Pop Quiz: Parent Involvement A Checklist for Checking in at School How well are you involved in your child's education? 5 tips for a successful parent teacher conference The Six Slices of Parental Involvement
STANDARD 1 - VOLUNTEERING
GOAL: Recruit and organize parent help and support
SAMPLE
BEST PRACTICES
- Distribute Project
Appleseed's learning compact known as the Parental
Involvement Pledge to recruit and organize parent volunteers.
- Distribute Project
Appleseed's Parental Involvement Report
Card. The Report Card is intended to help parents evaluate
their contributions to their child's success at school .
- Use the Parental Involvement
Pledge Volunteer Information Survey to identify all available
talents, times, and locations of volunteers.
- School and classroom
volunteer program to help teachers and administrators students
and other parents.
Parent room or center for volunteer work, meetings, resources for families.
- Class parent, telephone
tree, or other structures to provide all families with needed
information.
- Parent patrols or other activities to aid safety and operation of school programs.
Findings from the U.S. Department of Education's Prospects Study (1993) reveal that students in schools with pledges or learning compacts in place perform better than children in similar schools without them because of greater reinforcement of learning at home. Furthermore, effects of the pledge on student learning were stronger than effects from other forms of school-home interactions.
STANDARD 2 - PARENTING
GOAL: Help all families establish home environments to support
children as students.
SAMPLE
BEST PRACTICES
- School provides suggestions
for home conditions that support learning at each grade level.
- School provides workshops,
videotapes, and/or computerized phone messages on parenting and
child-rearing at each grade level.
- Parent education and
other courses or training for parents (e.g., GED, college credit;
family literacy).
- Family support programs
to assist families with health nutrition, and other services.
- Home visits at transition points to preschool, elementary, middle and high school; and neighborhood meetings to help families understand schools and to help schools understand families.
STANDARD 3
- COMMUNICATING
GOAL: Design more effective forms of school-to-home and home-to-school
communications with all families each year about school programs
and their children's progress.
SAMPLE
BEST PRACTICES
- Conferences with every
parent at least once a year, with follow-ups as needed.
- Language translators
assist families as needed.
- Weekly or monthly folders
of student work are sent home and reviewed, parental comments
returned to teacher.
- Parent and student
pick-up of report card, with conferences on improving grades.
- Regular schedule of
useful notices, memos, phone calls, newsletters, and other communications.
- Clear information on
choosing schools, or courses, programs, and activities within
schools.
- Clear information on all school policies, programs reforms, and transitions.
STANDARD 4
- LEARNING AT HOME
GOAL: Provide information and ideas to families about how to
help students at home with homework and other curricular-related
activities, decisions, and planning.
SAMPLE
BEST PRACTICES
- Information for families
on skills required for students in all subjects at each grade.
- Information on homework
policies and how to monitor, and discuss schoolwork at home.
- Information on how
to assist students to improve skills on various class and school
assignments.
- Regular schedule of
homework that requires students to discuss and interact with
families on what they are learning in class (e.g., TIPS).
- Calendars with activities
for parents and students at home.
- Family math, science,
and reading, activities at school.
- Goal setting for students with families each year, and for future plans for college or work.
STANDARD 5
- DECISION MAKING
GOAL: Include parents in school decisions, developing parent
leaders and representatives.
SAMPLE
BEST PRACTICES
- Active PTA/PTO or other
parent organizations, school advisory councils, or committees
(e.g., curriculum, safety, personnel, and other committees) for
parent leadership and participation (Go to http://www.projectappleseed.org
to start a parent group).
- Independent advocacy
groups to lobby and work for school reform and improvements.
- District level councils
and committees for family and community involvement.
- Information on school
or local elections for school representatives.
- Networks to link all families with parent representatives.
STANDARD 6-
COLLABORATING WITH COMMUNITY
GOAL: Identify and integrate resources and services from the
community to strengthen school programs, family practices, and
student learning and development.
SAMPLE
BEST PRACTICES
- Information for students
and families on community health, cultural, recreational, social
support, and other programs or services.
- Information on community
activities that link to learning skills and talents, including
summer programs for students.
- Planned service integration
of school in partnership with businesses, civic, counseling,
cultural, health, recreation, and other agencies and organizations.
- Service to the community
by students, families, and schools (e.g., recycling, art, music,
drama, and other activities for seniors or others, etc.)
- Alumni to link to school programs for students.
Get the Parental Involvement Toolbox for Your Schools!
The Parental Involvement Toolbox is Project Appleseed's tool to recruit parent volunteers in public schools.
Parent Volunteer Recruitment Tools
- Master copies of The Parental Involvement Pledge for distribution to every student.
- The Inventory of Volunteer Interests
- The Parental Involvement Report Card.
- Web page for the Parental Involvement Pledge Online!
Staff Support Tools
- Parental Involvement Pledge Volunteer Request.
- Live staff support from Project Appleseed's national office.
Suggestions
on How To Run A Successful Pledge Campaign.
- Twenty-Six Ways to Reach Out to Parents.
- Project Appleseed's Newsletter Appleseed Today.
- A Certificate of Recognition.
- Title I, Parental Involvement Certification
Regular e-mail updates on Project Appleseed
and parental involvement best practices.
Web-Based Parent Organizing Software
