Child Parent Teacher

Synergy

Have you heard about the

benefits of collaboration in
education?

Collaboration in
Education

Have things really

changed????

Parental Involvement
Research shows an increasing trend of absent
parents in the childs education
Parents are their childs biggest advocate and must
have an active role their childs development
The more knowledge the parent has the better
empowered they will be
As an educator, we can assist this process

Increasing parent
involvement
When the child feels there is connection between
home and school life, they view them as not 2
separate institutions but as an important whole.
Higher grades, test scores, and graduation rates
-Better school attendance
-Increased motivation, better self-esteem
-Lower rates of suspension
-Decreased use of drugs and alcohol
-Fewer instances of violent behavior

Increasing parental
involvement
Allowing parents to
visit the classroom to
see what their child is
learning and doing
Communication is key
and the ability for
parents to stay in
touch my nontraditional means is
almost a requirement

Keeping parents in the

loop with newsletters,
web conference and
teacher websites
throughout the school
year

Lack of parental involvement

There are assorted reasons for lack
of parental involvement
Parents report not feeling welcomed
by the school
Parents have reported frustrations
over feeling disinterest from
teachers, talked down to as
teachers use jargon and diversity
issues
A reciprocal partnership needs to be
created for student success

Parents involvement and student

achievement
When schools work together with families to
support learning, children tend to succeed not
just in school, but throughout life. In fact, the
most accurate predictor of a students
achievement in schools is not income or social
status, but the extent to which that students
family is able to:
Create a home environment that encourages
learning;
Express high (but not unrealistic) expectations
for their childrens achievement and future
careers;
Become involved in their childrens education
at school and in the community.

Parents are enabled to play four key roles in their

childrens learning:
1. Teachers.
2.Supporters.
3.Advocates.
4.Decision-makers.

THE IMPACT OF PARENTAL

INVOLVEMENT ON CHILDRENS
EDUCATION

Parental involvement in
education builds a support
network for their children, but
a child with special needs in
particular benefits from parent
advocacy at school. You have
the power to push for the
appropriate services and
environment to allow your child
to thrive. Knowing how to get
involved in the special
education process gives you a
sense of purpose in supporting
your child's future.

DECISION MAKING
Parents must make a project for
the
improvement
of
school
classrooms with the agreement of
the directors of the institution
Parents who decide to make the
anniversary
of
the
school,
teachers day, childrens day and
Christmas and so on
The
parents
must
a
good
relationship with the teachers
and students , for this the
students are more motivated,
always the parents to participate
in the meetings that the teacher
takes according schools needs

DECISION MAKING
1. Monitor out-of-school activities.
2. Model the value of learning, self-discipline,
and hard work.
3. Express high but realistic expectations for
achievement
4. Encourage children's development/ progress
in school.
5. Encourage reading, writing, and discussions
among family members.

Teacher Strategies
o
Recognize and honor diversity of families,
cultures, race and socioeconomic status.
o
Ability for contact between teachers, parents
and students to communicate via communication
book, email, telephone, newsletters, web conference
and teacher website throughout the school year.
o
School resources available for parental
continued learning in order to best assist their
children with schooling.
o
Invitations for parents to come to school for
presentations of what their children have been
learning,
o
School activities that parent and
child can participate in together.

Tools for parent communication

One-way communication (used to provide
information to parents):
newsletters
voice message
report cards
notes/worksheets to parents
Two-way communication (when there is a
dialogue between parents and the teacher):
parent/teacher conferences
parent/teacher interviews
phone calls/Skype
e-mail
messaging (SMS, online chats)
website/interactive platform

What are the pros and cons of each method?

What would be the outcome of using each method?

Whats Next?
Further education on
how to best
communicate with
parents of children
with special needs
Learn more about
cultural and ethnic
differences of families

Put the plan to work

and utilize all aspects
of this plan
Bridge the gap
between educators and
parents

Paper Reflection
It is our role as teachers to get parents to feel
unconditionally welcomed and provide them with
the tools they need in order to make thoughtful
decisions and contributions to their childs
education
Everyone benefits when solving problems together;
I found this project to be useful in furthering my
understanding and education regarding parent
involvement within the school environment

Video

Parent-Teacher
Relationships

Parent-Teacher
Relationships

One of the most important factors in childrens learning: the

relationship between parents and teachers. Having an
effective relationship between these two groups of people can
help learners achieve more. A few tips to build positive
relationships with our pupils parents include:

Smile when you meet and greet parents

Be familiar with each of their names

Parent-Teacher Relationships
o Declare to them your intensions as the class teacher that their
child/children are enrolled in
o Give positive feedback to them about their child/children
o Ask questions about their child/children
o Be a good listener to the parents
o Invite parents to make daily or weekly visits to the classroom

Parent-Teacher Relationships

o Give special thanks to parents who are involved in their

child/childrens learning
o Show appreciation to them
o Invite parents to celebrate their child/childrens success
in the class
A positive parent-teacher relationship helps
your child feel good about school and be
successful in school. It demonstrates to your
child that he can trust his teacher, because
you do. This positive relationship makes a
child feel like the important people in his
life are working together.

