Parent Involvement
Overview
This is an inquiry project about parent involvement in schools. This project includes different types of strategies and the advantages and disadvantages of parent involvement.
Introduction
Parental involvement is defined as the participation of parents in regular ways. Meaningful communication is involved allowing students academic learning and other school activities to be successful. All over the world, teachers are very thankful for parents willing to help out in and around the classroom. Parents help on field trips and class parties as well as helping their child at home on homework each night so that they are ready to learn new material the next day. However, there are educators out there who feel like students with involved parents are in the way of the child’s education. Some teachers feel like when they teach material each day and then the parents help at night teaching them a different way, it just confuses the child, impeding their learning. Aside from academics, some teachers feel involved parents are overwhelming because they are over opinionated and judgmental when it comes to classroom setups and lessons. Throughout our website you will find useful and positive ways parents can be involved in their child’s academics.
https://www.bbpbschools.net/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=345909&type=d&pREC_ID=754303 (for picture)
Strategy 1 - Parent Involvement at Home
The purpose of homework contracts between students and parents is to draw more parent involvement in specifically the literacy growth of the student population. There are 5 steps that need to be implemented for this to work. 1. There needs to be a reward system for the child,2. The parent negotiates with the child and agree with goals and rewards,3. Both parties fill out a homework planner,4. Parent checks childs completion and gives earned rewards, 5. Start fading the reward system little by little.
https://www.oercommons.org/courses/homework-contracts-tapping-the-power-of-parents/view
Strategy 2 - Parent Involvement at School
Parents who want to be involved with their child once they go to middle school can try this strategy to help with their homework. The school wants to help educate parents on practices to help their child at home, there would be mini workshops once a month and feature specific strategies versus broad information. Parents can follow these suggestions and still need a little help in guiding their students’ progress. That is why the workshops once a month are specific to a certain subject, like reading, math, science, and social studies. This will help parents who don’t understand the work that is getting sent home and how to complete it.
https://www.oercommons.org/courses/reading-for-parents-in-middle-school-2/view
Strategy 3 - Parent Involvement in Social Media
This strategy is for parents to stay involved with their child by social media. There are many social media apps that children use that a parent can learn a lot from. When a child does not want to have a conversation the parent can check their social media to find out how they are doing and feeling. Social media might not always be a good idea, but can help a parent stay involved.
Strategies for Teachers to Involve Parents
Volunteer opportunities for parents is a way parents can stay involved. If a parent does not work they could help in the classroom with day to day activities, or volunteer to chaperone a field trip. Parents can also help plan festivities, join the school PTO, and help with improvement projects.
Strategy 4 - Parent Involvement within SPED
To have parents involved more in the classroom within SPED, a teacher should define parent involvement, show parents how to get involved, remove parent fear and mystery from the special education world, to know parents of different backgrounds may have barriers due to linguistic and/or cultural differences, and most importantly continuous communication. For more information, you can go to their website.
https://www.specialedusa.com/post/special-education-and-parental-involvement
Advantages and Disadvantages of Parent Involvement
The advantages of parent involvement are:
When there is good communication between parents and teachers, absenteeism decreases
Academic performance increases
Helps improve student behavior in the classroom
The benefit extends to all ages
Improves teacher performance
Helps when the parents feel happier and more involved with their children's education
The disadvantages of parent involvement are:
- When parents are excessively involved in their children’s schools it can damage their children’s self-esteem as well as the teacher’s self-esteem.
https://observatory.tec.mx/edu-news/the-importance-of-parental-involvement-in-teaching
Final Conclusion
Parent involvement is essential for student development and offers many benefits. The participation of parents in the educational process means that teachers and parents share the responsibility to teach students and work together to achieve educational goals. The earlier that a connection is established between parents and the educational process of their children, the stronger the foundation for success of the student.
When there is good communication between parents and teachers, academic performance increases, there reading and comprehension increase, and students feel more motivated learn and their grades improve along with their self-esteem and their attitude. Not only does it help the students but it helps the teacher as well. When the parent and teacher have better communication, parents learn to value the work of the teacher more.
https://observatory.tec.mx/edu-news/the-importance-of-parental-involvement-in-teaching