Creating Meaningful Parent-Teacher Partnerships

1. Creating Meaningful Parent-Teacher Partnerships Presented by Mary Louise Silva, Director of Parent & Community Engagement msilva@laalliance.org (213) 943-4930 ext. 1011 or (818) 439-1271

2. What has been your past experience working with parents? • What was the outcome? • What would you do differently or the same?

3. Workshop Goal: • Provide teachers with research-based strategies to establish meaningful partnerships with parents. • Provide tools for TCRP Domain 4.4.

4. Expected Outcomes: You will learn: Why the parent-teacher relationship is important What the ideal teacher/parent partnership looks like How to overcome barriers Ways to open lines of communication with parents

5. 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

6. Review:Parent Engagement & Parent Involvement What do the words mean to you?

7. When schools engage parents, parents become involved! Parent Involvement is a phrase used to describe how parents participate at home and in their child’s education. • 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.

8. Alliance Core Values: High expectations for all students Small, personalized schools and classrooms Increased instructional time Highly qualified principals and teachers WORKING WITH PARENTS AS PARTNERS

9. Alliance Parent Engagement Model: 40-Hour Annual Volunteer Commitment 1. School Support 2. Academic Support

10. TCRP - Domain 4: Professional Responsibilities

11. 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.

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.

13. What needs to happen first?

14. Teachers and parents need to embrace certain attributes and behaviors.

15. Attributes that support meaningful partnerships: Teachers: • Warmth • Openness • Sensitivity • Flexibility • Reliability • Accessibility Parents: • Warmth • Sensitivity • Nurturance • Ability to listen • Consistency • Personal competence

16. 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

17. What does a meaningful parent-teacher partnership look like?

18. 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

19. 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

20. What are some barriers to positive teacher-parent relations?

21. 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

22. 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

23. Effective Teacher Communication = Strong Trusting Relationships with Parents Alliance-wide Summer Conference 2010

24. 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

25. 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

26. 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

27. 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

28. Teacher-Parent Action Plan Describe the activity Indicate resources needed List the steps you are going to take to complete the activity

29. Questions/Comments

30. Resources: What Does an Effective Partnership Look Like?/ED.govBlog Parents and Teachers Working Together by Carol Davis and Alice Yang

31. THANK YOU!