On this subject I have found in my PTSA involvement an amazing resource that I believe needs to be somehow drawn into the core development of the Five Year Plan.  It is the National Standards for Parent/Family Involvement Programs as developed by the National PTA (ISBN 0-88109-002-6).  It is an easy 42 page read that notes: "Over 30 years’ research has proven beyond dispute the positive connection between family involvement and student success.  Effectively engaging parents and families in the education of their children has the potential to be far more transformational than any other type of education reform."

 

It goes on to note:

"The purpose for the National Standards is threefold:
· To promote meaningful parent and family participation
· To raise awareness regarding the components of effective programs
· To provide guidelines for schools that wish to improve prorgams

 

The standards are as follows:

 
Standard I: COMMUNICATING
Communication between home and school is regular, two-way, and meaningful.

Standard II: PARENTING
Parenting skills are promoted and supported. 

Standard III: STUDENT LEARNING
 Parents play an integral role in assisting student learning. 

Standard IV: VOLUNTEERING
 Parents are welcome in the school, and their support and assistance are sought.

Standard V: SCHOOL DECISIONS MAKING AND ADVOCACY
Parents are full partners in the decisions that affect children and families.

Standard VI: COLLABORATING WITH COMMUNITY
Community resources are used to strengthen schools, families and student learning.

I wish I could attach a document but details supporting each standard follow and can also be found on the National PTA website under 'National Standards."  Booklet is easily ordered and costs $2.00 each.  Please feel free to remove the following details from this posting, and leave summary above.  I really would simply like the board and Superintendent to be aware of the Standards and hope they incorporate.

 

National Standards for Parent/Family Involvement Definitions

Standard I: COMMUNICATING
Communication between home and school is regular, two-way, and meaningful.
Communication is the foundation of a solid partnership. When parents and educators communicate effectively, positive relationships develop, problems are more easily solved, and students make greater progress.
Too often school or program communication is one-way without the chance to exchange ideas and share perceptions. Effective home-school communication is the two-way sharing of information vital to student success. Even parent-teacher conferences can be one-way if the goal is merely reporting student progress. Partnering requires give-and-take conversation, goal setting for the future, and regular follow-up interactions.
Quality Indicators of Successful programs:
1. Use a variety of communication tools on a regular basis, seeking to facilitate two-way interaction through each type of medium.
2. Establish opportunities for parents and educators to share partnering information such as student strengths and learning preferences.
3. Provide clear information regarding course expectations and offerings, student placement, school activities, student services, and optional programs.
4. Mail report cards and regular progress reports to parents. Provide support services and follow-up conferences as needed.
5. Disseminate information on school reforms, policies, discipline procedures, assessment tools, and school goals, and include parents in any related decision-making process.
6. Conduct conferences with parents at least twice a year, with follow-up as needed. These should accommodate the varied schedules of parents, language barriers, and the need for child care.
7. Encourage immediate contact between parents and teachers when concerns arise.
8. Distribute student work for parental comment and review on a regular basis.
9. Translate communications to assist non-English-speaking parents.
10. Communicate with parents regarding positive student behavior and achievement, not just regarding misbehavior or failure.
11. Provide opportunities for parents to communicate with principals and other administrative staff.
12. Promote informal activities at which parents, staff, and community members can interact.
13. Provide staff development regarding effective communication techniques and the importance of regular two-way communication between the school and the family.
 

Standard II: PARENTING
Parenting skills are promoted and supported.
Parents are a child’s life support system. Consequently, the most important support a child can receive comes from the home.
School personnel and program staff support positive parenting by respecting and affirming the strengths and skills needed by parents to fulfill their role. From making sure that students arrive at school rested, fed, and ready to learn, to setting high learning expectations and nurturing self-esteem, parents sustain their children’s learning.
When staff members recognize parent roles and responsibilities, ask parents what supports they need, and work to find ways to meet those needs, they communicate a clear message to parents: “We value you and need your input” in order to maintain a high-quality program.
Quality Indicators of Successful programs:
1. Communicate the importance of positive relationships between parents and their children.
2. Link parents to programs and resources within the community that provide support services to families.
3. Reach out to all families, not just those who attend parent meetings.
4. Establish policies that support and respect family responsibilities, recognizing the variety of parenting traditions and practices within the community’s cultural and religious diversity.
5. Provide an accessible parent/family information and resource center to support parents and families with training, resources, and other services.
6. Encourage staff members to demonstrate respect for families and the family’s primary role in the rearing of children to become responsible adults.

Standard III: STUDENT LEARNING
Parents play an integral role in assisting student learning.
Student learning increases when parents are invited into the process by helping at home. Enlisting parents’ involvement provides educators and administrators with a valuable support system-creating a team that is working for each child’s success.
The vast majority of parents are willing to assist their students in learning, but many times are not sure what assistance is most helpful and appropriate. Helping parents connect to their children’s learning enables parents to communicate in powerful ways that they value what their children achieve. Whether it’s working together on a computer, displaying student work at home, or responding to a particular class assignment, parents’ actions communicate to their children that education is important.
Quality Indicators of Successful programs:
1. Seek and encourage parental participation in decision-making that affects students.
2. Inform parents of the expectations for students in each subject at each grade level.
3. Provide information regarding how parents can foster learning at home, give appropriate assistance, monitor homework, and give feedback to teachers.
4. Regularly assign interactive homework that will require students to discuss and interact with their parents about what they are learning in class.
5. Sponsor workshops or distribute information to assist parents in understanding how students can improve skills, get help when needed, meet class expectations, and perform well on assessments.
6. Involve parents in setting student goals each year and in planning for post-secondary education and careers. Encourage the development of a personalized education plan for each student, where parents are full partners.
7. Provide opportunities for staff members to learn and share successful approaches to engaging parents in their child’s education. 

