Six Types of Involvement

• Memos, notices, report cards, conferences, newsletters, phone calls, computerized messages
• Information on school programs, tests, and children’s progress
• Information to choose or change schools, courses, programs, or activities

Home-to-School Communications

• Two-way channels of communication for questions and interactions

• Conferences with every parent at least once a year with follow-ups as needed
• Language translators to assist families as needed
• Folders of student work sent home weekly or monthly for parent review and comments
• Parent and student pickup of report cards
• Regular schedule of useful notices, memos, phone calls, and other communications
• Effective newsletters including information about questions, reactions, and suggestions
• Clear information about choosing schools, and selecting courses, programs, and activities within schools
• Clear information on all school policies, programs, reforms, assessments, and transitions
• Annual survey of families on students’ needs and families’ suggestions and reactions to school programs

• Make all memos, notices, and other print and nonprint communications clear and understandable for ALL families
• Obtain ideas from families to improve the design and content of communications such as newsletters, report cards, and conference schedules

• “Communications about school programs and student progress” are not only from school to home, but also from home to school and with the community.

• Awareness of own progress in subjects and skills
• Knowledge of actions needed to maintain or improve grades
• Awareness of own role as courier and communicator in partnerships

• High rating of quality of the school
• Support for child’s progress and responses to correct problems
• Ease of interactions and communications with school and teachers

• Ability to communicate clearly
• Use of network of parents to communicate with all families

• In schools or classrooms: Assist administrators, teachers, students, or parents as aides, tutors, coaches, lecturers, chaperones, and other leaders
• For schools or classrooms: Assist school programs and children’s progress from any location at any time
• As audiences: Attend assemblies, performances, sports events, recognition and award ceremonies, celebrations, and other events

• Annual survey to identify interests, talents, and availability of volunteers
• Parent room or family center for volunteer work, meetings, and resources for families
• Class parent, telephone tree, or other structures to provide all families with needed information
• Parent patrols to increase school safety
• Annual review of schedules for students’ performances, games, and assemblies to encourage all families to attend as daytime and evening audiences

• Recruit widely, provide training, and create flexible schedules for volunteers so that all families know that their time and talents are welcomed and valued

• “Volunteer” not only means those who come during the school day, but also those who support school goals and children’s learning any way, any time.

• Skills that are tutored or taught by volunteers
• Skills in communicating with adults

• Understanding of the teacher’s job
• Self-confidence about ability to work in school and with children
• Enrollment in programs to improve own education

• Readiness to involve all families in new ways, not only as volunteers
• More individual attention to students because of help from volunteers

• How to help at home with homework
• Required skills to pass each subject
• Curriculum-related decisions
• Other skills and talents

• Information for families on required skills in all subjects at each grade
• Information on homework policies and how to monitor and discuss schoolwork at home
• Information on how to assist students with skills that they need to improve
• Regular schedule of interactive homework that requires students to demonstrate and discuss what they are learning in class
• Calendars with daily or weekly activities for parents and students to do at home or in the community
• Summer learning packets or activities
• Family participation in helping students set academic goals each year and plan for college or work

• Design and implement interactive homework for which students take responsibility to discuss important classwork and ideas with their families

• “Homework” not only means work that students do alone, but also interactive activities that students share and discuss with others at home.
• “Help” at home means how families encourage and guide children, not how they “teach” school subjects.

• Skills, abilities, and test scores linked to classwork, homework completion
• View of parent as more similar to teacher, and home in sync with school
• Self-confidence in ability as learner and positive attitude about school

• Discussions with child about school, classwork, homework, and future plans
• Understanding curriculum, what child is learning, and how to help each year

• Respect of family time
• Satisfaction with family involvement and support
• Recognition that single-parent, dual-income, and low-income families can encourage and assist student learning

• PTA/PTO membership, participation, leadership, representation
• Advisory councils, school improvement teams
• Title I councils, school-site management teams, other committees
• Independent school advisory groups

• Active PTA/PTO or other parent organizations, advisory councils, or committees (e.g., curriculum, safety, personnel) for parent leadership and participation
• Action Team for School, Family, and Community Partnerships to oversee the development of the school’s program with practices for all six types of involvement
• District-level advisory councils and committees
• Information on school or local elections for school representatives
• Networks to link all families with parent representatives
• Independent advocacy groups to lobby for school reform and improvements

• Include parent leaders from all racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and other groups in the school
• Offer training for parent leaders to develop leadership skills
• Include student representatives along with parents in decision making

• “Decision making” means a process of partnership to share views and take action toward shared goals for school improvement and student success, not a power struggle.

• Awareness that families’ views are represented in school decisions
• Specific benefits linked to policies enacted by parent organizations

• Awareness of and input to policies that affect children’s education
• Shared experiences and connections with other families

• Awareness of families’ perspectives in policies and school decisions
• Acceptance of equality of family representatives on school committees

• Business partners, agencies, cultural groups, health services, recreation, and other groups and programs

• Service learning, special projects to share talents and solve local problems

• View Community Partnership Charts to learn how schools connect with community partners to reach goals for student success
• Information for students and families on community health, cultural, recreational, social support, and other programs or services
• Information on community activities that link to learning skills and talents, including summer programs for students
• “One-stop” shopping for family services through partnerships of school, counseling, health, recreation, job training, and other agencies
• Service to the community by students, families, and schools (e.g., recycling projects; art, music, drama, and activities for senior citizens; tutoring or coaching programs
• Participation of alumni in school programs for students
• School-business partnerships

• Solve problems of turf, responsibilities, funds, and goals
• Inform all families and students about community programs and services, and ensure equal opportunities for services and participation

• “Community” includes not only families with children in the schools, but also all who are interested in and affected by the quality of education.
• Communities are rated not only on economic qualities, but also on the strengths and talents available to support students, families, and schools.

• Knowledge, skills, and talents from enriched curricular and extracurricular experiences and explorations of careers
• Self-confidence and feeling valued by and belonging to the community

• Knowledge and use of local resources to increase skills and talents or to obtain needed services for family
• Interactions with other families, and contributions to community

• Knowledge and use of community resources for improving curriculum and instruction
• Strategies to enable students to learn about and contribute to the community