I had a hard time geting parents to volunteer because the ones that were interested had a hard time with their fingers print process. Others also worked to support their family. Some worked so many hours that they don't have time to help their child with homework. A few could not do Kindergarten homework. I knew that they tried and their child's homework were wrong. I would appreciate if you have any suggestions.
Thanks,
Kimsan

As a teacher of 7th grade students, I can tell you that parental involvement is not a luxury, it is a rare treasure! In these fast-paced days of two-income households, soccer games, and single-parent families it is very difficult to cultivate any sort of real and sustained partnership with parents.

In the county where I teach, faculty have wracked their brains to come up with an idea that will attract parents to our PTO Meetings. Typically teachers outnumber parents at these gatherings 3-1. This year each grade level will be responsible for presenting some type of program on a designated PTO night. The conventional wisdom is that we just might get the parents to attend if their student is directly involved in the program. The success of this idea is yet to be determined.

With regard to individual student achievement, I have seen a direct correlation with parental involvement in completion of homework and other written assignments. Those children whose parents frequently call, email, check and sign planners, and attend parent conferences almost always score higher on tests.

In these days of state-mandated testing whose results place teachers under a microscope, it is almost a shame that there is no standard to track and grade parents and the attention they pay to their children's education.

I do believe that parental involvement is essential in a childs educational success. I am always thankful for the few dedicated parents that I have.

Parental involvement always seems to be lacking in low performing schools and low income neighborhoods. Some of this is because children are raised by one parent usually their mother. These women are often very young and didn't finish high school. Most of the time they only come to school when their kids have been suspended or are in some type of trouble.

Sederia,

Memphis, TN

I have a very hard time getting my parents involved. I teach in a low income, high- crime area and it is nearly impossible for me to get parents to attend PTA meetings, conferences, send in supplies, send in field trip money, return phone calls or notes, etc. It is extremely frustrating to me because I feel that my first graders are so dependent on their parents to help them be successful at this delicate age. I have tried family fun nights, positive rewards and contacts, etc but nothing seems to work. I would greatly appreciate any suggestions.

There is no doubt that when parents are involved positively in their child’s learning process, will the child achieve better and higher grades thank students who don’t receive parental involvement. I have seen it with my students. I think that the children need to know that their parents monitor care about their school performance.
The problem is that it’s very hard to get the parents to take part if they choose not to. I have worked with many parents who just gave lousy excuses as to why they couldn’t help their children, and they wouldn’t become convinced that their help and involvement will dramatically help their child.

I feel your pain in regards to the lack of parental involvement. I teach some lower level classes and work hard to get parents involved in their children's success. I make phone calls home, send emails, try and set up meetings, and also get the counselors and administration involved early and often. We also have online grading that parents can access any time and I update my grades every day.

Many of the responses I get back are "tell me how I should raise my kid." Many of the parents are not surprised by poor performance and do not seem to care. I continue to try, but I take the approach: I have 5-6 hours with this child and try and do as much as physically possible. If the parents will not get involved, I try and get these students in for 1:1 help before or after school. They need and should know that I definitely care.

"Parental involvement always seems to be lacking in low performing schools and low income neighborhoods. Some of this is because children are raised by one parent usually their mother. These women are often very young and didn't finish high school. Most of the time they only come to school when their kids have been suspended or are in some type of trouble."

A lot of times this is because the first timet he school's contact the parents is when their child is in trouble. I think the first step for parent involvement is for staff and administrator to understand and truly believe that these parent have the best interest of their child at heart (just like we always want the parent to believe that we have their child's best interest at heart) no matter what their educational background or how young they entered the world of parenting. Working from there we have to start trying to build relationships and working with the card that we have been dealt. You might not have a parent that can come in on a regular basis because they can't take off of work, have no transportation or are intimidated of the school environment..but that same parent might be a great person to send in food items, or might know someone who could donate items to the school fair...we just have to be open to what the parents have to offer and not just what we need. IMO lol

One reason parents fail to become involved in schools is that the parents were failed by the schools in the past. Many do not come to the school eagerly because school has become something to avoid. When schools can help meet the needs of the students and families in harsher neighborhoods, those parents might become less fearful and more interested in working with the school. Keeping the lines of communication open is important even if it was unsuccessful in the past. We should not just throw up our hands and say it is a lost cause.

Kindergartners get homework??!

Kindergartners get homework??!