Parent Involvement Benefits Students, Teachers, Families

By Editor Ken Harvey

Parent involvement in schools benefits teachers, students and families, say the parent service coordinators from the state’s three Migrant Education Regional Offices (MEROs).

Numerous studies have shown that successful schools have a high rate of parental involvement.

When parents get involved, improvement in student academic achievement occurs "regardless of the economic, racial or cultural background of the family," says Ray Alaniz, parent services coordinator for Migrant Education Regional Office (MERO) 171 in Wenatchee. "It doesn’t matter who you are, what your socio-economic background is. It’s across the board."

Consequently, the federal No Child Left Behind Act now requires schools to pursue increased parental involvement, says Dalia Candanoza, the MERO 105 parent services coordinator, based in Yakima. She and her MERO colleagues taught a workshop on the subject at the recent Statewide MSDR Conference.

But increased parent involvement doesn’t mean more meetings on the calendar, says Ms. Candanoza. While quantity is good, quality is absolutely essential for good parent involvement to occur.

To address this issue, the parent services coordinators discussed the framework of the six (6) types of parent involvement based on the research conducted by Joyce Epstein, National Network of Partnership Schools, Johns Hopkins University. She concluded that parent involvement takes many forms including:

• Positive parenting skills.
• Volunteering in school classrooms and at school activities.
• Maintaining two-way communications between home and school.
• Fostering student/family learning in the home.
• Involvement in school decision-making.
• And collaborating with the community in supporting education.

Positive parenting, Ms. Candanoza explains, that all parent’s have a basic responsibility of providing their children with such necessities as housing, health, nutrition, clothing and appropriate supervision. Likewise, positive parenting instills in children appropriate qualities, habits and values; helps them balance recreation, chores and homework; and promotes regular school attendance.

Communication involves the school’s responsibility to provide effective avenues whereby the school and home have continuous interaction regarding all aspects of a student’s academic achievement.

Information is exchanged through two-way communication with the parents to help them understand how schools function, the policies and programs of the schools, tests and assessments given, and requirements for graduation and/or advance placement of students.

This type of involvement contributes to appropriate monitoring of a student’s academic progress and timely response to problems or potential problems.

Volunteering in the school may involve assisting administrators, teachers, students or other parents as mentors, coaches, boosters, lecturers, chaperones, tutors, leaders or demonstrators, Ms. Candanoza says. But even relatively passive attendance at performances, sports events, award ceremonies, celebrations and other school events shows children that their parents care and are supportive of their efforts.

"Schools should recruit widely for volunteers so all families know that their time and talents are welcome," she says. Schools should also "make flexible schedules for volunteers and events to enable working parents to participate," and should "provide training for volunteers," matching "time and talent with school needs."

Learning at home, the research indicates, most positively affects student achievement. Maintaining a home environment that supports learning and involves the entire family sends a strong message to children that learning is important and essential for success.

Making sure children have the necessary tools they need as well as an appropriate place to study and do their daily homework is something most parents can do regardless of their educational background. Helping parents know and understand specific skills their children need to pass each subject is very beneficial.

"Students are going to be getting the same message from parents and school," says Ms. Candanoza. It encourages "homework completion and a positive attitude about education."

Decision-making in the governance and organization of schools result in lasting gains in student achievement. Ms. Candanoza says that she knows all too well that this type of parent involvement requires comprehensive and ongoing training for parents and district staff alike.

"It has been my experience that when both parties understand the importance of, need for, and benefits of involving parents in strategic and appropriate decision-making in the school, capacity-building for individuals is that much more effective," she says. Having a sense of "ownership" gives you a personal stake in ensuring positive outcomes in what happens in schools.

Collaboration with the community is made easier when there is widespread support for schools from business partners, health services, senior citizen organizations, government agencies, cultural and recreational groups, service groups and religious organizations, Ms. Candanoza adds.

"You can’t overstate how important community involvement is," she says.

Resonating from the workshop was that no one parent involvement program works for all audiences across the board.

"Canned programs don’t always prove to be effective for your population. It is OK to adjust and tweak a program to fit your needs," suggests Ms. Candanoza.

Schools must also consider the kind of outreach that can be provided "troubled families" in the community. Many of the struggling students will be coming from such homes, says Ms. Candanoza. "There are a lot of troubled families, and each come with their own set of problems."

Such families may have inadequate housing, live in dangerous circumstances, face serious employment and financial problems, have someone in the home abusing drugs or alcohol, be undergoing divorce or struggling with single parenthood, have handicapped children in the home, be suffering from physical or emotional abuse, have a family member in poor health, lack English fluency or literacy skills in any language, or have someone suffering depression or other psychological challenges, Ms. Candanoza explains.

