Encouraging parent involvement at your school

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Encouraging parent involvement at your school
Great Start an orientation and training evening
for school council members October 26, 2009
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Savi Khanna, Parent Involvement Committee
Co-chair Karen McDonald, Parent Involvement
Committee Co-chair parentinvolvement_at_peelsb.com
Alison Farbar, School Communications
Specialist alison.farbar_at_peelsb.com
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What is the Parent Involvement Committee?

• required by the Ministry of Education
• exists to support student success by helping the
  board encourage meaningful parent involvement
• think of a board-level school council

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(No Transcript)
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Accomplishments so far

• Help your child learn workshops
• videos, support for board events and more
• research report on parent involvement in the
  works

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Research findings

• parents typically consider themselves to be
  involve
• most common involvement daily follow-up
• parents feel they're most engaged in parenting,
  assisting student learning and communication with
  the school
• although principals make communication a
  priority, some parents feel they do not receive
  enough info, especially newcomers

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Research findings

• parents feel well-connected in the early grades
• most common involvement daily follow-up
• overall, findings point to a fundamental
  difference between educational approach in
  Ontario and in most countries of origin
• inquiry based approach leads to frustration

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Barriers to involvement

• busy life/working
• communication gaps/confusion about how to be
  involved
• language
• lack of curriculum information
• involvement discouraged by older children
• lack of subject knowledge/confidence
• transportation
• selective involvement and others

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What parents said

• "I think life just gets in the way."
• "As a new immigrant, it's hard to be
  involvedbecause we are so busy doing survival
  jobs to support our family."
• "My son is 16he won't tell me anything. I have
  to work at finding out the information because
  he's 16."
• "Since there is a language barrier, I cannot
  effectively help my child academically."

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What does this mean for you?

• No one-size-fits-all answer
• Be flexible, empathetic and welcoming
• Value what is already happening

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Develop a plan that is inclusive and works
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Develop a plan that is inclusive and works
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Start with your audience

• Who needs to know this?
• What do they need to know?
• What is the best time and vehicle to communicate
  to them?
• How will we know the message has been received?

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Set communications goals

• What are you trying to achieve?
• SMART specific, measurable, action-oriented,
  researched-based, time bound
• To increase attendance at this year's Parents
  Reaching Out workshop by 20.
• To recruit 10 new regular attendees to school
  council meetings by the end of the school year,
  including at least two members whose first
  language is something other than English.
• To increase the number of instances that parents
  are spending time reading or doing other
  educational activities with their child at home.

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Identify key messages

• Three messages, repeated at various points
• Think how does this affect my child?
• Plan to attend the next Parents Reaching Out
  workshop for ideas that will help your child
  succeed in school.
• Learning is fun! Read with your child every
  night. Modelling reading encourages reading in
  children.
• Students do better when parents are involved.
  Your skills and talents are an asset to all
  children at our school. If you're interested in
  volunteering, see the principal.

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Decide how to communicate

• Face-to-face communication is most effective.
  Meet parents on the playground, at school events
  or in the community.
• Reach out to diverse communities. Take time to
  welcome new families and get to know local faith
  leaders. Help parents feel welcome.
• Repeat your messages often, but not all of the
  time. Be visible set up a parent involvement
  bulletin board, or create a special section of
  the school newsletter.
• Provide useful information like tips, activities
  or book suggestions.

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Parent Voice in Education survey of parents
who are actively involved with their childs
school 11 of parents who would be involved,
if they were asked 50
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Thank you!