1/10/01 -
How Families can get Involved in their Children's Education, Part 3

Family involvement in children's education is a very hot topic across the nation today. We addressed the issue of continuing importance in the past in three Hot Topics articles Family involvement in children's education, Resources are available to help all families become involved in school leadership, and Families can impact school climate. The following is the content from a booklet offered by the Department of Education entitled, Questions Parents Ask About Schools. According to the booklet, the questions and answers were prepared by staff from Parent Information and Resource Centers across the United States. The Centers are funded by the U.S. Department of Education, and you are currently visiting the Web site of the Oregon Parent Information and Resource Center (OPIRC).

Because of its length, the information from the booklet is presented in three parts over approximately the last five weeks, each time with a link to the previous sections of the booklet. What follows is the third and final piece of the content from the booklet. Click here to view the first and second parts of the booklet hyperlink to last two articles. As with all Hot Topics articles, this article can be printed for later reference or dissemination.

On Preparing for a Career
What can I do to help my child move successfully from school to college or work?

• Start talking to your children at an early age about careers and the kind of education he or she will need to reach his or her goals.
• Encourage your child to attend career and college fairs. Attend with your child as often as possible. Most future jobs will require not only a high school diploma, but 1-4 years of community college, 4 years of college, and/or specialty training.
• Take your child to work if you can.
• Ask the high school counselor about programs that combine study at school with work or classes at a technical college to prepare students for well-paying jobs. (Sometimes these programs are called Tech-Prep, School-to Career, or School-to Work).
• Make sure your child takes the tests, starting in 9th grade, that many colleges review as part of the admissions process. Student who take these tests more than once usually improve their scores.
• Encourage your child to be involved in activities such as organized after-school programs, community service, academic clubs, technology or vocational clubs, the school newspaper, drama and music programs, art, and athletics.
• Relate your child's interests to a variety of career choices.
• Make sure your child is enrolled in the high school courses needed for admission to college or to secure a well-paying job.

What high school courses should my child take to get into college?

• A college education builds on the knowledge and skills acquired in earlier years. Parents should plan with their children (as is developmentally appropriate for their children) starting as early as 7th or 8th grade to begin (to work toward necessary coursework.) Students usually have more difficulty with college courses if they haven't taken courses to prepare them in high school.
• Academic requirements differ among colleges, but some requirements in the following areas are typical: English, mathematics, history and geography, science, foreign language, visual and performing arts, and appropriate electives.

On Involvement With the School
What are some ways I can be involved with my child's school?

• Volunteer to tutor in the classroom, or help in the office or the cafeteria. Schools always need adult help with field trips and other outside events.
• Help with activities that can be done at home such as taking part in a telephone tree to notify other parents of upcoming activities and making educational tools for the teacher.
• Help develop and promote family-school agreements or compacts that outline mutual responsibilities for improving student learning.
• Work in a parent resource center or help start one. In these school centers, parents may gather informally, borrow materials on parenting and children's school-work, and get information about community services.
• Join a parent patrol or help start one to make the school safer.
• Volunteer to serve on advisory groups to your school. They may consider everything from school policies and programs to the kinds of parent involvement activities the school plans.
• If you are comfortable with technology, volunteer to be a computer tutor for students and teachers or ask if there are other ways you can help the school to use technology.
• Help translate school materials, if you can, for non-English speaking parents in your school.
• Take part in your school's parent-teacher association or help start one.