Parent+and+Community+Involvement

=Welcome to the Parent and Community Involvement Information Page!=

Mary Haden Harris, Cassi Moody, Katie Bourke, Jenn Toussaint**,** Laura Beth Cantrell, Sandra Leonard, Tasha Skands
= This wiki is designed to encourage and create partnerships between schools, parents, businesses, government, and members of the local community. =

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**__ Teacher Initiative: Bridging the Gap __**

"Educators should realize that parents, regardless of income, education, or cultural background, love their children and want them to do well in school." -Henderson and Mapp, 2002
**"If families teach the love of learning, it can make all the difference in the world to their children."** **– Richard W. Riley, F****ormer U. S. Secretary of Education** **"It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men."** **– Frederick Douglas,** **Advisor to President Abraham Lincoln** **"Life affords no greater responsibility, no greater privilege, than the raising of the next generation."** **– C. Everett Koop,** **U. S. Surgeon General, 1981-1989**
 * Part of being a teacher involves guiding parents to be involved in their child's education, regardless of education level, social class or time constraints.
 * Teachers must be non-biased when dealing with diverse families.
 * Stress to the parents that they are partners in their child's education.

__Parent Involvement__ media type="custom" key="9535256" align="left"

== "Parents should realize that when they are involved in their child's education, it reinforces the view in the child's mind that school and home are connected and that school is an integral part of the whole family's life." -Michigan Department of Education, 2002 ==

** When parents get involved in education, their children do better in school and grow up to be more successful in life﻿ **

__**Ways To Involve Parents in the Classroom** __
 * Provide families with printed suggestions for simple things they can do at home to help students achieve at higher levels. Ask parents to set aside a specific time each day for doing homework. Ask parents to read to or listen to students at least 30 minutes a day. Library books, hobby books, newspapers, catalogs can be used as the source of this activity.
 * Create student homework notebooks; homework assignments are written in the notebook, teachers and family communicate about how the student is doing; this provides a means of notifying parents that students are making progress, that problems are beginning to arise, and remind parents of upcoming meetings, conferences, etc.
 * Suggest that families hold study groups for their high school or middle school child and other students to work on special projects or especially difficult homework assignments.
 * Develop a written contract with parents that include those things of particular importance to student’s academic improvement: getting enough rest, eating properly, doing homework on a routine basis, limiting TV watching, etc.
 * Suggest parents limit TV reviewing to a set amount of time. Provide suggested list of TV programs to view and discuss.
 * Suggest questions for parents to ask students about homework assignments to stimulate conversations about learning.
 * Provide homework assignments that families can help with — watching a news program on television, discussing a particular question with family, interviewing a neighbor, creating an object or drawing a picture, etc.
 * Provide guidelines for how to helps students with their homework — how to provide help, what to do when students don’t understand the assignment or cannot do it, etc.
 * Establish a homework “hotline” for parents to use to check homework assignments.
 * Ask parents to sign homework.
 * Develop parent/student journals, asking parents and students to answer the same question. Examples: What was your most surprising experience? Who do you most admire and why? What do you like to do best of all?
 * Conduct workshops for parents: how to help with homework, how to study for a test, how to motivate students, how to structure positive behavior, how to help students prepare for college or careers.
 * Hold family reading nights and invite families to come to make books and bookshelves out of cardboard boxes while they listen to storytelling or have stories read aloud. Invite students to come in their pajamas.
 * Develop and facilitate Parent Technology Coffee Mornings monthly or bi-monthly so that parents can ask questions and discuss concerns about what their students are learning about technology.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 13px;">Develop hands-on tool-specific training sessions in the afternoon for such topics as: creating a Facebook account, navigating the school blogging portal, setting up RSS feeds for teacher and student blogs, understanding online safety strategies, and better search techniques.
 * To support the work you can do with parents, develop a Community Learning blog, where monthly recaps of your sessions will be posted, along with tips and strategies for parents. This blog is not just for the tech sessions, but the administrators and other curriculum leaders across the school can also post helpful information for parents. The school community can collaborate together to make an effective and resource-rich tool for your parent community.
 * Teachers may find success with individual school performances. This can be any creative idea the teacher can think up including class plays, recitals, or speeches. Many parents who are unwilling to set foot in the school will be willing to come to school to watch their child give a special performance.
 * Arrange projects that involve parents such as multicultural topics; for example, parents from differnet countries could prepare a short presentation about where they are from, customs, clothing, and even bring in a favorite dish to eat.
 * Is the end of a term? Is it the end of the school year? Is it the last day before going off track? Invite parents in to your classroom to help put everything away and then invite them back to decorate for the return.
 * Send out invitations to all school events--concerts, plays, even assemblies.
 * Do a student recognition day. It does not have to be very long. Maybe one hour. Get parents to come to your class and have a mini-assembly just for your students. Each student gets some award and certificate. Simple things like being helpful, on time, courteous, etc. They do not need to be academic related.

