Educator Advice- Getting Parents Involved

If you are an educator you already realize the extreme importance parental involvement plays in the success and achievement of a student. In fact, how many times have we heard administrators, politicians, and others state that our public schools could greatly improve if we just had a little more parental involvement and participation. It should not come as a surprise that many private school students, home school students, or students who have the advantage of higher socio-economic means tend to do better academically in school. I contend that students in these categories have a much higher amount of parental involvement in their educational lives. So, how does a teacher get a parent involved in a student's academic life when far too often the parent is inactive or even invisible? I am a firm believer that it is the parents' full responsibility to get up and do their job as far as their child is concerned, but the reality of the matter is some parents are not doing their job. How can a teacher help?

Reaching Out

First and foremost, we should not assume that a parent not involved in their child's academic life does not want to be involved. In fact, I have personally encountered parents who have a great desire to be involved but do not know how or they are too busy with employment and other day-to-day issues. A single mom of three children who commutes forty-five minutes to work and has to manage a household on her own may not be able to sustain the level of school involvement that a middle class stay-at-home mom can. Nonetheless, all parents still should take an active role in their child's academic achievement. As a teacher, be certain to reach out to ALL PARENTS. Do not be surprised if you have to make the initial phone call at the start of the year to establish rapport with a busy parent. Make an early evening phone call and simply introduce yourself and let them know who you are and break the ice. Inform the inactive parent of upcoming events and let them know exactly how they can help. As a teacher, you can provide tons of advice and information to a parent. If they cannot come to school and participate in daytime activities, inform them well in advance of PTO events and provide them with a calendar and encourage them to get involved. If nothing else, push for the inactive parent to get involved at home. Make them fully aware of the importance of parental support and assisting their personal child at home. Advice and reminders such as turning off the video games and television and having their child read aloud to them each evening can work wonders.

Keep Communication Open

If regular school visitation is not done by the parent, do not give up on the inactive parent. Continue to keep the lines of communication open. In today's technological world, teachers have the advantage of truly staying in touch with parents if they choose to do so. Phone calls may be quite time consuming, but a weekly e-mail update is not as tough to accomplish. While some parents still may not have computer access, most have cell phone communication and can easily receive a text message. Send a weekly text update if you really want to keep communication flowing. Updated web pages, homework hotlines, and the traditional letter home can all contribute to getting the inactive parent informed and more involved.

Different Routines and New Opportunities

If you really want to get some inactive and invisible parents involved, you have to be willing to break from the norm. In these particular instances, you have to step out and faithfully try an unconventional approach to getting parents involved. While a customary approach may be comfortable or easy on your part, you might have to do something that really requires super extra effort on the part of a teacher. For example, I once informed all my students that I wanted a one-hundred percent contact with parents during the parent-teacher conference week. While many parents made the trip in to school, a select few did not. Therefore, I spent an evening personally visiting households throughout my school district. It was scary at first, but every parent appreciated the time and the visit to their personal home. Likewise, they witnessed my commitment level and relationships were established. In uncomfortable situations, I was accompanied by another teacher or administrator.

As a teacher, you can also encourage your colleagues and administration to have weekend events or conduct activities in which parents can participate. I have come across some parents that do not know much about computers, math, or reading but they certainly bake excellent cookies and cupcakes. You have to tap into the parental talents and simply ask parents to get involved. Most parents will do what they can if you encourage them to do so.

Keep in mind, there will always be the indifferent, hard to reach, and uncaring parent that a teacher will encounter. Nonetheless, as quality educators who strive to reach, motivate, and make a difference in children's lives, we must not give up. Knowing that parental involvement is a major key in student success, we must do all that we can to make it happen and successfully educate children.