This study answers questions concerning parent involvement in children's educations as well as examining how they are involved, how they are invited to become involved and what their perceptions of involvement are. The study examines what discourages parental involvement in their child's education. Also examined are the local, federal and state initiatives to gain parental involvement in their child's education.
Parents and Education
Select three educational settings in your community. Contact members of the program staff and interview them to determine the following:
How does their program de-ne parent involvement? Do they have a policy statement or mission statement? What does their choice of parent involvement activities reveal about their philosophy of parent involvement?
Parent involvement is defined as the parent's attendance to meetings, reviewing their child's reports from the school and assisting children with homework. These settings do have a mission statement. Their choice of parent involvement relates their philosophy of providing the best education possible in a community-based educational setting. They involve the community and parents in their decisions about their programs and are open to what the parents and community has to say about the educational setting.
Parents are involved in many activities at this educational institutions witin the community including various activities such as fall festivals and other regularly scheduled activities at the schools.
b. Describe activities and strategies used to involve parents. How do staff members support these efforts?
There are parent-teacher meetings and teachers send out information sheets to parents.
c. What benefits do staff members perceive for children, families, and the program?
The benefits for children and families as well as the program is the interaction of all actors in the child's education.
d. What challenges to participation do parents face that may prevent them from becoming actively involved? What has been (or can be) done to overcome these challenges?
Because the majority of parents are employed and on various shifts this prevents many parents from taking part in the schools' activities. Nothing was noted to have been done in this respect.
2. In a small group, discuss the reasons to support parent involvement for families, programs, and communities. By group consensus, list the three most significant reasons your community should promote family involvement.
Promotion of parent involvement serves to assist children in attaining the best education possible because parents know what is going on in the school and are better able to assist their children in their learning endeavors.
Teachers need parental involvement to understand better how to address learning goals.
Community involvement means that the community has a stake in the outcome of learning.
3. In multiple studies, researchers have discovered differences in parent involvement strategies used by programs and schools. Conduct your own community research, individually or within a team. Interview the parents of children in preschool, kindergarten or primary grades, and middle or upper grades. Ask them:
There are many opportunities for parents to be involved in the child's school programs including different tutoring opportunities, being a homeroom parent, attending plays and other school presentations and other such opportunities.
a. What opportunities are available for parents to be involved in your
child's program/school?
b. How does the teacher invite your support?
The teacher invites the support of parents through sending notes home by the children.
c. What activities have you been involved in?
Parents report being involved in reading sessions, field trips, special projects and other various activities.
d. What factors encouraged your participation?
Notes from teachers inviting parents to the school was stated to be encouraging.
e. What may have discouraged you from participating?
Some parents are discouraged from participating by other parents who are overbearing and pushy. Other stated that their language barrier discouraged them from participating.
Analyze the similarities and differences among the parents you interviewed according to the program or school, ages of the children, and your perception of the parental characteristics
Parents are different depending on the ages of the children and some parents were very protective of their children while others allowed their children a great deal of personal freedom. Other parents were obviously more involved than others in the child's education.
4. Imagine yourself to be a parent, an educator, and an administrator. What rewards and frustrations (or barriers) regarding parent involvement would you expect to encounter? Support your answers.
The rewards and frustrations of parent involvement would appear to be great rewards from interaction with teacher and other parents and understanding the school's programs due to participation in the activities of the school. Administrators and teachers are likely frustrated due to the lack of parent involvement.
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