Spring, 2003, No. 14 National Network of Partnership Schools
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Students Benefit as School Connects with Families
Colvin Elementary School in Wichita, KS is a high poverty, diverse community with families that speak many languages and who are not necessarily comfortable navigating the school system. This NNPS school uses a variety of strategies to make a diverse group of families feel welcomed and needed.
Communicate with Families
Colvin’s staff uses different communication practices to reach its families. The staff walks through the neighborhood and knocks on doors to meet families. They serve coffee every Friday morning on the driveway before school starts so they can greet parents as they bring their children to school. Parent handbooks have been presented in video format in five different languages, and translators are always on site to assist parents.
Utilize a Parent Room
A parent room is open each day for networking, parent education, and adult education. A nursery and meals are provided so that parents can attend parent room activities. Some days, four or five moms use the parent room to complete volunteer work for teachers. Other days, forty to fifty parents might attend a workshop. Three to four hundred parents may visit the parent room to receive learning materials that are distributed as part of parent-teacher conference day.
Support Families
Colvin also reaches out to families by helping them to meet their basic needs. The Family Support Team works with families in crisis by making home visits every Monday. The team focuses first on improving student
attendance, providing resources and referrals for health needs, and improving student behavior through family support. On-site facilities for health care and WIC services are established. Team members work with families to teach them the hidden rules of school success, especially those regarding attendance and behavior.See the Results
Colvin Elementary School’s efforts to reach out to all its families have been productive. Student achievement and attendance have increased dramatically. Fifteen percent of students were reading on or above grade level in 1997; now 75% of students are on or above grade level. Attendance has increased from 90% to 95%. Suspensions have dropped from 113 per year to thirteen. Parent involvement has increased dramatically with parent-teacher conference attendance rates now at 99%. Parents frequently visit the parent room, prepare all classroom instructional materials, and represent the school before the Board of Education and the Assistant Superintendent. Silvia Fleming, Parent Involvement Worker, says, “I could go on and on about how this school makes sure we have student success.”
As your Action Team for Partnerships writes its One-Year Action Plan this spring, you might consider adopting or adapting some of Colvin’s strategies for reaching out to all
families.
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