By guest blogger Eva Hardy, online content/data coordinator at the Center for Teaching Quality
In April, roundtable participants discussed the many ways in which parental engagement can elevate students鈥� classroom performance. Participants agreed that parental involvement was a collaborative effort, requiring teacher, parents, and administration to get involved in the process.
Below is a recap of some experiences and insights from this month鈥檚 contributors:
Activate Parents: argues that parental involvement is the 鈥渕issing link鈥� in school reform and challenges fellow teachers to work to 鈥渁ctivate parents into a collaborative role.鈥�
Create Resources: Parents can bring a diverse set of skills and experiences to the classroom. reflects on how one parent鈥檚 passion turned into a very memorable lesson for her students.
Communicate Effectively: Creating and maintaining open lines of communication between school and home is a first-step in actively engaging parents, point out , , and .
Establish Trust: suggests that teachers are able to establish and maintain trust when the focus is on building relationships rather than reporting problems.
Offer Opportunities: Schools must offer diverse and creative opportunities for parental involvement. and describe a few ways in which their schools are reaching out and engaging parents.
Develop a Vision: , , and note that parents, teachers, and administrators must work together to set consistent expectations for students in and out of the classroom.
Connect Online: and describe their experiences with online grade books as a way to engage parents and provide accountability.
鈥擡va Hardy