Education and Parent Involvement: How to Get Parents Involved in the Classroom

Parent involvement is an important, and challenging part of the classroom. In a recent study, a group of teachers were asked to complete a survey regarding their practices and communication used with the parents of their diverse community. The purpose of this study was to help teachers "understand family values, beliefs, and practices in order to create a learning environment at school that builds upon these" (Joshi, Eberly & Konzal, 2005). There is no doubt that a learning environment that builds upon family values, beliefs, and practices will help students to be more successful, but how do teachers go about building parent involvement? How do we go about balancing family values, beliefs, and practices? It is easier said, than done. Many parents face busy schedules, socioeconomic factors, and prior responsibilities that make it difficult for them to be in the classroom. In some cases, communication is even more challenging due to ESL issues at home. Or simply put, some parents refuse to be a part of the classroom. Yet, education continues beyond the end of the school day validating the importance and need of parent involvement and support. I offer a few tips in encouraging parent involvement in the classroom where family values, beliefs, and practices can add to the experience of the classroom.

Open Door Classroom

An open door classroom is a classroom that encourages parents to come in whenever they can. Providing an open invitation to parents to come often and at times that fit their schedules allows more flexibility for parents. By providing a schedule for parents with blocks designated as classroom time, parents will know what times are best to come visit. Additionally, providing a welcoming, inclusive tone goes a long way in helping parents to understand that they are needed and welcomed in the classroom.

Parents as Teachers

Parent involvement can be going beyond being a volunteer to becoming involved in facilitating learning in the classroom (Howland, et al., 2006). For the teacher, this means drawing upon the resources that the parents can offer. Know your parents and what their interests, hobbies, and occupations are. For example, during a health unit, ask a parent who is a nurse to discuss nutrition. A dad who is a policeman can talk about safety. Many parents have hobbies such as painting, weaving, crocheting, or carving. These are wonderful opportunities for students to learn, while encouraging parent involvement. If a student comes from an ESL home, a parent can share some basic words and phrases from his or her language. In any case, it is important to draw upon the resources from all parents and look for opportunities to add diversity to the classroom.

Real communication

When working with families, open communication is critical. This means not only speaking honestly with parents, but also taking the time to really hear what parents have to say. By doing this a relationship is seen as more authentic, versus superficial. Communication comes in many forms-face-to-face conservations, phone calls, emails, letter correspondence, parent-teacher conferences, just to name a few. Parents appreciate knowing what is happening in the classroom regarding their child and benefit most when the language is relevant and jargon free (Howland, et al., 2006). Look for the strengths in students that can be shared with parents knowing that these can be used to help them get through challenges.

The classroom reaches far beyond the walls of the school and time frame of the school day. Children are educated not only at school, but also at home and in the community. Open communication with parents that is authentic, and an invitation of cultural reciprocation in the classroom goes a long way toward educating a child in a manner that is meaningful and student-centered. An open door classroom draws upon the plethora of resources that the parents, the community, and the local cultures can add to enrich the learning experiences of the classroom.

Sources:

Howland, A., Anderson, J., Smiley, A., & Abbott, D. (2006, September 1). School liaisons: Bridging the gap between home and school. School Community Journal, 16(2), 47-68.

Joshi, A., Eberly, J., & Konzal, J. (2005, December 1). Dialogue across cultures: Teachers' perceptions about communication with diverse families. Multicultural Education, 13(2), 11-15.