Orava - Core Teacher Leaders, Parent Involvement

Dr. Penny Beed

Trying to educate the young without help and support from the home is akin to trying to rake leaves in a high wind [Gough, 1991].

Pauline Gough's premise has received heavy support from research conducted in a number of countries in recent years. Teachers around the world express concern about home conditions and parental support for school children. However, educators are mistaken if they think parents don't care. There is a great deal of evidence that parents from all socioeconomic, ethnic, and linguistic backgrounds want their children to succeed in school and want to help if they can. In addition, studies indicate that parent involvement of almost any kind pays off. As we become aware of this overwhelming evidence, we begin to realize that we must do everything we can to join forces with parents to ensure that their children succeed in school. To achieve that end, we must develop a repertoire of strategies to actively recruit and engage parents in their children's learning.

The goals of the parent involvement workshops in Slovakia have been twofold: first, to change the question "Should parents be involved in their children's education?" to "How can the parents most effectively be involved in their children's education to ensure success and achievement?", and second, to assist educators in identifying strategies for building partnerships with parents. Workshop participants have ranged from basic school teachers, counselors, school psychologists and administrators to university education students and their professors.

To address the need for parent involvement, the participants first think about and share possible advantages and probable barriers that may exist in their communities. Next they learn about the positive conclusions that have been drawn from the many studies of parent involvement activities and programs, of the heartening views of parents, teachers, and students who have been involved in those programs and of beneficial academic and attitudinal results that have occurred.

Participants are then invited to join in a series of activities through which they may identify several parent involvement strategies that will work effectively in their schools and in their communities. The activities are grouped into five areas: parenting education (e.g., drug awareness), parent/teacher communication (e.g. notes home, home visits), at-home parental support for school learning (e.g., how to read to your children to foster comprehension), volunteer and school/community partnerships (e.g., parents and/or business employees helping in the classroom), and parent involvement in school governance (e.g., parent advisory councils) [Epstein, 1989]. Participants leave with action plans for implementing parent involvement programs in their classrooms.

In follow-up workshops, many returning participants have reported changes, which they believe are positive, in the nature of their relationships with parents. A large number have adopted the practice of sending notes with positive messages about children's accomplishments. Teachers report sending school calendars, traveling journals, and more detailed instructions about homework and home activities. The numbers of parent/teacher conferences about individual children have increased, with attempts to allow parents to give input and discuss. Some now make home visits to form a stronger bond. Some have invited groups of parents for meetings in which teachers demonstrate techniques for helping their children at home. In some cases, teacher's have facilitated goal-setting conferences in which the child, parent, and teacher participate. Finally, the educators report that colleagues have expressed interest in their programs; in fact, there are currently more teachers implementing parent involvement activities than the original participants.

Epstein, J. (1989). On parents and schools: A conversation with Joyce Epstein. Educational Leadership, 47(2), 24-27.
Gough, P. (1991). Tapping parent power. Phi Delta Kappan, 72(5), 339.