• |
Remember,
there is no "one size fits all" answer to partnerships. Identify,
with families, the strengths, interests and needs of families,
students, and school staff and work from there. |
• |
Set
clear and measurable goals based on family and
community input. |
• |
Develop
a variety of outreach mechanisms to inform families,
businesses, and the community about family involvement
policies and programs. These can include newsletters, flyers,
personal contacts, slide shows, videotapes, local newspapers
and cable TV, web sites, and public forums. |
• |
Provide
a varied menu of opportunities for participation geared
to the diverse needs of families, including working families.
Schedule programs and activities flexibly. Recognize that
effective family involvement takes many forms that may
not necessarily require parents' presence at a workshop,
meeting, or school. |
• |
Ensure
that families and students have complete information about
the standards students are expected to meet, examples
of student work that meets these standards, and understanding
of how students will be assessed. For example, hold curriculum
nights to feature the standards and exhibit student work.
Provide workshops about the state's testing program, with
a chance for parents to take the test. |
• |
Ensure
that families and students have access to information about
nutrition and health care, after-school programs,
and community service agencies. |
• |
Recognize
how a community's historic, ethnic, linguistic, and cultural
resources can generate interest in family-community participation. |
• |
Hire
and train a family coordinator to act as a liaison
between families and schools and to coordinate family activities.
This coordinator should be bilingual as needed and sensitive
to the needs of families and the community, including the
non-English speaking community. |
• |
Use
creative forms of communication between educators and families that
are personal, goal-oriented, and make optimal use of new
communication technologies. One idea might be telephones
in every classroom with voice-mail capacity. |
• |
Find
positive messages to send to all families about
their child on at least once a month. |
• |
In
addition to parent-teacher conferences, offer regular opportunities
for families to discuss their children's progress, raise
concerns, and work as partners with school staff to solve
problems that arise. To promote student success, create
a support team for each student and include a family member. |
• |
Make
sure that family members acting as volunteers in the school
have opportunities to help teachers in meaningful
ways such as assisting with instructional tasks and administrative
functions. In addition to being tutors and classroom aides,
family members might speak to students about their careers,
explain customs from their cultural traditions, or demonstrate
a special skill. |
• |
Provide
professional development opportunities for educators
and families to enable them to work together effectively
as partners in the educational process. |
• |
Involve
families in evaluating the effectiveness of family involvement
programs and activities on a regular basis and use this information
to improve them. |
