Motivating Parent Involvement

Are you motivated as a parent to be involved at your child’s school? Or is it just about fundraising? And test results/report cards? Maybe you attended the Open House at the start of the year or maybe that first PTA meeting. Concerts are coming up, so if your child is active in chorus or band, you’ll probably show up around this time of the year as well.  But in this day and age, with everything that children need to learn in school today and the focus on educational reform, especially here in Delaware, is showing up at your child’s school once or twice within the school year effective?

Researchers have found three key factors that affect whether parents are motivated to become involved in their children’s learning:

1.   How parents develop their job descriptions as parents: Do they know what the school expects them to do? What do their friends and family think is acceptable?

2.   How confident they feel about their ability to help their children: Do they feel they have the knowledge and skills to make a difference?

3.   Whether they feel invited, both by their children and the school: Do they get strong, positive signals from teachers and students that they should be involved?

Kathleen V. Hoover-Dempsey, Joan M.T.Walker, and Howard M. Sandler, “Parents’ Motivations for Involvement in Their Children’s Education,” in School-Family Partnerships for Children’s Success, ed. Evanthia N. Patrikakou and others

(New York: Teachers College Press, 2005).

The research questions above are interesting for the public school system to tackle.  And yes, each school is different but as a district as a whole, I believe there should be some commonality so that I, as a parent, can be effective and informed as my child works their way through the 12 grades – each and every year and at each and every school, regardless of which school my children attend.

Here are my responses to the questions proposed above – what are yours?

1.)   I do not know what my school expects from me as a parent – especially at the middle school level.  High school we’ll have to wait and see.  I don’t see my children’s friends’ parents actively involved unless we’re volunteering for a once-a-year chaperone event.  We all go to award ceremonies and concerts when they come up. I’m not sure if that is all my middle school expects; that seems to be all they are asking for.  At the elementary level, it seems to be all about fundraising – attention, I hate Chuck E Cheese night outs! And the fundraising might be school lead, PTA and/or teachers.  It might be for a charity, like leukemia, or for school programs, like PBS (Positive Behavior System), or just fundraising in general.  There has to be more to family engagement than just fundraising!

2.)   I do feel my knowledge and skills can make a difference; however I’m not sure where they are the most effective – in the classroom, organizing an event, attending district meetings?  I do not see a mass of parents standing up for the betterment of the schools or pushing for a specific cause within the system.  Ever once in a while, I’ll hear about a recess effort or a transportation concern, but I’m not sure what the end result was as energies seem to fizzle out. I hear about it once or twice and then that’s it. At least a few are advocates for just their child, so may be vicariously, they’ll improve the whole system – but that hasn’t really been effective as we’re counting on all of this RttT money to make a magical difference without aggressively engaging all parents.  Parents seem to still be sitting on the side lines without holding our administrators accountable.

3.)  At the middle school level, my child is too cool to listen to me, their parent.  Thus, I need the school and teachers to give me even more invites to be involved, in specific ways and more information as to the “life of a middle schooler in the classroom”. And I just don’t see that happening on a consistent basis.  PTA meetings are poorly attended, email communication is when the teacher needs it, and the phone alerts seem random at best.  I don’t want to feel like the only way to be engaged is to enter the building week after week.  (Then you have to get past the front desk issues.)  With so much technology around us, I expect us to do better as adults at staying informed.  But in reality, it comes down to the relevance of the message and connecting with your audience.

How connected do you feel as a parent to the overall environment of your child’s school?  Let me hear your thoughts on the three questions proposed above.

Leadership in Education – RttT focus

Under RttT, a lot of money and effort is focused on leadership.  You may have read about it mostly in the NewsJournal coverage when they review the Partnership Zones, the Vision 2015 conference and/or some of the other Partners like Vision Network.  All of these are high profile entities, schools trying to find strong leadership, and/or the worst of bad scenario’s in our state which draw a lot of the attention and potentially overshadow all other efforts and/or challenges.  Are we just trying to get the worst schools out of a deep hole?  Where are the leaders in our state who are setting a higher bar than before – not just trying to keep pace?

