Parents' Corner

Having parents as your partners is beneficial to both the school personnel and the parents and families. Involving parents on your leadership team gives them an understanding and awareness of the issue and gives them an opportunity to become "spokespersons" for the program and the school. Parents who are actively and productively involved in the creation of the program will feel ownership of the program and the school. It will also help parents understand the climate of the school, the teacher's job challenges, and know how to support the school so their child is successful. Parents have the unique ability to create knowledgeable interactions with other families in community activities.

For the teachers, parent involvement helps them understand the families' backgrounds, cultures, concerns, goals, needs and views of their children. It will provide an awareness of parent perspectives as a factor in policy development and decisions.

Thanks to the Parent Information Resource Center (PIRC) for permission to access their material in designing this training. For more information about parent involvement, visit their web site at Iowa Parents . This material was developed with input and direction from the Alliance Family Team.

Process for Teams

1. Step One - Defining Family Involvement

Activity: What do you think?

2. Step Two - Looking at the Research

3. A look at schools who have successfully connected with families and communities

4. Summary at this point:

• Identify 1-2 beliefs to guide your family involvement activities
• Continue to examine and revisit your team's beliefs about family involvement
• Remember the keys to effective involvement: welcome families and communities, honor families and communities, connect with families and communities
• Use the Family Involvement Implementation Checklist to assess your progress

5. Tips and strategies for involving families

6 . Positive behavior support (PBS) can serve as a focal point for encouraging involvement at all grade levels. Following are a few ideas that can be used to involve families at each of the grade levels in PBS.

1. Develop a survey* for families about behavioral needs or behavioral expectations in the school.
2. Develop a survey for families to determine what they know or want/need to know about PBS.
3. Develop information for families about PBS at your school.
4. Help plan and implement school wide celebrations.
5. Evaluate your school to determine if it is family friendly.
6. Write a piece for your school newsletter about PBS.
7. Help plan a PBS family night at your school.
8. Contact community businesses to share information about PBS in the schools.
9. Talk with teachers and staff about what they think parents need to know about PBS and ways families can support PBS in their school.
10. Create a home PBS contract with families.
11. Send regular notes home about PBS developed by parents for parents.
12. Send home thank you notes for supporting PBS in schools. (These can be sent to parents and/or staff and teachers.)
13. Hold a PBS day at your school that is planned and coordinated by parents.
14. Recruit parents to develop displays around the school related to PBS. (e.g. PBS student of the week, month etc).
15. Set up a PBS table during parent-teacher conferences.
16. Create PBS parent resources. (These could include things such as behavior management “Tip of the Month” or “Five Ways a Day” to reinforce good behavior in the home).
    Click here to down as a handout.
    
    *For sample survey, click here