameters on time frames of communication Thursday Packet Routine

Everyone Can Help Use different parents talents Talk to your parents, you would be

surprised Some are great at getting donations Some can help you cut paper Some can help you coordinator kinder Play Some can help only mornings clean tables Some can help every other Friday during flex

Accommodate Have a translator handy for your

monolingual parents Meet evening or before school We have two PTO meeting

Offer incentives for parents to attend meetings.

All documents should be translated

Showcase Students Parents love to see what their kids work Parents love to show off their kids Recognize all students if possible once

during the year in class or during assembly

Take the time to put up the students work

Showcase Students Take pictures of them working and put it

next to the project Poste video clips on Social media if

allowed Invite parents into classroom to help

present project (i.e. hold up project while student presents it)

Family Involvement Assign practical homework that requires

family conversation and actions Make it a home connection to what is

happening in the classroom. Invite parents to students presentation

during school time Have special family events

Literacy night, math science night, etc…

Teacher Involvement Family Social should be attended by

teacher too Teacher involvement in PTO and their

committees Attend school festival/activities for the

families shows you care

Final Thoughts… Any role a parent takes on or time invested to

become more involved in their child’s education is time well-spent, even if it doesn’t always occur directly alongside their child or within their classroom.

Insure parents know how much their volunteering is appreciated.

School wide: Volunteer recognition breakfast, certificates.

Classroom: Make it more personal; a letter of gratitude goes a long way. May include a small gift.