Parental Involvement and Parental Engagement

One of the themes that was recurrent during the focus groups was that of parental involvement and parental engagement.

Here are a few resources that touch on the qualities of involvement versus engagement, how to increase the role of the parents in their child's education, and the power a parent has in facilitating the academic success of their children.

Ways to Engage in Your Child’s School to Support Student Health and Learning

A fact sheet from the CDC:  http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/adolescenthealth/pdf/parentengagement_parents.pdf

Beyond the Bake Sale: Family-School Partnerships

The link below will take you to a recorded presentation by Anne Henderson, the author of "Beyond the Bake Sale: Family-School Partnerships."  The presentation is long - but maybe good listening for that Atlanta commute.  Learn about the differences between a "fortress school" and a "partnership school".  

Description from the website:

"Countless studies demonstrate that students with parents actively involved in their education at home and school are more likely to earn higher grades and test scores, enroll in higher-level programs, graduate from high school, and go on to post-secondary education. But, what is a family-school partnership supposed to look like? How can schools and families build trust instead of blaming each other? How can involving parents help raise student test scores? How can teachers relate to families who do not share their culture and values?"

http://dev.forum-network.org/lecture/beyond-bake-sale-family-school-partnerships

An essay on "Parent Involvement or Parent Engagement" by Larry Ferlazzo

An excerpt from the essay: 

"Merriam Webster’s Dictionary defines involvement as “to enfold or envelop.” It definesengagement as “to interlock with; to mesh.” Those definitions get to the crux of the difference. When schools involve parents they are leading with their institutional self-interest and desires – school staff are leading with their mouths. When schools engage parents they are leading with the parents’ self-interests (their wants and dreams) in an effort to develop a genuine partnership. In this instance, school staff are leading with their ears."

http://www.learningfirst.org/LarryFerlazzoParentEngagement

The School Council is actively reviewing ways Evansdale can promote parental involvement and engagement and these important topics will be examined at a Council meeting in 2013.