As schools strive to make student-centered learning the new norm, parent and family involvement is a key component of 21st-century education. To this end, educators work to implement programs that build trust and transparency. That’s essential among school administrators, teachers, and parents. On any given day, you’ll find school leaders juggling tasks big and small. For instance, they’re revising strategic plans or meeting with department heads about parent involvement in school.
You can increase family and parent involvement in school! You can take actionable steps to increase parent and family involvement in your child’s school. And it doesn’t matter if you’re the principal or the parent leader of the PTA at your child’s school. So, read on for some tips and advice our team put together for bringing families back into the fold. As you know, by doing so, you only increase school support.
Be transparent about school practices and policies
As we know, parents want what’s best for their children. And that’s why, whenever possible, parents sign up for parent-teach organizations. But let’s face it; many parents run out of steam regarding volunteering. Thus, school leaders should take a proactive approach to transparency by holding information sessions for new and veteran parents. You can discuss the curriculum, core values, instructional methods, and school policies during these sessions.
When drafting policies, consider addressing sensitive topics. For instance, you could discuss how to stomp out bullying and cyberbullying. You could also talk about what to do when a child falls behind in school. Whatever the topic, it’s also essential to develop a parent handbook. It details the roles and responsibilities of parents, teachers, and administrators. And don’t forget to mention the rights of students. While this idea may sound complicated, it’s a simple and effective way to foster transparency.
Make it easy for parents to volunteer in the classroom
The school year is busy for teachers, who manage a whole curriculum, planning, and extracurricular activities. So, consider creating a volunteer board to make it easier for parents to get involved in the classroom. This board can manage the minutiae of recruiting parents to become guest teachers for specific subjects. They could also help students with special needs or assist with field trips.
While you can’t assign volunteer duties to every parent, parents can get involved in numerous ways. An example includes tutoring struggling students in after-school programs. You could also ask school parents to help with a library or lead clubs and activities for younger students. And let’s say you’re a teacher working to find time in your schedule to assign parent volunteers. How about asking one or two parents to handle the scheduling of activities or recurring after-school commitments?
Encourage communication using digital platforms
Encourage communication using digital platformsCommunication is key to successful parent and family engagement. As we know, people are much more willing to send text messages or emails. And as technology advances, many parents are less inclined to pick up the phone. As a school administrator, you can encourage parents to use digital communication platforms by establishing a clear parent communication plan with parents. In turn, it promotes parent involvement in the community.
In addition to having a parent communication plan, it’s crucial to have a school communication plan. That internal plan outlines how the school team communicates with parents. So, you can include information about how your teachers could get in touch with parents and the best times to do so. Further, your communication plan can include how and when parents should reach out to you and communicate with teachers.
Hold parent education nights
Let’s say you’re a teacher struggling to meet the needs of all your students. That’s something that many teachers experience despite their best intentions and efforts. Moreover, it can be challenging to gain the trust and confidence of parents who want to see their children succeed. That situation provides another opportunity to increase parent involvement in school.
Hold regular parent education nights. It’s one way to combat time demands and shows parents that you’re actively working to meet their child’s unique needs. At these one-hour meetings, you can discuss upcoming curriculum changes. Or you could help parents learn how to help their child at home. Administrators can review policies related to student grade retention, IEPs, and more.
Provide opportunities for student advancement and enrichment
For many parents, it’s critical to know their child is engaged in extracurricular activities that allow them to excel socially and academically. For example, sports teams and academic clubs provide opportunities for kids to increase self-confidence, make friends, excel in class, and develop strong problem-solving skills.
So, familiarize yourself with the different clubs and activities available to students. Doing so allows you to recommend the best options for children when asked by parents. Moreover, you could combine efforts. Let’s say you want to raise funds for your school. Something you could do for enrichment is to combine the curriculum with the activity of raising funds. (Check out micro-enterprise curriculums).
Don’t be shy; get involved!
Finally, many ways exist to increase family and parent involvement in school, so don’t be shy about asking. For one, you could be transparent about your school policies and make it easy for parents to volunteer in the classroom. Find creative ways to get more parents involved in their child’s education. Parent involvement benefits the students and improves the school’s culture as a whole!
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