I read with interest comments about Pearson and the filming of some of the convention at the NECC convention. If you dig deep into the comments sections you will hear some frank and honest statements about teaching.
There is a ferocious strand that depicts quite nicely the frustration of the teaching profession to the concept of teaching to the test and achieving high academic scores at all costs.
I feel compelled to equate the comments that were made about packaged programs and the masses looking for ready made solutions to the latest projects aimed at increasing parent involvement. I’m pretty keen on helping parents help their children so I don’t want the push on parent involvement to be a sexy trend.
Recently I was in the middle of a conversation about tracking the number of parents attracted by an school event. If you are looking for the answer that will tell you how to get them there – two things – serve food and bring the kids. Works every time and they come out in droves.
The question was posed; with more parents at an event would it make a difference to student achievement? Well actually I asked it and really only the person beside me heard it and his eyebrows went up. So I will ask it here. Can you measure increases in student achievement by the number of parents who come to an event? Not likely, I’m told. So I cry foul. Why is so much energy being put into involving parents if we can’t measure student achievement. Will BBQ’s make students better readers?
I’m told that attendance at a school event may not change an B to an A – but the foot in the door is one step closer to fruitful discussions with parents and teachers about kids.
My frustration is that too many times the conversations end at the finish of an event. Too many times the packaged program fails to achieve the desired results – more parents engaged and students doing better in school.
Parents and teachers talking to each other about children and their school work will make a difference. Along with the serve food and bring the kids trick I also heard this good advice from a Principal about how to start the conversation with parents. ” I found that asking a parent individually went along way to building a relationship. Parents don’t think that requests or questions in a newsletter apply to them.” Make it personal. Works for me.
Now the challenge is to get the numbers.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Great thoughts. I firmly believe (and am trying to validate with an action research project) that effective parent engagement starts with the classroom teacher. Events, parent meetings, etc. just augment it. When kids (of all ages, I believe) see their parents engaged in a variety of ways, they will put more effort into their school work, and their achievement will increase.
I believe without a doubt that parental involvement is the key. Even before starting with the teacher, it starts from the top—school board, the superintendent, principals then teachers. The biggest issue I have observed over the years is making it true family engagement. Some say they want the involvement but do not advocate for parents to participate in planning and implementation. One or two parents are not representative of any school district. True “parent involvement” is inclusive of “parent empowerment.” I believe it has to be the school’s mission for such a time as this and incorporated into everything decision that is made. Parents must be and feel educated and empowered in order to empower their children.
Thank you both for your comments. I wonder if you could expand on what you mean by the term “parent empowerment”, “effective parent engagement”.
Could you describe what you would like to see for true family engagement.
What would it look like? Please expand.
To further clarify things, if as the original poster assumes that we can’t actually quantify the co-relation between parent involvement and academic achievement what do we mean when we suggest that parent involvement improves education for students?
At one time in Ontario parents were being touted as being equal partners in education. Has that effectively gone out the window I wonder because, again as the original post said, it was just a sexy trend..no teeth?
The partnership morphed to parent “involvement” and now “engagement” is Ontario’s buzz word.
The most valuable parent partnership/involvement/engagement tool is a school system open to the possibilities of the opportunities parents bring to the table.
I suggest that parents often have lots to contribute they either don’t know how to engage the system or that what they think is valued in a way that makes a difference.
I agree with the rest that the initiative must start with the classroom teacher and in turn that teacher needs support in that respect from the principal and trustees. Governments should get out of the promising parents anything game, because as nice as legislation sounds I truly don’t believe we can legislate the kinds of relationship and interaction we’re taking about. There’s either a willingness on both sides…or there is not.
True family involvement… hmmm. To me, this means:
1)where there is a true partnership between school/teacher and parent/family. This includes two-way ongoing communication through a variety of methods that are accepted by all families (not just the report card, not just email, not just the newsletter).
2) where both parties have an equal role and work together for the best interests of the student.
3) where there are a variety of ways/choices for parents to become engaged/actively involved… not just attending the Christmas concert. This varies for every family. Some can be in the school, while some cannot.
4) where parents feel valued for the role they play.
5) where teachers teach without parental influence (some teachers say this is the reason they don’t involve parents more).
It would be lovely to have this begin with the Superintendent, or the Board, but in reality, they think they are already doing this by involving one or two parents on committees, or attending monthly school council meetings.
I think the most powerful role is held by the classroom teacher and to what extent that person develops that relationship with the parents of his/her students will define how that family becomes involved in the school, possibly for many years to follow.
As for “involvement” vs. “engagement”, I agree with Epstein who says involvement is something that happens to you… engagement is more of a partnership. I don’t think it’s a buzzword, if you actually take the meaning into action.
You’re right C.Steel re: suggesting that “involvement”, “engagement” are buzzwords. I used that term rather loosely and tend to think of them as buzzwords when they are only words followed up with little or no action on the part of the users.
It’s interesting that the terms are often used as expressions in the way that the educations wants to “involve” or “engage” parents, but has anyone ever stopped to consider what, if parents were to frame the relationship they’d want the same thing? Sometimes, in the early going of the parent partnership/involvement/engagement movement in my province, it was clear that what the partnership was that was expected by those promising partnership(in our case government), and what the system was will to partner with parents. Often parents were on one page, gov’t on another and teachers/ed. system on a third page. That’s sometimes still the case in some regions.
There is research that demonstrates the relationship between parent involvement and student achievement (see the wiki), but I agree it would be difficult to quantify a direct link between bbq’s and student achievement. The bbq helps make the connection and change the landscape of school for parents, an important start according to Dr. Debbie Pushor.
C. Steel -I would love to connect with you and hear more about your action research! I’m working on a K-12 Parent Portal. You can contact me through my blog.