An A For Effort

Written by Nisha Morris

OC-Based Child Intervention Programs Bridge the Gap to Parent Involvement and Student Success

Dave and Jennifer Cunningham both work full-time in the medical field, but once they come home, their real job begins. As parents of two elementary school-aged children, being involved with their children’s activities—especially their schoolwork—is an integral part of the daily routine.

The Cunningham’s spends 2-3 hours each night with their children making learning less formal and more fun. “We understand that our child’s success depends on our level of involvement, and there is no cost to us except for our time. The teachers are always keeping us informed and we try our best to be active in their curriculum. It is truly a team effort,” Jennifer says.

“We let the kids do science experiments at the kitchen table, read silly books to encourage reading, cook together to help them understand the importance of nutrition and learn how to spell a word while trying to hop on one foot—this makes them really concentrate and everyone usually ends up in giggles.”

The Cunningham’s parenting style is certainly a far stretch from Amy Chua, whose controversial book “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother” depicts her candid admission of maternal ruthlessness and stringent, disciplined academic parenting style. American parents were shocked that Chua didn’t allow her two daughters to have sleepovers and play dates, choose their own extracurricular activities and get any grade less than an A.

While her strict, uncompromising values left thousands in horror and shock, some families consider her childrearing ways to be motivation to become more involved in their child’s life.

According to decades of research, there is a positive and convincing relationship between parent involvement and student success. Data further reveals that regardless of the family’s economic, racial or cultural background, as long as a parent is involved in their child’s education, the results are usually positive. Yet, lack of parental involvement is one of the biggest problems facing the public school system today.

Between demanding work schedules, family responsibilities, frequent errands and cooking for what sometimes seems like a small army, it can be nearly impossible to find time to be in yet another place at another time, all school year long. The current economic condition isn’t helping things either. The effects are permeating our schools and classrooms. Parents are experiencing increasing levels of anxiety, stress and discontent as the realities of the financial crisis impact their lives, making it harder and harder to be involved in a child’s curricular and extra-curricular activities.

The Importance of Parental Involvement

When parents are in tune with school happenings, it reinforces the child’s view that school and home are connected and that school is an integral part of the whole family’s life. Greater levels of parental involvement result in higher grades, test scores and graduation rates; better school attendance and self-esteem; increased motivation and lower rates of suspension.

When asked whether parental involvement has a direct impact on student success, Dr. Linda Clinard, Early Literacy Consultant with the Children and Families Commission of Orange County Early Literacy Program, responded, “Absolutely. In fact, I would add that well-informed, engaged parents who stand alongside their child and guide them in fun, nurturing and loving techniques where the child feels valued and respected, is what drives student success. Children will respond positively when you tell them what they are doing RIGHT instead of what they are doing wrong.”

Parents need to be encouraged to become partners with schools in a sustained way at every level through advocacy, decision-making and oversight roles, and as volunteers and para-professionals. Most importantly, parents can support their children’s learning success by emphasizing experiences that are part of everyday life: reading road signs, finding groceries on a family shopping list, making good choices about food on menus. By connecting learning to everyday experiences, children can begin to see links between what they are learning in school to success in school and in the real world.

Dr. Clinard concludes, “In order for all of this to work, as a community, we can’t compete to support families. We need to collaborate.”

OC Solutions

Most students—elementary, middle and high school—want their families to be more knowledgeable partners regarding schooling and are willing to take active rolls in assisting communication between home and school.
But for many parents, the struggle is finding the right way to be involved.

“At the elementary level, there seems to be a very clear understanding of how parents can be involved in their child’s academic success, whereas at the high school and college levels, parents struggle to find ways to continue to be involved,” says Dr. Conroy, Director of Teacher Education and Student Affairs at University of California, Irvine.

Orange County education experts recognize the obstacles faced by many OC residents and are working in conjunction with local school districts to find solutions to increase parent involvement. Among those working toward a solution is the organization THINK Together. Serving eight schools, with over 500 enrollees, THINK Together is an extended learning provider that gives children and parents the resources to reach maximum potential and succeed in life. Their early literacy program is designed for families who understand the importance of involvement but don’t have the resources or struggle to find the time. Each week, THINK Together gives low-income communities access to rich print materials via a bright red bag, a national program they’ve adopted called Raising a Reader. Books are delivered to homes—making literacy attainable and convenient. This award-winning program does more than tell parents what “should” be done; it helps foster family involvement, overcome the challenges of illiteracy and enforce healthy living behaviors. 

