“Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself.”
–Chinese Proverb

Parent Driven Schools Set to Debut a New Documentary

PDS is working hard on our highly anticipated documentary, "Creating Lifelong Learners: Parents Driving Positive Change in Today's Education." The movie will premiere on August 20, 2009 at the Towe Auto Museum here in Sacramento from 5:30pm to 7:30pm.
Sponsorship opportunities are now available. To learn more, click here.

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The I’s and E’s of Parent Engagement

There are various stages or seasons of engagement. Each one is a component of the others and yet each one is experienced independently. Movement along these stages is dictated by the student’s needs, interests and abilities. We’ve got six simple “I’s and E’s” to help you stay engaged in your child’s education for their entire life.

There are various stages or seasons of engagement. Each one is a component of the others and yet each one is experienced independently. Movement along these stages is dictated by the student’s needs, interests and abilities. As a student reaches a new phase, support for his/her parent may need to increase. As the student matures in that phase, the support again will realign. 

This reflects the need for support in various phases of a child’s life. As an infant the child is very dependent on the parent for all its physical, emotional, metal and spiritual needs. As child matures, the child and the parent cycle through various levels of engagement to support nurturing growth.

Involve:
-To connect a person with something
-To make somebody a part of something
-To encourage somebody to take part in something

Involvement for the parent can be allotted to different activities:
You are involved in your student’s school environment if you attend school events and support the teacher’s projects or field trips. It is usually a physical nature and it contributes immensely to your child’s perception and understanding of where he or she fits in the school environment.

The child is a resourceful learner and well on the way to becoming a lifelong learner. Influencers of this process are a child’s understanding of how to connect and where he or she connects in the school environment. Parents can help their child connect with their school environment by participating in school events, making phone calls and speaking with the teachers and support staff. Simply stated, parents are the direct role models for their children; if they participate, the children are more likely to participate.

Inform:
-To give structure or substance to something
-To give or impart knowledge of a fact or circumstance

The parent continues involvement when they inform the school, the teacher, and the whole learning environment about their student. The parent is the expert on his or her child.  Communicating to your child’s teacher about your child’s interests and abilities is vital to the success of your student’s education process.

Attending conferences, updating paperwork, and speaking with teachers are all very helpful for your student. Think of these conversations as a way to support your student. Being defensive when attending a parent-teacher conference should not be the normal approach. Speak with other school officials if you and your student’s teacher do not see eye-to-eye. The most important thing to remember is to not give up, because having conversations with your student’s school or education environment is crucial to your child’s well-being.

Invest:
-To contribute time, energy or effort to an activity or project or undertaking
-To use, give, or devote (time, talent, etc.), as for a purpose or to achieve something

Parents who are investing in their student’s life-long learning habits view learning as an on-going activity, and stimulate their student’s interests and abilities in other places besides the classroom.

Investing activities could include: reading together at home, going for a walk after school or after dinner, working on a project or chore together around the house, going to a movie or to an event that supports their interests and abilities. Some events for great learning investments a family trip to the local library, local zoos, museums and gardens or parks.

Investing in your student in this way can be fun and very rewarding. Supporting your student in their school projects – science fairs, writing book reports and researching items on the web all are apart of the process.

Asking your student’s teacher how you can participate in activities in the school environment can also be a level of investing. Any way that you can help your student see the value of active participation and connect the learning in the classroom to the outside world (the world of work and the responsibilities), attributes to the attitude of a resourceful learner and always leads to a positive return on your investment.

Empower
-To give somebody a sense of confidence or self esteem
-To enable or permit

A parent who empowers their child, understands their child’s need to grow in knowledge of self, as well as knowledge of information. Parents who are constantly empowering their student with activities and conversation that help their student understand the importance success in school and life, are also equipping their student for the road of life.

Empowering parents help their students:
-Know who they are
-Know what they do well
-Know what they want
-Know what they enjoy
-Know how to compensate for their weakness by capitalizing on their strength
-Know what is required to obtain their goals
-Know how to get the job done efficiently and effectively

Equip:
-To prepare somebody with the necessary education, training or experience to succeed at a task or role in life

School is the foundation for learning material. The real knowledge enrichment happens daily – formally and informally. Parents and teachers should work together creating an Individualized Learning Plan (ILP) that helps the student learn effectively and efficiently by promoting learning through the student’s interest and abilities. Focusing on these abilities helps the student become more equipped, and therefore succeed at tasks and roles throughout his or her life.

A great quote, stated by Robert M. Hutchins, highlights the importance of preparing your child for success:  “The object of education is to prepare the young to educate themselves throughout their lives.”

Employ:
-To occupy, devote time and energy to something or someone

By creating a strong Individualized Learning Plan (ILP), parents can employ all of their knowledge about their child.
The ILP is a living document that helps the student navigate throughout the classroom and school boundaries. Parents can also employ learning which will expand their student’s knowledge for life beyond the classroom. Spending time and energy on learning, or by creating opportunities for learning outside the traditional classroom, adds strength and success to the student’s ability to succeed in school and in life.

Employ is the end result to informing, investing, empowering, and equipping your child in and beyond the classroom. As the parent and child travel the continuum, the cycle of lifelong learning, the child will blossom into a participating student in the classroom and in his or her life.

BlogTalkRadio

Listen to our March 18th session in which we discuss our exciting upcoming projects and updates to the Parent Driven Schools website.
Click here to visit our BlogTalk Radio page!

Call the Helpline for Hot Tips!
Did you know you can call the PDS Helpline for support preparing an ILP? Call us!
800-979-4436