Parental Involvement

1. Parental Involvement Elizabeth Warren, ELL Program Specialist/P.D. Trainer Jason Smith, ELL Program Specialist/P.D. Trainer Office of Federal Programs Office of Curriculum & Instruction Oklahoma State Department of Education

2. Oklahoma Regional Map

3. Parental and Community Outreach and Involvement • Consideration will be given to parents by providing information for parents in the appropriate language. • Materials will be shared with family’s reflecting high expectations, and that this vision continues for all Ells. • Participants will be provided resources that will support parental involvement and outreach activities. • This information will enable parents to make informed decisions about their child’s education. • Providing pertinent information regarding parents’ rights and program choices will be included.

4. Provide • Provide home-school coordinators (parent liaison), fluent in the children’s language, to enhance communications and bridge school-home cultural differences. • Provide parents with avenues to learn English. • Provide a multi-lingual telephone network. • Provide translators for all key parent meetings.

5. Publish • Publish bi-lingual or multi-lingual newsletters. • Publish information about community resources (such as medical and dental clinics and sources of emergency food and clothing). • Information about how to access these resources, including filling out necessary forms for reduced fees or free services.

6. 4 “In”s • Include families in school governance. • Information about what decision-making committees exist at the school and what is involved for those who participate. • Invite and boost parental understanding of the school community. • Assist parents in effective advocacy and interactions with the school. • Open meetings to extended families. • Recruit families as volunteers and audiences.

7. 4 “In”s • Incorporate community cultural events and celebrations into school activities. • Collaborate with community organizations. • Involve families with homework. • Information about selecting books and reading with children at home. • Information about how math is taught in U.S. schools. • Information about what is expected of parents pertaining to the completion of homework.

8. “Parent Involvement” vs. “Parent Engagement” • In their book Building Parent Engagement in Schools, Larry Ferlazzo and Lorie Hammond explore a distinction between the two concepts. • Parent involvementstarts with the school: • “The ideas and energy come from the schools and government mandates. Schools try to ‘sell’ their ideas to parents. School staff and public institutions might feel they know what the problems are and how to fix them, and determine the criteria to use in evaluating success.” A Guide for Engaging ELL Families: Twenty Strategies for School Leaders – Breuseth, Lydia; Robertson, Kristina; Lafond, Susan - http://www.colorincolorado.org/pdfs/guides/Engaging-ELL-Families.pdf (2011)

9. “Parent Involvement” vs. “Parent Engagement” • Parent engagement begins with the parents: • “Ideas are elicited from parents by school staff in the context of developing trusting relationships. They emerge from parent/community needs and priorities. More parent energy drives the efforts.” • This approach is more sustainable than asking your busy staff to plan numerous parent activities, take on extra responsibilities, and dig even deeper into their energy reserves. A Guide for Engaging ELL Families: Twenty Strategies for School Leaders – Breuseth, Lydia; Robertson, Kristina; Lafond, Susan - http://www.colorincolorado.org/pdfs/guides/Engaging-ELL-Families.pdf (2011)

10. “Parent Involvement” vs. “Parent Engagement” • The more parents have the opportunity to shape activities and programs that help their families, the more invested they will be in seeing those efforts succeed. • Think of your ELL parents as a team waiting to be mobilized; while it will take some time and energy to get the team up and running (and to help them understand how valuable their contributions are) A Guide for Engaging ELL Families: Twenty Strategies for School Leaders – Breuseth, Lydia; Robertson, Kristina; Lafond, Susan - http://www.colorincolorado.org/pdfs/guides/Engaging-ELL-Families.pdf (2011)

11. Staff Development • What parents are already doing to support literacy development and what more they might need to know. • Information about how foreign-born parents were taught math (aimed at helping school staff better support the completion of this homework). • Information from parents for teachers about how to make homework better function as it is intended — as a way to practice skills already learned during the school day.

12. Staff Development • Information from parents about how the report card could be modified in order to increase teacher-parent communication and collaboration. • Information for school staff about how parents perceive special staff and special programs and what parents have experienced as barriers to accessing these resources as well as what has facilitated access. • Information for school staff about how existing school-wide decision making committees are, or are not, welcoming and engaging to parents, and information about how to build on existing strengths and modify programs to mitigate their limitations.

13. Thank you! For further information please contact:: • Elizabeth Warren, ELL Program Specialist/P.D. Trainer • (405) 522 – 5073 or Elizabeth.Warren@sde.ok.gov • Jason Smith, ELL Program Specialist/P.D. Trainer • (405) 522 – 8297 or Jason.Smith@sde.ok.gov