Jennifer's+Recommendations

Submitted by Jennifer Lam

// “Programs designed with strong parent involvement produce students who perform dramatically better than students in otherwise identical programs that do not involve parents at all, or as well.” (Henderson, 1987, p.1) // __ Cited Recommendation __ Schools should look for ways to engage parents in children’s literacy development. There is ample evidence that language-minority parents are motivated, and many are capable of actions that would lead to improved student outcomes. Studies of successful school contexts suggest that parent-home-community involvement helps explain school success (August & Shanahan, 2006). Schools should actively seek ways to collaborate with parents for children’s academic benefit (Epstein, 1992, 1996; Goldenberg, 1993). Goldenberg and Gallimore (1991) studied a predominately Hispanic elementary school, where first and second grade children’s reading achievement improved substantially over a 2 to 3 year period due to increased parent and home involvement. Parents helped their children to read, teachers sent home books, and other reading materials that promoted literacy contributed to literacy achievements. __ Implementation of Recommendation __ I plan to implement this recommendation during back to school night. Since it is the first teacher-parent event, I will talk about the importance of parental involvement in the success of their child. I plan to discuss the ways they can help their child at home and strategies they can use. I want ongoing communication with the parents, and I want to make them feel comfortable in contacting me if they have any questions or concerns. I plan to implement the recommendations throughout the year (//see below)// To bridge the gap between school and the home, the recommendations from the studies of the National Reading Panel suggest (August & Shanahan, 2006): o  // Send home books. If available, send home materials in students’ primary language. // o   // Send home other reading material, including homework, photocopy story booklets, phonics worksheets, and other assignments designed to promote literacy. // o   // Ongoing contact and communication between the school and community. // o   // Teacher’s value of bilingualism and students/parents primary language. // o   //Do not underestimate the abilities and motivation of the students’ parents who are low-income immigrants or those who cannot speak the language of instruction//. __ Examples of Implementation __ **To help all families establish home environments to support students.** v  Workshops and videotapes on parenting and child-rearing at each age and grade level. v  Parent education/training. v  Family Support programs to assist families with health, nutrition, and other services. v  Home visits to see how the family functions at home, so they teacher can have a better understanding of the student’s culture and to connect the school and home life. v  Neighborhood meetings to help families understand schools and to help schools understand families; to express concerns, wants, and needs. v  Parent provides the appropriate environment and tools for students- quiet space, enough school supplies, dictionaries in primary and secondary language. v  Parents ask questions about assignment in the primary language, giving students opportunity to continue speaking in their native language. **Design effective forms of communications about school programs and children’s progress.** v  Conferences with parents at least once a year, with follow-ups as needed. Ø  An opportunity for teachers to address issues; learn about the student at home and family life; set goals with parents; teacher parents strategies to use at home with their child. v  Language translators to families who need it. v  Weekly or monthly folders of student work sent home for review and comments. Ø  To allow parents to see and track progress. Student brings back a signed form for teacher confirmation of parent receiving the work. v  Parent pickup of report card, with conferences on improving grade. Ø  Mini-conference of goals and status of grade. v  Regular schedule of useful notices, memos, phone calls, newsletters, and other communications. Ø  Wednesday folders sent home every week containing school information, services, and upcoming events. Ø  Occasional calls/notes from the teacher. Ø  NIT calls- automated calls from teacher/principals to serve as reminder and information to all parents or parents by grade level. Ø  Clear information on choosing schools or courses, programs, and activities within schools. Ø  Contained within the Wednesday folders. v  Clear information on all school policies, programs, reforms, and transitions. Ø  Contained within the Wednesday folders. Ø  Board Meetings Ø  PTA meetings Ø  School Site Council- curriculum and budget planning. Ø  English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC) meetings- meetings about policy for English Language Learners, issues, and plan events to promote literacy and awareness. **Recruit and organize parent help and support.** v  Volunteer program to help teachers, administrators to help teachers, administrators, students, and other parents. Ø  Kinderguardians- volunteer help watch the kindergarten students in line. Ø  Wednesday Folders- volunteer makes copies of newsletter, information, activities to be sent home to each student. Ø  Small-group interventions Ø  Help with prepping material Ø  Prepare Response to Intervention (RtI) materials Ø  After school fundraiser sale Ø  Parents teach Meet the Masters Art. Ø  Dad and Donuts Breakfast for student and dad or special males in their families. Ø  Moms and Muffins Breakfast for student and moms or special females in their families. v  Parent room or family center for volunteer work, meetings, and resources for families. Ø  Meet the Masters room- parents receive training on teaching art to a class of students. Ø  Class parent, telephone tree, or other structures to provide all families with needed information- One parent takes information from teachers and translates for other parents who do not speak the English. v  Parent patrols or other activities to aid safety and operation of school programs. Ø  PTA members: President. Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer. Ø  School safety and environment team Ø  School Site Council- helps with curriculum and budget planning. **Provide information and strategies for parents to help their child at home with homework, projects, decisions, and planning.** v  Information for families on skills required for students in all subjects at each grade and on how to assist students to improve skills on various class and school assessments. Ø  Workshop on teaching strategies to parents about reading comprehension: picture walks, predication, connections, inference, questioning, visualizing, and stopping in the middle of a text to ask questions. Ø  Good nutrition and restful nights allow for clear thinking, especially for assessments. v  Information on homework policies and how to monitor and discuss schoolwork at home. Ø  Student write homework assignment in planner everyday parent must sign it every night, and make sure that the assignment is complete. Ø  Student and parent sign contract on homework policy and understand consequences for not finishing homework. This allows parent and student to accountable because they knew what was expected. Ø  Weekly newsletter in both languages where teacher can talk about the concepts being taught in class and provide an overview of assignments for the week. Also, included written guidance for difficult assignments. v  Regular schedules of homework that requires students to discuss and interact with families on what they are learning in class. Ø  Monthly math family project Ø  100th day of school family project Ø  Career day paper doll v  Calendar with activities for parents and students at home. Ø  Ex: Monday- Ask your child to count the number of days left in the month. Tuesday- Ask your child to count by 10s. v  Family math, science, and reading activities at school Ø  Scary Spooky Story Night- students dressed up in costumes and come with their parents to hear their teacher read. Ø  Reading on the Green- Students come with their parents and read to their parents, and vice versa on the grass. Ø  Science Fair- students share their experiments with many parents. Ø  Math Night- each grade plans a parent math education night, where teachers teach strategies they use in the classroom. v  Summer learning packets or activities. Ø  Phonics worksheets, sight work books, and sound games v  Family Participation in setting goals each year and in planning. **Include the parents in school decisions, developing parent leaders and representatives.** v  Active PTA or other parent organizations, advisory councils, or committees for parents’ leaderships and participation. Ø  English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC) Ø  School Site Council (SSC) v  Independent advocacy groups to lobby and work for school reform and improvements/ District-level councils and committees for family and community involvement. Ø  English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC) Ø  School Site Council (SSC) Ø  Board Meetings v  Networks to link all families with parent representatives. Ø  Parent Teacher Association (PTA) **Identify and integrate resources and services from the community to strengthen school programs, family practices, and student learning and development.** v  Information for students and families on community health, cultural, recreational, and social support, and other programs or services. Ø  City of Norwalk/Santa Fe Springs advertisements/newsletter on available programs. v  Information on community activities that link to learning skills and talents, including summer programs for students. Ø  GATE Academy Summer School ·  Enrichment Courses: Art, Science, Volleyball, Scrap booking, and Dance. v  Service integration through partnerships involving school; civic, counseling, cultural, health, recreation, and other agencies and organizations; and businesses. Ø  City of Norwalk/Santa Fe Springs advertisements/newsletter on available programs. Ø  Flyers given to the school. v  Service to the community by students, families, and schools, Ø  Contained within the Wednesday folder.  ** Six Types of Parent Involvement **  __ Web-based Links __ http://www.nea.org/parents/index.html http://www.nmsa.org/Research/ResearchSummaries/ParentInvolvement/tabid/274/Default.aspx http://www.pta.org/archive_article_details_1118251710359.html http://www.sedl.org/connections/resources/evidence.pdf http://michigan.gov/documents/Final_Parent_Involvement_Fact_Sheet_14732_7.pdf  __ References __ August, D., & Shanahan, T. (2006). //Developing Literacy in Second-Language Learners.// Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Garcia, E. (2002). //Student Cultural Diversity: Understanding and Meeting the Challenge.// Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company. Henderson, A.T. (1987). //The Evidence Continues to Grow: Parent Involvement Improves Student Achievement//. Columbia, MD: National Committee for Citizens in Education. Pate, P. E., & Andrews, P. G. (2006). Research summary: Parent involvement. Retrieved [June 28, 2008] from http://www.nmsa.org/Research/ResearchSummaries/ParentInvolvement/tabid/274/Default.aspx.
 * NLP Research Recommendation**
 * Type 1 || ** Parenting ** || Activities are designed to help families understand young adolescent development, acquire developmentally appropriate parenting skills, set home conditions to support learning at each grade level, and help schools obtain information about students. ||
 * Type 2 || ** Communicating ** || Activities focus on keeping parents informed through such things as notices, memos, report cards, conferences about student work, and school functions. ||
 * Type 3 || ** Volunteering ** || Activities incorporate strategies to improve volunteer recruiting, training, and scheduling. ||
 * Type 4 || ** Learning at home ** || Activities allow coordination of schoolwork with work at home (e.g., goal setting, interactive homework). ||
 * Type 5 || ** Decision making ** || Activities are designed to solicit the voice of parents in decisions about school policies and practices. ||
 * Type 6 || ** Collaborating with the community ** || Activities acknowledge and bring together all community entities (e.g., with the community businesses, religious organizations) with a vested interest in the education of young adolescents. ||