The Importance of Basic

Communication Skills in
a Parent/Teacher
Conference

Changing the Way We Do Business in the Village through Parent/Family Empowerment | Raising Achievement & Closing Gaps
PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF NORTH CAROLINA State Board of Education | Department of Public Instruction

PT 7

Is a face-to-face meeting
between one teacher and one
or both parents (or guardians)
of a student. It is an
opportunity to discuss a
students academic progress
and social behavior

Lets seewhy is parent-teacher

relationship important?
It allows a student reach maximum potential inside as well as outside the
classroom class room.
Being guided by the teacher, parents can support the students learning at
home.
Regular communication allows to address issues before they escalate.
Parents can support the teacher by sharing the childs strengths and
weaknesses.
Allows parents to feel involved in their childs learning and welcome at
school.
Parents involvement can boost a childs motivation.

Purposes of P/T Conferences

Meet and greet

Learn school policies
Discuss strengths and weaknesses
Discuss social skills
Exchange of helpful information
Home/school learning connection
Expectations
Share family information

Conversations between families and schools

should not take place above childrens

heads, behind their backs, or in a language
they dont understand. The family school
relationship should be a triangular one,
including the experiences and perspectives
of parents, teachers, and children. When
adult figures begin to focus on their reason
for coming together in the first place, and
begin to act in the best interests of the child,
some of their defensiveness will fade away,
and the territorial lines will erode.

Ways To Promote Parent

Involvement

A parent-teacher conference is a great

opportunity to:
share academic progress and growth
based on classroom observations, testing
data, assessments, portfolios, and
assignments
learn from parents or guardians so you
can be better informed about students
strengths, needs, behaviors, and learning
styles
discuss enrichment or intervention
strategies to support students learning
discuss issues that may be interfering
with students learning

The following points provide helpful reminders when

preparing and conducting parent-teacher conferences:
1. Make plans for the conference.
conference Set the
goals and objectives of the conference
ahead of time.
2. Begin the conference in a positive manner.
manner
Starting the conference by making a
positive statement about the student sets
the tone for the meeting.
3. Present the students strong points before
describing the areas needing improvement.
improvement
It is helpful to present examples of the
students work when discussing the
students performance.

4. Encourage parents to participate and share

information.
information Although as a teacher you are
in charge of the conference, you must be
willing to listen to parents and share
information rather than talk at them.
5. Plan a course of action cooperatively.
cooperatively The
discussion should lead to what steps can be
taken by the teacher and parent to help the
student.
6. End the conference with a positive
comment.
comment At the end of the conference,
thank the parents for coming and say
something positive about the student.
7. Use good human relation skills during the
conference.
conference

During the conference

Create a welcoming environment.
environment Make your
classroom inviting by displaying students work, and
making space fro the conference with an adult-sized
table and chairs.
Open with positives.
positives When you start the conversation,
remind parents that the goal of this meeting is to
share information about students academic progress
and growth and how their child interacts in the school
environment.
Discuss progress and growth.
growth Inform parents about
their childs ability levels in different content areas,
using demonstrative work examples or testing results.

Avoid teacher-talk.
teacher-talk K-12 education is loaded with jargon
and acronyms, but a parent-teacher conference is not the
place to use them. Be sure to explain any terms,
curriculum titles, or even words on progress reports that
arent commonly used outside the school setting.
Ask questions and listen.
listen Ask parents or guardians for
their input about students strengths, needs, and learning
styles, a well as their hopes and dreams for their children.
Make a plan.
plan Provide suggestions for activities and
strategies to support learning at home.
Be honest and have a thick skin.
skin Its your responsibility to
give parents or guardians an accurate assessment of
students academic progress. Sometimes this means
delivering bad news. Sugar-coating the fact defeats the
purpose of the conference.

After the conference

Follow up.
up A little thank-you can go a long way. Many
parents have to take time off work or hire babysitters
to attend conferences, so consider taking the time to
thank parents in a letter or e-mail.
Communicate regularly.
regularly Let parents know whats
going on wit their child in an ongoing fashion. Keep
families informed about class projects, homework
and other assignments, students accomplishments,
and any problems or concerns that may arise.
Enhance your instruction.
instruction Now that you know a little
more about your students, use that information to
make instructional decisions that will help your
students achieve and grow in the classroom.

