Parent Involvement: Strategies for Success

Education Systems Change Project Grant Support Consultants

Development and publication of this document was made possible through Grant #92-1/97 which was funded under P.L. 104-183 in accordance with goals established by the Ohio Developmental Disabilities Planning Council and administered by the Ohio Department of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Section I., Parenting: Key Points to Remember, Figures for Section I included in text version only by title and source

Section II., Communication: Key Points to Remember, Figures for Section II included in text version only by title and source

Section III., Volunteering: Key Points to Remember, Figures for Section III included in text version only by title and source

Section IV., Learning at Home: Key Points to Remember, Figures for Section IV included in text version only by title and source

Section V., Decision Making: Key Points to Remember, Figures for Section V included in text version only by title and source

Section VI., Collaborating with the Community: Key Points to Remember, Figures for Section VI included in text version only by title and source

Appendix A: School Contact List; Appendix B: Starting Points; Appendix C: Homework Tips

Parent Involvement: Strategies for Success

Introduction

The Ohio Parent Involvement Law, Sec. 3313.472, effective July 1, 1992, requires that each Board of Education, located in the state of Ohio, adopts a policy to provide parents an opportunity to be "actively involved in their children's education."

The law also states that parents must be informed of:
a) the importance of parental involvement in directly affecting the success of their children's educational efforts;
b) how and when to assist their children in and support their children's classroom learning activities;
c) techniques, strategies and skills to use at home to improve their children's development as future responsible adult members of society.

The Education Systems Change Project (ESCP), a collaborative effort between the University of Dayton and the Ohio Developmental Disabilities Planning Council, reiterates the importance of parent involvement espoused by the National PTA and the State of Ohio. As part of the project's commitment to having parents involved in the education process, this "parent handbook" has been commissioned. Parent Involvement: Strategies for Success is intended to assist schools in their attempts to create opportunities for meaningful parent involvement in the education of all children.

Encouraging a team approach, the project recognizes that the family is the first line of support for all children. This initial nurturing, ideally, creates a sense of belonging. As the child's world grows to include people from the educational community, the child's sense of belonging is reinforced in the formal education process. Unfortunately, the formal education process often does not reinforce a sense of belonging for the parents of these children. While this lack of "parental belonging" creates a diminished educational environment for all children, it can be devastating for children with identified learning needs (typically referred to as "disabilities").

This work is a response to those who have indicated that they need more information about how to involve parents in their children's education. Materials and ideas used in this work came from administrators, teachers, parents, and students who were part of the Education Systems Change Project.

Acknowledging that meaningful parent involvement is not a "one-size fits all" exercise, this work offers a variety of examples and suggestions that have been successfully used by diverse groups across the state of Ohio. The writers, ESCP Grant/ Parent Consultants, are parents of children with identified learning needs. They are involved in the educational process of their children and, as such, have included additional information and insight from their own personal experiences.

Research demonstrates that parent involvement improves student achievement, attitudes, homework, report card grades and aspirations according to Dr. Joyce Epstein (1995), from the Johns Hopkins University, Center on Families, Communities, Schools and Children's Learning. Epstein's framework of Six Types of Involvement and Sample Practices provides the foundation for the organization of this material. The concepts presented as challenges in Epstein's framework are included in "Things to Remember" in this document.

The definition of "parent," from the National PTA, includes other adults (grandparents, aunts, uncles, stepparents, guardians, etc.) that may carry the primary responsibility for a child's well-being. So, any reference to parent involvement includes the adults who play an important role in a child's family life.

Examples of school activities, or programs already in place, are indicated by an asterix*. Contact information, including names and addresses of schools and organizations used as examples, is available in appendix A.

Each of the sections is followed by a brief description of the "benefits" (Epstein calls them "results") that students, parents and teachers typically experience when schools successfully implement strategies to involve parents in the educational process. In addition, school self-assessments are provided for each section. They are intended to present a "place to start" for schools seeking to do more to involve parents. The entire self-assessment document, entitled Starting Points, was developed from inventory information adapted in the Partnership-2000 Schools Manual. It is reprinted, with permission from Dr. Joyce Epstein, as Appendix B.

Figures are referred to throughout the text and indicate authentic examples that demonstrate an idea or strategy discussed in a particular section - if the "figures" are images, they do not appear in this text only version. They are identified by section number and placement, so "See Figure 1.1" is the first example in the first section. The "figures" that are included are found at the back of each section.

PARENTING by Sue Bitsko

Help all families establish home environments to support children as students.

According to the National PTA, the Center on Families, Communities, Schools and Children's Learning, the Parent Institute, and the US Department of Education, research shows that when parents play a positive role in their child's education, their child does better in school.

Children whose parents are involved in their education are more motivated to learn. Motivated students tend to be more involved in class, more concerned about homework, and more successful academically.

A common problem, as indicated on parent surveys, is that parents often don't feel they know what they can do to create the environment that supports their children as students.

This section, entitled PARENTING, is designed to identify and describe concrete examples that schools can implement to help all parents establish home environments that support all children as students.

Following the framework of Dr. Joyce Epstein, schools can help parents develop better parenting skills by:
1) Providing suggestions and ideas for home conditions that support learning.
2) Providing grade level opportunities for parents to learn about parenting and child-rearing through workshops, videotapes and computerized phone messages.
3) Providing parent education and other courses or training for parents (e. g., GED, college credit, family literacy).
4) Directing families to support programs for health, nutrition and other services.
5) Conducting home visits at transition points to preschool, elementary, middle and high school.
6) Initiating neighborhood meetings to help families understand schools and to help schools understand families.

These six areas will be addressed in more detail below. An asterix* indicates authentic examples of what parents, schools and communities are presently doing in a particular area.

Conditions for Learning:

The suggestions and ideas listed below are provided, with permission, from The Parent Institute's, Forty-Four Proven Ideas Parents Can Use to Help Their Children Do Better in School (1995). Not all forty-four of the proven ideas are listed here. Those that apply more directly to what parents can do in establishing a student-centered home environment, have been selected.

Time is a critical factor when it comes to parenting. Today's busy parents need to schedule time for their children and to make the most of the time they have. Schools could suggest the following as strategies to help parents make time count.

• Plan to eat certain meals together as a family.
• Mark specific times on the calendar each week when parents will spend time with their children. During that time, parents will focus love and attention on their children.
• Use "car time" to talk with children. No one can get up and leave.
• Look for things to do together as a family: Get children involved in choosing how to spend "together time."

A home environment that supports children as students will build their self-esteem. Schools can teach parents activities that build self-esteem in their children. Some activities could include:

• Look for ways to tell children what is likable about them, and that they are loved. No age limit applies to this one
• Praise children often and let children overhear parents praising them to others. "The Laughing Classroom," by Diane Loomans and Karen Kolberg (1993, p. 172), identifies fifty creative ways to praise a child. "Intelligence strikes again!... Can I have your autograph?... You're destined for greatness!" are a few examples. (See Figure 1.1)
• Have each child make a "book" about themselves, with their own illustrations and wording. "A Book About Me" is a great way to help a child see himself/ herself as "somebody."
• Help children discover their roots by talking with family members during holiday and other visits.
• Help children learn from their problems. Parents should avoid words like "failure" and focus on what can be learned from experiences that don't work out as planned.

The S. T. E. P.: Systematic Training for Effective Parenting program has developed some suggestions for "Developing the Courage to Be Imperfect. "(See Figure 1.2)

Classroom discipline has been identified as one of the main problems facing teachers, according to Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Polls of the Public's Attitudes Toward Education (Elam 1991). Schools can help parents support children as students by encouraging "win-win" discipline tactics (parents win and kids win) such as the examples described here.

• In good weather, put two angry kids on opposite sides of a strong window or glass door. Provide each with a spray bottle of window cleaner and a rag. Then let them "attack."
• To better discipline, speak quietly. Children model what they see, shouting or screaming, even when angry, reinforces inappropriate behavior.
• Use role playing to eliminate fighting and arguing between siblings. Have children present the other's point of view for five minutes. A compromise solution may be the result.

Children, as well as adults, have a need to feel some control over their lives (Salomon 1989). This control is linked to the basic desire to be perceived as competent. It is particularly important for children identified as "disabled" or "underachieving," as they are permitted fewer opportunities to demonstrate a "typical" level of competency.

Parents can contribute to a child's sense of competence in many ways. Schools can help by providing parents with information about competence-building. This information could include suggestions such as:

• Children need the 4 "A's": Attention, Appreciation, Affection and Acceptance, as well as the 3 "R's.
• Believe every child is gifted.
• Helping a child see his/her giftedness is very motivating.
• Encourage children to read biographies about very successful people. Learning about traits that made others successful can motivate imitation.

Responsibility is a characteristic of personal growth. It occurs in developmental stages related to knowledge, emotion and environment (Knowles and McLean, 1986).

Parents can create opportunities for their children to develop responsibility as part of their daily routine. Schools recognize the importance of character education and can assist parents by providing suggestions of activities that build responsibility.

Loomans and Kolberg (1993) advise teachers to maintain a sense of humor while building responsibility in their students. They have designed an activity to reward "Exceptional Excuses." Parents could find this activity valuable when dealing with the excuses children present when they fail to perform a required activity. Children with identified learning needs related to Attention Deficit Disorder frequently have difficulty following directions: they seem to rely on excuses. Humor can reduce the feelings of inadequacy that accompany nonperformance. (See Figure 1.3)

Too often, we give children answers to remember rather than problems to solve! - Roger Lewin

Some other responsibility building suggestions include:

• Use a simple cardboard box to help a child be responsible for school belongings. When he/she comes home from school, all belongings should be placed in the box. When homework is completed, it goes in the box. The box is the last stop before the child heads out the door in the morning.
• Give a child responsibility for growing a small plant. The positive and negative results of carrying out responsibilities will be very clear.

* The "Parents as Partners " committee from West Elementary School in Celina, Ohio held a workshop entitled "Let's Get Organized--On the Right Track" for parents of elementary school children.

The workshop was presented in the fall of the school year. Held in the evening, the school provided childcare for parents who needed to bring children with them. Scheduling the workshop after the first grading period permitted parents, whose students were identified as needing organizational skill development, to be informed of the opportunity.

* Southwest Local School District, in southwest Ohio, offered parenting classes on a number of topics. Child development classes addressed infants through school-age, with workshop topics that included:
a) Know what to expect from children at different ages.
b) Discipline children without force.
c) Reduce stress in your life.
d) Learn new communication skills.
e) Perform infant CPR and infant massage.
f) Develop ways to stimulate your child's intellectual and emotional growth.
g) Find ways to catch children being good.
h) Identify effective time-out strategies.
i) Train children to comply with parental requests.
j) Reduce or eliminate difficulties with tasks assigned for home completion.
k) Set up intervention plans for home.

Flyers were sent home with students, distributed through local agencies and advertised via press releases. In addition to offering free child care, the parents received $10 for "gas money" after each session. Other topics could also apply. (See Figure 1.4)

Grade-level Workshops and Technology

Schools are in a position to help parents develop parenting skills that are needed at different stages of a child's development. This is more easily accomplished by providing parent training on grade-level/age-appropriate topics.

It is important to mention parent training that includes parents of children with identified learning needs. These identified learning needs may be academic or social, or both. Schools should be sure workshop presenters and trainers collaborate with special educators so that workshop materials include all students.

Special educators and regular educators could work together to develop a range of grade-specific parenting concepts that include enrichment activities and remedial activities.

Our children may be only 20% of our population but they are 100% of our future. - US Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley

Be sure to get parent input whenever possible. Schools need to keep parents involved so they will better understand the importance of their role in the educational process.

Using an age-level, grade-level and ability-level focus, the suggestions listed below will enhance basic parenting skills and utilize school technologies. They include:

• Send home grade-level newsletters that include calendars with monthly and weekly activities indicated. This may keep parents more involved.
• Hold regular parent meetings where parents can ask questions and discuss age-specific, grade-specific and ability-specific issues.
• Suggest that parents use a calendar to keep track of important events related to their child's grade level. Schools should explain how good parenting can include activities as simple as talking about the preparation for upcoming events.
• Establish a Cultural Fair night where grade-level parents and children can plan together to share information about their heritage. Be sure the school provides materials needed for activities and presentations.
• Try day-long parent training programs with short repeated workshops on grade-level topics such as learning to read, discipline alternatives, talking with kids about sex, etc. Provide videotapes of the workshops for parents who are unable to attend.
• Instead of music, or other "fillers," have hold-lines on school telephones list creative discipline ideas. This is especially effective for the phone lines used to communicate difficult situations such as truancy or detentions.
• Develop a list of discipline strategies and distribute to classroom parents. Identify age-level, grade-level and ability-level suggestions. Ask parents to submit ideas that work for them.
• Add suggestions for responsibility-building activities, such as performing chores at home or helping others, to existing homework hotlines for parent access.
• Broadcast information about school events that require student assistance on school-access TV channels. Encourage parents to view the information as a student-volunteer bulletin board. Explain, as part of the broadcast, how a student's participation as a volunteer can build responsibility. This explanation would enrich the bulletin board concept so it becomes a parent learning opportunity.

