The middle and high school years pose many challenges for family and community involvement. Teenagers and their families cope with transitions to new and larger schools, course selections, and decisions about postsecondary education. These important decisions require that families have useful information to stay connected to their teens and their schools. These challenges can be particularly daunting for families who are new to the country, unfamiliar with U.S. schools, and who do not speak or read English very well. Most schools in NNPS serve diverse families and are working to welcome and engage all families in their children’s education. Some examples of successful involvement activities in middle and high schools are chronicled in Promising Partnership Practices 20061 as reported below.
The Studio School of Arts and Culture (PS 295 and MS 443) in Brooklyn, NY, serves many families who have recently immigrated to the U.S. The school offered weekly conversational English classes to parents to strengthen functional language skills such as talking with teachers and completing job applications. In addition, mini-classes were offered to English-speaking parents to learn Spanish. The ESL activities increased immigrant parents’ participation and led to the Bilingual Library Squad of parent volunteers.
Following discussions with Hispanic families and community leaders, Col. E. Brooke Lee Middle School, Silver Spring, MD, conducted four community forums in Spanish and English to discuss report cards, course selection, peer pressure, bullying and gangs, and other topics on early adolescents that parents selected. The school principal, district pupil personnel worker, translator, and Action Team Members attended the forums, which increased interactions with many parents.
A workshop on Navigating the Course Selection Process at Naperville Central High School helped eighth graders, high school students, and parents understand the regular, elective, and Advanced Placement (AP) courses offered, along with useful information on the stresses of high school. Workshops like this can be conducted in large or small groups, with invitations sent in the languages of the families, and interpreters present to assist families who do not speak English. For example, in 2005, Gaithersburg High School in Maryland conducted Hispanic Parents Education Evenings – monthly meetings to help parents of Hispanic students understand the intricacies of the school system and how to support teens’ success in high school.
A College and Career Guide, prepared by Naperville North High School, gave parents and teens something to talk about. Topics included how to start to search for college, information on college applications, ideas for writing an effective essay, financial aid information, information on entrance exams, ideas for college visits, and a month-by-month checklist. Given to all students, starting with grade 9, the guide will help students and parents plan for the future. In 2005, in the English Language Learners Translation Services project, nearly 20 parents at the school who speak at least 10 different languages, volunteered to translate school materials and information for parents.1
Information for parents, workshop materials, college and career guides, and financial aid forms can be translated into the languages families need to guide their teens. In NNPS, middle and high schools are increasingly aware of the need for responsive actions that open a world of possibilities for partnerships with diverse families.
Marsha D. Greenfeld
mgreenfeld@csos.jhu.edu
1 For complete descriptions of the activities in this articles, see Promising Partnership Practices 2006 and prior years’ collections on the NNPS website, www.partnershipschools.org in the section Success Stories In the Spotlight.