Developing Positive
Relationships with
Parents, Students and
other Teachers

Teacher-Student
Relationships

Teacher-Student Relationships
o Show your pleasure and enjoyment of students.
o Interact with students in a responsive and respectful manner.
o Offer students help (e.g., answering questions in timely manner,
offering support that matches students' needs) in achieving
academic and social objectives.
o Help students reflect on their thinking and learning skills.
o Know and demonstrate knowledge about individual students'
backgrounds, interests, emotional strengths and academic levels.

Teacher-Student
Relationships
o Avoid showing irritability or aggravation toward students.
o Acknowledge the importance of peers in schools by encouraging
students to be caring and respectful to one another.
Positive teacher-student relationships draw students into the
process of learning and promote their desire to learn
(assuming that the content material of the class is engaging,
age-appropriate and well matched to the student's skills).

Teacher-Teacher
Relationships

Teacher-Teacher
Relationships
The development of positive andprofessional
relationships with your colleagues does not happen
automatically,and is not always easy; it takes time
and effort.

Teacher-Teacher
Relationships
Listed below are Eleven (11) things to keep in mind when trying tobuild positive
relationshipswith faculty and staff members at school:
oEncourage and show kindness and humility-- Never let an opportunity to show kindness or
encouragement to others to pass.
oBe happy Every day you go to work, you need to make a choice to be happy.
oRefuse to engage in gossip or hearsay-- Don't allow gossip to rule your life.
oLet the water roll off your backDont let negative things said about you get under your
skin.
oCollaborate with your peers Collaboration is vitally essential among teachers.
oWatch what you say to people-- How you say something counts for just as much as what you
say.

Teacher-Teacher
Relationships
o If you make a promise, you better be prepared to keep it-- If you intend to
make promises, you had better be prepared to keep them, no matter what
the cost.
o Learn about others outside interests-- Find a common interest that you
have with others (e.g. grandchildren, sports, movies, etc.) and spark a
conversation.
o Be open-minded-- Do not get into arguments.
o Understand that some peoples feelings are hurt easier than others-
Humor can bring people together, but it can also tear people apart.
o Dont worry about accolades-- Do your best.

What is collaboration in
education?
Participants in education are students, parents,
teachers and principals.
Collaboration is the reciprocal partnerships between the
participants who share mutual goals that benefits all
students, the school and with each other.
Teachers collaborate with colleagues, students and their
parents to plan and sustain a safe environment where
students work together innovatively and effectively.

Collaboration among stakeholders in

education, promotes student
achievement

Childrens portfolios,
work samples & photos

Internet websites:
- TDSB
Video/audiotapes of
- http://www.literacycenter.net/ classroom discussions,
Singing and storytelling

Classroom
Articles, books,
newsletters & magazines

Class-made books

Technological
Resources

Print Media

E-mail, fax, voice-mail

School newsletters

Home-School
Communication
Forum for discussion
of education issues

Curriculum Night

Math/Reading nights
Volunteer tea

Provincial
and
district
updates

School
Council
Committee

Provide input into

school-based
decisions

School

Parent information
bulletin board

Field trip volunteer

Movie nights

School-wide
District/School
celebration
sponsored
of theme work
School
parent workshops
Council
Committee
Questionnaires

Classroom

Conferences
Parent-teacher:
at school,
through
telephone calls

Classroom helper
In-session open house

Informal conversations

Evening celebrations of
childs learning (e.g.,
concerts, plays)

Parent-teacher-child:
at school, through
interactive homeschool
Reading programs and
back-and-forth books

Parent-child:
student-led at
school, student-led
at home with
portfolio or
questionnaire

Adapted from The Primary Program ,

p. 179

Copyright 2008

Barriers to Parental Involvement

The most recent research on effective
parental involvement shows that
numerous barriers to involvement exist
for both schools and families. Some
barriers are created by limited resources,
while others originate from the beliefs,
perceptions and attitudes of families and
school staff.

The most common barriers to family

involvement include:
Lack of teacher time.
Educators misperceptions of parents'
abilities.
Lack of understanding of parents'
communication styles.
Family mobility, limited family resources,
such as transportation and child care.
Parents' lack of comfort and vested
interest in the school along with tension
in relationships between parents and
teachers.
Difficulties of involvement in the upper
grades.

Additionally, family involvement

programs are
often not fully implemented because:

School staff had not been trained to work with

families.
Administrators and teachers worried that increased
family involvement would add to their already busy
schedules.
Educators were concerned that closer relationships
with families would mean giving up power and
decision-making.
Families were not sure how far they could go in
making suggestions or asking questions; they
worried that children would be punished for their
parents' actions by a teacher or principal who was
annoyed or threatened by the parent.

The Four Myths of

Parental
Involvement
Not all parent
involvement activities are
created equal!