* St. Bernard Elementary and Elmwood Place Elementary, near Cincinnati, Ohio, have minimal bus transportation. Consequently, there are large groups of parents/grandparents etc., who daily walk their children to and from school. The schools have set up VCR monitors in the areas where parents/etc. congregate and wait for their children's dismissal. The school takes the opportunity to show videos about how children learn. The videos include information about multiple intelligences and teaching strategies for children with special learning needs.

* Southwest Local School District, in southwest Ohio, offers an annual workshop for parents of 4th, 5th and 6th grade students about "How to Talk to Your Kids About Sex. " They provide coffee and donuts and schedule the workshop during the school day while their children are occupied. A school nurse is a teaching resource. The workshop could be videotaped for use by parents who were unable to attend.

Southwest also offers "Active Parenting Workshops". Now in its sixth year, the program has expanded from four to six sessions, offered three times a year, once in the fall, winter and spring. The workshops are presented by counselors and psychologists on topics identified through parent surveys and by previous parent evaluations. High school students baby-sit to earn community service credits. Materials used in the workshops are from "Active Parenting" Publications. Catalogs can be obtained by calling customer service at 1-(800)-825-0060.

* Tri-Village Elementary School, in Ohio's Darke County, uses ten-minute videos to show parents what teachers are doing in the classrooms regarding curriculum. That same concept could be applied to parenting topics for individual grade levels. Circulating video libraries that increase parenting skills are as important as those that address classroom instructional techniques.

* Crosby Elementary School, in Hamilton County, holds a "Learning to Learn Mini-Workshop" for parents to "contribute to the understanding that a child's academic success is a shared responsibility with teacher-student-parent working in partnership." The handouts used for the How to Read with Your Child workshop are provided as a sample. (See Figure 1.5)

Parent Education and Training

Knowledge is power. - Sir Francis Bacon, 1597

Parents are a valuable resource in the classroom. When schools assist with the continuing education of parents, they increase and enhance their resources.

In the nursing profession, programs are available to increase the skills and abilities of nurses while, at the same time, providing opportunities for personal growth and understanding. The programs are referred to as "clinical ladders." A nurse chooses activities from a number of different options that become a personal development plan for him or her.

In an effort to add a framework to training experiences, schools could develop an "educational ladder" for parents. It might include: workshops; classroom observation; courses offered at area Regional Resource Centers, vocational centers or community colleges; volunteer work with social agencies; or community service.

Parents could choose activities that personally interest them and achieve a personal goal (e. g., completing a GED, receiving credit toward a certificate or degree, or career placement opportunity).

Courses or training for parents can include a variety of topics that will be valuable to parents as individuals and as classroom resources.

According to Gordon (1970) in "P. E. T.: Parent Effectiveness Training" and Dinkmeyer and McKay (1976) in "S. T. E. P.: Systematic Training for Effective Parenting, areas of parent interest include:
-Child development; the physical, mental, social and emotional growth of the child.
-Behaviors; negative and positive.
-Family relations; communication, interpersonal relations and sibling rivalry.
-Enrichment activities for children; creativity, exploration, imagination, music, art, literature and reading.
-Mental and emotional health; value clarification and self-awareness.
-Television as an education medium.
-Social responsibility; decision-making, moral values and critical thinking.
-Social problems; drugs and alcohol, violence, smoking, stress, and living with change.

Other strategies for schools to keep in mind when providing learning opportunities for parents are:

• Work with local Regional Resource Centers and community colleges to determine if continuing education credits could apply for school-sponsored parent workshops.
• Provide para-educator on-the-job training for parents who volunteer in the classroom.
• Offer GED and other classes at different times to accommodate parents' schedules.

Healthy self-esteem is critical to learning. Regardless of age, the self-image makes or breaks the learning process. Schools can help build the self-esteem of parents as learners by adhering to the following guidelines:

• School personnel need to help parents realize their ability to learn and provide encouragement that enhances rather than diminishes self-esteem.
• Help parents develop an "educational ladder" complete with defined goals. Courses and training will fit a purpose and self-esteem will grow whenever a goal is met.
• Help parents educate their children. Be sure parents understand concepts being taught to their children. Offer opportunities for parents to familiarize themselves with classroom materials and discuss grade-level curriculum.
• Avoid experiences that can damage self-esteem. Schools need to be mindful of these experiences when developing courses and training sessions for parents.

Ross Van Ness (1995), writing for the Phi Delta Kappa Educational Foundation, has identified experiences that damage self-esteem for all learners:

• Repeated negative evaluation by others. Words like dumb, slow and stupid can undermine any learning opportunity. When they come from significant people, they become part of the self-image.
• Severe or repeated criticism. Hearing that efforts are "not good enough" can diminish self-worth and confidence.
• Negative humor, put-downs and humiliating kidding. These tactics are still criticism and are designed to draw negative attention to the efforts of the learner.
• Embarrassment. The embarrassment of a "learner" may not even be obvious to the "teacher," but it can cause severe self-blame.
• Interpreting the learner's efforts as mistakes, errors or failures. This interpretation of less-than-completely-successful learning efforts can become an indicator of low ability, which may translate into low self-confidence.
• Internal messages that other people determine a person's self-worth. Because people "see" themselves reflected in the "eyes" of others, self-talk that indicates a low self-worth often lowers self-esteem.

Seldom does a damaging self-esteem experience occur by itself. Most often they occur in combinations of the above. Schools need to remind adult learners that the choice of interpretation and assignment of meaning to negative events is a personal, internal process.

The difference between adult learners and child learners is what Van Ness identifies as a "larger reservoir of shaping experiences." Recognizing that accumulated experience may be positive or negative, Van Ness states that successful learning requires adults to frame their knowledge of themselves, as learners, in a positive light.

School workshops and training sessions need to reflect the life-lessons adult learners bring to educational settings. Workshops should provide activities that emphasize "What I Do Well" and identify talents and abilities of the parent participants.

All men (and women) who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education. - Sir Walter Scott (parens added)

• Describe the organizational skills that are needed to plan a party and compare them to the organizational skills needed to complete an educational goal.
• Identify the problem-solving activities utilized to solve a personal or work-related problem and identify the similarities for problem-solving activities in a workshop or training experience.
• Discuss goal-setting for "life" events and include educational goals.

* Washington Local Schools' Student Services Department invited the chairperson of the Special Education Department of the University of Toledo to present an in-service on Increasing Self-Advocacy.

* William Patrick Day Early Childhood Center invited all Marion Sterling Elementary School parents to a Discipline Series and Discussion Group. The six sessions were held on Friday afternoons from 1: 30 p. m. until 3: 00 p. m.

The County Board of Mental Retardation/Developmental Disabilities school psychologist and a Head Start program family service worker presented the sessions. Refreshments, childcare and transportation were provided.

A certificate was awarded to participants who attended at least five of the six sessions. This type of certification process could apply to the "educational ladder" referred to previously.

* Three Rivers Local School District held workshops on computer technology alternatives for students identified with specific learning needs. Teachers, administrators and parents were educated regarding the use of technology as a learning tool. Parents had an opportunity to familiarize themselves with state-of-the-art computer programs, while increasing their understanding of ways they can establish a home environment that more effectively supports their child as a student. By opening a workshop to parents of all students, more parents could benefit from computer training.

Support Programs for Families

• Schools should include a list of area service providers in school handbook materials. Be sure to explain, in simple terms , what each provider addresses.
• Have service agency representatives set up displays and answer questions at pre-kindergarten assessment time so parents can access support as soon as possible.
• Hold a school "health fair" and invite service providers to set up booths and displays. Encourage parents to attend and to visit exhibits.

* Annuciation -St. John School, in Akron, Ohio, holds a Health Fair for parents and families of the school community. As an incentive to have family members actually visit provider exhibits, they award door prizes based on a prescribed number of visits to different booths and exhibits. (See Figure 1.6)

Home Visits at Transition Points

The transition process is recognized as critical when it concerns a student with identified special needs.

Teachers and other school personnel, involved in the educational plan of a student with identified learning needs, are required to collaborate and coordinate so that transitioning is accomplished as easily as possible. Parents should be fully involved in that collaboration and coordination.

A positive, supported transition between preschool and elementary school can extend the benefits of preschool programs into the early elementary grades. This conclusion is supported by the National Transition Survey (Love & Logue 1992) report conducted by the US Department of Education.

Nancy Berla (1992), Director of the Help Line and ACCESS Clearinghouse of the National Committee for Citizens in Education, cites research indicating that parent involvement in a child's education during the middle years (ages 10 -14) is as important a factor in every child's success at school as it is in earlier years.

Parent involvement may be more difficult, due to the middle school structure. In middle school, each student has five or six teachers and each teacher has as many as 150 students.

While the teacher can light the lantern and put it in the student's hand, it is the student who must walk into the dark. - William H. Armstrong

Interpersonal (person-to-person) communication is regarded as the preferred method of communication when information is important. In addition, the communication environment is also critical to the success of the communication interaction.

The communication environment refers to the setting in which the communication exchange actually occurs. When people are called to the principal's office for some type of communication, they typically assume that the communication will be official and most often negative.

When critical transition information needs to be communicated, the communication environment should be considered. Ensuring a positive communication environment could be as simple as finding a familiar, non-threatening place, with an opportunity for face-to-face exchanges.

Since a typical, non-threatening place for most parents would be in their own homes, it seems logical, in many cases, to make home visits to address the factors related to transitions.

Home visits are useful tools for gathering information about the student and the family as partners in education. See the section on COMMUNICATION for examples of forms that can help obtain needed information.

Berla (1992) states that, in addition to providing specific transition information, school personnel should offer the following tips to parents:

• Parents should let the students know that they are expected to do well in their new school situation.
• Parents should introduce themselves to the school principal at the first opportunity rather than waiting for a problem to arise. The school representatives making home visits should provide some suggestions as to how that meeting could occur.
• Parents should stay in touch with school counselors. Counselors are usually the school contact when problems develop. Parents should encourage their children to stay in touch with counselors too.
• Parents should know how to access information on school policies and curriculum. They should know that they have the right to examine their child's records. This can be very important for reviewing information that passes on with the child at transition points.
• Parents should be informed about parent-teacher conferences and other meetings that may be scheduled.

Home visits can alert school personnel to any communication needs that parents may have (e. g. not English speaking, transportation problems, etc.). Make sure the home visit reinforces the family members' appreciation of their role as partners in the educational process. That means asking for and valuing input.

Neighborhood Meetings to Build Understanding

The key factor in successful programs is to take the schools to the community. Get out of the school buildings and go into the community. - National Association of Elementary School Principals

Don Davies (1991), of the Institute for Responsive Education, examined the relationship between poor families --often identified as more difficult to reach-- and teachers and principals. Some perceptions that would produce barriers to parent involvement were:

• Children whose families don't conform to middle class norms were perceived as having trouble in school.
• Since parents of poor children were only contacted when their children had trouble, communication was viewed as negative.
• School personnel appeared to focus on the family weaknesses and did not look for family assets.
• School personnel indicated that, when it came to lack of involvement, the parents were the problem, not the schools.
• Poor families had low assessments of their abilities to be involved in their children's education.

Parents, across all groups studied by the Institute, said they wanted to be involved in their child's education. Perhaps by understanding the prejudices and stereotypes that can get in the way of genuine partnering, schools can reduce the negative effects they might have.

If, as research indicates, a high level of parent involvement is critical to a child's educational success, schools must involve parents in the process as early as possible. Showing parents how to create a home environment that supports their child as a student is a good place to start.

Benefits when schools facilitate better parenting:

• Awareness of family supervision and caring.
• Development of positive personal qualities, habits, beliefs, values, taught by the family.
• Awareness of the importance of school.

For Parents;

• Understanding and confidence about parenting, child and adolescent development, and changes in home conditions for learning as children proceed through school.
• Awareness of own and others' parenting challenges.
• Feeling of support from school and other parents.

For Teachers;

• Understanding families' backgrounds, cultures, concerns, goals, needs, and views of their children.
• Respect for families' strengths and efforts.
• Understanding of individual student diversity.
• Awareness of own skills to share information on child development.

School Self-Assessment on Parenting

• Do we sponsor parent education workshops and other courses or training for parents?
• Do we provide families with information on child or adolescent development?
• Do we provide families with information on developing home conditions that support learning?
• Do we lend families books or tapes on parenting or videotapes of parent workshops?
• Do we ask families for information about children's goals, strengths, and talents?
• Do we sponsor home visiting programs or neighborhood meetings to help families understand schools and to help schools understand families?

