Over 700 public charter schools around the country have started because active parents joined with teachers and community partners, getting state or local permission to operate outside district constraints. Once these schools open, they depend more than most on their parents for help in key startup areas. Though vital, such help can also raise problems in every area from management
As well as consulting this Web site, schools can find a rich source of information on promoting democracy and equity through family involvement in the 1997 book Urgent Message: Families Crucial to School Reform, by Anne Lewis and Anne Henderson, available for $14.95 from the Center for Law and Education, 1875 Connecticut Ave. Washington, D.C. 20009; tel. (202) 986-3000 (202) 986-3000 ;
Working with a researcher from Partners in School Innovation, the teacher of one sixth-grade class at San Francisco’s James Lick Middle School took a very close look at what worked best in communicating with the families of her students. By interviewing every parent in depth, the two came up with a set of issues that routinely got in the way
“We all want our children to get a good education,” says the facilitator in the Right Question Project’s two and a half-hour workshop to build parents’ skills in naming issues, framing questions, and making action plans about their children’s education. “But sometimes going to schools can be pretty intimidating, and knowing what to ask can be frustrating.” Rather than providing
Does your child’s school communicate with parents in their home languages? Does your child’s school involve parents in decision-making about how to run the school? Does your child’s school work with community groups on school and community events? Does your child’s school keep you well informed about his or her behavior and progress in school? Does your child’s school keep
One Essential high school designed a yearly parent survey to help its faculty monitor and improve their work with students. The results inform the teachers’ summer planning for the next year’s program, and also form the basis for parent forums at which families help sort out school priorities for hiring, resource needs, and areas that require special attention. CURRICULUM How
At the Metropolitan Regional Career and Technical Center (the Met) in Providence, Rhode Island, Elayne Walker of the Big Picture Company has been working out ways to help draw in families to every aspect of school life. Parents help plan their child’s individual “learning through internship” program, help assess student exhibitions three times yearly, and buddy up with new parents
Students do better in school when their families get involved, all the research shows. But unless schools send clear messages of respect, families who don’t fit the mold may never trust educators enough to speak up or show up. Before their ninth grade children began school this fall, the parents, grandparents, and guardians of students at Chicago Vocational Career Academy
Parent-teacher action groups working with Project Respect in San Francisco came up with these notes on their experiences in school: Parents say: I am an intelligent, confident person in my life. Why do I feel intimated when I visit my child’s school? School staff could ask: What elements of interactions with parents could make them think and feel this way?