NNPS stresses the importance of addressing key challenges to enable more families to stay involved in their children’s education. As shown in our recently-released school and district summaries of 2008 UPDATE data, the vast majority of NNPS members are working to meet many challenges to school, family, and community partnerships. The data indicated, however, that too few schools and districts are working on one common and critical challenge – providing information to all families who want it and need it, not just to the few who attend workshops or meeting at the school building. More schools and districts need to address this challenge in the 09-10 school year. New definitions, innovative communications, and up-to-date technologies will help.
Open Lines of Communication on Workshops
NNPS “redefined” the term “workshop” or “meeting” to spur districts and schools to take action to meet this challenge. We note that a “workshop” or “meeting” is not only the gathering of people in a specific location, but also the informational content that is shared at these events.1 Rather than focus only on increasing attendance at school meetings and workshops, Action Teams for Partnerships (ATPs) also should design ways to help more families gain access to the information that is presented.
One solution is for the ATP to open lines of communication. First, it is important to continue using traditional tools that parents are used to reading. For example, workshop handouts may be placed in communication folders (e.g., Wednesday folders, Friday folders) that go home with students and workshops can be summarized in school newsletters. There also are new ways to get the information out. One NNPS school summarized the information and conclusions from a workshop on the schools’ phone answering machine. Anyone calling the school could hear the main points of the workshops at any hour of the day or night. Other schools use electronic methods for communicating with families. Posting details from workshops on the school website makes the information available to many families for a long time at relatively low cost. Consider which high-tech and low-tech tools will help your school(s) get more information out to families who cannot attend workshops.
Share Information from Family Nights
Family math and literacy nights are common events that help parents engage in productive math and reading activities with their children in school and, then, at home. Many schools gauge the success of these workshops by the number of parents attending. Even when attendance is high, many other families cannot attend and do not get important information. In the book Family Reading Nights,2 NNPS authors suggest that the content of a reading workshop can engage all families if teachers incorporate some ideas into homework for students assigned on the days before or after an event. A reading night on biographies, for example, engages all families if students have an assignment to interview a family member or community partner and write a short biography of the person interviewed.
Share Information about School Meetings
It also is important to share with families the topics, discussions, and information from meetings of the School Council or School Improvement Team. In the NNPS framework, Type 5 – Decision Making activities have implications for the entire school community, not only for a few parent leaders who attend meetings. ATPs need to share meeting agendas, call for ideas and input, and summarize perspectives discussed and decisions that result from these meetings. Here again, schools can use traditional paper as well as on-line methods of communication to enable all families to communicate their opinions and ideas before the meetings and to provide all families with information and explanations about decisions that are made.
Take This Challenge
Workshops, family nights, and school meetings are three common activities that bring parents to the school building. Now, it is time to take the challenge to get important information from these events to those who cannot come. How will your school(s) do this in the 09-10 school year?
1) Epstein, et al. (2009). School, family, and community partnerships: Your handbook for action, third edition. Corwin Press. See p. 153 and CD (or prior editions on the topic of challenges).
2) See Hutchins, Greenfeld, & Epstein. (2008). Family Reading Night. Eye on Education. See the sections called Classroom and Home Connection.