One of the biggest challenges schools and districts face is low parent involvement. It is often assumed that parents do not take the time to participate in their child's learning community or care about their child's academic progress, even if that student is performing poorly or falling below academic expectations. It is the school's responsibility to ensure that children learn, but learning extends beyond the school walls. We need reinforcement from parents.
As a school and community engagement manager, the biggest challenges I see are not that parents don't care or don't have time to support their children. It seems to me that parents are experiencing a lack of connection with the school, the teachers, and the material their students are learning.
It's easy to assume there are quick fixes to this problem, but as we all know, building meaningful relationships takes time, and when the relationships parents have with their students' learning process can impact their academic progress, we can't miss the bigger picture. . . As we build relationships with students, we must also focus on building relationships with parents and families.
Learning from my experience
One year, my son came home from school with a math assignment that made my head spin, and he was only in fifth grade. While I remembered the concepts he was studying from my own school experience, trying to emulate the instructions he received was stressful.
“This shouldn't be so challenging!” I thought as he eagerly began writing down methods and strategies he knew, hoping he would understand them better. Unfortunately, my attempt to help resulted in him teaching me how to solve his math problems. While I'm grateful he figured it out, he was more confused than when we started.
Now imagine, if I were frustrated, can you imagine how other parents feel? This is the narrative of many of the families we serve. Yes, there are parents who work long hours during the week and cannot always make time to attend to their children's academic progress, but in many cases, parents do not show up because they are embarrassed not to be able to understand what their child is learning. .
In my role, supporting parents and families in the learning community is extremely important. My conversations with parents often encompass frustrations over their inability to support their children due to their lack of academic knowledge and skills.
Today, students learn through technology/how-use-i-do-we-do-you-do-teaching” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener nofollow”>“I do, we do, you do” method. In this model, teachers teach concepts by working step by step with students. Students can demonstrate what they can do with and without teacher support while receiving the information and individual support they need to succeed. Sometimes that can be a challenge for the teacher, especially when students lack the foundational skills they need to learn their grade level standards. It also becomes a stressor for the student; As a result, those stressors are enrolled at home, where students still need support from their parents and families.
This is where my role serves as a bridge between parents and the school, highlighting the importance of the at-home learning experience for students. While this is my primary job, schools and districts cannot forget that our role is to support our families in this teaching and learning process, and we cannot do this job without our parents.
Building a bridge for better connection and commitment
When students have high commitment and participation of parents at home and school, there is a higher success rate. As a school, once we noticed the impact of low parent involvement, we made it a priority to identify disconnects between our school and the families we serve.
We started by sending surveys and conducting one-on-one conversations with parents. As a change school, this helped us identify gaps between what we knew, what our parents wanted from us, and where we needed to incorporate additional wraparound supports. Identifying this disconnect for parents at Luther J. Price Middle School (LJPMS), we initiated opportunities for parents to attend workshops with instructors and instructional teachers to share strategies they could use to help their children with homework at home. home. These workshops were provided in person and virtually for parents who were unable to physically attend.
In addition to learning what parents needed to help their students at home, the survey also revealed that parents were reluctant to participate because they did not have a positive relationship with the teachers or the school. This made me realize how much relationships really matter and I had to think of creative ways and opportunities for parents to participate in the community that were less threatening and more welcoming.
One of the ways I accomplished this was by organizing activities that encouraged parents to volunteer and connect with teachers. One of those activities included the “King's Breakfast,” where our parents were invited to have breakfast with their students. Most recently, we hosted a “Thanksgiving Luncheon” where families were invited to come and fellowship with our community as a family. Teachers, administrators, and district staff took advantage of this opportunity to interact with our families. It truly was an extraordinary experience for our families, and even more so for our students. If teaching the child “whole” is important, involving parents is equally important.
It takes a village
As a father, I can't think of a greater connection than the one I have with my son. As a child, I grew up in an environment where my parents were polite and actively involved in my education. Modeling that experience is not a challenge for me. As a single parent, I want to make sure my child has the greatest learning experience possible. That's why I choose to be present.
Yes, I form relationships with teachers that support my students' learning, but that is my expectation: there is no alternative. I also want his teachers to know that I have high expectations of my child; However, if I can support his efforts in his educational journey, I will do so. Although my experience is different than those I serve, I believe the end goal remains the same.
No parent I have ever met wants to see their child fail. Although it seems like the responsibility always falls on the school, parents are in the best position to help our children. As the great educator Marva Collins would say: “It is not a crime not to know. It is a crime not to want to know.”
For schools and teachers, we must help our parents and families fill the gaps. Whatever they may lack, we can support so that our student community has greater opportunities for success. If that means that parents, teachers, and schools must work together to become foot soldiers on the path to student success and academic achievement, then that is what we must do.
There is an African proverb that says: “The child who is not embraced by the village will burn it to feel its warmth.” This community has been plagued by external factors that impact the progress and success of our children. It truly takes a village to raise a child, and this partnership is necessary to achieve the results we seek for this community and, most importantly, for our children. By working and functioning together, we achieve more.