As parents in the BSD, what do you expect from our educational leadership and more specifically, your child’s school principal?  When you were growing up and attending school, this role probably looked very different as the demands today are numerous.

But here is what I expect of a principal as a parent:

o       Friendly Leadership

o       Responsible Delegator

o       Knowledgeable Politician

o       Effective Administrator

Yet, I’m not sure if that is the direction I am witnessing as a parent.  Some days it is hard to measure.  In the local media, there are examples of recruitment of younger leaders, principals who are more and more responsible for monitoring and evaluating teachers in the classrooms, and/or talks about all of the administrative functions and accountability of principals to meet the “Standards” of today.  And let’s not forget about “disciplinarian” and “policeman” functions of principals when things go wrong anywhere in the building and on the grounds.

I’m not sure yet if I have a “vision” for the ideal principal or what I think one should look like in about 10 years time.  But I do hope that they evolve from what they are today – as some days, I’m expecting more than I am getting.  Is that just me as one parent in the mix or are there other parents in our district looking for more as well? 

Please let me hear your thoughts on the topic.

What happened to the “thanks” in Thanksgiving?

I understand that the economy is hurting – we all feel it and have to acknowledge it in one way or another in our daily lives.  But this year the retail “push” to move the economy back up with a rush to the Christmas shopping craze just seems like too much!!  My kids’ HALLOWEEN costumes were barely off their backs before the stores were putting up the holiday lights, wreaths and plastic bulbs! The Christmas season hasn’t even started yet and I’m almost tired of the hype.

How can we take back Thanksgiving and enjoy that 4-day long weekend with a pause to reflect on all of the people and things in our lives that are going well? And some days it is hard to see the positive and be grateful for what we do have when we continually run a dialogue on what we don’t have.  And some days I am as guilty as the next person – especially on those gloomy, overcast Mondays.  L  All the more reason why we as parents need to take back Thanksgiving – in any way we can:

• Push employers to reinstate that Friday as a standard holiday – too many of us are either working that day, especially in retail at ridiculous hours, or are using up a vacation day to make sure we aren’t rushing back into the office.  How do we get that Thursday and Friday as mandatory days off across the country? Does it take an act of Congress or each of us on a local level asking employers to be generous with an extra day?
• Take a walk through the neighborhood or the local park with your kids.  Reconnect with them by not even having to say anything, just stroll down the street; comment here or there about what you see.  If you need a destination to make it helpful, I always aim for coffee or hot chocolate as a simple reward.  (Though some weeks I use that “reward” more than I should – I do like my cappuccino.)
• Rake leaves – the old fashion way!  Enjoy the noises and beauty of nature all around you.  The soreness of your arms, the crunch of the leaves, the chill in the air marking the changing season that is coming – you can’t notice those signs when you or your neighbors are constantly running that leaf blower!!!  I hate the noise those things make – it always gives me a headache and is such a noise polluter.  And it is not very social.  When you rake leaves together, everyone has a job and talks.  With a leaf blower, it seems to always be a one-man job all by yourself.

These simple things can help us remember the purpose of Thanksgiving in the first place:  family, friends and the gratitude for the things we do have around the table after a hard year.

Side note: I’ll be watching to see what happens in the coming weeks with the retail figures.  Did we use up all of our budgeted dollars for Christmas at 3 am on Thursday evening and that’s it for the season?  Or will there be a steady stream of purchases for every week leading up to the holiday to demonstrate a real recovery?  It might be a roller coast of emotions and reports as our retail dollars are tracked.  There is always the hope of those last minute shoppers, when the deals come back out again, right before the holidays.  That’s more my pace – I always do well with a deadline no matter how much I plan ahead or try to shop in July.  Yet there is always the guilt of someone I missed or someone on my list who I bought too much for throughout the year.