Key points to remember:

Address classroom diversity:

• Provide interpreters, if needed. Make sure videotapes and phone messages meet the needs of parents who may not speak English.
• Include all parents. Parents of students with identified learning needs should be included in parenting workshops, videos and other communications.
• Hold all parenting workshops and meetings in accessible locations.
• By focusing on ability-level, at the grade level, students with identified learning needs may be more fully included.
• Demonstrations make videos more interesting and informative for parents who may have learning needs.

Don't forget the three F's: fun, food and family.

• Be sure people will have some fun in the parenting workshops you plan.
• Provide some food, pizza... to... pretzels. The more important the workshop, the more important the food.
• Keep families a focal point. Invite grandparents or other significant family members.
• Offer childcare for all children and schedule events early enough for younger children to meet bedtimes.
• Use humor and a casual tone in producing the videos. Having videotape production areas set up in a permanent location may allow teachers a more immediate use of the equipment. No one likes to be lectured to.

Get parent input when you begin thinking about your workshop.

• Parent input is a great resource to ensure that topics are relevant and timely for parent needs.
• Survey parents by grade-level. Ask what topics they need help with.
• Ask about availability of VCRs, cable television, and telephones. Find out how the parents can most effectively get the information you would like to share.

Figures included only by title and source:

• Figure 1.1, Fifty Ways to Say You Did Okay, from the book the Laughing Classroom 1993, by Diane Loomans and Karen Kolberg
• Figure 1.2, Developing the Courage to be Imperfect, from STEP Systematic Training for Effective Parenting by Don Dinkmeyer, Sr. and Gary D. McKay
• Figure 1.3, Exceptional Excuses, from the book The Laughing Classroom 1993, by Diane Loomans and Karen Kolberg
• Figure 1.4, Adapting Home and School Environments, OT Practice, 1996, by L. Haack and M. Haldy in Making It Easy
• Figure 1.5, How to Read with Your Child, by the OCIRA Parent Committee from the UNABASHED LIBRARIAN MAGAZINE. NO. 39
• Figure 1.6, William Patrick Day Childhood Center Health Fair Challenge materials

HOME-SCHOOL COMMUNICATION, by Donna Phipps

Good communication is stimulating as black coffee, and just as hard to sleep after. Anne Morrow Lindberg, "Gift from the Sea", 1955

"Communication is the most important skill in life," according to Stephen R. Covey, author of the bestseller, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (1989 p. 237)." He feels it is so important that he lists it as one of the seven most effective habits. By first "seeking to understand," one another, says Covey, we can then find the way to effective interpersonal communication. As school personnel and parents seek to understand one another, they will form a relationship that is interdependent and leads to shared responsibility. This kind of collaborative relationship is the foundation of planning and preparing for changes and improvements in education.

Evolving ethical and legal philosophies, societal changes, and increased expectations for schools cause many schools to seek to establish collaboration between home and school. This collaboration necessitates the meaningful involvement of parents. A systematic plan for communication is the basis for collaboration. The plan should be meaningful, effective, and specific, rather than haphazard and sporadic. It should be dynamic, ongoing, and reflective of the collaborative relationship. The style and climate are different for each school, and the communication plan will reflect this. A useful guide for home-school communication will be comprehensive yet flexible. (See Figure 2.1)

A commonality of purpose and expectations between school and home motivates a child. And when schools listen to and value parents they show that they are trying to meet the needs of their students.

Although communication between home and school is important for all students, it is vital and indeed mandated when a child has special needs. These special needs may be related either to a disability or to unusual abilities. In those instances where the family has succeeded in meeting the child's needs within the family context, parents can share information and attitudes about the child with the school. This information is often valuable and could contribute to the child's being successfully included in an educational setting as well.

Written and oral communication should incorporate person first language, according to the Axis Center in Columbus, Ohio. Person first language identifies a person's name, qualities, characteristics or abilities rather than identifying a person's disability. Preferred usage is to say, "a person with epilepsy," "a child with a developmental disability," or "a child who has Down Syndrome," instead of "the epileptic," "the mentally retarded boy," or "the Downs kid."

Communication should avoid phrases such as "the special education students" or "the disabled" because these phrases imply a group identity that denies individuality. By speaking and writing about people appropriately, schools will help create a mind-set and an atmosphere that emphasize the value and uniqueness of everyone.

Communication to all households in the community has the potential to broaden support for schools. People who do not have children in school but who see the need to share responsibility may become involved. Community relationships and an information sharing process benefit schools when levies are on the ballot. Schools that communicate with the entire community gain the support of classroom volunteers and long range planners.

"The key, of course, is in the hands of parents themselves. If school systems are to recover their lost quality, if the United States is to survive as an economic leader, parents--and all stakeholders--must accept responsibility for the performance of their local school system. They must offer themselves as part-time teachers and teaching assistants. They must work with local political leaders to raise school budgets to pay teachers for performance (merit pay) and with school administrators to see that funds are used to promote effective classes in the core subjects. Above all, they must make certain that their own children understand the importance of a good education and have the support required for the difficult job of learning. In the years to come, more and more people will accept this challenge. The trend has clearly begun." Marvin Cetron and Margaret Gaylece "American Renaissance: Our Life at the Turn of the 21st Century (1990)"

Written Communication

• Be consistent by distributing the newsletter on a regular, expected schedule.
• Be sure that all students, regardless of their classroom placement, receive newsletters.
• Junior high and high school newsletters reach parents more often if they are mailed.
• One sheet of paper will ensure greatest readership.
• Besides informing the reader of school special events and programs, include tips from teachers and other parents.
• Write at a reading level that will accommodate the abilities of all the parents.
• Include a book report written by a parent on a book of interest to parents and teachers. Have copies of the book available at the local library or at the school's parent/ professional resource center.
• Encourage parents to submit reviews of movies, videos, and excursions that they would recommend to other families.
• Have an area of special interest in the newsletter devoted to student writing, art, computer scanned photos, or other graphics.
• Use the newsletter as an opportunity to publicly recognize contributions of volunteers and school staff in addition to student accomplishments.
• Remind readers of the many options available to them for involvement with the school.
• Although this communication may seem one-way, recognize that parental involvement will change from year to year as lives and responsibilities change. Even parents who may not participate appreciate being informed about school matters.
• To increase readership, some schools send home classroom and school newsletters on an alternating basis.
• Offer translations of the newsletter to parents who are in the process of learning English.

Other types of written communications that schools and families typically use are notes and messages specific to the child. Families of all students (with and without special needs) respond to positive written messages about their children. Here are some ideas that schools have used to share information with the home:

• At the beginning of the school year send home a school handbook for that year. Include names and telephone numbers for community resources, parent mentors, support groups, extra-curricular leaders, and PTO leaders. Clearly inform parents how to get in touch with their child's teacher.
• Provide a district calendar to each family for the school year. It could indicate holidays, school events, school board meetings, PTO meetings, school telephone numbers and addresses, and names and numbers of staff at district level and school board members.
• Exchange a daily or weekly notebook or log between home and school. Teachers generally use this technique for students who have an identified disability. However, it is useful in working on a specific goal with any child because the school and home can then reinforce each other's efforts.
• Provide parents with a preview of coming topics and assignments so that they can help their children be ready for that learning or activity.
• Create a welcoming space in the school that contains materials for parents. It may include books, brochures or videos on any topics in which parents have expressed an interest.
• Parents see school bulletin boards. They are an opportunity to share information about school projects. Photographs of children are eye-catchers.
• Keep a scrapbook or file throughout the year on each child containing art, photos, and written materials. Send it home at the end of the year to show progress and uniqueness. The teacher can compile the scrapbook from daily or weekly portfolios that he or she sends home to show the ongoing progress of the student. Returned and signed by the parents, the samples provide accurate communication about the child's progress and upon review make preparation for conferences and report cards easier for the teacher.
• Responses to parental surveys, done on at least a yearly basis, reveal needs, concerns, and accomplishments. Surveys allow the school to learn how the community perceives it, can point the way to improvement, and be the basis for celebration.
• Notes for students to take home, when they have achieved or tried hard, provide immediate reinforcement from school and communicate the child's accomplishments to the family.
• Decorated postcards mailed from school to home to mark attainment of goals are a special way to make the child feel proud and to receive communication from school. Businesses may agree to redeem these recognitions for food or merchandise.
• Similarly, schools can favorably recognize parents who show responsibility in helping their children achieve in school. Notes and computer generated awards are inexpensive ways to do this.
• The school or a parent can regularly send press releases, preferably with photographs, to the local newspaper to inform the entire community of the school's programs and individual accomplishments. This task could become an established volunteer position.
• Ensure that messages from school look inviting, non-threatening, and attractive.

* Some schools in Ohio use a "child discovery form" to help parents share information that can lead to better education. ( See Figure 2.2) The Child Advocacy Center in Cincinnati has also created such a form. (See Figure 2.3) When shared with the school, it can help to establish a common vision at planning time.

* Centerville High School staff surveyed parents whose children had been in a regular education class after having been in segregated special education classes. (See Figure 2.4)

* Huber Ridge School in Westerville, Ohio, informs parents about programs and proposed changes and seeks parent feedback, even if the program does not directly affect their own children.

* West Elementary School, in Celina, Ohio, communicates on school and parenting topics with books, videos, booklets, and audio tapes in a parent library. Parents receive a complete list of all the material so that they know what selections await them.

* Eastgate Elementary in Elyria, Ohio, has a volunteer parent who publishes a newsletter for parents to inform them of ways to be involved with school.

Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world." Joel A. Barker

Spoken Communication

"It's all in the ear of the beholder." Tom Hayden, "Boston Globe", Sept. 24, 1979.

• A principal who greets students as they arrive at school in the morning and says good-bye to them after school expresses an interest and caring for the school's children. Besides allowing the administrator to get to know the students better, it allows parents to informally access the principal.
• School staff and parents can improve communication by developing better listening skills. We indicate acceptance and respect for one another by silently listening to the other person and creating a warm atmosphere for discussion. Phrases such as, "Tell me more about it," "I'm interested in what you think," or "Let's discuss it," indicate a desire for a working relationship based upon mutual respect. skills. We indicate acceptance and respect for one another by silently listening to the other (Attending a workshop together on communication and listening could be an opportunity for school staff and parents to enhance their relationships.)
• Honor the preference of some parents for face-to-face communication over written communication. School personnel should make an effort to become well versed in oral communication styles of parents from other cultures regarding distance, volume, silences, and eye contact.
• Schools could provide information to their teachers about the body language signals of the sender and receiver of oral communications. Seating and room arrangement influence communication and the impression with which parents leave. Assume honorable intentions and convey respect for opinions orally and visually.
• Provide interpreters for parents who are not fluent in English or for parents who are hearing impaired. Inform parents in advance that this service is available to them.
• Be sure that someone answers the school telephone promptly and in a friendly, helpful manner.
• Return all phone calls from parents as soon as possible and do what is necessary to ensure that parents do not feel they are getting the "run around."
• Teachers should try to reach each student's parents a couple of times throughout the school year (not only to discuss problems) for a brief telephone conversation. Keep a record of these calls to ensure that the teacher reaches each set of parents.
• If appropriate, teachers can make arrangements for home visits to share school information and to inform parents of ways to support their children in school. This can be an opportunity for the teacher to learn how to accommodate any special needs a child may have.
• Since opinions frequently differ, always look for common ground and seek a win-win outcome. There are many publications in the popular press that schools can obtain that offer guidance in negotiating.

* Parents appreciate an opportunity to meet other parents. At Harrison Junior High School in southwestern Ohio, parents of returning students greet parents of new students when they come to pick-up their child's class schedule in August.

* On a district and school level, planning for communication is essential. William Patrick Day School developed a Classroom Family Involvement Program that includes plans for communication, building involvement, and development of rapport. (See Figure 2.5)

Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with shades of deeper meaning. Maya Angelou, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings", 1970.

Meetings and Other Interactions

Establish a Parent Advisory Committee within a school. Describe membership roles and their importance to all parents. This is a forum for parents to share their perceptions and expectations as well as solutions to challenges. Meet regularly to maintain communication and encourage other parents to attend.

• Schedule Saturday morning breakfasts for principals, teachers, and coaches to meet informally with parents. An open agenda allows for communication and feedback on all kinds of topics.
• Invite parents to professional development meetings. In this manner everyone receives the same message and acquires a shared foundation upon which to build in helping children succeed.
• Provide parents with schedules of workshops and classes offered at the local Instructional Resource Center or Special Education Regional Resource Center (SERRC).
• Schedule meetings and conferences at convenient times for parents, based on information gathered from a feedback questionnaire, and provide child care. Allow adequate time and show respect for parental schedules by accommodating them.
• Hold meetings and distribute agendas to share information about the school and extra-curricular programs. Topics may include sports, child care, inclusion, support services, testing, team teaching, peer tutoring, transitions, summer opportunities, or other topics mentioned on feedback forms. Allow time for discussion and questions.
• Show what has been going on in art, science, or industrial arts classes by exhibiting projects at school or in exhibits that go to banks, malls, post offices, etc.
• Obtain media coverage before and after school events.
• Besides academic information, provide parents with social information about their child. Conferences provide an opportunity for parents to hear about such things as their child's friends, classes, and the atmosphere of the school.
• Conferences should allow time for parents to share information about their children and their family culture that will help the teacher be more effective with the child.
• Emphasize the value and strengths of each child when communicating with parents. Some schools offer door prizes to encourage parental attendance at meetings.

