Seattle Public Schools | Family Involvement

Family Involvement Ideas from Seattle Schools
Family Partnerships school sites are working on aligning their family involvement plans to their annual academic goals and tailoring their activities to the needs and desires of their families. They are also making sure that families are included in the planning and coordination of the activities themselves. Besides grants to schools, the Family Partnerships Project provides coaching, training, resources, and technical assistance to schools so that they learn how to create targeted family involvement programs or improve existing ones. OUTSTANDING EXAMPLES Parent Leadership Training A group of moms and dads have graduated from Beacon Hill Elementary’s first PELT (Parent Effectiveness Leadership Training). This program consists of a 6-week series of classes for moms and dads that teach how to understand the school system, how to communicate with school staff, participate in school meetings, become and involved parent, etc. After completing the program, parents plan to take on leadership and decision-making roles in the school. Computers For Families that Volunteer and Learn High Point Elementary has created a family involvement program that enables families to earn computers, software or educational materials. To do this, each family accumulates points by volunteering at the school, attending computer classes, ESL and/or parenting classes throughout the school year. They later redeemed their points for a computer or software. A company that refurbishes used computers provides them to the school at a very low cost for this project. This program has met with resounding success as families continue to be involved in school even after they have attained the prize they sought. Home Visits School staff and the Principal of the Secondary Bilingual Orientation Center decided to visit each of their students’ families at home this school year. The visits allowed them to meet the families, establish relationships, and answer their questions about the school. This successful venture has led improved communication with families and the staff’s greater understanding of the lives and cultures of their students. ESL/Life Skills Classes After assessing the needs of their families, several schools have partnered with community organizations or hired instructors to offer English as a Second Language for families. The classes incorporate: Civics, Life Skills, Computer skills, and Adult Literacy Skills. The following Elementary schools currently offering ESL classes for adults are: Kimball, High Point, Olympic Hills, Northgate, Hawthorne, Sanislo, John Stanford International. Integrating Best Practices into Academics Stevens Elementary FP Team and Principal have worked on total integration of parent involvement practices into every part of their building academic goals. The school’s Transformation Plan include parents as resources and partners. They offer family education events throughout the school year and are planning a Parent Forum this spring to recruit parent members for their Equity Committee. The School Garden and Grounds Committee A large group of parents and staff members at Kimball Elementary have been involved in the creation and implementation of a 5-year landscaping and beautification of the school grounds plan. They recently met with a community-based group interested in adopting Kimball as a long-term project. A schematic drawing of the plans, prepared by a parent, was unveiled at the meeting. Parent Classroom Mentors Sacajawea Elementary has established a classroom Parent Mentor system whereby designated parents are in charge of personally contacting families and inviting them to school activities or answering questions about the school. Teachers fill out forms notifying the mentors about upcoming activities they want families to participate in --anything from classroom parties to school-wide events. The mentors particularly focus on reaching out to bilingual or uninvolved families. Training and monthly meetings for the mentors are provided. Breaking Down High School Barriers A great number of Rainier Beach High School staff volunteered take part in the “Breaking Down Barriers” project to establish good communication and relationships with parents of 9th graders. They staff received a list of 8-10 families to call periodically and communicate good news about their student, inform them of upcoming events or find out if they have questions or needs. If the caller finds out any family needs or issues, the information is routed to the Family Partnerships Team. Staff receive training and continuous support from the FP team. A Partnership with the Department of Neighborhoods Hamilton International Middle School has been awarded a $6,000 grant from the City of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods to make the front of their school building more attractive and welcoming. Two parents, professional landscapers, have volunteered to spearhead the planning process and numerous parents have signed up to head the implementation process. The project will include a mural with an international theme, a garden, street trees, benches and an outside meeting area. Spreading the Involvement Word FP staff from Partners for Successful Schools (Van Asselt, Emerson, Wing Luke, and Graham Hill Elementaries) and from Hawthorne Elementary have been writing a series of articles that have been published by community newspapers. Their goal is to inform their neighbors of the good things happening at those schools. Other schools, such as Hamilton International Middle School and John Stanford International Elementary send out quarterly newsletters (theirs is called Global Outlook) to other schools, businesses, and others in the neighborhood informing them of school happenings. Cut and Chat Olympic Hills Elementary hosts weekly Cut and Chat sessions that involves PTA and ESL parents. The Cut and Chat group works on classroom projects for teachers while forming friendships. This activity helps bilingual parents practice their English language skills and familiarize themselves with the school. The group has recently begun to take larger projects and practice their leadership skills. Bilingual Parent Groups Kimball Elementary has a Spanish Speaking Parent Group, who meet frequently to develop relationships with each other and learn how to be more involved in the school and in their children's education. Hawthorne Elementary hosts a annual “Bilingual Family Meeting” where parents are grouped according to their native languages and with the help of interpreters provide the school with their input as to what programs they’d like to see offered in the school the next year and what needs they have. The parents are also given academic and school information. Focusing On Academics Tutoring sessions provided at home was a need for a group of Loyal Heights Elementary students and their families. The school hired a teacher to provide home tutoring and study skills. The activity involves not only teaching the students but also teaching parents how to create a good learning environment and how to help their kids with homework. Washington Middle School is proposing to offer a 5-week “Summer Academy” for 100 incoming sixth graders. The program will have a very strong parent involvement component where parents and students will have to commit to jointly work on academics and enrichment activities. Rainier View Elementary hosted Science, Reading, and Math Family Nights throughout the school year in partnership with community organizations and included resources for parents. Meeting Families Where They Live B.F. Day Elementary has taken their parent meetings and parent education workshops on the road. Through their needs assessment they found that a great number of their bilingual families live in South Seattle so they have been hosting meetings and providing classes in a Family Center located near to where families live. Food and interpreters are also provided. Supporting Parents Through a Network Interagency Academy Alternative High School has created a staff position called “Parent Supporter” who works in partnership with the Volunteer Coordinator to establish relationships with parents, calling families to invite them to activities and serving as a liaison among the various IA sites. They have created the Parent Network, a program that offers quarterly parent education classes throughout the school year. Topics presented include: Maximizing Learning and Nutrition. Top Family Partnerships • 206-252-0992 • lrslater@seattleschools.org