Review and Evaluate Work of Parent Centers and Parent Training Programs
By Mary Johnson and Valerie Munoz
Alert: All materials on this website are copyright Parent-U-Turn 2006-20009
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Get Involved! Strengthen Your Parent Involvement Today
Parents can be powerful stakeholders of change and reform in our public schools. In regions across the country, parents who are stereotyped by race, economic status, or language, are leading pioneers to improve school accountability and demanding quality education for all students.
We believe that significant reform can happen in California:
• when parents are genuinely engaged in their children’s education;
• when a support structure for parent involvement is developed and strengthened.
Require that a Parent Center be the Hub for all School Sites
Three Levels of Parent Structures for 21st Century Parent Centers
1. Building Local Parent Capacity:
· Help parents navigate the school system
· Provide parent counseling
· Support individual and collective parent efforts to address issues and improve conditions on their campuses
· Provide parents with training on leadership and governance skills
2. Parent Space
• Provide space for parent organizations to share ideas/strategies
• Provide advanced training to engage parents in advocacy
• Conduct independent analysis of policies affecting children
• Provide forum for groups to express their concerns/issues
3. Parent Center As Hub For School Site
• Act as information clearinghouse
• Refer parents to social service agencies
The following recommendations outline a comprehensive approach to parent engagement with the potential of making a significant impact to increase academic achievement and provide more equity and access to quality education in
California. The following represents our vision and objectives to implement the best practices that would work in our California schools:
Recommendation # 1 (Required)-- Promote and improve parent engagement training so that parents are meaningfully involved in the education of their children at home, in their schools and in their communities.
As highlighted above, because of numerous structural and personal barriers, many parents are prevented from being involved in their children's education. What are needed are strength, encouragement and recognition for all parents. This must go hand-in-hand with advocacy training and engagement opportunities.
Parent engagement and training includes, but is not limited to, helping their children with homework and helping to fundraise for the school. The continuum of parent training includes: 1) guiding their children’s education beyond high school to universities; 2) volunteering in the classroom and the schools; 3) playing a role in authentic decision-making for the school.
Recommendation # 2 (Required)-- Build and Support Independent Parent Engagement Structures.
While PTAs often do play important roles in supporting the school programs and administration, they are often not able to address the needs and concerns of many parents. Some schools are forming their own parent booster clubs to support school events.
Recommendation# 3--Providing Leadership Training is another key role for a parent center. It is often repeated in parent circles that school and district staff are following district directives and have vested interests in preserving the status quo rather than in training parent leaders to become advocates for their children...
The trainings need to be provided to all parents in a friendly environment and be culturally friendly. Leadership training topics may include:
• Training on how to volunteer in their school, how to navigate the school system, and how to advocate for the benefit of children;
• Training on parental responsibilities, such as information on how to help your child with homework, how to participate in a parent teacher conference, and knowing the “A-G” requirements;
• Training about parents' and students’ rights so that they can be advocates for their children.
• Training on how to collect, analyze and use data about their schools for effective advocacy;
• Training on School Budget, Advisory Committees, School Councils, and Leadership Team to be equal partners as decision-makers on campus;
Recommendation # 4 (Required)--Parent Liaison will serve as connective function
linking parents to community resources. This position should be full a time job, and not a three-hour position. (Required)
The parent liaison center will provide direct services to parents. Also the
parent center will act as a resource to help meet the needs of the whole child and the whole family. Parents will receive referrals to local independent agencies in their area for assistance with school and education-related issues, and referrals to
agencies for social services, health and other needs.
Recommendation # 5 (Required)-- Parent Center will serve a research function for parents and community members.
One ongoing challenge parents face is the lack of accessible and user-friendly data on student achievement, school conditions or staffing, and other key issues. The center could assess the availability of this information and make recommendations on ways to improve the available of data to parents. The center could also disseminate data regarding the school site and district.
Recommendation # 6 (Required)--The parent center can help build the capacity of parents for the school.
Parents could go to the resource center when they need to find specific information to help meet their needs, or to learn about other parent engagement models or strategies.