* Ross Middle School near Hamilton, Ohio, requests that parents pick up their child's report card during a scheduled time during the evening. This allows mutual access to useful information about the child.

* Southwest Local School District in Harrison, Ohio, hosts a district-wide annual event to showcase all the learning activities at every grade level. They display student projects and present student demonstrations in order to communicate school achievements to the entire community.

* Coshocton Schools host meetings for parents to introduce teachers and parents to one another and to describe grade level and school programs.

* Annunciation-St. John School in Akron, Ohio, offers student and parent incentives, such as no homework coupons, for parent attendance at informative meetings. (See Figure 2.6)

* Trimble Elementary in Glouster, Ohio, offers a free spaghetti dinner for families, followed by a program for parents while their children are taken care of elsewhere in the school.

People are held together by information and communication. James Boswell

Electronic Communication

• Create an up-to-date telephone hot line that parents can call to get school information. If necessary, provide this service in different languages.
• Take video pictures of children succeeding in school for them to share at home. (It may be necessary to obtain permission at the beginning of the school year from parents to do this.)
• Send recorded audio tapes home with students with messages from the teacher or of the child reading. Leave room for parents to record a response message on the tape.
• Schools can share information and programs when they host a computer night at school. Parents come to learn what computer programs students use in the classroom and how they can help to follow up or individualize the activity at home.
• Contact radio stations to help publicize school events.
• Record student achievement and activities for broadcast on the local cable TV channel.
• If parents have an electronic mail address, students and teachers can learn to use this method of communicating with home.

* Tri-Village Local Schools create video and audio tapes to share teaching techniques and information about subject areas with parents. They send the tapes home periodically with updated information and invite recorded responses from parents. They have found this attention-getting technique to be both effective and less threatening to some parents than written materials might be.

Benefits when schools communicate better:

• Discussion can lead to a collaborative approach for improved education for all children.
• Effective communication can produce community support and responsibility for good schools.
• Students benefit when there is a unified approach and awareness about their education.
• Through communication, the stakeholders develop better sensitivity to the respective roles of school and home and the expectations each has of the other.

School Self-Assessment on Communication

• Do we have formal conferences with every parent at least once a year?
• Do we provide language translators to assist families as needed?
• Do we provide clear information about report cards and how grades are earned?
• Do parents pick up report cards?
• Does our school newsletter include:
  - a calendar of school events
  - student activity information
  - curriculum and program information
  - ideas to help with homework
  - school volunteer information
  - samples of student writing and artwork
  - recognition of students, families, and community members
• Do we provide clear information about choosing schools, and selecting courses, programs, and activities within schools?
• Do we send home folders of student work weekly and monthly for parent review and comments?
• Do staff members send home positive messages about students on a regular basis?
• Do we notify families about student awards and recognition?
• Do we contact the families of students having academic or behavior problems?
• Do teachers have easy access to telephones to communicate with parents during or after school?
• Do parents have the telephone numbers of the school, principal, and teachers?
• Do we have a homework hotline for students and families to hear daily assignments and messages?
• Do we conduct an annual survey for families to share information and concerns about students' needs and reactions to school programs?

Key points to remember:

• Communication is a vital skill based upon understanding the other person's frame of reference.
• Collaborative planning for the future requires thoughtful communication between schools and the community.
• Be inclusive, not exclusive, by genuinely welcoming all students and parents into the school culture and by using person first language.
• Parents have an ethical and legal right to be informed and to participate in their child's education.
• True communication is two way.
• Follow guidelines to make your newsletters worth-while.
• Provide communication in the language that parents understand.
• Establish a spirit of open communication by inviting parents into the school for visits and meetings.
• Be creative in using electronics to communicate.
• Provide child care when you invite parents to school.

Figures included only by title and source:

• Figure 2-1, Parent Involvement Survey, some questions are taken from the National School Public Relations Association publication "Helping Parents Help their Kids"
• Figure 2.2, Developing a Vision for Your Child, select Ohio schools
• Figure 2.3, Child Discovery Form, from the Child Advocacy Center in Cincinnati, Ohio
• Figure 2.4, Parent Survey, from Centerville Ohio City Schools
• Figure 2.5, Classroom Family Involvement Program, from William Patrick Day Early Childhood Center
• Figure 2.6, You are cordially invited, from Annunciation-St. John

VOLUNTEERING by Alice Roehrs

This chapter will address the relationship between volunteers and the schools. We will examine why for some communities this relationship is changing and take a look at a continuum of volunteer options. This chapter will focus on parents, or individuals who assume that role for a child, and how they can be utilized to enhance the learning environment. How community members can contribute to the schools will be addressed in the chapter titled COMMUNITY.

For many the term "volunteer" used to mean parents (usually the mother) participating in narrowly defined jobs. These could include activities such as helping out in classrooms with holiday parties, going on field trips, or perhaps working on a school fundraiser. When volunteering did occur it was usually limited to elementary schools. For some schools and families this definition still applies and is effective and meaningful.

In some communities, schools and parents are re-examining the role between volunteers and the schools. Why? For many the old relationship is not working as well as they would like. There are several factors leading to this need to more meaningfully engage and utilize a volunteer workforce.

• Schools are beginning to recognize they can't adequately educate children without community support.
• Parental insights into children's needs, especially when those children have special identified needs, are invaluable to help children maximize learning.
• Many children bring additional stresses with them to school every day. They are growing up in homes witnessing parental drug and alcohol abuse, violence, dysfunctional family systems and divorce or re-marriage.

One teacher alone cannot address these societal needs. Only through a combined effort of caring community members and school personnel can these needs even begin to be addressed.

School districts are also dependent on voter support to pass levies to operate the schools. There are increasing expectations of accountability from voters today. Having volunteers from the community present and active in the schools helps promote positive school activities and creates a sense of shared ownership throughout the community. If volunteers are made to feel this is "our" school versus "their" school, commitment to the schools may carry over to the ballot box.

Schools are being asked to address diversity among students and to offer a "continuum of services" to meet individual needs. Volunteers, with their range of interests, time and abilities can offer the schools assistance in meeting these increased expectations.

Because school volunteers have a wide range of skills to offer, this new view of volunteerism should offer a full spectrum of options for volunteers to express their talents. These opportunities may range from doing work at home to participating on school-wide or district-level policy committees.

Setting the Climate

In some schools a climate of "we know best" has been created by the professionals working there. Some parents may be hesitant to challenge this attitude. Schools need to examine the messages it sends parents and work to create an atmosphere where parents are respected and welcome.

Parents need to know that the schools find them important and that they have valuable and necessary contributions to make towards the education of all children. Some suggestions to help create a welcoming atmosphere are:

• Parents should be made aware early in the school year of the many options for volunteering available to them. Some schools have a sign up sheet at an open house or at kindergarten registration where parents can sign up for activities that will take place throughout the school year. This allows parents the opportunity to plan ahead and adjust busy schedules as necessary.
• A survey sent to potential volunteers is a good tool for two reasons. It informs parents what volunteering options are available to them. It also is a way for schools to collect valuable information on when and in what ways parents will be able to volunteer.

* West Elementary School in Celina, Ohio, utilizes such a volunteer survey. While some schools annually survey their parents, West distributes their survey several times a year. This allows parents the opportunity to reflect any changes in their time, talents, or abilities. (See Figure 3.1)

* In Elyria, Ohio, Eastgate Elementary school has designated an empty classroom as the parent room/resource center for its "Helping Hands" volunteer program. The room is used for parent meetings and to house the parent lending library, as well as a work room to meet with students individually or to develop classroom materials to help teachers.

* Milan Elementary school in Milan, Ohio, has a school-wide philosophy statement on parental involvement. Such a philosophy statement, developed in cooperation with parents, can help set a tone of acceptance, respect, and support for volunteer efforts. (See Figure 3.2)

While people do not volunteer in order to be "rewarded", everyone likes to have their efforts appreciated from time to time. Many schools who utilize volunteers recognize these special people in the form of annual awards, dinners, breakfasts, etc.

* Benjamin Logan Jr. High School, in Bellefontaine, Ohio, holds an annual "Parent Appreciation Night." Parent volunteers are recognized for their work and enjoy dinner at a local restaurant. (See Figure 3.3)

The Parent Institute advises schools to remember the "one-third rule"-- if you can get one-third of a school's parents involved, you can begin to make a significant improvement in student achievement.

Avenues for volunteering will be looked at through three distinct environments:

• In the home
• In the classroom
• In the school at large

In the Home

Volunteers can:

• Prepare science materials
• Review text books
• Cut out laminated materials
• Send in cookies, treats, etc. for parties
• Make phone calls through a telephone "tree" network
• Assemble handouts, packets, etc.
• Plan and arrange field trips.

Some parents are hesitant to come into the school building, tentative in their role, or unsure of their skills and how they might be able to help. Working on classroom projects at home is a good way to engage these parents.

For some volunteers this may be the most they will be able to offer the schools. For others, however, if they gain confidence in these activities, it could lead to a more direct participation in their child's classroom or the school building at large.

In The Classroom

Some examples of opportunities for volunteering in
the classroom are:

Invite the parent of a child with special needs to come into their child's class and share insights and answer classmates' questions about the child. The identified child might or might not be present, depending on the appropriateness. This type of activity can help make teachers and students more comfortable with diversity and help make the child and family feel more a part of the school community.
• Volunteers can work one-on-one with a child to review academic skills, reinforce concepts already taught by the classroom teacher or present materials using a different approach.

* At Mason Heights Elementary, in Mason, Ohio, "The Bucket Brigade" has been created for volunteers to use in one-on-one learning opportunities. (See Figure 3.4) In this program the classroom teacher has a schedule posted stating the child's name and what area needs to be worked on between the volunteer and student. A "bucket" of materials is then utilized to address the individual needs of the student.

• A classroom teacher can invite parents into the classroom to share their knowledge on a hobby they have, their career, or a trip of special interest. This activity can be a good way to involve fathers and working mothers who may have limited time to give to the school.
• Volunteers can be involved in a variety of reading activities. They can read material to students for whom the content is appropriate but the reading level is too difficult. Stories can be read to small groups of children or to the class as a whole. Students can practice their reading skills by reading to a volunteer.
• Using a teacher-developed checklist as a guide, volunteers can reinforce math, spelling and/ or reading skills either with small groups of students or individually.

* Shawnee Elementary School in the Lakota School District, West Chester, Ohio, has a second grade teacher who recruits parents and community members as story tellers. She requests that the volunteers read a specified book at home, address key ideas or concepts, and read the book to the class in an appropriate costume designed and developed by the volunteer. The teacher includes a brief list of her ideas and concepts relevant to the story when she sends the book home to the storyteller.

• Classroom teachers continue to rely heavily upon parents to chaperone field trips and co-ordinate class parties.

* At Britton Elementary, in Hilliard, Ohio, parents are used in the school to make brief tape recordings of students reading. These tapes are sent home to update parents on their child's progress. They are also used to provide documentation of progress for the classroom teacher.

In The School At Large

• Volunteers are often eager to share a hobby, or talent with students through an after school enrichment program. Academic tutoring in an after school setting is another opportunity for volunteers.
• Volunteers can be utilized to coordinate and actually build lasting school projects such as constructing playground equipment, maintaining athletic fields, grounds beautification, etc. This is a good opportunity to include parents who may not be available during the traditional school day.
• Volunteers can be invited in to share their cultural heritage, language, and customs. This is a particularly nice mechanism for involving grandparents in a school.

* Harrison Elementary, in the Southwest School District, has a volunteer program called "6th Grade Partners." This program matches adults with children who have been identified "at risk" by teachers or counselors in the school. They get together for an hour on Thursday evenings for food, projects and positive adult-child interactions.

* A school-wide parent volunteer program called Helping Hands has been organized and implemented by parents at Eastgate Elementary school in Elyria, Ohio. Volunteers in this program commit to a regular period of time each week (preferably at least two times a week) that they can come into the school. A schedule of volunteer times is posted and teachers then sign up for when they would like to have a volunteer. Activities can include helping with bulletin boards, working with students on the computer, reading tests, and reinforcing academic skills. Appropriate training occurs before a volunteer begins. (See Figure 3.5)

• School-wide activities such as fund raisers, book fairs, teacher appreciation lunches and school fun fairs are still primarily coordinated by parent volunteers.
• Some schools have a Volunteer Coordinator position, with a parent filling the role. A small stipend may be available ($ 500 or so), but is not always necessary.

