How do Parent Training Programs Benefit the Parent, Teacher, and School Relationship?
One factor in determining the success or failure of a school is to determine the effectiveness of the parent, teacher, and school relationship. To enhance a child’s educational experience, parents, teachers, and school leaders must form a partnership which helps to foster lifelong learning in the lives of the children they serve. (Brooks & Goldstein, 2001) Some teachers are often perplexed by the parents’ lack of involvement, while others are just as perplexed by the over involvement of some parents. Parents, on the other hand, often seem at a loss for what to do to help their child be successful in school, by working effectively with the teachers and school. Providing training programs for parents, which employ teachers and other school administrators as instructors, can be an effectual solution to the barriers which often exist between parents, teachers, and schools.
In the book, Planning Programs for Adult Learners, Caffarella suggested that training programs for adults have 5 main reasons, 1) to ensure individuals to continue to grow and develop, 2) to help people with problem solving, 3) to help prepare people for job opportunities, 4) to ensure groups of adults meet challenges or goals they may have set, and 5) to foster community and social changes. (Caffarella, 2002) A training program for parents might fall under the category of fostering community spirit and cooperation. The training and rearing of children no longer falls on the parents alone, but includes help from others in the society who come in and out of a child’s life. (Clinton, 1996) When a community such as a school and its population work well together, childr...
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2: What is the potential for increased involvement if parents undergo training that educates them about the various aspects of the Individual Education Program process?
Instructional Consultation is a consultee-centered, school based consultation process developed by Sylvia Rosenfield. IC addresses academic and behavioral problems of students by specifically targeting the teacher’s instruction; maximizing the academic fit or “match” between the student, task, and the instruction. The most prominent influence in IC’s theoretical background is Len Vygotsky’s notion that it is “impossible to evaluate the individual without also considering other significant people and institutions in the community” (Bjorklund, 2012, 77). This sociocultural theory emphasizes the role that adult (or more knowledgeable peer) interaction plays in a child’s development. In particular, Vygotsky posits that adult instruction is most effective when it comports with the child’s zone of proximal development (ZPD), the “potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more co...
Adults are self-motivated. They learn best by building on what they already know and when they are actively engaged (Lindeman, 2010). The approach of adult education revolves around non-vocational ideals and is based on experience rather than subjects (Lindeman, 2010). It helps adults gain knowledge about their powers, capacities, and limitations (Funnell et al, 2012).
Decades of research proves partnerships between schools and families not only enhance children’s learning and achievement, it is also mutually beneficial to the families and educators. As an early childhood educator, my philosophy is rooted in establishing and maintaining a strong and effective partnership with families and communities that can help children and their families thrive. My approach focuses on effective communication between family and school, respect for diversity, and promoting learning at home.
Practitioner-scholars are challenged to identify specific knowledge that will influence interests within a specific situation (Silapante & Aram, 2003). Throughout the literature, the positive impact of parent involvement, effective parent collaboration, and positive school outcomes have been documented across varying degrees of socioeconomic status and demographics (Lee & Bowen, 2006). Literature also revealed that in rural, impoverished areas, sustaining positive parent relationships that were relevant and meaningful between home and school were laborious and challenging (Semke & Sheridan,
Collaboration between school and family is necessary to successfully create a positive, enriched, learning environment for the student. There are a few ways that parents can achieve this: positive support of school participation including homework, communicating with the school on a regular basis, volunteering in the school, a...
I started going back to college a couple of semesters ago and I immediately noticed that when I was doing my homework, readings or discussions; my children started sitting with me at the kitchen table eager to do their homework. It used to be a chore to have my children sit down and concentrate on their academics as they wanted to go play, but now their main focus when coming home from school is to sit with Daddy and do their homework with me. My children are excited every time they get a good grade, when they have a graded paper with a good grade, they come home and the first thing they do is run up to me and show me their grade with bright eyes and a smile going from ear to ear. Since I have gone back to college there have even been multiple comments made by their teachers that they have seen as drastic change in my kid’s attitudes towards school. Because children's positive attitude about school often results in improved behavior in school and less suspension for disciplinary reasons., children have better self-esteem, are more self-disciplined, and show higher aspirations and motivation toward school, and children generally achieve better grades, test scores, and attendance due to the fact that they are more interested as there parent is back in school. Parents going back to school create a positive learning environment that encourages learning
At this center, the teachers have the tools to assess each child and the parents are interested in knowing the strengths and supports their child needs. The article Understanding Families, states that there should be “opportunities for families to discuss their beliefs about their children, what they want for their children, and how they support their children’s development” (Christian, 7). As conferences occur every 6 months, parents also communicate with the school and teachers via email and during drop off and pick up times. Another great example of parent communication is in the article Building Bridges from School to Home.