Nadia Flores, Director of Community Outreach (and former student) at THINK Together adds, “There are many ways parents can help their children in the educational journey. Parents can volunteer at their child’s school, join school improvement teams that make policy recommendations or work directly with their own child’s learning activities. One type of involvement is not better than others. The important thing is that parents become involved to help their children succeed in school. At THINK Together, we meet the parents where they are at. We provide the tools on how to empower parents to be a partner in their child’s education.”

Although most parents struggle to best help their children with their education, with guidance and support, they may become increasingly involved in home learning activities and find opportunities to teach, guide and be models for their children.

“We make it a point to spend quality time with our kids,” says Joyce Middleton, mother of two teenage kids and resident of Laguna Niguel, CA. “Instead of television, we spend an hour every night talking to our children. It’s during this time we are able to learn about their needs, struggles and achievement. It’s what helps us stay connected.” 

The Orange County Department of Education’s (OCDE) “Family Involvement Network” (FIN) is another program aimed at helping parents find a place in their child’s education. The FIN group meets quarterly to address the question: “What does it look like to engage parents and families in meaningful ways to support student success?”

FIN includes school, district and community representatives from across the county. The goal of the group is to share research, strategies and successful practices for building partnership with parents and families. Members have an opportunity to network with counterparts, share resources, and discuss their needs. 

OCDE also hosts an annual Parent Support Services Faire where individuals and teams of Orange County school-site and district-level decision makers, administrators, parent and community liaisons, PTA members, school site council members, counselors and school psychologists come together to share ideas and learn about the community needs. In its third year, the Faire has drawn over 45 vendors and more than 200 participants. It’s a powerful program that brings together industry leaders, influencers and significant participants to research services in the areas of community resources, parent classes and parent publications.  

“If parents take an approach of ‘I am part of the team, I want to participate in my child’s education at school AND at home’ and if teachers and administrators take an approach of ‘I am part of the team, I want to provide in-school opportunities and at-home tools for parents to support their children,’ solutions can be reached,” says Vanessa Galey, Coordinator of Assessment and Accountability at the Orange County Department of Education.

Building Partnerships

Whether private or public, schools understand the need for partnership. Fusion Academy & Learning Center is a school that understands the power of parent involvement, offering custom learning solutions and therapeutic services to students in grades 6 through 12. Fusion prides itself on the level of communication enforced throughout their curriculum.

“At Fusion Academy we are consistently engaging with our parents. Each student and family has a lead teacher who serves as the main point of contact. There is regular parent communication in the form of daily notes, calls and emails home with critical feedback. Additionally, we schedule meetings frequently to go over goals and progress toward those goals. There is definitely a collaborative approach to helping the child succeed in school,” says Maryam Pourmohsen, Head of School.

Parents want to know what their children are learning, what school activities they are involved in and how they as parents can specifically be involved with their children’s education and school activities.

Overall, what experts find is that communication is the key. Schools and teachers need to make contact with parents—in person, on the phone, through e-mail and websites, notes sent home, and through newsletters. Teachers need to talk to parents in a manner that avoids “educational jargon” and ensure that parents have regular access to readable information about their children’s school activities—both in and out of the classroom.

OCDE, along with dedication and reinforcement by public and private schools in providing this information regularly, and in various formats helps bridge the gap between schools lacking parental involvement and parents not being involved in the schools.

Simple Ways To Stay Involved

Families whose children are doing well in school exhibit common characteristics; below are some important tips to make your home a rich environment for learning:

• Establish A Daily Family Routine It is important to provide your child both a quiet place and time to study. Be sure to have dinner together and assign responsibility for household chores and communicate bedtime schedules.
• Monitor Out-Of-School Activities Set limits on TV watching, check on your child frequently and arrange for after-school activities and supervised care.
• Model The Value Of Learning, Self-Discipline and Hard Work Communicate with your child and lead by example.
• Express High-but-Realistic Expectations for Achievement Set goals and standards that are appropriate for your child’s age and maturity level. Recognize and encourage special talents, informing friends and family about your child’s achievements.
• Encourage Development/Progress in School Maintain a warm and supportive home, showing interest in your child’s improvement at school. Help with homework and discuss the value of a good education and possible career options through partnership with teachers and school staff.
• Encourage Reading, Writing and Discussions Among Family Members Read to your child and listen to your child read. Be sure to talk about the subject afterward.