Some parents have the desire to make a difference in their child's education by volunteering in ways that impact building or district policies.

* In Westerville, Ohio, at Huber Ridge Elementary parents of children on an IEP have the opportunity to do public speaking as a part of a team. The team is comprised of administrators and regular and special education teachers. This team has spoken to the Board of Education, the Parent Teacher Organization as well as made district-wide presentations on the topic of inclusion.

• In one district the Food Services Director requested volunteers, both students and parents, to taste test and rate possible new food items for the school lunch menu. This provided a fun-filled opportunity for parents and children to participate in an activity together that had real consequences for others in the district. It also served to prevent future complaints about the cafeteria.

It is becoming increasingly more evident that schools cannot effectively educate students without support and involvement from the student's home. Parents can no longer abdicate their responsibilities by not playing an active role in the life of the school community. The goal is mutual--every child getting the supports they need to be successful. The challenge lies in how to utilize the strengths both parents and professionals have in ways that are most meaningful, effective, and beneficial for students. The checklist that follows this section may be of benefit as you expand your resources and capabilities and engage volunteers in your school.

Benefits when schools have better volunteering programs:

For Students:

• Gain skills in communicating with adults
• Increase awareness of skills and talents from a variety of adults
• Develop greater understanding between generations
• Receive more individual attention

For Parents:

• Observe ways in which teachers work with their child and learn successful techniques
• Appreciate and understand responsibilities of teachers and other school personnel
• Increase self confidence
• Gain understanding of own child by seeing them in relationship to and with peers
• Learn skills that could apply to a job such as punctuality, dependability, filing, or operating office equipment

For Teachers

• Gain insights into individual needs of all students
• Help in meeting increased demands
• Learn community and family cultures
• Strengthen teaching skills
• Create more opportunities for communication with parents
• Establish rapport between teacher and parent
• Enrich curriculum with additional projects

School Self-Assessment on Volunteering

• Do we conduct an annual survey to identify interests, talents, and availability of volunteers?
• Do we have a parent room or family center for volunteer work, meetings and resources for families?
• Do we encourage families and the community to be involve at school by:
- assisting in the classroom (e. g., tutoring, grading papers, etc.)
- helping on trips or at parties
- giving presentations (e. g., careers, hobbies, extracurricular events)
- checking attendance
- monitoring halls, working in the library, cafeteria, or other areas
- leading clubs or activities
- other school-specific opportunities?
• Do we provide ways for families to be involved at home or in the community if they cannot volunteer at school?
• Do we have a program to recognize school volunteers?
• Do we schedule plays, concerts, games, and other events at different times of the day or evening so that all parents could attend some activity?

Key points to remember:

• Just as students with special needs want to be included with typical peers, parents of children with special needs want to be included in typical parent settings. Don't hesitate to involve parents of children with special needs as volunteers.
• Enroll students with special needs in their neighborhood school where siblings attend, so that a parent's time will not be spread out between buildings and districts
• For some parents of children with special needs, there may be additional time demands spent with doctors, therapists, tutoring, thus limiting the time they may have to give to the schools.
• Offer a variety of volunteering options matching volunteer time and talents with school, teacher and student needs.
• The degree of volunteering will vary. Recognize the value and importance of any and all volunteer contributions.
• Don't forget to give volunteers training when necessary concerning both job duties as well as policy/procedural issues. Areas such as confidentiality, school policies, appropriate language and dress code may all need to be addressed.
• DON'T HESITATE TO ASK!

Figures included only by title and source:

• Figure 3.1, Adult Volunteer Questionnaire, West Elementary School in Celina, Ohio
• Figure 3.2, Parent Involvement philosophy sattement, Milan Elementary School in Milan, Ohio
• Figure 3.3, Parent Appreciation Night invitation, Benjamin Logan Jr. High School in Bellefontaine, Ohio
• Figure 3.4, the Bucket Brigate, Mason Heights Elementary in Mason, Ohio
• Figure 3.5, Helping Hands Parent Volunteer Program, Eastgate Elementary School in Elyria, Ohio

LEARNING at HOME by Marge Barnheiser

Involve families with their children in homework and other curriculum-related activities and decisions.

Who's Helping Whom?

A recent "Principal" study, cited by researcher Joyce Epstein (1995) at Johns Hopkins University, says that American mothers and fathers spend very little time talking or reading to their children.

For a school-aged child, this apparent lack of involvement on the part of the parent may mean difficulty or even failure at school. What can schools do to support parents? Helping parents to understand the role of "educator at home" may be a good place to start.

A school-age child's primary academic educator is typically the classroom teacher(s). So academically speaking, the parent becomes a support person. The role is to reinforce or enhance what is being initiated in the classroom. But without the appropriate information and support, how can a parent know what it is they should be reinforcing? Poor communication between the school and the parent can rob a student of the support he needs to be successful.

Teachers and parents must form a partnership based on excellent communication to take full advantage of family involvement at home. Families need to know how to help at home.

We know that parent involvement improves student achievement, but studies also show that when teachers guide the involvement, more parents become involved and they are involved to a greater extent with other aspects of the school. Families show a new appreciation for the teacher's efforts to help and inform them.

American mothers spend less than half an hour a day talking or reading to their children. Fathers spend less than 15 minutes! Principal cited by Epstein

How can schools begin?

• Welcoming letters to parents of kindergarten students can include activities for parents to do with their child at home to prepare them for school.
• Information can be very specific and tailor-made to an individual student or class.
• General information and suggestions can be distributed at the school level. (See Figure 4.1)
• As a rule, the more specific the information is to the student, the more likely it is to be used.

* Parents should be made aware of the many experiences their children can learn from quite naturally. Central Elementary, in Coshocton, Ohio, encourages parents to look for "learning activities" rather than homework for their children especially for the summer months. (Figure 4.2)

Setting the Stage

Parents are partners in their child's success at school and in life. Children with concerned parents learn more quickly, enjoy school more and achieve more than children who lack that support and care. Joan Dykstra President, National PTA

• Many different types of learning activities can be placed into a "kit." These kits may contain simple learning games, videos, easy science or math activities or reading materials. Easy to read instructions or suggestions for how to use the materials are included in the kit. Clever names such as "Super Science," "Shoebox Science," and "Math Made at Home" lend the activities an air of fun rather than seeming like homework. The key is that they are projects that involve the student and the parent. (See Figure 4.3 and 4.4)
• Expand on the above idea by including a list or brochure of community resources that are related in some way to the activity. This may be a helpful resource to parents. If the school has a lending library, include a current listing of available materials. Also, for students who are struggling, try to create goal-related activities and reference materials for the parents.
• Host a specific grade-level-only family night to expose parents to the curriculum for that grade or to provide suggestions to parents to help them reinforce skills related to proficiency testing.
• Formal student-parent workshops can be held. Topics including study skills and test taking, time management, organizational skills and understanding different learning styles are especially effective when presented to the student and the parent. Encourage discussion of the impact these skills may have on homework time.
• A presentation on "Good, Bad and Ugly" television programs can be particularly relevant. Parents and students alike need to be aware of the benefits of educational channels and school access programming. Many also need to be reminded of the drawbacks to excessive television viewing--lack of exercise, reading practice, play and study time.
• Fun, informal activities held in a community setting may interest parents who typically are hesitant to attend school functions. This is especially true if the parent's own school experiences were less than ideal. Those parents are often more inclined to attend a community function rather than one that is school related.
• Many schools offer parent workshops but often they are not well attended. Try a new twist to encourage students to remind mom and dad to attend. "No Homework Passes" get the attention of most students. Those students may also show more interest in what their parents learned at the meeting if a few written comments from the parent are part of getting the pass. Make the session topic something the parents need to know but also something the student can relate to. For example, most parents know they should read with their children at home. Help parents expand on that premise by encouraging them to talk with their child about the pictures, discuss the plot, identify the main characters or question the motives of a certain character's actions.
• It can never hurt to simply send suggestions home. This can be done as a few comments on a weekly class newsletter, handed to a parent
• during conferences or sent home with the students as part of the school newsletter.

* Southwest Local School District in Harrison, Ohio, sponsors an annual program in April called "Celebrate Southwest." The idea is to involve parents in educational activities with their children. Events such as "Read-Ins," family puppet shows, community tree plantings, and a district-wide road rally scavenger hunt have been successful.

* Trimble Elementary, located in southeastern Ohio, sponsors family evening programs. These programs may include a speaker or several brief sessions on different topics of interest. If a speaker is included, remember to offer child care and have activities for the children. The focus should remain on interactive activities for parents and children. "Make-it / Take-it" games and activities are ideal. These are easy to assemble projects that parents can do with their child. Once the project is complete, it can be taken home and used by the family.

* William Patrick Day Early Childhood Center in Cleveland, Ohio, invited parents and their children to the school to assemble boxes of supplies (crayons, glue, scissors, pencils, etc.) that went home with the children. In addition to the materials, the parents had the opportunity to meet and "network" with each other.

* Napoleon City Schools in Henry County held a 'Literacy Launch." Children heard a storyteller read a book at school. Then the school sent home "reading packets" that included a copy of the book with questions for parents to discuss with their child. The packet also included a couple of books on areas of interest generated by the original book. Packets are circulated throughout the student population on a rotating basis. The program is very well received and establishes guidelines for parents to help their children learn at home.

Homework-Help or Headache?

They are right ... and wrong! Parents need to be involved in their student's homework but it should not be a source of tension or ill feelings. Parent involvement in school work increases student academic success and builds self-esteem. Parents can minimize and even prevent the hassles over homework. It is not as difficult as one might think.

• Parents need to establish some basic rules and routines for their children and the earlier they start, the better. Turn off the television during homework time. Parents should not expect their child to focus on math if the rest of the family is laughing and enjoying a favorite sit-com in the next room.
• Keep in mind that children are in school a long time--let them play, watch television or a video, talk with friends and relax. This is especially true for young children but all ages can benefit from a little time for unorganized activities.

Learning Begins at Home

• Set a good example by reading.

• Read to your children, even after they can read independently. Set aside a family reading time. Take turns reading aloud to each other.
• Take your children to the library regularly. Let them see you checking out books for yourself, too.
• Build math reasoning skills together. Have young children help sort laundry, measure ingredients for a recipe or keep track of rainfall for watering the lawn. Involve teens in research and planning for a family vacation or a household project, such as planting a garden or repainting a room.
• Regulate the amount and content of the television your family watches. Read the weekly TV listing together and plan shows to watch.
• Encourage discussions. Play family games. Show good sportsmanship.
Ask specific questions about school. Show your children that school is important to you so that it will be important to them.
• Help your children, especially teens, manage time. Make a chart showing when chores need to be done and when assignments are due.
• Volunteer. Build a sense of community and caring by giving your time. Choose projects in which children and teens can take part, too.
• When homework time comes, establish a specific time and place for doing it. Include the child in establishing the time. (See Figure 4.5) Find a place where the student can easily access any resource materials or get parental assistance if needed.
• Help your student develop a system for organizing materials, assignments, worksheets, etc. Periodically check the system to make certain it still provides a logical framework for the child.
• Check homework for completion and accuracy to your best ability. Ask questions! NOTE: Check with your child's teacher. Some teachers want to see the mistakes a student makes on homework so they know what the student is learning and what they are struggling with.
• Assist your child with studying for tests by reviewing text information.
• Create a homework contract, an agreement regarding homework responsibilities, with your child. It can save a parent from one of those nasty battles referred to earlier.

Remember: Homework is given to the child, not the parent. The child is responsible for completing homework assignments. The parent is responsible for providing any needed assistance.

How Parents Can Help with Homework

• Agree together on a regular time and place for homework.
• Try to schedule homework time for when you or your child's caregiver can supervise.
• Make sure your son or daughter understands the assignment.
• Sign and date your young children's homework. Teachers appreciate it when they know that the parents are interested enough to check over their children's homework and see that it is finished.
• Follow up on homework assignments by asking to see your children's homework after it has been returned by the teacher. Look at the teacher's comments to see if your children have done the assignments correctly.
• Discuss teachers' homework expectations during teacher-parent conferences.
• Don't do your children's homework. Make sure they understand that homework is their responsibility.
• Be sure to praise your children for a job well done. Encourage the good work that your children do and comment about improvements they have made.

Teachers can help parents win the homework battle too. Being an ally with the parents and supporting them in their efforts is immeasurably important for success in this area. How involved the teacher decides to be may vary a great deal. Some of the following suggestions require very little time or energy on the part of the teacher. Others hint of a whole new way of looking at homework and what its purpose should be.

