Credit: Max Seabaugh
In searching for a way to make parent involvement more effective, educators at Turnbull Learning Academy decided to develop a list of the most critical activities that parents should do. Then they assigned points to each activity, which range from helping children track assignments to volunteering at school. Finally, they asked families who choose to enroll their children in the school to commit to earning eighteen points worth of school-involvement credits each month to support their children's learning.
"Parents won't participate in schools just to participate. They'll do it to help their children perform better academically," says Co-principal Barbara Adams.
Turnbull, a magnet school in San Mateo, California, adopted its emphasis on family involvement in 1993 in conjunction with a redesign of its buildings and educational programs. Teachers have noticed that reading skills improve more quickly when students can count on active family involvement. The regular presence of parents at this 300-student school has also created a stronger sense of community.
"Naturally, when parents gather the talk turns to how their kids are doing in school and how they can help one another," says J.B. Tengco, the liaison for Partners in Innovation, an organization that helps Turnbull with its community programs. Parents formed a group to trade services like babysitting, mechanical work, and translation help so they can spend more time helping their children learn.