California Superintendent of Schools Jack O’Connell swept
through Gilroy this week. At a summit that explored parental
involvement, the solutions given reflected our infatuation with
technology and hope in it as a panacea for all our educational
ills. It also shows that with the growth of technology, we have
forgotten the very basis of building a sound relationship
– a face-to-face conversation.
California Superintendent of Schools Jack O’Connell swept through Gilroy this week. At a summit that explored parental involvement, the solutions given reflected our infatuation with technology and hope in it as a panacea for all our educational ills. It also shows that with the growth of technology, we have forgotten the very basis of building a sound relationship – a face-to-face conversation.
Reliance on technology and fliers home as primary communications tools only fuels the misconception that parents are apathetic, which is untrue. I’m interested. I can use a computer, but you won’t catch me accessing a school Web site. These tools aren’t effective at establishing trust with those who have a major impact on my family.
Educators and experts alike recognize the need for parental involvement in public schools, but few strategies have actually had lasting or comprehensive impact. However, examples from Texas and even right here in California have a very effective way of increasing parental involvement: pay teachers stipends to visit the parents of their students at the family homes.
Based on three years of evaluations by CSU Sacramento of a teacher home visit program, home visits make huge strides in improvements in student attendance, parental involvement, student discipline, and feelings of trust, mutual respect, empowerment, and accountability by all parties involved. All of this leads to a marked increase in student achievement.
I witnessed this with my own eyes in Austin in the mid-90’s. After Zavala Elementary School, located in low-income, mostly minority east Austin, was threatened with closure by the Texas Education Agency, parents and teachers came together to save their school.
They started with “Walks for Success,” during which teachers and folks from neighborhood churches visited parents of each child in the school. The teachers introduced themselves to parents, listened to them talk about their children, invited parents to visit the classroom, and to approach them with any questions or concerns any time. They followed up with phone calls. This very simple beginning launched an incredibly effective partnership that addressed many community issues, not just education.
Instead of the “curriculum of the moment” type of reforms, the teachers, parents and school administration worked together to develop specific reforms that met the needs of Zavala’s students.
After two years, Zavala changed its status from an under-performing “woefully inadequate” school to a high achieving national model. Federal education officials and others from around the nation visited to learn about the “miracle at Zavala.”
Based on the experience of Sacramento schools, teacher home visits have the following immediate impacts:
n Knowing the context of a student’s life at home more fully informs the teacher and influences the way she teaches and interacts with the student at school, leading to strategies that improve the student’s learning.
n Parents begin to view the school differently – as a more inviting place, staffed by people who care about them and know them personally. They are more likely to respond to paper requests for attendance at school functions and to initiate contact with the school once personal contact on a one-to-one level has been made and a relationship has been established.
n The home visit facilitates the development of real strategies between teachers and parents to
help them both teach the student. Parents become co-educators of their children.
n The student benefits from a consistent, unified approach to education and teaching from the administration, school staff, teacher and parents. The student is more open to learning from a teacher who is supported by his parents and administration.
A trusting relationship with administrators and teachers is what will increase parental involvement. Teachers are overburdened enough and how can we afford to implement this when we can’t even buy paper? Five percent of Title I money is required to be spent on parent activities and engagement. Many schools typically spend this on instructional aides. However, community organizers involved in this project say that we can get a lot of teacher home visits out of just $10,000.
Also, Carrie Ross of the Parent Teacher Home Visit Project says teacher unions are on board because the positive impacts improve their year and help relieve them of the sole burden of the No Child Left Behind requirements. The union demonstrate their support by providing grants, as do local businesses and corporations.
Carrie Ross’s organization provides training to schools and districts around the state on how to implement and fund such an effort. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel. It’s proven to be successful. Right now, I can’t think of a better investment by Gilroy and Morgan Hill schools.
For more information, contact: Carrie Ross of the Parent Teacher Home Visit Project at 916-643-7917 or ca*************@sb*******.net
