creating meaningful parent-teacher partnerships

31
Creating Meaningful Parent-Teacher Partnerships Presented by Mary Louise Silva, Director of Parent & Community Engagement [email protected] (213) 943-4930 ext. 1011 or (818) 439-1271

Upload: larue

Post on 08-Feb-2016

56 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

DESCRIPTION

Creating Meaningful Parent-Teacher Partnerships. Presented by Mary Louise Silva, Director of Parent & Community Engagement [email protected] (213) 943-4930 ext. 1011 or (818) 439-1271. What has been your past experience working with parents?. What was the outcome? - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Creating Meaningful  Parent-Teacher Partnerships

Creating Meaningful Parent-Teacher Partnerships

Presented by Mary Louise Silva, Director of Parent & Community Engagement

[email protected](213) 943-4930 ext. 1011 or (818) 439-1271

Page 2: Creating Meaningful  Parent-Teacher Partnerships

What has been your past experience working with parents?

• What was the outcome?

• What would you do differently or the same?

Page 3: Creating Meaningful  Parent-Teacher Partnerships

Workshop Goal:

• Provide teachers with research-based strategies to establish meaningful partnerships with parents.

• Provide tools for TCRP Domain 4.4.

3

Page 4: Creating Meaningful  Parent-Teacher Partnerships

Expected Outcomes:

You will learn:

1. Why the parent-teacher relationship is important

2. What the ideal teacher/parent partnership looks like

3. How to overcome barriers

4. Ways to open lines of communication with parents

4

Page 5: Creating Meaningful  Parent-Teacher Partnerships

Parent Involvement = Student Success

• Higher grades and test scores

• Improved attendance

• Better social skills

• More likely to graduate from high school and go on

to college

Page 6: Creating Meaningful  Parent-Teacher Partnerships

Review:Parent Engagement & Parent Involvement

What do the words mean to you?

Page 7: Creating Meaningful  Parent-Teacher Partnerships

When schools engage parents, parents become involved!

• Parent Engagement is a phrase used to describe the work of schools and organizations as they engage parents to become involved in their child’s education.

• Parent Involvement is a phrase used to describe how parents participate at home and in their child’s education.

7

Page 8: Creating Meaningful  Parent-Teacher Partnerships

Alliance Core Values:

1. High expectations for all students2. Small, personalized schools and classrooms3. Increased instructional time4. Highly qualified principals and teachers

5. WORKING WITH PARENTS AS PARTNERS

8

Page 9: Creating Meaningful  Parent-Teacher Partnerships

Alliance Parent Engagement Model:

40-HOUR ANNUAL

VOLUNTEER COMMITMENT

1. School Support

2. Academic Support

9

Page 10: Creating Meaningful  Parent-Teacher Partnerships

TCRP - Domain 4: Professional Responsibilities

10

4.4Develop two-way communication with families about student learning and achievement

a) Initiation of meaningful communication

b) Responsiveness to parent inquiries and communication

c) Inclusion of the family as a partner in learning decisions

Level III

Page 11: Creating Meaningful  Parent-Teacher Partnerships

Research has proven….• When parents and teachers work together, everyone benefits.

– Students tend to earn higher grades, perform better on tests, attend school more regularly, have better behavior, show more positive attitudes toward themselves and toward school.

• Teacher morale improves.• Teachers are free to focus on the task of teaching.• Parents are more involved in their child’s school experience.

11

.

Page 12: Creating Meaningful  Parent-Teacher Partnerships

12

Its not always clear to families and schools how to form meaningful parent-teacher partnerships (beyond parent-teacher conferences, Back to School Night and Open House) to support student learning.

Page 13: Creating Meaningful  Parent-Teacher Partnerships

What needs to happen first?

Page 14: Creating Meaningful  Parent-Teacher Partnerships

Teachers and parents need to embrace certain attributes and behaviors.

