Summer is upon us and with school out it is extremely hard to think about planning for parent involvement for the upcoming school year. Quite frankly, I can certainly understand the pressures brought about by managing a classroom and ensuring students meet the standards required to graduate. Yes, I know the last thing a teacher wants to do is think about more work. I must share with you the benefits of the Epstein model of School Family Partnerships. Dr. Epstein says it is not more work just smarter work. Having participated in a workshop with Marsha Greenfield, program facilitator, I know how easy it can be.
I learned from Marsha that one of the secrets to making parent involvement an integral part of educating a child is planning. Allocating a few hours of planning with parents and teachers can make a world of difference. Even so, it is very difficult to resist the temptation of maintaining status quo. So it is a mind set that needs to be nurtured. The TIPS program from the NNPS provides great strategies to help teachers design daily lessons with a built in parent involvement component.
If you have any ideas to share on how you help plan for parent involvement in school, please share.
