Parental Involvement in the Schools
Parental Involvement in the SchoolsSimic, Marge. (1991). Parental Involvement in the Schools. ERIC Digest. 52 EDO-CS-91-52
[Online], Available: http://www.indiana.edu/~eric_par/ieo/digests/d52.html
The purpose of this article is to investigate the way that parent involvement has evolved in the past few years. There are many resources now available for parents who wish to be truly involved in their child’s learning experiences. There are even some teachers who attempt to have parent involvement as part of their curriculum.
Parent involvement is fast becoming a hot topic. Teaching periodicals, parent magazines, newspapers, and television talk shows and special broadcasts are emphasizing the impact parents make in educating their children. Topics include hints on effective communication at conference time, tips for establishing study skills and habits at home, and information on how to use parents effectively as volunteers in the classroom. A potential limitation with the teacher-parents involvement is that, though they may be worthwhile, they often lack an overall organization that allows teachers to plan and develop solid programs for parents. Many well-meaning, teachers approach parent involvement as an “afterthought” that may lack purposeful implementation. A general format may help to eliminate wasted effort and guide the development of an organized approach to parent involvement such as a language arts or a math program.
There are several dimensions of increasing parental involvement: 1). Monitoring, 2.) informing, and 3.) participation. At the monitoring level, schools make parents aware of the school situation. This is done through informal conversations (e.g., open houses, school programs), announcements regarding the school’s activities, and questionnaires. This type of contact helps to establish parental feelings of assurance, confidence, and acceptance. Parents feel more comfortable sharing with the teacher their child’s positive, as well as negative, attitudes about school that the child may be experiencing at home. Many schools are effective and active at this level
of parent involvement with weekly bulletins, annual open houses in the fall, and public invitations to special school programs and activities. Informing means keeping parents informed about the policies, procedures, aims, and expectations that exist in the school, but particularly in the classroom. The contact is more formal and direct. Communication at this level is more specifically between the classroom teacher and the parent rather than between the school and the parents. This is done through (1) parent-teacher conferences, (2) home visits, (3) class newsletters, (4) bulletin boards, (5) reporting, (6) phone calls, and (7) take-home packets. In addition to teachers informing parents, parents need to inform the teacher about anything going on at home that may help the teacher to understand the child’s behavior and performance at school. Parents should communicate with the teacher on how the child’s reading and language activities are progressing at home and give feedback regarding the supportive activities done at home. At the participation level parents become actively involved in the classroom with teachers. Teachers solicit the assistance of parents in helping the school and/or classroom with instructional support. Parents might act as aides or volunteers in classrooms, helping with bulletin boards, checking assignments, or making games and activities. Parents might volunteer to work in the library, do typing, or work with school equipment such as laminating and duplicating. Parents who have had experiences that match a special theme or topic being explored by the class could be asked to make special presentations. They may be asked to participate in classroom instruction or act as classroom reading tutors or writing editors who work with one or two children who are experiencing difficulty. Parents who cannot actively participate in the classroom are encouraged to provide supportive instruction at home. In this way, every parent who has a desire to can assist the school in some fashion.
I have seen parent involvement on all levels in our children’s schools. I can be a great tool, however, this article fails to inform the reader that there are complicated legalities involved. There are background checks, and sometimes further investigations that parents must surrender to in order to be involved with the school. These security measures are good but the paperwork seems to deter some parents. Also, I have seen parents that I did not feel were appropriate in schools which is a “whole ‘nother story.” I’m sure it sounds as if I have a negative opinion of parent involvement but that is not the case. Fortunately, I have been able to be a consistent visitor at our children’s schools and it has benefited our children in many ways.