December 7, 2014

I decided to apply this inventory to the school I have worked in for most of
the past year. Heights Terrace Elementary/Middle School has been the school where
I have completed most of my observations and have chosen for my final action
research project.
Type 1: Parenting
This category does need improvement. I have not seen or heard anything
where parents are educated about child development or workshops are offered for
parents. With the large amount of ELLs, I believe little is done to assist families. The
district has enough trouble just keeping up with the constant enrollment of new
students, as well as students moving in and out of the district.
Type 2: Communicating
This category needs improvement. The sudden influx of ELLs in this school
and in the district over the past 5 years has placed the school in a panic, trying to
accommodate ELLs and making sure they are placed in the correct classes based on
their knowledge of English. With almost 300 ELLs in the building from grades K-8,
parents are kept informed with newsletters and an interpreter/translator. It has
been difficult to get parents to participate because of the fear of being reported as an
illegal immigrant, which has affected parent participation and coming to the school
for conferences and providing helpful information to help their child.
Type 3: Volunteering
With the school having a high level of poverty among students, there are few
parents who volunteer to assist with parties, leading clubs or activities, or come to
plays or concerts. It is a sad scenario but this unfortunately is the price of a lowincome area where this school is located. Most of the students, 80 percent, receive
free lunch. Heights Terrace does have an adopted grandparent program where
retired grandmothers or grandfathers come in and help in grades K-2. I have seen
some of the grandparents over the past year and they have shared their love for so
many of these children who have tough family lives. Just a simple hug makes all the
difference to some of the children.
Type 4: Learning at Home
Involving parents in their childs homework is strength in this district. Each
teacher has a website within the school districts website. Each teachers site lists

classroom procedures, homework assignments, expectations, and an email where

the teacher can be reached if necessary.
Type 5: Decision Making
This school does have an active PTA, which does include parents and
teachers. The district does not involve parents in selecting staff or allow parents to
help in decision-making.
Type 6: Collaborating with the Community
There are some resources out there in the community but I do not see the
school emphasizing their importance and availability to the families. The district has
a partnership with Migrant Education for tutoring and credit recovery. The Hazleton
Integration Project also provides after school support for the ELLS in the entire
district. I know the district allows one of the buildings to be used as a community
event center utilizing the space for concerts and music programs. Two of the school
district buildings are also used by local dance studios for recitals and plays. The
community here is very active and has made an effort to bring back the arts to the
area.