__Ways Parent Volunteers Can Help:__

 * act as a classroom helper
 * mentor or tutor students
 * help children with special needs
 * volunteer in a school computer lab
 * help organize, cater, or work at fundraising activities such as bake sales or car washes
 * act as a lunchroom or playground monitor
 * help to plan and chaperone field trips, track meets, and other events that take place away from the school
 * help to plan and chaperone in-school events (dances, proms, or graduation ceremonies)
 * organize or assist with a specific club or interest group (if you have an interest in an activity that isn't currently available to students, offer to help get a group started — for example, a chess club or cycling team)
 * assist coaches and gym teachers with sports and fitness programs or work in the school concession stand at sporting events
 * help the school administrators prepare grant proposals, letter-writing campaigns, or press releases or provide other administrative assistance
 * attend school board meetings
 * work as a library assistant or offer to help with story time or reading assistance in the school library
 * sew costumes or build sets for theatrical and musical productions
 * work with the school band or orchestra or coach music students individually
 * help out with visual arts, crafts, and design courses and projects
 * hold a workshop for students in trade or technical programs
 * spend some time with a specific club or interest group (ask the the teacher who sponsors the group)
 * volunteer to speak in the classroom or at a career day, if you have a field of expertise that you'd like to share
 * supervise or judge experiments at a science fair

**<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 250%;">__Community Involvement__ ** **“It’s about children. As is obvious,home, school and community are inseparable.Positive community involvement can restore and build the public’s confidence in our schools. It takes a whole community to educate our children. ” ****– Sollie Norwood,** **Finalist, 2004 Parent of the Year**
 * “Businesses play an important role in our schools. Businesses that are involved in their schools show the students, faculty and the community that they are committed to education and to the future leaders of America. ” ****– Sheila McQuirter,** **Finalist, 2004 Parent of the Year**

** 20 Ways to Get your Community Involved in your School **

2. Develop business partners who will plan collaboratively to focus their energies and resources on strategies that will raise student achievement, exe. Pizza Hut and Accelerated Reader rewards. 3.Establish a School-to-Work program and invite businesses to participate through mentoring programs, service learning, etc. 4.Ask business partners to use their worksite for display and distribution of information about schools and parent involvement. Such items of information can include questions to ask about your school or questions to ask at school conferences. 5.Ask business partners to allow use of empty store front windows for displays about school projects and successes. 6.Ask business partners to work with you to develop curriculum units around work areas. These instructional units should demonstrate how the basic skills are needed in every field of work. 7.Ask businesses to make available space for having school conferences, training sessions for teachers, brown bag lunch sessions on changes in schools for parents and other citizens, and parent support workshops. 8.Work on a plan for taking elements of “school” to the worksite for sharing with employees, rather than always expecting the community to come to the school. 9.Ask local newspapers to run public service ads for the purpose of letting the community know how their tax dollars are being spent. 10.Involved students in community service projects, under the guidance of parents, community leaders, or others that will benefit the school and involve all members of the community. For example, art and journalism students could develop local PR for local fund drives, such as United Way, Habitat for Humanity, and all students could work on clean up projects, visiting nursing homes, etc. 11.Develop a speakers’ bureau and include students, parents, business leaders, etc. 12.Ask local civic groups, churches, banks with changeable signs, social workers, etc. to share your key messages to parents in their newsletters, signs, and advertising. 13.Establish a community homework hour. Ask families, churches, business leaders, and others to support students in setting aside that hour for homework or reading. 14.Establish a community mentoring program for middle school or high school students; invite community members to come to school once or twice a year and spend 20 minutes one-on-one with students, asking about career goals, offering advice, listening to their concerns about the future. 15.Develop a PR program to inform the community about innovative and successful school programs or awards. Ask local businesses to assist. 16.Invite the community to school programs (student art shows, holiday programs, plays). Hold such events in other community facilities. 17.Establish a process to send regular letters to the editor sharing the positive things happening at school. These could be written by students, teachers, parents or administrators. 18.Make a video about your school to share with new parents and with the local cable TV. Involve students and parents in creating the video 19.Make a video about how families and community members can get involved with education. Show it to parents, offer it at the worksite, doctors’ offices, etc. 20. Come up with your own creative ideas!!
 * 1. Ask parents to use their business connections and skills to support the school.

=__ Community Involvement: __=

media type="youtube" key="p9AGoEem5jo" width="425" height="350"media type="youtube" key="Onv8dotPkdA" width="425" height="350" = = = = **What Businesses Can Do For The School Community** **Partnerships/Collaborations** •The local Red Cross invites students to sing in retirement homes and collect food and clothing donations •Students are asked to participate in March of Dimes fundraisers •The local YMCA provides tutoring services after school twice a week in consultation with teachers

**Community VolunteerPrograms** •Volunteers monitor the lunchroom for teachers on Teacher Appreciation Day •Community volunteers teach local crafts to young students before Christmas •Volunteers tutor students who have done poorly on standardized tests three afternoons a week

**Community Work Experience** •A student checks daily on an aging person who lives alone •A student answers phones at the community drop-in center two afternoons a week •Students set up companies and sell products through National Achievement

**Community Presentations** •The Rotary Club makes presentations about opportunities for student exchanges •Leaders in the local political parties meet with classes to explain how elections work •A local doctor lectures on medical techniques to biology and chemistry classes

**Community Service Learning** •Students paint stripes on the school parking lot •Students deliver groceries to the homes of the elderly •Key Club members particpate in a food and clothes donation program

**Community Resource Sharing** •Eyeglasses are provided for a student by the Lion’s Club •A local health agency provides prenatal healthcare and vitamins for teenage mothers •The local health agency provides free tuberculosis tests for student interns in the child development class

**Community Advocacy Groups** •A local pastor meets with the student chorus to solicit members for a holiday community concert •Students organize a local terrorism awareness program in conjunction with community police officers •A local mental health agency encourages senior class members to participate in weekly recreational activities with community members who have disabilities and reside in supported living environments.

