Educational Background: Schools and School Families are Partner in Education

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Educational Background: Schools and School Families are Partner in Education"

Kelly Thomas
8 years ago
Views:

1 Educational Background: Schools and School Families are Partner in Education Schools and School Families are Partner in Education Relationship between schools (teaching staff) and parents is sometimes reserved and confidence is missing due to expectations from both sides and pressure on pupils (from parents and teachers) to perform high. Teachers may feel like they communicate with families frequently and in many ways: through - school newsletters - calls home - parent teacher conferences But most parents feel that they receive communication in the written material that children bring home stuffed into their backpacks and not in an appropriate way they can deal with. That is basically for a respectful teacher family student relationship. The problem is that communication not always comes in ways that support student learning and an effective home-school cooperation. However, schools can establish a meaningful home-school dialogue when they expand communication to include more than routine practise and tailor their communication to individual families with different methods and offering alternatives to traditional parent involvement programmes. Parents and teacher have to cooperate in students education: that implements the voluntary work of parents at school. In many schools in the United States of America this is good custom. E.g. parents help to teach pupils in smaller groups where they have special competencies from their employment (teaching computer languages, support project work etc.), they support excursions, give presentations and so on. Research (Henderson & Mapp, 2002) points out that - Family involvement that is linked to student learning has a greater effect on achievement than more general forms of involvement. - Family involvement that supports student learning at home is linked to improved student achievement. - Families of all cultural backgrounds and education and income levels can have a positive influence on their children s learning. - Family involvement efforts that recognize cultural and class differences, address family needs, and build on families strengths are effective in engaging diverse families. Educational Background: Schools and School Families are Partner in Education Page 1 of 5

2 Parents play an important role in the educational process (Becher, 1984). Research indicates that children whose parents are involved in schools have less behavioural problems, increased achievement, and lower dropout rates. Benefits of Effective Family-School Communication Involving parents into lessons or school activities ensures that the educational field gets broader and more oriented to real life, and lessons are more interesting and diversified. Students profit in their personal development as they have to communicate to other adults than teachers and are able to detect further role models. They get more stimulation, instruction and encouragement. Interaction with adults enhances their linguistic, social and cognitive skills. On the other hand teachers are able to initiate and boost educational processes in the pupils families. Interaction between teachers and families works though suggestions of how to deepen school topics and project themes at home. Educational Background: Schools and School Families are Partner in Education Page 2 of 5

Benefits of Effective Family-School Communication Involving parents into lessons or school activities ensures that the educational field gets broader and more oriented to real life, and lessons are

3 Connection to pupils families and the whole school family (teaching staff, school management, students, students families and parents organisations) in a completely new field (energy efficiency and project work) is one instrument to a better communication towards families creating win-win-situations for the traditional education at school, for a better understanding of the new topic and an enhanced home-school dialogue. Best Practises to Improve Home-School Communication Educational Background: Schools and School Families are Partner in Education Page 3 of 5

creating win-win-situations for the traditional education at school, for a better understanding of the new topic and an enhanced home-school

4 Instruments for School-Home Communication Here are some ideas how to involve parents (students families) into the project. They are not complete and should be discussed in a workshop (see recommendations for the workshop). 1) Newsletter to the families: - add regularly information about the project progress or on special topics e.g. energy labels; - improve the quality and frequency of school newsletters; try mailing home; - publish the names and phone numbers of a few responsible teachers or parents who are willing to talk to other parents about the project and involve them; - setup an idea exchange in the school newsletter. Ask parents to send in ideas. Then, in a later issue of the paper, publish ideas and how they are used; 2) Parent-teacher Conference: - introduce the parents to the project if the class is involved; - report on progress, project work and so on; - ask parents about their competences with regard of the project and try to actively involve them; 3) School party - introduce students presentation on project results e.g. at the summer party or the christmas party - ask parents to give advice e.g. on energy efficient products (if you have specialists in the parents group) - otherwise invite specialist who offer advice on the topic 4) Out of school activities - invite parents to organise excursions - invite parents to bring material, instruments, know how 5) Project days - special day with students presentation on project results - exhibition with regard to the project - advice from external specialists - and a nice event with exchange of experiences and a come together of parents, teachers, management, students - this allows a better contact to parents of students in higher grades Educational Background: Schools and School Families are Partner in Education Page 4 of 5

5 6) Presentations - invite specialists (stakeholders, companies etc.) to present on special topics with regard to the project (saving energy costs, how to interpret energy labels and so on) - invite parents and the public to come to the presentations - discussion at the end of the presentation 7) Open Days - see project days 8) Working groups on the project topics ( conference for the future ) - introduce working groups with teachers, parents, students to work on special topics - take care that they meet regularly - inform the school family about results, needs for support etc. 9) Website - inform about the project on the school s website - inform about progress and results 10) Surveys - send surveys with regard to the project to parents to get information about the current state in the families households - enhance willingness to participate and return the survey (e.g. with an incentive, a price they could win ) 11) Try to use social media (twitter, facebook, youtube) - ask students for their ideas how to get the information on the project across with social media - involve parents where possible Birgit Baindl, ZIEL 21 Bibliography: Allen, JoBeth (2009). Effective Home-School Communication. Harvard Family Research Project. Bulloch, K. (2003). Home-School Communications. Henderson, A., & Mapp. K. (2002). A new wave of evidence: The impact of school, family, and community connections on student achievement. Austin: Southwest Educational Development Laboratory. Hoover-Dempsey, K.V. & Walker, J. (2002). Family-School Communication. Research Committee of the Metropolitan Nashville/Davidson County. Textor, M.R. (2010). Eltern und Schule als Partner. Educational Background: Schools and School Families are Partner in Education Page 5 of 5

the end of the presentation 7) Open Days - see project days 8) Working groups on the project topics ( conference for the future ) - introduce working groups with teachers, parents, students to work

Position Statement SCHOOL FAMILY PARTNERING TO ENHANCE LEARNING: ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Position Statement SCHOOL FAMILY PARTNERING TO ENHANCE LEARNING: ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) is committed to enhancing the academic,