• Initiate a "Homework Hotline" that parents and students can access to get homework assignments, test dates and other important information. Remember to carry the information in multiple languages to suit the school's population.
• Provide parents with suggestions on how to help with homework. If a child has special needs, homework may be a particularly stressful time. Information on how to work with their child is invaluable to many parents who struggle to understand their child's learning style.

* Provide parents with a homework chart similar to those used by Perry Local Schools in Massillon, Ohio. Have parents sign the sheet and allow space for any comments or questions they might have. (See Figure 4.6)

Not all parents know what constitutes good study habits. Providing them with some guidelines to review with their child can give them the insight they need to help their child develop good study habits. (See Figure 4.7)

Interactive homework--where the students must involve a parent or other adult to complete the assignment--is gaining in popularity. It can be used at all levels of education and usually includes communication from the parent as to how the student did with the project.

You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have for instance. Franklin P. Jones

Often the student needs to explain the project and share information with their families. The TIPS process (Teachers Involve Parents in Schoolwork) is one example of interactive homework. This innovative approach to homework was developed with the help of teachers at Johns Hopkins University. For more information on TIPS materials, refer to Appendix C.

• Provide parents with suggestions for in-home resource libraries. What type of reference books will the student in your class need? Suggest computer software to parents who have a home computer. For those who do not, perhaps arrangements could be made to allow access to the school's computer lab after regular school hours or on weekends. Note: For many parents, it may be beneficial to provide some computer education opportunities. There are still a large number of parents who are not computer literate even if they have a computer at home.

Parents--The Key To Success

Benefits when parents can better help their children learn at home:

For Students:

• improved communication with parents
• higher achievement
• more motivation and commitment to school studies
• more support from parents in educational decisions

For Parents:

• better relations with school and children
• higher self-esteem
• more self-confidence
• heightened awareness of children's education

For Teachers:

• better communication with parents
• stronger school support
• greater appreciation of parents

School Self-Assessment on Learning at Home

• Do we provide information to families on required skills in all subjects?
• Do we provide information to families on how to monitor and discuss schoolwork at home?
• Do we provide information on how to assist students with skills that they need to improve?
• Do we have a regular schedule of interactive homework that requires students to demonstrate and discuss what they are learning with a family member?
• Do we ask parents to listen to their child read or read aloud to their child?
• Do we provide calendars with daily or weekly activities for families to do at home and in the community?
• Do we assist families in helping students set their academic goals, select courses, and plan for college work?

Key points to remember:

• Good communication and a teacher-parent "team" philosophy are the foundation of successful parent involvement at home.
• Be creative. Make homework fun!
• The more specific learning suggestions and other information are to the individual student, the more likely they are to be used.
• No one idea to gain parent involvement with learning at home will be successful with all parents. Stay flexible, continue to offer suggestions and let the parents know that you believe their involvement and support are important.
• Help parents identify specific goals that can be worked on at home. Offer suggestions to the parents for creating their own "kits" that might help develop skills needed to achieve these goals.
• Never assume the parent will not work with their child at home. Expect that they will but be sure to provide the information and framework the parent may need. Some will need more guidance than others.
• Try to provide text books or contents of texts (perhaps on cassette tape) that are currently being studied. This is particularly helpful for a student who is having difficulty with a particular lesson or for a student who simply needs more exposure to a lesson.
• Encourage parents to review, not drill, information with their children. All students, teachers and parents deserve a break sometime!
• When working with parents of a student with special challenges, give advance notice of special projects, field trips, etc. This will allow the parent the opportunity to discuss the upcoming event or project with their child as a preparation.
• Some children need help with behavior skills. Don't forget to discuss these with parents. Let them know exactly how those skills are being reinforced in the classroom so the parents can follow the same type of process at home. Share successes and "failures."
• Know your community resources. Have materials readily available concerning all types of learning disabilities. Teachers need to educate themselves with current and reliable information.

Figures included only by title and source:

• Figure 4.1, Top 10 Ways to Help Your Child Do Well in School, ESC Project
• Figure 4.2., Homework Ideas, Central Elementary in Coshocton, Ohio
• Figure 4.3, Super Science Send-Home Book, Norwich Elementary
• Figure 4.4, ShoeBox Science, Norwich Elementary
• Figure 4.5, My Daily Homework Time, ESC Project
• Figure 4.6, Homework List, Perry Local Schools in Massillon, Ohio
• Figure 4.7, Study Habits Inventory, Perry Local Schools in Massillon, Ohio

DECISION-MAKING by Sue Bitsko

Include parents in school decisions, developing parent leaders and representatives.

The second condition requires the development of a course of action to implement the decision that is made. If no action is required, there is no real decision to be made.

The third condition relates to consequences. Any time a choice or decision is made and implemented, consequences will occur. The consequences from an initial decision often lead to the need for more decision-making.

The final condition concerns the issue of commitment. After a decision is made, the decision-maker must demonstrate a reasonable level of commitment to his or her course of action.

These four conditions must exist in any situation where a decision-making process is anticipated. The educational environment, including school issues, is full of opportunities for parents, families and community members to contribute to the decision-making process.

As a rule, school officials, educational experts and various interest groups have long lamented the perceived lack of interest that seems to occur regarding school issues. David Mathews addresses this lack of interest in "Is There a Public for Public Schools? (1996). "

Mathews says that most people find the discussions of school issues difficult to understand and unimportant. He believes that most people doubt that schools will ever really change.

Even the people who have a vested interest in school decisions, namely parents, don't feel welcome in the decision-making process, according to Mathews, because they view their role as "unacceptable to professionals." (p. 18)

A 1992 Public Agenda Foundation survey indicated that three out of five Americans said parents and other community members should have more input in school funding allocation and curriculum decisions. The same 1992 survey found that four out of five administrators, and almost four out of five teachers, thought input from parents was not needed.

The law of consequences has not been repealed. Edgar Dale

Epstein addresses a fifth way to involve parents in the educational process by looking at decision-making. She stresses the importance of opportunities for parent participation in decision-making at the individual, school and district levels.

The following are specific categories Epstein cites as possible alternatives for using parents and families in a decision-making capacity:

1. Create active PTA/PTO or other parent organizations, school advisory councils, or committees (e.g., curriculum, safety, personnel, and other committees) for parent leadership and participation.
2. Promote independent advocacy groups to lobby and work for school reform and improvements.
3. Develop district level councils and committees for family and community involvement.
4. Distribute information on school or local elections for school representatives.
5. Establish networks to link all families with parent representatives.

Two of Epstein's categories concern decision-making input at the school level. Two categories focus on district-wide decision-making opportunities and a single, final category discusses individual decision-making through networking.

The authors of "Parent Involvement: Strategies for Success" will include the individual decision-making component that is needed when a student has identified learning needs related to a disability. Parent and family input in this area is not only critical, it is required by law.

Create and Promote Parent Groups

The "Institute for Family-Centered Care"has developed guidelines for parent and family participation at the policy and program level. They are:

• Have a basic philosophical belief in the value of parents' and families' expertise and knowledge.
• Have the money up front to pay for parents' and families' expenses and to provide consulting fees if that is appropriate.
• Be aware of and open to cultural differences between parents/families, and staff.
• Keep families apprised of project happenings through personal phone calls and mailings.
• Sometimes, a mentoring one-to-one relationship between a professional and a parent works best.
• Show appreciation for parents' and families' roles.
• Maintain a feedback loop--as some parents succeed, it becomes a natural motivator for other parents.

In addition to the guidelines for family participation at the policy and program level, "The Institute for Family-Centered Care" looks at parents and families as advisors. Acknowledging that there are numerous ways to receive advisory input from parents and families, "The Institute's" suggestions, listed below, may offer some new ideas:

• Convene focus groups of parents and families as specific issues arise.
• Hold a monthly family/staff coffee hour.
• Ask parents and families to "host" a professional-in-training dinner.
• Solicit family input in community and program needs assessments.
• Include parents and families on site visit teams to other programs.
• Hold brainstorming sessions with parents and families before developing educational materials.
• Have parents and families review drafts of all written materials.
• Include a parent/family panel during orientation for new staff.
• Ask parents and families to assist in translating materials.
• Develop, with parents and families, a parent satisfaction survey.
• Develop a "breakfast (or lunch) with the director" program for families.
• Keep a suggestion book in the waiting room, so parents and families can record their ideas.
• Ask parents and families to accompany staff when they meet with funders and other community groups.
• Invite parents and families to present at in-service programs for staff.

In the field of education, involvement and collaboration in decision-making roles usually implies adults. Richard Villa and Jacqueline Thousand (1992) offer four reasons for placing students in these roles.

First, schools need to utilize all available human resources and students bring creativity, enthusiasm and expertise to the decision-making process.

Second, educational reform goals require higher levels of student participation in their learning activities and the development of advanced thinking skills. Advocacy and decision-making use higher level problem-solving and organizational skills.

Third, social skill development is a concern of educational practitioners. Students who understand and work on behalf of others develop positive social skills.

Fourth, society will require collaborative skills from its members as they attempt to meet the informational needs of a global population.

The "Institute for Family-Centered Care" has developed a checklist for involving parents and families as advisors and consultants. The tool is intended to initiate new opportunities for schools to work in partnership with parents and families or to expand current activities. (See Figure 5.1).

* Arrowood Elementary School in Xenia, Ohio has developed a parent advisory team (PAT) to actively involve parents in school issues. An informational sheet describes objectives, procedures and resources that Arrowood uses for their team. (See Figure 5.2).

*Washington Local Schools near Toledo, Ohio, has selected parents who organize and present inservices for school personnel and other parents. These parents are called "Parent Mentors" (not related to the state initiative) and are compensated for their time and work. They share an office with other school personnel and have participated in school board presentations.

* St. Bernard Elementary School, located north of Cincinnati, Ohio, employs a parent of a child enrolled at the school as a "Parent Volunteer Coordinator." In this position, the parent recruits volunteers for various tasks at the school, serves on building planning teams, and provides input on school issues and activities.

District-Level Involvement and Elected Positions:

• Develop a plan for identifying families to participate.
• Support staff in developing an understanding of the value of parent and family participation.
• Provide orientation to both family members and staff about the issues, participants, and process.
• Provide convenient meeting times and locations for parents and family members.
• Compensate families for their time, expertise and expenses.
• Clearly identify a staff person to be the primary contact person for reimbursement and other issues. Be sure she/he understands that timely reimbursement is essential.
• Provide accurate, timely, clear, jargon-free, and appropriate information prior to meetings.
• Provide all materials in the families preferred language.
• Provide clear information about the goals of the board, task force, or committee and the role of the individual members and the roles of family members.
• Match veteran parents with inexperienced family members to ensure that new members feel supported in their roles as advisors and have opportunity to share their new and fresh ideas.
• Balance membership on committees between families and professionals. One family member on a committee is not enough.
• Ensure diversity among the membership by recruiting broadly from the community and the population the program serves.
• During and after meetings, specifically recognize the value of family participation.
• Consider incorporating a "family leave" policy so that family members can choose an inactive role but maintain their membership should family circumstances require some time off.
• Consider shared leadership, such as parent and professional co-chairs.
• Recognize that some family members may require more support than others to participate in a meaningful way.

When nobody around you seems to measure up, it's time to recheck your yardstick. Bill Lemley

All decision making is easier when a school district shares a common philosophical framework. A district-wide policy on parent involvement at the decision-making level would ensure predictable actions on the part of district personnel. A sample policy is included (See Figure 5.3).

Elected positions are an important part of district-level involvement. Schools can inform parents about vacancies on school boards or community councils, or other opportunities for a parent or family member to serve as an elected representative in school decision-making.

District and school groups are enhanced when they are part of the decision-making process. At the individual level, decision-making becomes an even more empowering tool. Parents share responsibility for their child's education. By involving parents in the decision-making process they become partners. "School Restructuring: A Practitioner's Guide" by J. Hansen and E. Liftin (1991), has a decision-making exercise that provides a format for some basic school decisions. (See Figure 5.4)

* Hilliard City Schools, near Columbus, Ohio, have developed an "inter-school" PTO with representatives from all school buildings in the district. In addition to parents, the organization includes school board members, central office personnel, teachers, and community leaders. The group meets to share ideas and information, and to provide input on district decisions.

* Beavercreek Local Schools, near Dayton, Ohio, has implemented a strategic planning process that brings together parents, central office staff, teachers, senior citizens, school board members, and business and community leaders who decide major goals for the school district. The local newspaper provides the community with information about the committee's work in a regular feature entitled, "Focus on Education." (See Figure 5.5)

Decision-Making and Identified Special Needs

• Involve all stakeholders in developing a "best" plan
• Focus leadership
• Allocate time and priority to accomplish task
• Build consensus
• Embrace all perspectives
• Communicate objectives clearly
• Increase involvement as decisions are made
• Design manageable projects and goals.

