Multicultural Parents Supporting Education

1. Multicultural Parents Supporting Education By Angel Browne, Vanessa Garcia, Tara Hamner, and Cindy Richards

2. Parental Involvement Matters

3. The Facts • Our School has low performing students • Families are not involved • Families involved = increase in performance

4. The Benefits of Parental Involvement • Better grades • Homework done on time • Positive attitude • Good behavior at school • Less likely to need remedial classes • Less likely to drop out of school

5. Why Parents Are Not Involved • Single Working Parent • Lack of English • Lack of Education • Different Culture • Uncomfortable at School • No Childcare

6. Vision • Provide a safe place for multicultural parents to learn strategies to help their children succeed.

7. Focus • Early literacy • Language • Community information • Information on the U.S. educational system

8. The Venue • Monthly meeting at our elementary school • Library = parent meeting • Gymnasium = free childcare

9. Those Involved • Teachers • Interpreter(s) • Counselor • Administrator • Community sponsors • Community educators • Trained childcare providers

10. Strategies for Involvement • Publicizing through invitations, posters, websites, e-mail, and school electronic board. • Providing fun, engaging, and meaningful education. • Listening to the needs of the parents and tailoring instruction to meet their needs. • Providing a multicultural education. • Providing free books and materials to take home.

11. Materials Needed • Books for children in both English and the parent’s language. • Scissors, glue, paper, markers, and other art supplies for making literacy materials for the parents to use at home and for students to use while in childcare.

12. Sample Take-Home Activity • Parents will create a Literacy Parking Lot • You will need a small toy car, such as a Matchbox car. On a blank piece of paper, draw a parking lot with 10 spaces (see attached sample). Ask your child to drive the car to certain letters, letter sounds, or words that you say.

13. Sample Parent/Student Team Activity (Guess How Many?) • Place cookies in a jar. • Parents guess how many cookies are in the jar, but only write down half of their guess. (If they believe there are 30, then they write 15). • The next day in class, the children guess and put only half of what they think. • The parent’s guess is added to their child’s guess and is submitted to see which parent/child team is closest. • The parent/student team who is closest wins the jar of cookies.

14. Culturally Responsive Teaching • Providing a safe, welcoming, and nurturing environment • Promoting equality • Addressing real-life issues • Team-learning

15. Increase in Global Perspective • Learn from each other • Experience things from a different perspective • Accept differences

16. Impact on the School • Increased academic performance • Positive attitude • Good behavior • Lower drop-out rate

17. Impact on the Community • Accomplished school system = skilled workers

18. References • India Parenting. (2014).  Retrieved from http://www.indiaparenting.com. • Johnson, H. (2011, April). Immigrants and Education.  Public Policy Institute of California. Retrieved from http://www.ppic.org. • Nye, C., Turner, H.M., & Schwartz, J.B. (2006). Approaches to Parental Involvement for Improving the Academic Performance of Elementary School Age Children. Campbell Collaboration Library, (68). • Proven Effects of Parental Involvement in Schools. (2012,Oct. 4). Retrieved from graphs.net. • PTOtoday.(2003, July 26). Parental Involvement Matters. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com. • Sight Word Parking. (2011, Oct. 18). Juggling with Kids. Retrieved from http://www.jugglingwithkids.com. • Single Parents. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.about.com. • Top 5 Ideas Parents Night. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/top-5-ideas-parents- night. • What Research Says about Parental Involvement in Childrens Education. (n2001).  Retrieved from http:// www.michigan.gov.