** Actions for Community Members **

 * Advocate for school health programs by speaking at community forums, writing letters to the editors of local newspapers, and updating organizations to which they belong
 * Meet with school personnel to determine what support can be offered to advance the school's or district's health objectives
 * Serve on a school-community committee for a CSHP or a particular component
 * Infuse community-based school health services into the school’s overall school health plan
 * Provide mentoring and after-school programs to give children safe havens from violence and alternatives to drugs
 * Provide school-to-work programs that lead to college, technical training, or good jobs after high school
 * Provide programs for parents that include academic classes, literacy training, career preparation, early childhood education, children’s health, and assistance in finding helpful services in the community
 * Offer summer learning programs through cultural institutions, parks and recreation, and other public and private agencies; activities might include programs at recreation centers, science and art museums, and libraries
 * Identify appropriate funding sources or raise funds to support the school health program
 * Nurture relationships between schools and community organizations that can provide young people with needed physical and mental health services

**Social Studies**:
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #660000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">5th Grade Social Studies Content: <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #660000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">SS5H1 The student will explain the causes, major events, and consequences of the <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #660000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Civil War. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #660000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">b. Discuss how the issues of states’ rights and slavery increased tensions between the North and South. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #660000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">c. Identify major battles and campaigns: Fort Sumter, Gettysburg, the Atlanta Campaign, Sherman’s <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #660000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">March to the Sea, and Appomattox Court House. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #660000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">d. Describe the roles of Abraham Lincoln, Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, Jefferson Davis, and <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #660000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #660000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">e. Describe the effects of war on the North and South. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #660000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">SS5H2 The student will analyze the effects of Reconstruction on American life. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #660000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">a. Describe the purpose of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #660000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">b. Explain the work of the Freedmen’s Bureau. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #660000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">c. Explain how slavery was replaced by sharecropping and how African-Americans were prevented <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #660000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">from exercising their newly won rights; include a discussion of Jim Crow laws and customs.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #660000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline;">__Field Trip to the Atlanta History Center:__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #660000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">130 West Paces Ferry Road, Atlanta, GA 30305 <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #660000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">PHONE: 404.814.4000 <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #660000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">FAX: 404.814.2041

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #660000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__http://www.atlantahistorycenter.com/cms/United+We+Stand%3A+The+American+Civil+War/17.html__] <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #660000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> (page specific to field trip info)

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #660000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E60qFdmBsZQ__] <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #660000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> (Youtube clip of the exhibit)

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #660000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Turning Point: The American Civil War, located in the 9,200-square-foot DuBose Gallery, is one of the nation’s largest and most complete Civil War exhibitions. With over 1,500 Union and Confederate artifacts, including cannons, uniforms, and flags, visitors experience the Civil War through the eyes of soldiers and civilians. Highlights include the Confederate flag that flew over Atlanta at the time of its surrender, a Union supply wagon used by Sherman’s army, General Patrick Cleburne’s sword, a Medal of Honor won by the United States Colored Troops, the logbooks of the C.S.S. Shenandoah, medical equipment, firearms, and more. In addition, dioramas, videos, and interactive learning stations help bring this chapter of history alive. A final section of the exhibition explores how the Civil War continues its impact on us today.
 * Culture night where parents are invited to come to student presentations about different countries

Science:

 * Field Trip to Fernbank Science Center
 * Host a Science Fair where parents judge the projects
 * Start a recycling program in your class

Math

 * Take a field trip to the local bank to learn about money
 * Create a blog or class wiki where homework assignments are posted

=References= <span style="color: #38761d; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 115%;">Parent Involvement:

<span style="color: #000099; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 115%;">[] <span style="color: #000099; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 115%;">[] <span style="color: #000099; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 115%;">[] <span style="color: #000099; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 115%;">[] <span style="color: #000099; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 115%;">[|http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/learning/school.html#] <span style="color: #000099; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 115%;">[] <span style="color: #000099; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 115%;">[] <span style="color: #000099; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 115%;">[] <span style="color: #000099; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 115%;">[] [] [] <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">__[]__

<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 115%;">Community Involvement: <span style="color: #000099; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 115%;">[] <span style="color: #000099; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 115%;">[] <span style="color: #000099; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 115%;">[] <span style="color: #000099; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 115%;">[] <span style="color: #000099; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 115%;">[] <span style="color: #000099; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 115%;">[|http://www.learningfirst.org/stories?state_tid=41&body=] [] [] [|www.bookitprogram.com]