"This is what they’re concerned with, and we’re asking them to come to a school meeting," she says. "Troubled families are the hardest group to recruit.

"Troubled families are not accustomed to making public the family’s private business," Ms. Candanoza says. "This is really prominent in Hispanic families."

In getting migrant families more involved, it is also necessary for educators to overcome their own prejudices and misperceptions, she explains. Some of the things you might hear Anglo teachers say about migrant families include:

• "They are so different. I just don’t know how we can include them. They don’t fit in."
• "They are clannish. The few that come all sit together and refuse to participate. They don’t contribute anything."
• "Where have they been all their lives? The children come into kindergarten without knowing colors or numbers. They can’t even hold a pencil."
• "The children are unresponsive. They won’t look adults in the eye, and they refuse to participate."
• "Why don’t their parents learn English? Everyone else did. How am I expected to communicate with these people?"
• "I send home notes and I call, and still I can’t get them to a meeting. I think a lot of them just don’t care."

With such judgements, says Ms. Candanoza, educators show a misunderstanding of the migrant families, their culture, their impoverished circumstances, their difficult beginnings, and their ongoing challenges.

The misunderstandings and attitudes of the migrant parents also make bridging the gap difficult, she says. Migrant parents might be heard to say such things as:

• "Teachers are professional people. They know what is best for my children. I only went to the third grade. How can I question my child’s teacher?"
• "I teach my children to behave and not be asking questions or talking too much. The teacher says my child is too quiet. I don’t understand."
• "Teachers don’t like me. It’s better for my kids if I stay away."
• "We are discriminated against. We are not welcome. If we cannot speak English, what’s the point in going to the school?"
• "My husband works two jobs, and we have small children. We have no time to go to school."
• "I am only called by the school when there is a problem with my child, and then the teachers make me feel embarrassed and hurt by his behavior. I don’t belong in the school."

To help overcome these barriers, Ms. Candanoza says every member of the school staff must be more friendly and outgoing, including the office staff, since "they are the first contact" a parent has at the school.

"It comes down to everyone being on board," she says.

Other suggestions she makes for educators to enhance parent involvement are:

• Conduct some meetings, seminars and workshops in Spanish.
• Have a bilingual aide available when Hispanic parents visit the school.
• Use cultural enrichment activities to bring school and families together.
• Let parents know you appreciate their presence and their time.
• Welcome parents by conveying a positive attitude when they visit the classroom and at other meetings and activities.
• Hold workshops on the mechanics of the school system and on school curriculum.
• Have parents instruct other parents. If you give them a chance to be the teachers, they will open up. They can teach about their culture or teach how to make tamales or other native foods.
• Accommodate working parents by holding activities and workshops in the evenings and on weekends.
• Hold some functions in their neighborhoods at a church, a community center or a park.
• Know what’s going on in your region. The best time in this area is to plan activities in October and November (after harvest and before families leave for Mexico) or in January, February or March (before farm activities shift into high gear).
• Involve parents in decision-making, planning and implementation of activities. When people give you input, they are going to support you. They’re going to feel ownership.
• Provide child care for those parents who attend meetings and workshops. Utilize teen-agers who need to do some community service, and you’ll help both sides. If you don’t have child care and refreshments, a lot of parents won’t come. That’s just the way it is.
• Provide transportation, if possible, to and from activities.
• Make sure your first meeting of the year is a good one or it will hurt your attendance all year.

Ms. Candanoza says the most successful parent involvement programs she has seen around the state shared the following characteristics:

• Activities were creative, diverse and flexible. Don’t be stuck with a canned program. It doesn’t work. You have to be flexible.
• Recruitment activities center on the "personal approach," including personal phone calls.
• Parents know what’s expected of them and why. If they don’t know why you’re having a meeting, they aren’t going to come.
• Parents feel like partners in the effort. If your parents don’t feel they are partners, they aren’t going to do much.
• Project directors were familiar with their communities.
• Projects had support from principals and teachers. Principals need to be involved. School officials need to be there. Teachers should be outside greeting parents. That’s going to make parents want to come back.
• Project directors spoke Spanish.
• Project directors were dedicated, resourceful individuals with a sincere interest and concern for Hispanics.

"Parent involvement is really hard. It’s a lot of work," Ms. Candanoza says. "But it’s worth it."

With an effective parent-involvement program, say the parent service coordinators, school districts will see positive student results, including:

• Improved attendance.
• Increased homework completion.
• More positive behavior and attitudes about school.
• Higher grades.
• Higher test scores.
• Higher graduation rates.
• And greater enrollment in post-secondary education.