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BY REQUEST... March 1999 PDF version How Does Parent Involvement Help Kids? Walking the Talk: Implementing a Parent-Involvment Program Dealing With Difficult Parents Potential Pitfalls: What To Watch For |
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Targeting students the year prior to their official entry at Lake Hazel, the program operates from January until May. It incorporates five theme-based sessions that address the special needs of children facing their first school experience. The themes-which include academic success, literacy, school specialists, math/science, and getting to school safely/riding the bus-help to prepare kids and parents for school. The school advertises the program through newsletters, community flyers, and posters placed at area day-care centers. In January of the year preceding kindergarten enrollment, participants contact the school to register. Annually, about one-third of the incoming class and their families participate in the Cubs program. Cubs and their parents participate in a 45-minute meeting once a month. Each session opens with a story, is followed by an in-school field trip, and concludes with an activity time for parents and children. Before heading out the door, the group shares cookies and punch. LHE staff involved with the Cubs find that being part of a team helping to alleviate anxiety about school is very rewarding.Dixie Seegmiller, a Lake Hazel Elementary parent and seasoned Cub par-ticipant, has had three children participate in the program. She notes, "The Cub program calmed my children's fears about coming to school. School became a familiar place. My children were more excited and less fearful about the coming school year." Principal Jackie Meyer, an ardent supporter of the program, agrees wholeheartedly that "exposure to school before actually attending is important." Based on the success of the Cubs program, all district elementary schools are now required to offer an incoming kindergarten program similar to the Cubs. The number of program participants grows each year. Teachers, parents, and the incoming kindergartners treasure the program and believe that it makes the transition from home to school a re-warding experience. Parents believe the program makes a difference for children because time spent in Cubs ensures that the experience of attending school in the fall will be much less threatening. Cubs know where the library, lunchroom, office, gym, playground area, and bathrooms are before school even starts. They know what other kindergarten children look like, what kindergarten teachers look like, and what kindergarten classrooms look like. School is not scary and unknown to them, like it is for many small children entering the building for the first time. The goal of the Lake Hazel Cubs program is to start children out with the most positive school experience possible. With the dedication of teachers, parents, and administrators, the school is doing just that. Observed Outcomes
Keys to Success
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For Title I students, each school year begins with a goal-setting conference. The conferences-which are attended by the student, their parents, and the Title I teacher-are provided as a time to set learning goals. Parents are asked what they would like for their child to learn throughout the year, and what they believe to be positive goals for the child to work toward. They also have the opportunity to discuss expectations they may have of teachers. Students are asked what specifically they would like to improve. It is communicated to them that they are an equal partner with their parents and teachers in working to meet the learning goals. Lastly, teachers identify a goal or goals for individual students that incorporates and builds upon the goals outlined by the parents and student. Classroom teachers, current as well as from the previous year, are also consulted to determine what they see as learning priorities and issues for targeted students. The conference leads to the Home/School Compact-an individualized guide designed to help students meet their learning goals. In it, the student, teacher, and parents are asked to identify those things that they will do during the year to help achieve the goals. Parents are given copies of the goal sheet and the compact. Parent surveys have found the goal-setting conferences to be very well received. The process conveys to parents that the school values their knowledge and respects their concerns. Based on weekly anecdotal records kept by Title I teachers, and rooted in the goals set at the beginning of the year, narrative pro-gress reports are provided to parents halfway through the school year. These discuss areas where growth has occurred and areas where more work is still needed. Goals can be reviewed and re-vised, or newly established at this time, depending on student need. Though the progress reports are time consuming, teachers are committed to them because parents find them to be extremely helpful. The Title I program also holds monthly workshops for families. The workshops are designed to give parents ideas about how to help their children at home. The workshops deal with a wide range of learning issues, including literacy and math instruction, student motivation, children's literature, and parent stress. The workshops are held in a different school each month, but invitations are sent to Title I parents in all of the district's 15 school buildings. This has proven to be a very effective method. Though the day of the week varies from month to month, the workshops are always offered in the evenings to accommodate the work schedules of most parents. Activities are usually provided in another room for children while the workshop is in progress. Title I staff have found that attendance increased dramatically when parents were able to bring their children with them. The workshops and children's activity groups are conducted by Title I teachers, which encourages parents to attend and raises their comfort levels. Inexpensive books are purchased, and each child is sent home with a book at the end of most workshops. Observed Outcomes
Keys to Success
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