Publications
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Publications
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| OPSOA Speaks - September 1994 | ||||||||||
| Parent Involvement and Learning | ||||||||||
| This is an executive summary of a paper researched and written by Dr. Peter N. Ross. This paper was initiated by four Directors of Education who are OPSOA members. A complete copy of the paper is available from the OPSOA offices. The research is virtually unanimous: parent involvement makes a fundamental difference to student success. Coleman asserts that parents are withdrawing from the prominent role they once played in schools and schooling, to the detriment of children. As they contribute less to socialization, they deprive their children of the possibility of benefiting fully from schools. When parents do become involved, they undertake a variety of tasks, including basic parental obligations, reinforcement of school work at home, assistance at schools, and participation on advisory councils. The forms of involvement that yield the greatest gains for children are those that include instructional activities. Involvement in governance may provide benefits for parents, but, Fullan notes, there is little evidence to show a relationship between parents participating in school governance and improved student achievement. One study in New Haven that provided parents with a multiplicity of activities, including governance, did find that there were significant gains in achievement. There are many reasons for involving parents in schools: better long-term academic achievement, higher grades, greater motivation, fewer retention's in grades, fewer behaviour problems, and fewer school dropouts. The most fundamental reason for inviting parental involvement is that parents are responsible for the welfare of their children. Cooperation between families and schools ensures that both become more effective. The most obvious connection between parent involvement and schooling is academic achievement. When parents are involved, students achieve better. Epstein, who has conducted extensive research on this issues, states: "The evidence is clear that parental encouragement, activities, and interest at home and parental participation in schools and classrooms positively influence achievement, even after the student's ability and family socioeconomic status are taken into account." Student achievement is affected by the conditions for learning established by parents, their interest in schoolwork, particular behaviours demonstrated by parents, the closeness of values between schools and families, and the use of homework to increase time-on-task. In order to support improved learning, boards need to encourage greater parent involvement. What Is significant is the design of a systematic approach that is grounded in a set of carefully considered purposes. Out of the statement of purpose will emerge goals to support involvement. Clearly, a new model of home-school relationships that represents a significant shift in thinking about the role of parents in the school is required. The obstacles to success in forming this model are many, including values about parental roles, attitudes about changing the role, lack of skill in enabling parents to participate, lack of imagination about what is possible, and a lack of political will to pursue change. Leadership from central office is essential, especially in the area of policy-making. Both the process of writing the policy and its substance are important. The real arena for change, however, is the local school. The principal has to support the enlargement of parent involvement through setting the tone, training, and using the belief that all families have a right to be involved in decisions affecting their children, a willingness to develop outreach activities, a willingness to provide education for parents, and a commitment to including the under-involved and under-served. Both teachers and parents require training: the former to acquire skills and strategies that enhance cooperation and the latter to acquire information, confidence, and instructional skill. | ||||||||||
| LOCAL SCHOOL COUNCILS | ||||||||||
| The following is excerpted from "Local School Councils... Where We Stand", a position of the American Association of School Administrators. Copies are available from AASA. | ||||||||||
| Getting People Involved | ||||||||||
| Greater community involvement... empowerment... responsiveness. These words and the ideas they represent are having a profound effect on all public institutions, including schools. Through personal contact, surveys, advisory councils, parent groups, shared decision making, school-based management, and many other means, schools have diligently worked to keep their key publics engaged. Now another type of involvement has entered the education arena --- local school councils, which sometimes have other names, such as school site councils, management councils, and accountability committees. Whatever they're called, these councils, sometimes appointed and sometimes elected, serve at the local school level. Their functions vary from providing advice to making far-reaching and delicate educational decisions affecting students and staff. Whether local school councils are appropriate largely depends on the way they are structured. If they are organized to provide advice on policy and to counsel those charged with ultimate responsibility for the governance and administration of local schools, then their contributions can be valuable. If, on the other hand, they are organized in a way that leads to time-consuming conflict, power struggles, and continual ambiguity about who is responsible for what, they will become a distraction. When that happens, the councils can lead to frustration, a lack of focus and accountability, and ultimately, the loss of talented professional educators. What Should Councils Avoid? Many educators agree on what local school councils should avoid. For example, they should not: | ||||||||||
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| Five Steps in Effective Local School Council Operation | ||||||||||
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To serve local school needs most effectively, a council must be systematic in its approach to assignments. Here are five basic steps for getting organized: | ||||||||||
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| Local School Councils... To Be or Not To Be | ||||||||||
| Whether local school councils improve education and how they do this are legitimate topics for discussion and debate. The structure of local school councils and how they fit into the governance system are key factors in determining if they will enhance education or cause a serious distraction from the primary task of our schools --- ensuring student learning. OPSOA Speaks is published intermittently by the Ontario Public Supervisory Officials' Association, 690 Dorval Drive, Suite 405, Oakville, ON. L6K 3W7, (416) 845-7003 or 1-800-663-9606, FAX (416) 845-2044. It is compiled from material supplied by the OPSOA members and from information gathered independently. The views expressed are meant to be interesting and informative and generally reflect the position of OPSOA. Articles, comments and letters to the editor are welcome. EDITOR: Rae G. Stoness, Executive Director, OPSOA | ||||||||||
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