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Boosting Family Involvement: Ditching stereotypical beliefs!
Boosting Family Involvement:
Ditching stereotypical beliefs!
Shannon Barnard: READING RECOVERY TEACHER, SRCL, LITERACY COACH/COORDINATOR [email protected]
VIVIAN LASLEY, IECE SP. NDS. ED/MDS, PRESCHOOL LITERACY COACH [email protected]
MIDDLESBORO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Early Childhood and Primary
From this to this!
● Parents are not encouraging to their children
● Parents academically are not interested in the importance of their child’s literacy
● Education is not a priority for some parents
● OUR STEREOTYPICAL BELIEFS!!!
I didn’t believe they were bad parents they just did not see or
hold education as an importance!
OR
Did they feel that it was the job of the school only to teach
reading!
Our Plan: My dilemma! We already knew that our average mean of parent involvement was less that 10% We sent home notices-flyers two weeks ahead of time, then 2 days before meeting, and called all the parents and our parent attendance and engagement was still declining.
We held activities each month of the year beginning with open house, Grandparents day, and Veterans Celebrations.
Relationships were being built but ….. we needed to reach all our children’s families.
We were disappointed! But the families that did show up for the events was all non English speaking families and they wanted to improve their child’s literacy skills.
The parents that came to events were ask what can we do for you, to improve your child’s literacy education at home? Everyone of their replies were “more books.”
MIDTERM NIGHT
VETERANS CELEBRATION DAY
OH SURE …. THEN LET’S FIND OUT FOR SURE!
We conducted a survey with our parents. The survey was sent home on 1/8/20. …….. And….only 2 parents responded.
So we sent the survey home again on 1/21/20 on gold paper- hoping the color would pop for them and then would respond…… and only 5 more parents responded.
We decided to investigate?We interviewed parents as they dropped off their children; we interviewed teachers and administrators; and we looked for resources with our mentors from the Literacy group and read texts and attended online webinars.
PARENT BARRIERS:FINDINGS: Barriers for involvement existed for both schools and families. Some were barriers created by limited resources, while others originate from the beliefs, perceptions, and attitudes of families and school staff.
● Parents felt that teachers waited too long before telling them about an event and that they only heard from teachers when there was bad news. Most parents felt they didn’t have easy or ongoing access to their children’s teachers. Some parents felt unwelcome at the school, believed schools didn’t really want their input, and thought COMMUNICATION was a one-way system, with schools sending out information and parents having few, if any, opportunities to share ideas with the school.
● Teachers believed parents didn’t respect them, challenged their authority, and questioned their
decisions. They believed parents encouraged students to disrespect them. Teachers resented that not all
parents sent their children to school ready to learn and wanted parents to follow through more with the
academic and disciplinary suggestions they made.
● Mobility. Some RURAL areas have low rates of home ownership. Families that rent tend to move around a
lot more, which makes it harder to build relationships between families and school staff
● When looking at the social economic status in are school area it was noted that out of the Bell County area 7
of the 9 Low income housing was located in the Middlesboro Independent School District.
TEACHER BARRIERS?● Shortage of teacher time. ( YES IT’S ALWAYS THE TEACHERS FAULT) I WAS BEGINNING TO BE BURNT OUT! ) ● Teachers often see working on FAMILY INVOLVEMENT as a task added to an already long list of responsibilities .
A “miss” of understanding of parents’ COMMUNICATION. Some efforts at increasing involvement failed because there is a mismatch in the communication styles of families and teachers, often due to cultural and language differences… I WAS FINDING IT WAS…... currently a “missed-” understanding of today’s communication techniques.
● Teachers’ misperceptions of parents’ abilities. Some teachers believe that parents can’t help their children because they have limited educational backgrounds themselves; however, many poorly educated families support learning by talking with their children about school, monitoring homework, and making it clear that education is important and that they expect their children to do well in school (FAMILIES & EDUCATORS TOGETHER: naeyc 2017)
SOUND FAMILIAR?
● Limited family resources. Lack of time was the major reason given by family members for why they
don’t get more involved. Lack of transportation and child care also keep families from participating
● Parents’ lack of comfort. Some parents feel intimidated and unwelcome at school. Many parents had negative school experiences themselves or they are so unfamiliar with the American Appalachian culture that they do not want to get involved or feel unsure about the value of their contributions. Barriers are also created by parents who have feelings of inadequacy or are suspicious of or angered at the school.
● WHEN MENTORED BY MS. CRITCHFIELD AT THE KENTUCKY LITERACY CONFERENCE ,ATTENDANCE OF THIS BREAK OUT SESSION WAS SUGGESTED. THESE BOOKS WERE HELPFUL FOR A BOOK STUDY TO ADDRESS THE PARENT ENGAGEMENT ISSUE.
SOLUTIONS: We all know that Close parent-teacher communication is what improves student learning, so
how are we going to accomplish it?WE STARTED WITH: The OPEN HOUSE which gives parents the opportunity to SIGN UP AND participate in YEARLY program activities with their children WHEN THEY CAN.
INVOLVING PARENTS THROUGH newsletters, web site, REMIND APP, E-MAIL, SOCIAL MEDIA(Facebook/Twitter).
Certainly, the dedicated blog, event calendar, and advice videos can take place online. However, the website can also help in other areas. An online volunteer sign-up form can make volunteering easy and convenient. Videos of past family nights may encourage more parents to attend. Skype/FACETIME, Google Hangout, and other online video conferencing services can facilitate online meetings when a face-to-face one isn’t possible.
IN OTHER WORDS WE NEED TO THINK OUT OF THE BOX AND MAKE A COMBINED EFFORT TO FIT THE NEEDS OF PARENTS JUST LIKE OUR CHILDREN “DIFFERENTIAL RESOURCES IS THE KEY!”
FUTURE PARENT INVOLVEMENT IS ONGOING/CHANGING WITH TIMES: PARENT ADVISORY BOARD: We wanted IT to IMPLY THAT PARENTS CAN GIVE THE TEACHERS ADVISE AND IT RESTATES THE IMPORTANCE OF PARENTS. IT GIVES PARENTS EQUAL OWNERSHIPS OF THEIR CHILD’S EDUCATION! Host a regular telephone hour when parents can ask questions or offer suggestions to the school.
Phone tree: The world has gone digital and today people expect real-time updates. Slow or lost messages are frustrating and dangerous organizations of all types. Using an automated phone tree application will can save hours of managing contact data, making phone calls and give you confidence that everyone is always well informed.( We already have it for snow days and district information, what about school parent messages?)
Parent buddies: parent portal?
A school content management system like the one Campus Suite provides can make online communication with parents simple. It allows teachers to easily create and manage their own webpages. Additionally, the school’s site can be quickly updated to communicate special events, volunteer needs, and other opportunities for involvement.
THAT
OR
THIS
THE BIG EVENT WAS HELD AT THE LOCAL MALL!
VARIOUS MODES OF COMMUNICATION WAS CONDUCTED.
What parents (all people) really crave are those moments where they truly connect ……... and That is a priceless lesson
of real life!
