Home Work: Getting Parents to Buy Into Radical Reform
By Stephen Hurley
1/16/08
If you're going to set out to change the way people look at this place we call school, you had better be prepared to spend a great deal of time communicating your vision, the research you've done, and your implementation plans. It's important when you're looking for financial and political support, but it is most important when you're asking for the support of your parent community. This is one of the big lessons I've learned as I've tried to implement a small-scale change initiative in our school district this year.
Indeed, there was a great deal of excitement about the potential of my school's arts@newman initiative from many levels of the system. (See my previous post about this program.) District-level personnel responded enthusiastically to the research that indicated how an arts-based model could improve both the engagement and achievement levels of all students. Administrative support at the school level pointed to the positive impact that our program could have on everyone at Cardinal Newman.
Not surprisingly, however, the stakeholders who responded with the highest level of passion, the most poignant questions, and the greatest appreciation for the information that has been forthcoming over the past several months were the parents. After all, these are the folks who entrust their most valuable gifts to us each day and, in the case of this particular community, have been doing so for forty years. This is a community that is very familiar with the school's culture. Older and younger siblings, as well as relatives and the parents themselves, have called Cardinal Newman home.
So, one of the big questions for me has been how best to respect that sense of familiarity -- that sense of home -- and, at the same time, challenge people to think differently. It's taken a combination of tools and strategies to make our first term of implementation a positive experience, but the key has been powerful, ongoing communication. Here's a list of some of the communication tactics that have brought us to this point:
- We held two parent meetings in spring 2007. The first of these was designed as an informational session for all sixth-grade parents and students at Cardinal Newman. We sent letters of invitation home to all parents and made personal follow-up phone calls three days prior to the event. (I think sixth grade is the year when many students become less reliable about bringing home material from school.) We held the second meeting in late June for parents who had enrolled their child in the arts@newman program for seventh grade, striving to bring greater clarity and precision to their understanding of what was going to happen over the next couple of years.
- In late July, we established an arts@newman Web site. We designed this invitation-only site to be an electronic meeting place for parents, students, and friends of our program. It includes a calendar of events, a general bulletin board where students and parents can communicate, separate parent and student blog spaces where they can discuss issues, assignments, and ideas, and a place for students to post photos and other media pieces they have created as part of our program.
- We invited parents to write a brief description of their child I could use to help plan my program. I asked for insights on learning styles, interests, hobbies, what really engages their child, past difficulties in school, and other information that might be useful for me to know as I prepared to meet their child for the first time.
- We made a personal phone call to every parent during the first week of school. Although many parents were surprised to get a call during the first few days of school, this step established a sense of openness and made communicating throughout the term much more natural.
I could write more about each of these elements in our communication plan, but I will say only that the ongoing sense of connection these strategies have afforded us has been incredible. Parents feel linked to the program, students are reporting a greater sense of buying in, and I, as a teacher, am more confident we are all working on the same page!
A couple of weeks ago, we completed our first round of parent-teacher-student interviews in conjunction with the term-one report cards. In some years (despite our best intentions), this would have been the first opportunity for the teacher and parents to sit down and discuss the program and progress. The ten minutes allotted for these interviews is seldom enough time, and the whole encounter seems more than a little surreal.
This year, however, when I met face-to-face and over the phone with parents, our conversations tended to pick up from where prior discussions had left off. That's how I think it should be. I'm still keeping in touch with all levels of school and district administration, and we're still highlighting our program in the school newsletters, but it is this strong sense of ongoing, day-to-day communication that keeps the heart of our program beating.
So, here's to the value of good parent communication. I would love to hear about the strategies and ideas that have helped you build bridges and create relationships with your parent community!
Parent Involvement
Submitted by Laura Goss (not verified) on January 30, 2008 - 13:22.
I have struggled with parent involvement since I've started teacher 4 years ago. The past two years at my school we have made a personal "good" phone call to each parent during the first month of school. This really helps open communication with parents. By simply calling and letting the parent know how well their child is doing in math, reading, behavior, etc. it sets a great tone with the parents. If problems arrive later on in the year parents are more willing to listen and work with you on the issues. I also have webpage on schoolnotes.com which allows me to post the skills we are working on each week.
Discussion on Parent Communication
Submitted by S. Hurley (not verified) on January 30, 2008 - 19:34.
These "testimonies", as well as the frustrations around parent communication are really important. I just opened my email and found 2 messages from parents who wanted to let me know how much they appreciated the efforts to keep them informed about what was going on. I'm finding that if we can build a sense of connection with our parents, and build a sense of connection between our parents and what is happening in our classroom, then things run so much more smoothly.
I'm wondering whether those of you who have experienced positive communication building within your parent community are noticing improvements in student attitudes and achievement.
I agree that making a
Submitted by Angie B (not verified) on January 30, 2008 - 17:20.
I agree that making a positive contact with the parents at the beginning of the year is a great way to start the communication process with parents. The more positive communication with the parents, the easier it is to approach them when problems arise. In order to gain parental involvement, a friend of mine who teaches first grade gives the parents a grade for the child's homework. When the parents know they are the ones being held responsible, more of them are likely to help their children.
