In
the 21st century
school improvement works like the double helix that combines
and recombines genetic material to renew life. An effective school
improvement strategy must combine two complementary strands:
The inside
strand focuses on
the content of schooling
- curricula, academic standards, incentives and work rules for
teachers and a philosophy of school management.
The outside
strand attracts
and mobilizes community and political support, social capital, and other resources from outside
the traditional school bureaucracy - from parents, grandparents,
community members, alumni, businesses and the larger community.
Many communities have
the financial, intellectual, and leadership resources needed
to rebuild their own educational improvement strategies. To initiate
an effort to improve public schools in all of our nation's communities,
Project Appleseed concentrates on the outside strand of school
improvement. We mobilize Americans to volunteer and give to their
local public schools.
100 years ago, at the turn
of the last century, America's stock of social capital was
at an ebb, reduced by urbanization, industrialization, and vast
immigration that uprooted Americans from their friends, social
institutions, and families, a situation similar to today's.
Faced with this challenge,
the country righted itself. Within a few decades, a range of
organizations was created, from the National PTA, Red Cross,
Boy Scouts, and YWCA to Hadassah and the Knights of Columbus
and the Urban League. With these and many more cooperative societies
we rebuilt our social capital.
 We can learn from the experience
of those decades as we work to rebuild our eroded social capital.
It won't happen without the concerted creativity and energy of
Americans nationwide. (Hill, 1989, Putnam, 2000)
Parent
Engagement
The
Parental Involvement Pledge
What Is It? The
Parental Involvement Pledge has two
components. It provides an opportunity for parents to formalize
their commitment to working with their child's school through
a written agreement they can complete and take to their parent
leader, school secretary, teacher, or principal. The Pledge also provides a survey
of parent volunteer interests. The survey identifies 37 areas
in which parents can volunteer in school, outside the classroom
and at home. The Pledge is based on the Six Types of Parental
Involvement developed by Dr. Joyce Epstien at John's Hopkins
University.
How Do You Use
It?
The Pledge is a tool to share
with staff and parent organizations
as a way of recruiting volunteers and appropriately connecting
them with specific needs and activities.
When Do You Use It?
Title
I of No Child Left Behind requires that a Pledge or other
learning compact be used during parent-teacher conferences. Use it al so when you want to encourage
parents to volunteer or when you want teachers to invite and
encourage parental involvement on National
Parental Involvement Day, the third Thursday in November
or Public School Volunteer Week which
is the third week of April.
Why Do You Use It? U.S. Department
of Education research (Prospects
Study 1993) demonstrates that schools that use learning compacts
like the Parental Involvement Pledge have higher student achievement
than those that don't use them.
The Pledge provides a concrete way to help parents volunteer
because it allows them to choose very specific activities. It
is easier to get a commitment and follow-through if it is clear
exactly what is being asked and what is expected.
Who Do You Involve? When
parents are involved, their children do better in school, and
they go to better schools. Why
is this true? Because when parents are welcome in the school
and are consulted about decisions affecting their children, an
atmosphere of trust and collaboration develops between school
and home. When this happens, our children will perform at a higher
level, and the school will become more effective. The school
is a critically important community institution, since the quality
of education shapes not only our children's individual future,
but also the future of your community and society. Your support of public schools
is important; involvement and action by several parents in a
group can influence school policy-makers and result in decisions
and choices than can benefit many children. Use the Pledge with
parents, parent groups, and staff as a tool and encouragement
for parental involvement.
Dept's
of Ed. U.S. & State
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
Territories
Puerto Rico
Virgin Islands
PIRC's
Statewide
Parent Information &
Resource Centers
|