In addition to strategies for effective collaboration and decision-making, there are barriers. The following obstacles need to be considered:

• Time constraints that restrict involvement
• Poor leadership and uncommitted participants
• Incomplete stakeholder involvement
• Lack of activities for participants
• Lack of follow-through
• Perceived need to identify "winners" or "champions"
• Decision-making process sidelined by "blame-placing" and "turf-protecting."

Bringing parents into the educational process increases information resources for teachers and administrators.

While strategies for successful individual decision-making are important for all parent/professional relationships, they are most important when they involve a student with identified needs related to a disability. These decisions often are included in the development of the Individualized Educational Plan, referred to as an IEP.

Parent involvement in this decision-making process is not optional; it is required by law.

There are many opportunities for parents and students to be decision-makers in the IEP development process. Some of the more important decision-making opportunities are included below (Turnbull and Turnbull, 1990):

Preconference Preparation

• Solicit information from the family about their preferences and needs regarding the conference.
• Discuss the meeting with the student and consider his/her preferences concerning the conference.
• Decide who should attend the conference.
• Encourage all attendees, especially parents, to visit proposed placement options prior to conference.
• Encourage families to discuss options with participants prior to conference.

Initial Proceedings

• State the purpose of the meeting.
• Ask parents if all issues have been covered.
• Ask if clarification of legal rights are needed.

Review Student Performance

• Ask parents and families for areas of agreement and disagreement and corresponding reasons.
• Ask parents and families for input on progress and performance levels.
• Develop consensus about identification of learning need and performance before proceeding.

Goals And Objectives

• Elicit all participant's expectations for student's performance at home, school and in the community.
• Collaboratively generate appropriate goals and objectives for all subject areas.
• Discuss future goals and objectives based on great expectations for student.
• Identify objectives to expand positive contributions the student can make to family, friends and community.
• Prioritize goals and objectives in light of student preferences and needs.
• Clarify responsibility for objectives.
• Ask family members for input on responsibility sharing.
• Determine evaluation procedures to be used.
• Discuss purpose of IEP as a guide and goal.

Placement And Services

• Discuss benefits and drawbacks of all viable options.
• Identify inclusive educational opportunities.
• Agree on tentative placement and process to be used to confirm.

Concluding Conference

• Review any and all responsibilities for program issues.
• Summarize and agree on all follow-up activities.
• Identify the most effective communication strategies for future activities.

While the strategies listed above may seem a matter of common sense, research indicates that they are not used, as a rule (Gerber et. al., 1986). When professionals were asked about the importance of parental input, before an IEP conference, they rated the input very highly.

However, those same professionals were asked about actual parent contributions, after the IEP meeting, and ranked them very low. Seventy-one percent of the teachers agreed to an option to waive the rights of parent participation in the IEP conference and to leave all decision-making to the professionals!

Legal rights don't mean very much unless the system makes them meaningful.

The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas. Linus Pauling

Dr. James Comer, professor of child psychiatry at Yale University, has developed a comprehensive parent-school collaborative effort, referred to as the "Comer Process" (1992). Involving parents as equal partners in a school management and planning team has created a philosophy of shared governance.

Effective as a model for parent involvement, the Comer Process requires parent participation in district-level, school-level and individual-level decisions.

* Baker Junior High School, in Fairborn, Ohio, engages an "Inclusion Committee" that holds open forums for discussion of issues related to including students with identified learning needs in typical classrooms. The committee invites selected members from the community to attend, but area residents may also attend, if they choose.

* Shoreland Elementary School, near Toledo, Ohio, uses an "Inclusion/Mainstreaming Support Committee Form" to provide information, solicit parent input and assist in making decisions regarding students with identified special needs. (See Figure 5.6).

* Brookpark Memorial School near Cleveland, Ohio, has developed a form that brings parents into the decision-making process for classroom placement of their children. The form identifies the parents' concerns regarding the student's placement and provides an opportunity to separate children who may cause difficulties when placed together. (See Figure 5.7)

* North Elementary School, in Newark, Ohio, had teachers, parents, students and administrators form a committee to draft a behavior management plan for the school. The plan includes Staff Expectations, Parent Expectations, and Student Expectations. The tri-fold document also establishes an agreed upon philosophy which must be signed by student, parent, principal and teacher at the beginning of each school year (See Figure 5.8).

Benefits when schools assemble better decision-making groups:

For students;

• Awareness of representation of parents in school decisions.
• Understanding that students' rights are protected.
• Specific benefits linked to policies enacted by parent organizations and experienced by students.

For parents;

• Input into policies that affect their child's education.
• Feeling ownership of school.
• All-family awareness of parents' voices in school decisions.
• Shared experiences and connections with other families.
• Awareness of school, district and state policies.

For teachers;

• Awareness of parent perspectives in policy development and decisions.
• View of equal status of family representatives on committees and in leadership roles.

School Self-Assessment on Decision-Making

• Do we have an active PTA, PTO or other organization?
• Are parents represented on the school's advisory council, improvement team or other committees?
• Do we have an Action Team for School, Family, and Community partnerships to oversee the development of the school's program with practices for all six types of involvement?
• Do we have district-level advisory councils and committees?
• Do we provide information on school or local elections for school representatives?
• Do we develop formal networks to link all families with their parent representatives?
• Do we involve parents in selecting school staff?
• Do we involve parents in revising school/ district curricula?

Key points to remember:

Address school and community diversity:

• Include parent leaders and representatives from all racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and other groups in the school.
• Include students (along with parents) in the decision-making groups.
• Be sure students with identified needs related to disabilities are represented.

Don't forget the three F's --fun, food and family:

• Decision-making groups need fun-filled opportunities such as ice breakers, tension relievers, and appreciation tokens.
• Provide child care and schedule meetings so that all parents can participate.
• Provide food --the more important the decision... the more important the food.

Get school, parent and community input before you begin forming decision-making groups.

• Conduct brainstorming sessions with diverse focus groups before assembling decision-making councils, committees or representatives.
• Offer training to enable leaders to serve as representatives of other parents, with input from and return of information to all parents.

Figures included only by title and source:

• Figure 5.1, Checklist for Involving Familise as Advisors and Consultants, The "Institute for Family-Centered Care"
• Figure 5.2, Arrowood's Parent Advisory Team (PAT), Arrowood Elementary School in Xenia, Ohio
• Figure 5.3, Parent Involvement Policy, Heather School PTA, San Carlos, California
• Figure 5.4, Decision-Making Exercise, from the book "School Restructuring: A Practitioner's Guide 1991" by J. Hansen and E.Liftin
• Figure 5.5, Strategic planning process revised by school district, Beavercreek Local Schools near Dayton, Ohio
• Figure 5.6, Inclusion/Mainstreaming Support Committee Form, Shoreland Elementary near Toledo, Ohio
• Figure 5.7, Sectioning Information, Brookpark Memorial School near Cleveland, Ohio
• Figure 5.8, Success for Life, North Elementary School in Newark, Ohio

COLLABORATING with COMMUNITY by Sue Bitsko

Identify and integrate resources and services from the community to strengthen school programs, family practices, and student learning and development.

The goal of the "America Goes Back to School: Get Involved!" campaign was to let students in America know that communities throughout the country cared about their education. An initiative of the Partnership for Family Involvement in Education and the US Department of Education, it began in 1995 with a back-to-school kick-off.

The American people, according to the campaign, have identified seven critical actions to improve education. They include:

1. Making schools safe, disciplined and drug-free: A condition for learning
2. Encouraging parent and family involvement
3. Helping America become a reading, literate society
4. Reaching for new levels of excellence: Achieve high standards and real accountability
5. Making technology available so all children will succeed in the 21st century
6. Preparing young people for careers: A strong transition from school to work
7. Making college more accessible: Keep the promise of the American dream

The back-to-school campaign brought renewed interest to the role communities play in education. Joyce Epstein's sixth and final way that schools can increase the involvement of other stakeholders in the educational process is through collaborations and exchanges with the community.

Epstein explains that the collaborations and exchanges take two basic forms:

• Connections to enable the community to contribute to schools, students and families
• Connections to enable schools, students and families to contribute to the community.

There's no limit to what can be accomplished if it doesn't matter who gets the credit. Milliken Research Corporation

Forty years ago, students were recognized as residents and representatives of neighborhoods and small towns. Schools provided a showcase for the talents and abilities of neighborhood children. Neighborhood business owners and organizations supported "their own" by passing tax levies, donating money and materials for school programs, and sponsoring school band and athletic team events.

Small town school rivalries were common and competition was primarily school-oriented. While some school districts are returning to the neighborhood school concept, many see a larger picture and find value in district-wide school communities.

Epstein elaborates on how schools, and communities can initiate and develop exchanges that will help build school communities whatever their geographic description. She lists the following ways:

1. Provide information for students and families on community health, cultural, recreational, social support, and other programs or services.
2. Provide information on community activities that link learning skills and talents, including summer programs for students.
3. Develop planned service integration of school in partnership with businesses, civic counseling, cultural, health, recreation, and other agencies and organizations.
4. Promote service to the community by students, families, and schools (e.g., recycling, art, music, drama, and other activities for seniors or others, etc.).

Community Resources

The following ideas and suggestions could be useful in providing that information:

• Hold a "community fair" and invite representatives from area support agencies and organizations to set up displays.
• Have school sports physicals conducted at a "family health night" where medical and nutrition information would be available.

* Oak Hills School District, a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio, held an "Opportunity Fair" for interested students, parents and community members. Twenty-two local agencies and support organizations set up displays and exhibits. The fair was designed to provide information to students with identified needs related to a disability. Community colleges, mental health agencies, technical advisors, public transit representatives, and local employers had displays.

* Trimble Elementary School, located in southeastern Ohio, distributes Parent Information brochures that include a resource guide for area agencies and organizations.

In addition to health and support agencies, communities have an opportunity to actively participate in the educational process by offering or sponsoring learning skill activities.

Community Link to Learning

• Sponsor "Family Math" or "Family Science" programs or events where community members and business people talk about math and science in their careers and lead hands-on activities.
• Provide leave time to employees to volunteer in schools, encourage parents to take time off to participate in parent-teacher conferences, join the PTA, and provide parent resource centers.
• Help set a summer reading and literacy program for your community--to read and write 30 minutes a day, five days a week. Reward participants for meeting reading goals with special books from the library, a favorite kid's magazine or a paperback book.

* The Greater Dayton Christian Connection, in Dayton, Ohio, established a Networking/Communications Ministry to link churches and to establish a community computing center at a local church site. Experts will train teenagers and adults, including senior citizens, to use computers.

* The parents of a first grade student, in a Delhi Hills subdivision, near Cincinnati, held a back-to-school ice cream party for elementary school children living in their neighborhood. The party was planned to show that the community (subdivision) acknowledged the first day of school as an important event. In addition to demonstrating the community's interest in wishing the children a successful school year, the gathering also provided an opportunity for parents to meet each other as "school community" members.

Information regarding which parents would be watching bus stops, or children walking to school, could be exchanged at this type of informal neighborhood get-together. Community involvement includes neighbor-to-neighbor support.

Partnerships for Service

• Conduct conflict resolution workshops that teach children how to respond without violence when someone is bothering them.
• Work with students on an anti-violence campaign.
• Help create safe corridors for children on their way to and from school by extending business areas beyond shop doors. The local police can help businesses, community organizations, cultural institutions, parents, and schools design patrols to keep school areas safe.
• Encourage the local paper to cover positive stories about youth activities and accomplishments.
• Create alternative activities to gangs.

* New Choices, a youth program in Dayton, Ohio, works with young people who have been expelled or suspended from school. The selected youth are paired with area senior citizens as companions and assistants. The program has a partnership with the local transit authority and involves tasks such as bus rides to appointments, to the market, to department stores, and to recreational outings. It is administered by the St. Francis Academy, a national nonprofit mental health system out of Salina, Kansas. About one fourth of the funding comes from local public and private donations. Additional funding comes from insurance and Medicaid reimbursements for counseling services. (See Figure 6.2)

* Dayton Public Schools and Higher Education Consortium, in Dayton, Ohio, is planning to combine resources of four local colleges to work on school issues related instruction, social services and staff development. One community college president-elect said each college will commit two people to work on project teams. The consortium is seeking state and federal funding to help support some initiatives.

* Trotwood-Madison City School District, near Dayton, Ohio, invited community members to discuss a school proposal that would implement an early release every Wednesday afternoon. The early release would give teachers time to research new materials, write curriculum and learn more effective teaching methods. The school district wanted the community to be part of the planning and to share ownership for school decisions.

* Crosby Elementary School in southwest Ohio developed a brochure that provides information about the school and serves as an invitation to community members to be involved in the school. (See Figure 6.3)

Schools Provide Service

This reduced level of school ownership can contribute to a feeling of apathy on the part of all community members. Having students, parents and families, and school personnel visible and involved in community activities, may "put a face" on the school at-large.

