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Posted by:
Paul Vivian
Research/tech assistance org
Manchester, NH
Topic:
Deborah Zipkin's Response
Message:
I was at a luncheon and happened to sit with a high school administrator. In our casual conversation, she mentioned that at her school they were trying several concrete steps to get parents, particularly the hardest to reach parents, more engaged and comfortable in the school. On the list of things that they hope to do are:
1. establish a welcoming committee for all new families. This includes those families that are moving into the district from another school district, students arriving from other countries, as well as, those students moving up from the middle school.
2. creating a parent talent bank so that teachers could call upon parents to share their time, and their experiences in the classroom.
3. modifying the phone system so that a human answers instead of voice mail. The voice mail is very difficult to navigate, especially when one does not speak English.
Eventually the high school hopes to establish a family resource center, a room with a coffeepot and magazines -- a place where parents can "hang out" and perhaps, work on projects where parents and staff can work together, i.e., a school store, a new parent handbook etc.
I think some other issues come into play with parents of high schoolers. It is not just the "hard to reach" group. Speaking as a parent of a high schooler, I am pushing my kid to independence. I don't really want to "hang out" at high school. Of course, I want to know what she's doing in her classes, and who her friends are, but I don't really need to be as involved as I was when she was in elementary school. I'm not sure that high schools can have the same expectations of parents as elementary schools do/should. Perhaps high schools might think more of community centered activities that bring in adults from all walks of life, e.g., showing films in the auditorium on Friday nights for all, opening up the library and computers for public use, hosting adult education classes. Inviting all adults from the community (the village) in -- not just parents.
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