Educate them on how they can be active in their child's learning process.
"For many apparently uninvolved parents school was not a positive experience and they feel inadequate in a school setting. Parents may also feel uneasy if their cultural style or socioeconomic level differ from those of teachers. Some parents who are uninvolved in school may not understand the importance of parent involvement or may think they do not have the skills to be able to help. Even parents who are confident and willing to help may hesitate to become involved for fear of overstepping their bounds. It is the responsibility of teachers and administrators to encourage such parents to become involved" ("Involving Parents In The Education Of Their Children", 2000).
Encourage families. Discuss indvididual roles.
"Home activities allow parents flexibility in scheduling, provide opportunities for parents and children to spend time together, and offer a relaxed setting. To be most beneficial, home activities should be interesting and meaningful--not trivial tasks that parents and children have to "get through." When teachers plan home activities, they often think in terms of worksheets or homework that will reinforce skills learned in school. But parents often grow tired of the endless stream of papers to be checked and the time spent on "busywork." Another danger of promoting home activities is the possibility that there may arise an unclear distinction of roles, with teachers expecting parents to "teach" at home. Teachers and parents need to understand that their roles are different, and that their activities with children should be different" ("Involving Parents In The Education Of Their Children", 2000)..
Plan family nights.
"For many parents, a major impediment to becoming involved is lack of time. Working parents are often unable to attend school events during the day. In
addition, evenings are the only time these parents have to spend with their children, and they may choose to spend time with their family rather than
attend meetings at school" ("Involving Parents In The Education Of Their Children", 2000).
.Give enough notice for family engagements.
"All teachers experience the frustration of trying to involve parents and getting little response. Teachers complain that parents do not come to conferences or school open houses, check homework, or answer notes. This leads some teachers to conclude that parents do not care about their children's education. While it is true that the emotional problems of a few parents may be so great as to prevent them from becoming involved with their children's education, most parents do care a great deal. This caring is not, however, always evidenced by parent attendance at school events. There are a number of reasons why these parents may not become involved, and teachers need to consider these before dismissing parents as uninterested" ("Involving Parents In The Education Of Their Children", 2000).
Be sensitive to family schedules.
"Many schools have responded to the needs of working parents by scheduling conferences in the evening as well as during the day, and by scheduling school events at different times of the day throughout the year" ("Involving Parents In The Education Of Their Children", 2000)..
Use a variety of communication methods.
"One kind of parental involvement is school-based and includes participating in parent-teacher conferences and functions, and receiving and responding to written communications from the teacher. Parents can also serve as school volunteers for the library or lunchroom, or as classroom aides. In one survey, almost all teachers reported talking with children's parents-- either in person, by phone, or on open school nights--and sending notices home. These methods, along with requests for parents to review and sign homework, were most frequently used to involve parents" ("Involving Parents In The Education Of Their Children", 2000)..
Engage them on student learning by informing them of increasing student skills.
"It is important for teachers to keep the lines of communication open. This involves not only sending regular newsletters and notes, but also obtaining
information from parents. Phone calls are a greatly under-used technique for keeping in touch. A teacher usually calls a parent to report a child's
inappropriate behavior or academic failure. But teachers can use phone calls to let parents know about positive behavior and to get input. Parents
justifiably become defensive if they think that every phone call will bring a bad report. If teachers accustom parents to receiving regular calls just for
keeping in touch, it is easier to discuss problems when they occur" ("Involving Parents In The Education Of Their Children", 2000).
.
What can teachers do to get parents involved?
Educate them on how they can be active in their child's learning process.- "For many apparently uninvolved parents school was not a positive experience and they feel inadequate in a school setting. Parents may also feel uneasy if their cultural style or socioeconomic level differ from those of teachers. Some parents who are uninvolved in school may not understand the importance of parent involvement or may think they do not have the skills to be able to help. Even parents who are confident and willing to help may hesitate to become involved for fear of overstepping their bounds. It is the responsibility of teachers and administrators to encourage such parents to become involved" ("Involving Parents In The Education Of Their Children", 2000).
Encourage families. Discuss indvididual roles.- "Home activities allow parents flexibility in scheduling, provide opportunities for parents and children to spend time together, and offer a relaxed setting. To be most beneficial, home activities should be interesting and meaningful--not trivial tasks that parents and children have to "get through." When teachers plan home activities, they often think in terms of worksheets or homework that will reinforce skills learned in school. But parents often grow tired of the endless stream of papers to be checked and the time spent on "busywork." Another danger of promoting home activities is the possibility that there may arise an unclear distinction of roles, with teachers expecting parents to "teach" at home. Teachers and parents need to understand that their roles are different, and that their activities with children should be different" ("Involving Parents In The Education Of Their Children", 2000)..
Plan family nights.- "For many parents, a major impediment to becoming involved is lack of time. Working parents are often unable to attend school events during the day. In
addition, evenings are the only time these parents have to spend with their children, and they may choose to spend time with their family rather thanattend meetings at school" ("Involving Parents In The Education Of Their Children", 2000).
.Give enough notice for family engagements.
- "All teachers experience the frustration of trying to involve parents and getting little response. Teachers complain that parents do not come to conferences or school open houses, check homework, or answer notes. This leads some teachers to conclude that parents do not care about their children's education. While it is true that the emotional problems of a few parents may be so great as to prevent them from becoming involved with their children's education, most parents do care a great deal. This caring is not, however, always evidenced by parent attendance at school events. There are a number of reasons why these parents may not become involved, and teachers need to consider these before dismissing parents as uninterested" ("Involving Parents In The Education Of Their Children", 2000).
Be sensitive to family schedules.- "Many schools have responded to the needs of working parents by scheduling conferences in the evening as well as during the day, and by scheduling school events at different times of the day throughout the year" ("Involving Parents In The Education Of Their Children", 2000)..
Use a variety of communication methods.- "One kind of parental involvement is school-based and includes participating in parent-teacher conferences and functions, and receiving and responding to written communications from the teacher. Parents can also serve as school volunteers for the library or lunchroom, or as classroom aides. In one survey, almost all teachers reported talking with children's parents-- either in person, by phone, or on open school nights--and sending notices home. These methods, along with requests for parents to review and sign homework, were most frequently used to involve parents" ("Involving Parents In The Education Of Their Children", 2000)..
Engage them on student learning by informing them of increasing student skills.- "It is important for teachers to keep the lines of communication open. This involves not only sending regular newsletters and notes, but also obtaining
information from parents. Phone calls are a greatly under-used technique for keeping in touch. A teacher usually calls a parent to report a child'sinappropriate behavior or academic failure. But teachers can use phone calls to let parents know about positive behavior and to get input. Parents
justifiably become defensive if they think that every phone call will bring a bad report. If teachers accustom parents to receiving regular calls just for
keeping in touch, it is easier to discuss problems when they occur" ("Involving Parents In The Education Of Their Children", 2000).
.