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Parents around Southern California hit the malls and superstores shopping for back-to-school clothes, books, paper, pencils and notebooks for their children. But their preparation doesn’t stop when the bell rings on the first day of school; parents also have to get back into the school involvement game after a summer of fun. In the eyes of most educators, students’ parents are headed back to school too. They point to multiple studies showing that the more parents participate in their children’s learning, the better their children will do in school. “Vital,” is how Bonnie Swann, executive director of elementary education for Newport-Mesa Unified School District, describes the importance of parental involvement. “Research tells us a partnership between parents and the school…is the single most important success factor for students.” When asked what they think parents should do to help their children succeed, educators most commonly mention the importance of reading to children daily and making sure homework is completed on time. Foremost, though, teachers want parents to become partners in the educational process. Being a supportive anchor “As a parent, you are solely responsible for the outcome of your child’s life,” says Dana Worden, a middle school counselor in Placentia. “This is an awesome responsibility, but one that you have been blessed with. As much as a school is responsible to ‘educate’ your child, there are many things that you can do to support your child in the educational process.” Parents can support their children’s education by attending school functions and parent-teacher conferences. They can help them improve their schoolwork by providing encouragement and fostering an atmosphere of learning in the home. The little things absolutely help – the key is staying involved. “Research shows even the simplest things can make a difference,” Swann says. “Such as mom and dad asking their child each day, ‘How was school today?’ and ‘What did you learn?’ and holding them to (an answer). Parents need to learn about what they learned in school and check the homework to make sure it’s done.” Setting up an environment for learning is critical. “Parents (can) do the real basics, which is to always make homework and school a priority, allocating the proper amount of time for homework, having a well-lit space to do homework and to make sure they know what homework has been provided and when the tests are,” says Greg Cygan, president of Heritage Oak Private School in Yorba Linda. Get to know your child’s teacher Communication is key, and it needs to happen both ways. Teachers not only encourage parents to speak to their children regularly and often about school and homework, but to check in with their child’s teacher to discuss questions or concerns. That can mean stopping by the classroom before or after school, placing a phone call or setting up a more formal in-person meeting. “I think they need to be involved and need to be informed and need to communicate,” says Sandy Cosgrove, director of education for Fairmont Private Schools. “Any teacher that wouldn’t welcome that on the proper level would need to be talked to because I think it’s more helpful than a hindrance. They have every right to ask a question, every right to voice a concern.” While every teacher has encountered a demanding parent who often calls the school and even contacts them at home when it’s not an emergency, most educators believe there’s no such thing as too much communication. “I can tell you that every (parent-teacher) conference I’ve had, I’ve loved it,” says Sharon Logan, Title I specialist at Katella High School in Anaheim. “You get this feeling that the parents don’t want to be involved, but once they’re here they’re so grateful for the time.” Lines of communication Internet technology makes it easier for teachers and schools to stay in touch with parents beyond parent-teacher conferences. Many schools have websites that enable teachers to post homework, class syllabi, calendars and announcements online. For instance, Katella High School in Anaheim is gearing up to use a service that enables teachers to send a message, tailored to a specific achievement or behavior, to every parent in any language. But even good old-fashioned notes to and from school do the job. Maureen Smith appreciates the weekly messages she receives from her daughter’s teacher at John F. Kennedy Elementary School in Riverside. “My third-grader gets notes on her behavior every week and that feedback is good,” says Smith. Many schools have gone a step further and started focusing on self-service tools and programs to empower parents to stay on top of their child’s classroom work practically real-time. Heritage Oak Private School allows parents to log onto its system and check out the homework and test schedule in advance. They can also check up on their child’s grades anytime to make sure there aren’t surprises on the report card. “We’d rather be accused of overcommunicating than undercommunicating,” says Cygan of Heritage Oak. Despite technology, there still are basic challenges to communicating with parents that schools are working on overcoming. “The administration wants you to communicate with parents as much as possible and a successful teacher knows that it must be done,” says Rocky Comberiati, a middle school teacher in Anaheim. “Communication with the parents is beyond-belief important, but there are limitations to what can be done.” The challenges A big challenge for many Southern California districts is the increasing number of parents who are not proficient in English. “Many of the parents care and want to help, but their inability to read and write English hinders their ability to help,” says Comberiati. Anaheim Union High School District offers classes to help parents better understand what teachers expect from their students. “Our district is trying to get the parents educated, not necessarily in the curriculum, but in little ways they can help their kids,” says Katella’s Logan. “The more they come in and want to be involved, the better.” Discussing poor performance