14

Page 15: Creating Meaningful  Parent-Teacher Partnerships

Attributes that support meaningful partnerships:

Teachers:• Warmth• Openness• Sensitivity• Flexibility• Reliability• Accessibility

Parents:• Warmth • Sensitivity• Nurturance• Ability to listen• Consistency• Personal competence

15

Page 16: Creating Meaningful  Parent-Teacher Partnerships

Teacher behavior that leads to successful family-school partnerships:

• Model respect and communication skills

• Promote teamwork philosophy

• Show genuine interest

• Positive attitude

• Respond to parents concerns

• Share expectations

16

Page 17: Creating Meaningful  Parent-Teacher Partnerships

17

What does a meaningful parent-teacher partnership look like?

Page 18: Creating Meaningful  Parent-Teacher Partnerships

Parent-teacher partnerships occur when:• Teachers value the role of “parents as teachers” and believe

that learning occurs at home and at school

• Parents respect and regard teachers as a “second parent”

• Learning is regarded as a shared responsibility

• Teachers and parents reach out to one another to get to know each other informally

• Teachers and parents commit to working together to solve problems

18

Page 19: Creating Meaningful  Parent-Teacher Partnerships

Parent-teacher partnerships occur when:• Teachers actively plan to involve parents (home visits, class

work demonstrations, student/parent learning activities)

• Parents feel welcomed and are invited to help out in the classroom

• Teachers and parents communicate on a regular basis (two-way communication)

• Parents actively seek and share information

• Teachers share strategies with parents to help a student improve/advance

19

Page 20: Creating Meaningful  Parent-Teacher Partnerships

What are some barriers to positive teacher-parent relations?

20

Page 21: Creating Meaningful  Parent-Teacher Partnerships

Barriers to positive partnerships for parents:• Not feeling valued or treated with respect

• Lack of trust

• Embarrassment about student’s progress or behavior

• Frustration (school may have allowed a problem to escalate)

• Fear of not understanding recommendations

• Focus only on the negative

21

Page 22: Creating Meaningful  Parent-Teacher Partnerships

Barriers to positive partnerships for teachers:• Cultural differences

• Not enough time

• Differences in viewing roles

• Discomfort/dread (previous negative experience)

• Communication challenges (language/interpersonal skills)

• Minimal school-to-home communication

22

Page 23: Creating Meaningful  Parent-Teacher Partnerships

Effective Teacher Communication =

Strong Trusting Relationships with Parents

Alliance-wide Summer Conference 2010 23

Page 24: Creating Meaningful  Parent-Teacher Partnerships

Communication Strategies:Before or at the beginning of the school year:• Contact every parent and get to know parents informally

• If necessary, schedule a home visit (stress that you regard parents as valuable partners)

• Send a letter or email introducing yourself (include when and how you can be reached)

• Send syllabus home with a syllabus contract

• Share teacher-parent conference tips

24

Page 25: Creating Meaningful  Parent-Teacher Partnerships

Communication Strategies:During the school year:• Leave regular phone or email messages (share something

positive)

• Promptly return calls and respond to email messages or notes

• Set up a meeting to alert parents regarding a potential problem

• Assign student/parent learning activities or homework

• Prepare for parent-teacher conferences

25

Page 26: Creating Meaningful  Parent-Teacher Partnerships

Communication Strategies:During school year:• Create a website or blog to share homework, projects, and

what students are learning

• Invite parents to visit your classroom

• Host a webcam or podcast session (create a link for parents to login live to watch a lesson being presented)

• Organize a Family Night

26

Page 27: Creating Meaningful  Parent-Teacher Partnerships

Communication Strategies:When meeting with parents:

• Remember to smile and shake hands

• Be mindful of your tone of voice and mannerisms

• Use your school’s translation services

• Be willing to truly listen

• Admit to your mistakes

• Solicit input from parents/students before a decision is made

• Develop a cooperative action plan (if necessary)

27

Page 28: Creating Meaningful  Parent-Teacher Partnerships

Teacher-Parent Action Plan

1. Describe the activity

2. Indicate resources needed

3. List the steps you are going to take to complete the activity

28

Page 29: Creating Meaningful  Parent-Teacher Partnerships

Questions/Comments

Page 30: Creating Meaningful  Parent-Teacher Partnerships

Resources:

• What Does an Effective Partnership Look Like?/ED.govBlog

• Parents and Teachers Working Together by Carol Davis and Alice Yang

Page 31: Creating Meaningful  Parent-Teacher Partnerships

THANK YOU!