With public sentiment nothing can fail; without it, nothing can succeed. Abraham Lincoln

The suggestions listed below are offered as broad-brush examples. It is important that the strategies implemented by schools be appropriate for their specific community environment.

• Have school personnel get to know their community, walk around and meet school neighbors.
• Plan for students to work on neighborhood projects. Use school time if transportation during off-school hours is a problem. Citizenship and social studies can be learned hands-on through community efforts.
• Trained high school students can patrol streets in the near-vicinity of the school building when small children are walking to and from school.
• Build large playgrounds for school use and make sure they are open to community children after school and week-ends.
• Make sure playground equipment is also appropriate for children with special needs.
• Show appreciation for community residents by having students distribute some small gift (a blooming daffodil bulb in the spring or a marigold plant when school starts) to homes adjacent to school property. Thank the neighbors for "looking out" for the facility and the students.
• Work with local senior citizen organizations and have students perform helpful tasks for elderly neighborhood residents on a weekly basis. Setting trash cans out for pick-up, picking up litter, and shoveling winter snow are a few ideas.
• Make an effort to encourage support for school-area businesses. Pick-up donuts for school meetings from a local baker. Low price isn't the only consideration when making school purchases.
• Have senior citizen residents give presentations at school. They often have a wealth of knowledge about the neighborhood and town.

* Area senior citizens and students from Fairview Middle School, in Dayton, Ohio, were storytellers in the Dayton Stories Project developed as part of a "CITYFOLK/Culture Arts" program. The storytellers met in groups to share their personal stories. Students took pride in their cultural heritage and identified with the community development. In addition to being an intergenerational project, the long range goal of the program was to have the stories of the senior citizens provide a historical perspective in school social studies courses. The grant-funded activities ended before the school-related phase could be completed. A promotional flyer and other materials that describe the logistics of the program are included. (See Figure 6.4)

Benefits when schools facilitate better community collaboration:

For students

• Increased skills and talents through enriched curricular and curricular experiences.
• Awareness of careers and options for future education and work.
• Pride in community and in personal service to the community.
• Specific benefits linked to programs, services, resources and opportunities that connect students with the community.

For Parents

• Knowledge and use of local resources by family and child to increase skills, talents or obtain needed services.
• Family pride in and contributions to community.
• Interactions with other families in community activities.
• Awareness of school's role in the community, and community support and contributions to the school.

For Teachers

• Awareness of community resources to enrich curriculum and instruction.
• Openness to and skill in using mentors, business partners, community volunteers, and others to assist students and teaching practice.
• Knowledgeable, helpful referrals of children and families to needed services.
• Pride and participation in community.

School Self-Assessment on Community Collaboration

• Do we provide a community resource directory which gives parents and students information on community agencies, programs and services?
• Do we provide information on community activities that link to learning skills and talents, including summer programs for students?
• Do we work with local businesses, industries, and community organizations on programs to enhance student skills?
• Do we offer after-school programs for students, with support from community businesses, agencies, or volunteers?
• Do we sponsor intergenerational programs with local senior citizen groups?
• Do we provide "one-stop" shopping for family services through partnerships of school counseling, health, recreation, job training, and other agencies?
• Do we encourage service to the community by students, families and schools?
• Do we encourage alumni to participate in school programs for students?
• Is our school building open for use by the community after school hours?

Key points to remember:

Address school and community diversity:

• Have interpreters available for all exchanges, if needed.
• Include all students and parents in community exchanges. Students with identified needs related to a disability and their parents are important community members too.
• Appreciate the cultural diversity of community members. Have them share their story with students.

Don't forget the three F's --fun, food and family:

• Make an effort to include fun activities in the community/school exchanges.
• Food is always appreciated. Home Economics classes could bake cookies to take to community exchanges.
• Assure equity of opportunities for students and families to participate in community programs or to obtain services.
• Solve "turf" problems of responsibilities, funds, staff, and locations for collaborative activities. Be sure to provide child care for parents who need it.

Get parent and community input when you begin thinking about community collaboration:

• Organize brainstorming sessions for community/school/parent/student stakeholders.
• Work towards equal representation on planning committees.
• Get family input regarding community programs for students, such as mentoring, tutoring, business partnerships, and other opportunities.
• Match community contributions with school goals; integrate child and family services with education.

Figures included only by title and source:

• Figure 6.1, list of Federally Funded Parent Organization, State Projects, Spedial Education Regional Resource Centers, National Organizations, National Hotlines, and State Agencies, by ESC Project
• Figure 6.2, news artle by "Dayton Daily News" by Wendy Hundley, titled "New Choices
• Figure 6.3, school brochure, by Crosby Elementary School in Harrison, Ohio
• Figure 6.4, Dayton Stories project, Fairview Middle School in Dayton, Ohio

Bibliography

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Covey, S. R. (1989). "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People." New York: Simon and Schuster.

Davies, D. (1991). "Schools Reaching Out." Phi Delta Kappan 72. pp. 376-382.

de Kanter, A. (1996). "America Goes Back to School: Partners Activity Guide." US Department of Education.

Dinkmeyer, D. and McKay, G. D. (1976). "S.T.E.P.: Systematic Training for Effective Parenting." Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Service.

Elam, S.M. (Sept. 1991). "The 23rd Annual Gallop Poll of the Public's Attitudes Toward the Public Schools." Phi Delta Kappan 73. pp. 46-56.

Epstein, J.L. (1995) "School/family/community partnerships: caring for children we share." Phi Delta Kappan 76. pp. 701-12

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Gerber, P.J., Banbury, M.M., Miller, J.H., and Griffin, H.D. (1986). Special educators' perceptions of parental participation in the individual education plan process. "Psychology in the Schools,"23, pp. 158-163.

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Hansen, J. and Liftin, E. (1991). "School Restructuring: A Practitioner's Guide." Swampscott, Massachusetts: Watersun Publishing Company, Inc. pp. 211-213.

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Knowles, R. and McLean, G. (1986). "Psychological Foundations of Moral Education and Character Development: An Integrated Theory of Moral Development." Lanham, MD: University Press of America.

Loomans, D. and Kolberg, K. (1993). "The Laughing Classroom: Everyone's Guide to Teaching with Humor and Play." Tiburon, California: HJ Kramer, Inc. pp. 172-173.

Love, J. and Logue, M. (1992). "Transitions to Kindergarten in American Schools: Final Report of the National Transition Study." Washington, DC: US Department of Education, Office of Policy and Planning.

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Parent Institute, The. (1993) Wherry, J. H., President P.O. Box 7474, Fairfax Station, VA 22039-7474. 1-800-756-5525. Ideas from a presentation by Wherry.

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Turnbull, A. and Turnbull, H. (1990). "Families, Professionals, and Exceptionality: A Special Partnership." New York: Macmillan Publishing Company. pp. 288-290.

Van Ness, R. (1995). "Raising Self-Esteem of Learners." Bloomington, Indiana: Phi Delta Kappa Educational Foundation.

Villa, R. and Thousand, J. (1992). Student collaboration: An essential for curriculum delivery in the 21st century. In Stainbeck and Stainbeck (Eds.), "Curriculum considerations in inclusive classrooms: Facilitating learning for all students." Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.

Whitten, P. and Rice, J. (1996) "Parents and Schools Working Together for Students' Success." Ohio PTA: Presentation at Ohio Parent Involvement Summit.

APPENDIX A

APPENDIX B

STARTING POINTS

This inventory will help you identify your school's present practices for each of the six types of involvement that create a comprehensive program of school, family, and community partnerships. At this time, your school may conduct all, some, or none of the activities listed. Not every activity is appropriate for every school or grade level. You may write in other activities that you conduct for each type of involvement.

The Action Team for School, Family, and Community Partnerships should complete this inventory, with input from the teachers, parents, the School Improvement Team or Council, and others as appropriate. These groups have different knowledge about all of the present practices of partnership in your school.

After you complete the inventory, you will be ready to write a Three-Year Outline and One-Year Implementation Plan to show how you will increase, improve, or maintain activities for each of the six types of involvement in your school. These forms are in section 5 of the "Partnership-2000 Schools Manual".

Directions:

Options: 1) If you need more space for more activities, you may add pages to the inventory. 2) If you wish to assess how well each activity is implemented, add these symbols next to the check box: *, +, or - for very well implemented, a good start, or needs improvement.

TYPE 1 -PARENTING: BASIC OBLIGATIONS OF FAMILIES

• We sponsor parent education workshops and other courses or training for parents. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• We provide families with information on child or adolescent development. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• We provide families with information on developing home conditions that support learning. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• We lend families books or tapes on parenting or videotapes of parent workshops. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• We ask families for information about children's goals, strengths, and talents. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• We sponsor home visiting programs or neighborhood meetings to help families understand schools and to help schools understand families. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

This inventory is adapted from information in the "Partnership-2000 Schools Manual." J. L. Epstein, L. Coates, K. C. Salinas, M. G. Sanders, and B. Simon. Baltimore: Center on Families, Communities, Schools and Children's Learning, 1996. and Making Your Family-Community Partnership Work: A Checklist for Schools. Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Families in Education Program. Fall 1993.

TYPE 2 -COMMUNICATING: BASIC OBLIGATIONS OF SCHOOLS

• We have formal conferences with every parent at least once a year. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• We provide language translators to assist families as needed. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• We provide clear information about report cards and how grades are earned. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• Parents pick up report cards. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• Our school newsletter includes: At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
  - A calendar of school events. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
  - Student activity information. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
  - Curriculum and program information. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
  - Ideas to help with homework. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
  - School volunteer information. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
  - Samples of student writing and artwork. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
  - Recognition of students, families, and community members. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
  - Other ___________________________ At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• We provide clear information about choosing schools, and selecting courses, programs, and activities within schools. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• We send home folders of student work weekly and monthly for parent review and comments. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• Staff members send home positive messages about students on a regular basis. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• We notify families about student awards and recognition. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• We contact the families of students having academic or behavior problems. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• Teachers have easy access to telephones to communicate with parents during or after school. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• Parents have the telephone numbers of the school, principal, and teachers. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• We have a homework hotline for students and families to hear daily assignments and messages. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• We conduct an annual survey for families to share information and concerns about students' needs and reactions to school programs. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

TYPE 3 -VOLUNTEERING: INVOLVEMENT AT SCHOOL

• We conduct an annual survey to identify interests, talents, and availability of volunteers. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• We have a parent room or family center for volunteer work, meetings, and resources for families. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• We encourage families and the community to be involved at school by: At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
  - assisting in the classroom (e. g., tutoring, grading papers, etc.) At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
  - helping on trips or at parties. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
  - giving talks (e. g., careers, hobbies, etc.). At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
  - checking attendance. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
  - monitoring halls, or working in the library, cafeteria, or other areas. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
  - leading clubs or activities. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
  - Other _________________________________ At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• We provide ways for families to be involved at home or in the community if they cannot volunteer at school. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• We have a program to recognize school volunteers. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• We schedule plays, concerts, games, and other events at different times of the day or evening so that all parents can attend some activity. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

TYPE 4 -LEARNING AT HOME:

• We provide information to families on required skills in all subjects. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• We provide information to families on how to monitor and discuss schoolwork at home. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• We provide information on how to assist students with skills that they need to improve. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• We have a regular schedule of interactive homework that requires students to demonstrate and discuss what they are learning with a family member. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• We ask parents to listen to their child read or read aloud to their child. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• We provide calendars with daily or weekly activities for families to do at home and in the community. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• We help families help students set academic goals, select courses, and plan for college or work. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

TYPE 5 -DECISION MAKING: PARTICIPATION AND LEADERSHIP

• We have an active PTA, PTO, or other parent organization. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• Parents are represented on the school's advisory council, improvement team, or other committees. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• We have an Action Team for School, Family, and Community Partnerships to oversee the development of the school's program with practices for all six types of involvement. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• We have district-level advisory councils and committees. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• We provide information on school or local elections for school representatives. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• We develop formal networks to link all families with their parent representatives. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• We involve parents in selecting school staff. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• We involve parents in revising school/ district curricula. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

TYPE 6 -COLLABORATING WITH THE COMMUNITY

• We provide a community resource directory which gives parents and students information on community agencies, programs, and services. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• We provide information on community activities that link to learning skills and talents, including summer programs for students. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• We work with local businesses, industries, and community organizations on programs to enhance student skills. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• We offer after-school programs for students, with support form community businesses, agencies, or volunteers. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• We sponsor intergenerational programs with local senior citizen groups. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• We provide "one stop" shopping for family services through partnerships of school, counseling, health, recreation, job training, and other agencies. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• We encourage service to the community by students, families, and schools. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• We encourage alumni to participate in school programs for students. At which grades? K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• Our school building is open for use by the community after school hours. At which grades?K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

APPENDIX C

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