and behavior problems can also challenge communication between parents and teachers. Dana Worden, a middle school counselor who has worked in North Orange County for several years, says parents should keep an open mind when approaching issues like homework problems with teachers. For instance, sometimes they may only have their child’s point of view and the teacher can provide a different perspective on the situation. She also recommends to teachers that they be very communicative with parents so both parties feel like they’re on the same team. “A teacher who is trying to make a breakthrough with a reluctant parent should start with highlighting the good points of the child,” she says. “The teacher needs to identify good characteristics of the child and point out the student’s strengths. This softens situations that aren’t so positive.” Having an existing relationship can also make communication much easier. Teachers and parents recommend investing time with a teacher before issues arise so there is groundwork of familiarity and trust. “If you build a good rapport in the beginning, it goes a long way,” says Cosgrove, of Fairmont. The ideal parent So what is the ideal “parent partner” for teachers? Is it someone who actively participates in the educational process by volunteering in the classroom and going on field trips? Or is the parent who contacts their child’s teacher regularly about homework and tests? Or is it a parent who turns weekend outings into learning adventures that are relevant to current classroom topics? There’s no perfect schedule or plan for parents to follow – the ideal parent stays involved at their comfort level. And the ideal parent takes a cue from the teacher as well. Angelica and Derrick Chan of Irvine have the beat on what’s going on in their sons’ Tustin Unified school because Angelica spends much of her week volunteering in the classroom and working on after-school activities. “She’s working with the teachers all the time,” says Derrick. “She says if the teachers don’t want her help, she’ll back off. One teacher just wants her to make copies. Others will ask if she will help out with certain activities.” How she spends her time isn’t as important as the fact that she is there. “The kids see that we’re involved with their school and education, and at this age – second and third grade – they think it’s a good thing,” he says. “We intend for my wife to always be involved with the kids’ school. As they get older, they need it even more.” Sustaining that involvement in a child’s education throughout their school years – not just during the formative early grades – is also key. While it’s no longer considered “cool” for mom to visit her teenager’s high school classroom, it is no less important that she stays completely in tune in what her children are doing. “With my own boys as they got into high school,” Swann explains, “I could no longer help with the homework, but I could make sure they get to the library if needed or that the Internet is available or that they have the supplies they needed for a project.” What not to do Teachers today are faced with many challenges, from limited funding and larger class sizes to an increased emphasis on standardized testing. How much of a challenge are parents? For teachers, the biggest challenge is a parent who gets too involved in helping their children with their homework. “We want to make sure the children do their own work,” says Cygan of Heritage Oak Private School. “Homework is assigned for a reason and it should be a reflection of the children’s work.” While parents who complete some of their children’s homework have good intentions, educators say they are doing them a disservice. Instead of taking over and telling them what to do and how to do it, a better long-term strategy is to encourage students to figure out what they need to do. For example, on a larger project, helping children lay out a plan and schedule for completing it can set the stage for a lifetime of good project management skills. “Ideally, we want them (students) to be responsible,” says Newport-Mesa’s Swann. “Our job as teachers, according to Thomas Jefferson, is to prepare students to survive and thrive after they leave us. Homework is a time to practice that skill.” Too much of a good thing can also cause problems. Parents can sometimes take involvement in their child’s education to a stressful level for the child. “The only thing I find as a concern as a teacher is when a parent pushes too hard” says Cosgrove of Fairmont. “The child is feeling a tremendous amount of pressure because (the demands) are coming from the person in the whole wide world they want to please the most.” Higher stakes It’s not surprising that some students feel the stress of their parents’ focused attention on their education because parental involvement is even more important today than a decade ago. Several factors, ranging from the increased emphasis on standardized testing, higher academic standards and greater competition for top universities, make it essential that parents get involved and stay focused on their children’s academic achievement. Derrick Chan certainly feels that shift, especially compared to the schooldays of his childhood. “My parents both worked, so they weren’t too involved,” he says. “They expected the kids to learn from the teachers. Today, it’s pretty competitive. And we want to try to give the kids a head start.” Worden, of Travis Ranch Middle School in Yorba Linda, says The No Child Left Behind Act and new state academic standards make learning a bit more challenging for today’s students. “A parent’s involvement in the child’s education is significantly more important today than it was years ago,” Worden says. “The students need a lot more structure and support than they did in years past. Students need more help with structuring the time to complete work and study, as well as simple things like organization, because there is just so much more to complete and organize these days.” Richard Ramus is a freelance writer living in Orange. He can be reached at rich@richramus.com. |
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