Location
Mark Twain Elementary School
2450 S. Star Lake Road
Federal Way, WA 98003
253/945-3100

Contact
Linda Lee, Parent Advocate
Phone: 253/945-3122
Fax: 253/945-3131

Description
In every school there are a few parents who are eager to help. They are the individuals who always sign up to be room parents, chair PTA committees, or accompany the class on field trips. But what about the majority of parents who would like to be involved but aren't quite sure how, feel they have nothing to offer, or simply don't have time? Mark Twain Elementary seeks to involve these parents. By providing an array of involvement opportunities, they hope to appeal to every parent in some way.

Mark Twain has a renewed emphasis on parent involvement by incorporating it into the building learning plan. While there are still attempts to "recruit parents into the classroom," a broader focus is on reaching the hard-to-reach families. A philosophy of service and outreach to the school's diverse community prevails. Knowing that food, fun, and freebies attract most people, activities are planned with this in mind. When school events are designated for parents only, child care is always provided.

Mark Twain is a Schoolwide Title I site, serving 630 students in grades kindergarten through six. The school has nearly 200 English-as-a-Second Language (ESL) students, over 60 special education students, 65 percent of students on free or reduced lunch, and a highly mobile population with 65 percent turnover each year (the school is fed by over 2000 apartments). To address all the special needs, cross-funding and partnerships with outside sources have become a way of life.

• Academics: Last year the school implemented Success For All (SFA), a research-based reading program focusing on early inter-vention to ensure that every child will succeed in reading. Stu-dents are tested upon entering the school and placed in groups matching their ability level. Every eight weeks students are re-assessed to make sure they are progressing. All certified staff teach a daily 90-minute reading block. Coupled with this is the expectation that families will read for 20 minutes a night at home with their children.

• Communication: Staff members strive to narrow the gap be-tween school and home. Grade-level teams publish regular newsletters, as do the principal and the PTA. Many teachers telephone or journal regularly with parents of focus students. Most boast 100 percent turnout at parent-teacher conferences. The school-leadership team has seven active parents that col-laborate regularly with grade-level representatives and administrators. As a service to the school's ESL families, key documents are translated in three other languages.

• One-to-One Outreach: The school's Welcome Program seeks to know new families and assist them with the registration process. The Student Advocate interviews, photographs and takes new students on a tour, while the Parent Advocate assists with registration and discusses concerns with parents, includ-ing recommendations for community services if necessary.

  If a new family is non-English speaking, a Spanish-, Russian-, or Korean-speaking staff member is brought in to translate for them. An effort is made to give new students a reading test before entering school so they can be in an appropriate reading group from the start. Because the advocates take the time to see children a day before they enter class, teachers also get ad-vance information and are better prepared to welcome them and to provide a buddy.

  The Family Support Team, consisting of the principal, counselor, school psychologist, PTA president, attendance secretary, read-ing coordinator and parent advocate, offers staff members an opportunity to refer students of concern. The team meets with parents and incorporates a solution-building model that focus-es on the student's strengths and offers several strategies to use with the child at home, at school, or within the community.

  Home visits to every first grade household are a unique way to personalize the school to families. The doorstep canvassing of all homes provides an opportunity to hear concerns, or, at the very least, leave school information and a free book for the student.

• Partnerships: Connections to outside resources are critical to help finance some of the school's very special programs and to provide additional volunteers to read with kids. Costco Whole-sale financially supplements the reading program and provides backpacks and start-up supplies for every student, including newcomers. Washington Mutual Bank sends volunteer tutors. A partnership with the nearby high school provides videotape of classroom activities, SFA work, and major events, so parents can check out videos of events they cannot attend. Americorps provides a volunteer two days a week. Students from a local com-munity college share 90 hours of volunteer time as they earn education credits. A new dress code at Mark Twain requiring all students to wear a uniform has generated an additional partnership with a local church. Church members collect cloth-ing donations that supply the Uniform Closet-a collection of used clothing that meets uniform specifications. All items from the Uniform Closet are free to students who are unable to afford new clothing. Church members also volunteer to read with kids on a regular basis. In addition to all of these partnerships, fund-ing for free books, parenting classes, and staff development comes from several grants.

• Learning Opportunities: During the fall and spring, ESL class-es are offered for adults. Parenting classes are also given in the fall. The annual open house at the beginning of the year draws crowds to hear teachers define curriculum and see students share their early work. Later in the year, every grade level has Curriculum Night that attracts large numbers. The PTA also sponsors special events and speakers and provides child care. In the winter of 1999, a six-week series of family workshops focused on building family literacy was also offered.

• Title I-Sponsored Family Events: Some of the most appealing attractions to families are Reading Nights (which include a storyteller or learning centers), Muffins with Mom in Febru-ary, and Donuts with Dad in March. At all of these events, stu-dents who come with a parent are given refreshments and a free book, and have time to read together with their families. The school's dads have especially enjoyed this. In addition, monthly coffee socials are sponsored in surrounding apart-ment complexes to help stimulate parent-to-parent connections (local merchants donate coffee and donuts).

• Community Celebration: The school's most successful attrac-tions are festive and family-oriented. Sample activities include International Night, which brings all ethnic groups together for student performances and an ethnic potluck; the talent show, which draws the families of all performers; Family Fun Night, offered by the PTA in December; several after-school skating parties during the year; and a barbecue celebration, which closes the year with staff and families celebrating together. Although parent involvement has always been a priority at Mark Twain, the focus over time has shifted from basic volun-teering to engaging parents in a partnership with the school, in order to provide the best possible education for every child. Mark Twain Elementary School believes that the key to keep-ing their families is to engage them in learning and celebrating with their children.

Observed Outcomes

• Families are less wary of the school, asking more questions and making stronger commitments
• Emphasis on serving families one-to-one has built a strong foun-dation of family support for the school; there is greater two-way communication between the school and home
• The school climate is very friendly and positive
• High expectations from the school, parents, and students have increased accountability among all parties

Keys to Success

• Provide a wide variety of activities for families to participate in, incorporating food, fun, and freebies
• Look beyond the core group of parents who always volunteer to the majority of parents who may need a little coaxing
• Think of ways the school can serve parents and partner with them
• Tap into a variety of outside sources for volunteers and funding
• If parents are not coming to you, take school-sponsored programs out into the community where families live