Standard IV: VOLUNTEERING
Parents are welcome in the school, and their support and assistance are sought.
When parents volunteer, both families and schools reap benefits that come in few other ways. Literally millions of dollars of volunteer services are performed by parents and family members each year in the public schools. Studies have concluded that volunteers express greater confidence in the schools where they have opportunities to participate regularly. In addition, assisting in school or program events/activities communicates to a child, “I care about what you do here.”
In order for parents to feel appreciated and welcome, volunteer work must be meaningful and valuable to them. Capitalizing on the expertise and skills of parents and family members provides much needed support to educators and administrators already taxed in their attempts to meet academic goals and student needs.
Although there are many parents for whom volunteering during school hours is not possible, creative solutions like before- or after-school “drop-in” programs or “at home” support activities provide opportunities for parents to offer their assistance as well.
Quality Indicators of Successful programs:
1. Ensure that office staff greetings, signage near the entrances, and any other interaction with parents create a climate in which parents feel valued and welcome.
2. Survey parents regarding their interests, talents, and availability, then coordinate the parent resources with those that exist within the school and among the faculty.
3. Ensure that parents who are unable to volunteer in the school building are given the options for helping in other ways, at home or place of employment.
4. Organize an easy, accessible program for utilizing parent volunteers, providing ample training on volunteer procedures and school protocol.
5. Develop a system for contacting all parents to assist as the year progresses.
6. Design opportunities for those with limited time and resources to participate by addressing child care, transportation, work schedule needs, and so forth
7. Show appreciation for parents’ participation, and value their diverse contributions.
8. Educate and assist staff members in creating an inviting climate and effectively utilizing volunteer resources.
9. Ensure that volunteer activities are meaningful and built on volunteer interests and abilities.

Standard V: SCHOOL DECISION MAKING AND ADVOCACY
Parents are full partners in the decisions that affect children and families.
Studies have shown that schools where parents are involved in decision making and advocacy have higher levels of student achievement and greater public support.
Effective partnerships develop when each partner is respected and empowered to fully participate in the decision-making process. Schools and programs that actively enlist parent participation and input communicate that parents are valued as full partners in the educating of their children.
Parents and educators depend on shared authority in decision-making systems to foster parental trust, public confidence, and mutual support of each other’s efforts in helping students succeed. The involvement of parents, as individuals or as representative of others, is crucial in collaborative decision-making processes on issues from curriculum and course selection, to discipline policies and over-all school reform measures.
Quality Indicators of Successful programs:
1. Provide understandable, accessible, and well-publicized processes for influencing decisions, raising issues or concerns, appealing decisions, and resolving problems.
2. Encourage the formation of PTAs or other parent groups to identify and respond to issues of interest to parents.
3. Include parents on all decision-making and advisory committees, and ensure adequate training for such areas as policy, curriculum, budget, school reform initiatives, safety, and personnel. Where site governance bodies exist, give equal representation to parents.
4. Provide parents with current information regarding school policies, practices, and both student and school performance data.
5. Enable parents to participate as partners when setting school goals, developing or evaluating programs and policies, or responding to performance data.
6. Encourage and facilitate active parent participation in the decisions that affect students, such as student placement, course selection, and individual personalized education plans.
7. Treat parental concerns with respect and demonstrate genuine interest in developing solutions.
8. Promote parent participation on school district, state, and national committees and issues.
9. Provide training for staff and parents on collaborative partnering and shared decision making.

Standard VI: COLLABORATING WITH COMMUNITY
Community resources are used to strengthen schools, families and student learning.
As part of the larger community, schools and other programs fulfill important community goals. In like fashion, communities offer a wide array of resources valuable to schools and the families they serve.
When schools and communities work together, both are strengthened in synergistic ways and make gains that outpace what either entity could accomplish on its own:
· Families access community resources more easily;
· Businesses connect education programs with the realities of the workplace;
· Seniors contribute wisdom and gain a greater sense of purpose; and ultimately,
· Students serve and learn beyond their school involvement.
The best partnerships are mutually beneficial and structured to connect individuals, not just institutions or groups. This connection enables the power of community partnerships to be unleashed.
Quality Indicators of Successful programs:
1. Distribute information regarding cultural, recreational, academic, health, social, and other resources that serve families within the community.
2. Develop partnerships with local business and service groups to advance student learning and assist schools and families.
3. Encourage employers to adopt policies and practices that promote and support adult participation in children’s education.
4. Foster student participation in community service.
5. Involve community members in school volunteer programs.
6. Disseminate information to the school community, including those without school-age children, regarding school programs and performance.
7. Collaborate with community agencies to provide family support services and adult learning opportunities, enabling parents to more fully participate in activities that support education.
8. Inform staff members of the resources available in the community and strategies for utilizing those resources.