The National Center for Family and

Community Connections with Schools at
the Southwest Educational Development
Laboratory (SEDL) has combed through
research to learn how parents can help
improve their children's achievement.
Based on this research, SEDL responds to
four misconceptions of parent involvement
in schools.

Myth #1: As a parent, the

best way to get involved in
my child's education is by
joining the local parents'
organization.

Myth #2: The teacher is the sole

expert in educating a child,
so a parent should never question a
teacher or staff on
school-related issues.

Myth #3: The influence of

parent involvement on
school achievement depends
on the parents' income, level
of education, and
employment status.

Myth #4: The key

actors in parent
involvement are
the teacher, parents
or family, and the
student.

Six Types of Parental Involvement, Epstein, et. al. 2002.

VOLUNTEERING

GOAL: Recruit and

organize parent help
and support

Slice
1

VOLUNTEERIN
G

PARENTING
GOAL: Help all
families establish
home environments
to support children
as students.

Slice
2
PARENTING

COMMUNICATIN
G
GOAL: Design more effective forms of
school-to-home and home-to-school
communications with all families each year
about school programs and their children's
progress.

Slice
3

COMMUNICATIN
G

LEARNING AT HOME
GOAL: Provide
information and ideas to
families about how to help
students at home with
homework and other
curricular-related
activities, decisions, and
planning.

Slice 4
LEARNING AT
HOME

DECISION MAKING
GOAL: Include
parents in school
decisions,
developing parent
leaders and
representatives.

Slice 5
DECISION MAKING

COLLABORATING
WITH COMMUNITY
GOAL: Identify and integrate
resources and services from
the community to strengthen
school programs, family
practices, and student
learning.

Slice 6
COLLABORATING
WITH COMMUNITY

Increasing
Student Achievement
by
Increasing
Parent Involvement

What happens when

parents are involved?

Children get higher grades and test scores.

Children have better attitudes and behavior.
Children complete more homework.
Children are more likely to complete high
school and enroll in post high school
education.

66

Parent Involvement
The more involved parents are in their
childs education, the more likely the
child is to succeed in school.
Research shows that parent support is
more important to school success than a
students IQ, economic status, or school
setting.

67

When are children learning?

Are they learning in the morning? In the
afternoon? In the car? At home? When theyre
alone? With friends? At school? Playing games?
When is it that they learn?
How would you answer this question?
What do you believe researchers will say about
this question?

68

Children are Learning

Research shows
that children
are learning all
the time and
everywhere. They
even learn things
we dont intend
for them to learn!
69

Did you know?

More than 85 %
of a childs waking, learning hours are
spent out of school, primarily at home?

70

Lets Do the Math

Assume children sleep 8 hours/day.
24 hours/day 8 hours sleeping = 16 waking hours/day

365 days/year x 18 years = 6,570 days

6,570 days x 16 waking hours/day =105,120 waking hours/day by age 18.

Assume children are in school an average of 6.5 hours/day.

180 school days per year x 6.5 hours/school day = 1,170 hours/school year.

1,170 hours/ school year x 13 years (1 year in kindergarten plus 12 years

through high school) = 15,210 school hours.

15,210 school hours/105,120 waking hours = .1446 or 14.46% of waking hours

by age 18 spent in school.

That means 85.54% of a childs time is spent

elsewhere mainly at home.

Working Together
If we want the very
best, most productive
education for
children today, we
need to combine
what parents do best
and what schools do
best.

What do schools do best?

Provide formal education like the Three Rs:
Reading, Writing, Arithmetic
Teachers are best at teaching:
Science
Languages
Mathematics
Fine Arts
History
Sports

What do parents do best?

Parents, better than anyone else, teach their children
the essentials for success in life:
Self-worth
Self-respect
Self-discipline
Work ethic
Manners
Motivation
Character Traits
Love

Providing learning resources at home

Parents dont need a lot

of expensive equipment,
but children need a
quiet place to study.
Children also need few
basic reference books
a dictionary, an atlas,
and an almanac will
make study time easier
and more productive.

Help parents help their children develop

routines

Have regular homework or reading time.

Have a regular bedtime that allows for
plenty of rest.
Give children age-appropriate chores.
Give children a nutritious breakfast every
morning.

76

Parents can turn daily activities

into learning activities
Cook. Children can read the recipe and measure ingredients.
Do laundry. Children can sort laundry by color, read washing
instructions, measure laundry soap, and time wash cycles.
Go grocery shopping. Children can write the shopping list,
compare prices, and identify and classify food items.
Organize the house. Children can sort and arrange items in the
junk drawer.
77

Greet guest by name and

reinforce the values and attitudes
of the School

78

We Need Excellent Schools!

Schools cant do it all.
Parents cant do it all.

But when parents and schools work

together great things happen.
79

The End