Family and teacher involvement is a necessary factor when it comes to the growth of children. As noted in the article, “What Does it Mean to Educate the Whole Child,” “collaboration occurs within and outside the schools among teachers, between teachers and parents, among teachers in different schools, among teachers and related services personnel (e.g., speech therapist, audiologist, counselor, psychologist, reading specialist), and among teachers and community agency personnel” (What Does it Mean, n.d., p. 14). When families and key stakeholders within the school system collaborate together it aids with the barriers of a child's learning progression. Collaboration helps by providing the support the children need for their intellectual, social,
Parent engagement is an important aspect I have gained interest on. As Henderson, the author of Beyond the Bake Sale: How School Districts Can Promote Family Involvement states, “For a district to be serious about closing the achievement gap, it will also have to be serious about closing the gap between schools that do and do not welcome partnerships with families. All of us- teachers, parents, administrators… must work together to make this happen.” (Henderson, 2008). It takes teamwork and speaking out/ reaching out to see the
Because it is strongly community based, popular education takes a wide variety of forms. However, the process usually follows a pattern or cycle described as action/reflection/action (Arnold and Burke 1983) or practice/theory/practice (Mackenzie 1993). Beginning with people's experience, the community initiates problem identification; then they reflect on and analyze the problem, broadening it from local to global in order to develop theory; next, participants plan and carry out action for change. Adult educators can facilitate the process by serving as democratic collaborators who ensure that learning takes place and leadership and self-direction develop in the group (Arnold and Burke 1983). Facilitators keep the group on track and encourage participation, but they should also try to foster a longer-term perspective on the problems addressed, helping the group place the issues in social, historical, and political context (Bates 1996).
Many parents want to be an active part in ensuring their child is achieving in school. It is the responsibility of the parent to know and understand school rules and policies, as well as understand disciplinary actions to be taken if rules and policies are not followed. Parents should work to be involved with their child’s school and assist the school by providing insight and means for correcting unacceptable behavior that happens at school. This would include keeping the school informed of their child’s needs, any changes at home, and requesting information on their child’s performance and behavior at school regularly. Ultimately they should work with school leadership and teachers to encourage good
A lot of children have two main educators in their life; their parents and their teachers. Parents are their first educators, the majority of what a child learns in the first few years of their life is taught by their parents. It is only when the child starts to attend an early years setting that they start to learn from another educator. Both parents and teachers continue being a major influence on their children's learning all throughout school and for the rest of their lives. The parents and the child's school both have important roles to play in the child's education and should therefore work together as a team. Parents can get involved in many different ways such as; getting involved with the school itself by helping in the classroom or supervising lunch and break times, or for those parents who work in the day and cannot find the time to help at the school they can get involved by; reading to their child at home, assisting with homework and other learning activities, teaching them songs or nursery rhymes and letting them help with everyday tasks like cooking, baking and chores. This can be categorised as: Involvement of parents in the school life or involvement of parents in supporting the individual child at home.
Parent involvement is one of the most influential aspects of student motivation. The parents are the initial teachers of the child before the child goes to school and encounters education through a teacher. If a parent is completely engaged in the learning process with a child, there can be growth between the child and the parent simultaneously. The parents set an example for the child, so that the child understands that help is in the classroom and at home. Alma Wright, a first and second grade teacher, believes that parents in the classroom are a good way to stimulate children. She says, “Their active participation is a positive influence. The school is open for parents to share their talents and motivate their children” (Drew, Olds, and Olds, 1974, p. 71).
There are many benefits to teachings having a good relationship with the student’s family, guardian, or parents. Teachers should begin the school year with building positive relationships with the student’s families. In the book it mentions that there is ongoing research that indicates the benefits of family involvement in children’s education. Some of these benefits mentioned were children earning higher grades, tend to have better attendance, have higher rates of homework completion, and are more motivated and have positive attitudes towards school. Through the reading it also emphasizes on the increase in family involvement in children’s education will result in a decrease in students participating in substance abuse and violence. Students