You can never take parents for granted.  They are partners with us in the education process...and must be treated as equals.  We can't say, "We know what's best for kids.  Let us take charge, and everything will be fine."

—Peter Holland, Superintendent, Belmont MA

From: The Leader's Edge, a publication of the American Association of School Administrators

The American School Board Journal asked researchers and practitioners,

"How can schools nurture the type of involvement that improves Student Achievement?" 

Here are the results:

• Redefine family involvement
• Train teachers to work with parent
• Invest in family involvement
• Encourage parents to advocate for their children
• Reach out to parents
• Stay in touch

FOCUS Guilford offers workshops that are interactive and offer the opportunity for everyone to learn with and from one another.  Contact us if you are interested in having any of these sessions with your school or organization.  Also check the Calendar of Events for upcoming FOCUS Guilford :

The Right Question Project (RQP):  Use the Right Question Method to identify issues and clarify concerns.  Then create a process for taking action and resolving issues.  Also available as a five session series empowering parents to support, monitor and advocate for their child(ren)

• What should I ask about my child's placement?
• What should I ask about what my child is learning?
• What should I ask about how well my child is doing?
• What should I ask to know if my child's school is a good place?
• What questions should I ask about decisions that are made that affect my child's education?

What participants are saying about RQP:

From parents:

I am happy that the issues were identified and better focused...rather than bombarding our principal with chaos.

Through the process of asking questions we were able to clarify a lot of issues in a short time.  This method is more effective than different people making statements and taking a position.

From a public school principal:

In evaluating the session he wrote about the “magic of this process…it is non-threatening, allowing the creative juices to flow.  This is community building at its best!” 

Parents And Teachers Talking Together (PT3): A three-hour session for teachers and parents to enhance communication and set shared learning goals.

College is Within Reach: A three hour workshop for middle and high school parents to develop education and career goals for their children.

Helping Every Student Succeed: Designed for up to 15 participants, this is a four session series of two-hour sessions. Participants build trust, clarify expectations, explore the reasons that some students succeed and others don't, look at school data and develop an action plan to work with families to improve achievement.

Speakers from UNC-Greensboro offer a wide range of topics including building community partnerships, testing, and success for all students.  Check the listings at http://www.uncg.edu/iss/SB-Edu-edlead.html for a topic of interest to your group or organization.

The Exceptional Children's Assistance Center http://www.ecac-parentcenter.org/ and the North Carolina Association of Educators Contact Mark Jewel at 299-9601) also offer free workshops.

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