All the more reason why we need to take back Thanksgiving: a paradigm shift to a more grateful society.  A thank you for kids comes in many forms – a quiet game of “Go Fish” and a hot chocolate are amazing in the way they help us connect, at any age.

How to be an Effective PTA/Parent Leader

The first step in being an effective leader is understanding that PTA is a team. As a president or parent leader, you need to build a team out of your officers and chairpersons. (Officers and chairpersons may also need to build teams out of the committees that work under them.) Having a team atmosphere encourages productivity, keeps the workload more balanced, and leads to happier volunteers.

Just like in sports, a team does not mean that everyone is involved in everything. If the pitcher on a baseball team tried to play pitcher and catcher because he didn’t like how the catcher threw the ball back to him, or if the quarterback on a football team tried to play quarterback and wide receiver because he felt the receiver dropped too many balls, or worse yet, if the coach decided to replace a player and get in the game and play himself ... it wouldn’t be much of a game and the other players would wonder why they were even there in the first place!

Similarly, your PTA should be set up so that your officers and chair people have responsibility for certain things. When delegating responsibility, make sure each team member understands what their roles and responsibilities are. Show them where to find the information they need to perform their duties and provide any deadline or budget considerations they need to know.

If necessary, offer your experiences to help guide them and answer any questions they might have, but don’t make decisions or do the work for them! You have given them a job to do, so let them do it – even if that means it is not done exactly like you would do it yourself! Don’t micro-manage them. Allow them to make self discovery and empower them to take action. This builds your leaders of tomorrow and ensures the long-term success of your PTA!

• Understand there will be glitches along the way. Be supportive and be there to offer encouragement or advice, but don’t take over for them! Allow your team members to work through any difficulties in their own way. Just like we tell our children, people often learn more from their mistakes than they do from their successes.
• Keep the team informed. Each team member has an obligation to keep the team as a whole informed of the actions they have undertaken. This does not mean reporting in every time you do something; however, officers and chairpersons should be prepared to report on the status of the things they are responsible for at each board meeting. Reports may be submitted in writing in the event someone is unable to attend a particular meeting.
• Lastly, model appropriate behavior for your team – patience, respectfulness, reliability. Don’t gossip or project negativity as that will rub off on everyone. Always point out the strengths of the team and the individuals who are a part of it. Provide lots of praise and recognition. A “Thank you. You did a great job,” goes a long way. When team members are given the flexibility to fulfill their respective roles in their own, individual ways, the benefits are tremendous, not only for the PTA as a unit, but for the school and all of the students as well.

The wheel has been created – USE IT!

So I attended the State PTA Convention over the weekend along with some training from a National PTA representative.  My feelings are mixed…

On the positive side, it was great to see a “changing of the guard” in that many of my fellow Board members are new to their positions like me.  It is motivating that new energy and new perspectives are coming to the state scene and back to the districts.  It is also amazing to realize that we have 100 years of experience and resources backing our efforts with state and national tools to utilize.  I have other Region VPs that I can call upon to help me, not to mention the communication, finance & membership experts at the state level and also a network of other units across the nation as positive examples!! All this energy to bring to our local BSD members!

On the other side, attendance was not what I would have hoped for at a 100 year celebration and my first state convention.  It shows that we have to re-invigorate and re-dedicate our efforts as parents and our commitment to PTA – especially in this decade as so many things are happening in public education.  (Did you know that the PTA is behind the fact that we have Kindergarten today and that there are federally funded lunch programs – items we might take for granted today are all because of past PTA efforts.) 

We need parents to be involved and stay informed -- the data shows parents make the difference.  Motivated parents are a tipping point to children’s success. 

And so many groups are trying to “re-create the wheel” by pulling together parent resources – i.e. Parent Engagement teams at each school, Parent Advisory Councils, the Parent Center Resources, Parent Learning Link, Partnership Zones, even RttT plans across the state target parent involvement, etc.  Yet when you look at their core efforts, they seem to be trying to recreate the PTA. 