Homework completion
Submitted by Nicole Krestel (not verified) on January 30, 2008 - 10:11.
teach 5th grade math and science, and I agree that homework is very important. Every child always needs practice in math. I have learned to not give a lot of homework because it doesn't get done and then I become frustrated when it is not complete. I feel that sometimes it wastes more time to assign it and go over it with the students that have completed it, because then I feel like I am answering double the questions the next day when the rest have completed it. The district that I teach in is very large, so we have a very diverse group of parents and amount of involvement. Sometimes I find myself giving less so that I don't become frustrated. It is the same group of kids each day that don't have homework done, and when you hear their home story, it is no wonder why it isn't done.
I do not grade homework all of the time, but each day i do check to see if it is done. At the end of the nine weeks, homework is put into a grade. This can either help some of them a little or some it does hurt their grade.
I would like to know how some people get all students to always complete homework.
Parental Involvement Frustration
Submitted by Richard McKee (not verified) on January 30, 2008 - 08:23.
I am excited by this discussion and hope to take some of the suggestions back to my school. For many years now, my elementary school has suffered from poor parental involvement and poor relations with the school. We recently received a new Principal and nearly a whole new teaching staff. One of the district programs that has been put into place is for the school to demonstrate an effort to increase parental involvement. Yet it has been difficult. Many of our parents are very hostile to the teachers and the school. Many seem to feel that when their children are in school it is our problem to educate them and keep discipline. They do not understand that educators can not do it alone, that it has to be a team effort. What are some suggestions anyone may have on increasing parent buy-in and involvement in a school with issues that I have described above?
Home Visits
Submitted by Laura Hildebrand (not verified) on January 30, 2008 - 08:20.
I have always worked in the Lutheran school system. Home visits have been part of the back to school regimen and although it makes for a long couple of days, the value is high. When you enter a student's home, you get to see many things that you wouldn't normally see in the classroom. Family background, interests, and style to mention a few. For the shy child seeing you on their "turf" can bring an openness and comfort level which may help them develop trust.
I really like the level of parent intereaction that Stephen has set up at his school. I think it is important to remember that we need to let parents know the positive things their children are involved in. Too often we wait for things to sour before we call home. The Friday phone calls may be timely, but it sounds as though they are worth it. I have always tried to draw a couple of my student's names each week and truly focus on them and their progress. Adding a positive phone call home would enhance that experience.
Parent Communication in the Classroom
Submitted by Kristin (not verified) on January 29, 2008 - 16:26.
I currently teach fifth grade. My partner and I believe parent communication is vital to the success of our students. Each week, we send home a Friday letter, which is in the form of a newsletter with different headings and topics about all of the things that we are going to be doing in the upcoming week. We also include a calendar with due dates of important projects, and anything else that may be taking place on our team.
We also email all of our parents before a major test. In the email, we include the study guide that was given to the students. After each test is graded and passed back to the students, they have two days to get the test signed by their parents. This ensures that our parents are not shocked when grades go out.
In addition, each Friday, my partner and I have "Positive Phone Call Friday". During our planning period, we call the parents of four children who have done something extremely positive throughout the week. Parents have responded so well to this! It seems that it is refreshing to receive positive news when the teacher calls.
parent involvement
Submitted by DeAnna (not verified) on January 29, 2008 - 07:32.
This was very interesting. I have never made a home visit; however, I have worked in a school where I was required to make 5 phone calls per week to parents. This ensured that I spoke to each family at least once a month. I was overwhelmed by this at first, but I grew to love it! I realized that I didn't have to contact a parent with something negative. I was able to use this time to get to know the background of my students as well as being able to give positive feedback to their parents. My parents grew to love this too! They looked forward to my phone calls and often let me know if it had been to long since the last one. I am thinking that parents would also like a home visit. My thinking is that they would really appreciate the fact that I took time away from my own family to visit their family. Maybe I will have to start making some visits.
This is very interesting
Submitted by Erica (not verified) on January 30, 2008 - 13:20.
This is very interesting that you are required to make 5 phone calls a week. It seems like it must be time consuming, but I think it really is a good idea. This way you are constantly connected with the parents, and that leaves little room for confusion. Parents probaly like this too, because it provides a good time for them to voice any concerns that they may have. It also gives you the opportunity, like you said, to focus on the good things. Parent phone calls have been viewed for so long as a bad thing. Whenever a teacher calls home, they usually have bad news, and the child altimately gets in trouble. I currently am a substitute teacher, but when I have my own classroom I think that I will try to make several phone calls a week to touch base with parents.
Parent Involvement
Submitted by Julie (not verified) on January 27, 2008 - 10:55.
I love the idea of a personal phone call or possibly a home visit to each family either prior to the school year beginning or during the first week. I personally like the idea of a short home visit. I think you gain valuable insight into how a family works and interacts when you see them in their most natural environment. My husband and I have been invited to dinner by several families throughout my career. After getting over the idea of a teacher not possibly going to a student's home, I accepted one time. It was one of the most enjoyable experiences we have had. I have had several families in the last couple of years who have experienced various tragedies. I have brought dinner to their homes or gone over to drop off homework, etc. With each token of kindness, I have only seen gratefulness and appreciation. So I am very much for the idea of teachers beginning the parent, student, and teacher relationship with a visit to our student's homes. I do not think it has to be a taboo thing for a teacher to visit a student's home.
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