How to promote and sustain family involvement
Principals and teachers need parents’ involvement to successfully educate students. Various studies support this notion of positive impact on student achievement and success in school. It not only motivates the child, but it also makes the school function at a higher standard.
The main question now is how can school administrators or principals begin improving family-school relations for the improvement of the students’ performances?
First, there should be a culture of trust and collaboration between the school and the parents.
Second, customize parental involvement to the community, the issues relevant to everyone, and the strengths of the stakeholders, among others. This is usually best coursed through the local Parent-Teacher Community Association (PTCA).
Third, communicate the fact that parent involvement is not just a means to raise money. It includes tutoring, reading with the children, among others. It includes family training on the computer or how to best help the child through homework.
The importance of family involvement in children’s schools cannot be trivialized. By establishing good parent-teacher connections, families are more likely to get involved in school activities and events.
Here are some more things principals can do to promote family-school relationships:
- Enlist the help of enthusiastic parents to recruit other parents.
- Fully support the school’s PTCA.
- Acknowledge family volunteers for all efforts big or small. Principals can stay in close communication with PTCA committees to open lines of communication between the school and the PTCA.
- Allot time (like a “Coffee with the Principal” thing) every school week for parents who wish to ask questions about their students or the school, so the principal can also get to know them on a more personal basis.
- Develop a “job description” of an involved parent so they can develop confidence in their ability to help their children.
- Organize two “family involvement” activities every three months.
- Exhibit student work prominently in the school and the community.
- With surveys, visits, PTCA meetings and conversations, find out what parents’ goals are for their children.
- Introduce oneself to the parents and give specific praise regarding their children.
- Maintain a class or subject-specific email list for sending emails to parents on project or test notifications as well as student accomplishments.
- Each quarter, ask teachers to send home one assignment that involves the entire family.
Since the students are in high school, it is also important to remember that parent or family involvement in this transitional age has a significant impact in the students’ lives.
Sources:
“6 Things Teachers Can Do to Promote Parent Involvement.” Retrieved December 23, 2009 from
http://www.nhpirc.org/parentinvolvementmatters.shtml
Henderson, Anne, et al. “10 Things Schools Can Do to Promote Family Engagement.” Retrieved December 23, 2009 from http://www.nhpirc.org/10ThingsSchoolsCanDo.shtml
MacNeil, Angus and Patin, Melissa. “The Principal’s Role in Improving and Sustaining Parent Involvement.” Retrieved December 23, 2009 from http://cnx.org/content/m12925/latest/
(Published 11 January 2010, Smart Communications Inc.)