• With over 5 million PTA members today, it’s hard to replicate their current and historical efforts.  So why not re-commit to the PTA? USE IT to improve our schools and their services! They already have the resources developed and ready to be unleashed.
• PTA has so many programs, initiatives and resources – from a variety of training, legislative monitoring to supporting arts in the schools and curriculum focus.  A network of help and organized effort is so close and ready today to be used.  (And the cost to join is a simple membership due equivalent to an expensive cup of coffee?!!)
• With the Common Core State Standards grant here in DE, the PTA is here to re-invigorate the advocacy part of parent education. They have presentations, training tools, pamphlets, DVDs, etc. to help inform parents now.

Let PTA bring these efforts to your next local meeting and group to share, inform, educate and motivate our parents. CCSS and PTA will help all of us to “walk the talk” together and support ALL children to reach their full potential.

I’m ready whenever you are – join me to celebrate and kick off the next 100 years of PTA in our state and our district.   Imagine what BSD could do with strong, committed PTAs at every one of our schools!

BSD 2012 Operating Referendum – PARENT EDUCATION

Thank you to Lancashire PTA for allowing me the chance to speak about the upcoming BSD Operating Referendum and my observations and background knowledge as a parent on the topic. It is a LOT OF INFORMATION that parents must digest in order to understand future actions needed.  I believe we need to start educating ourselves now so that, as parents, we can understand these pending events that can impact our kids for years to come.  If we are passionate about something that’s happening in our district we need to raise our voices sooner rather than later.  There is strength in numbers!!

Here are 2 interests that came out of that presentation that I am looking for parent action by responding to this blog posting.

1.)    Transportation costs and safety of current routes – I am further investigating these costs within the district budget.  I mistakenly indicated that they were an individual school line-item, but they are on the district level and I am inquiring.  I will post my findings on the blog when received.

Similar to my experience, a few other parents after the meeting have voiced concerns about stops along Naamans, the speed of traffic and omission of stops within neighborhoods.  I’d like to begin collecting specific parent names & emails that are interested/concerned about this topic.  Future presentations, attendance at district meetings, offering solutions and just showing our collective parent voice, can help raise the safety concerns we have.

2.)    Testing and Assessments – More parents need to raise their voice if ANY PART of the current assessment is an issue for them.  AND WE NEED TO FIND EACH OTHER AND SPEAK UP.  There is definitely strength in numbers on this topic as well and I need to hear from other parents to share information, outline results and actions coming this year.

I too am very upset with where the state testing is today – DCAS is not what was promised, decisions that DDOE has made have been costly mistakes that are not only impacting our children’s schedules but also the district’s services.  BSD has to bring in MORE TESTING because DCAS is limited and the DDOE needs to be held accountable for bad decisions made.  They know the testing is inadequate but we need to make sure further mis-steps don’t put us further behind and waste more valuable resources.  I’m gathering information from as many different resources as I can – both internal and external to DDOE – and want to share them with those parents who can help and want to organize a consistent voice.

Thank you again to the all of the parents who have been following this blog and also the PTA at Lancashire.  I look forward to continued discussions together. Parents are a powerful force in children’s lives and their educational opportunities when we are engaged together.

BSD Parent Pledge - "MY PLEDGE"

Did you see in the packet of papers from your child's school (OR for those of us with older kids, it's probably in the bottom of the backpack still), the BLUE Sheet of paper marked "My Pledge"? 

• Find this paper
• Read it  
• Sign it
• Get it back to the school

The pledge and list of tasks many parents do, but surprisingly (maybe), many others don't.  This Pledge is the BSD's efforts to connect with parents throughout the district to begin a basic checklist of commitment with ALL PARENTS.  Let's work to get, at the least, 60% returned back to BSD to demonstrate our strong commitment to a simple grassroots effort like this.  It is simple to do, but how many of us actually saw this piece of paper and understood what to do?  And acted upon it?

What do you think of "My Pledge"?  Now that you've found it in the backpack -- Let me hear what you think.