Recommended Practices
Family-Partnership strategies for schools linked to academic goals
Partnership strategies for elementary school families
For secondary school families
Add an educational component to family events at school
Family-Partnership strategies for schools linked to academic goals
Offer student-parent interactive homework. This keeps families connected to the school’s goals and participating in their student’s education. A good source for interactive homework is:
The National Network of Partnerships Schools – Johns Hopkins University
www.partnershipschools.org. Click on TIPS (Teachers Involve Parents in Schools)- Provide families with home-learning tips connected to the school’s academic goals during all school family events such as music/drama student performances, back to school night, open house, school plays, book fairs, family dinners, PTA meetings, etc.
- Offer family workshops or seminars to explain grade-level academic standards and provide families with examples of the topics being taught in the classroom.
- Schedule quarterly “Family Day” classroom visits for family members or special adults in children’s lives to observe teaching techniques in the classroom.
- Offer family evening events focusing on learning games and activities directly linked to school goals (math, reading, writing, science, technology).
- Publish annual academic goals (translated as needed) in the school and/or PTA newsletter, on reader boards, on the website, etc., throughout the school year. Create laminated posters and display goals (translated as needed) around the school.
- Inform parents of the school’s annual goals, and send strategies and tips to improve student academic progress in all correspondence and media such as:
- Back-to-school packets
- Report cards
- Progress reports
- School newsletters
- Weekly classroom packets
- Student calendars
- Time-keepers
- PTA newsletters
- Event agendas/programs
- Reader boards
- Bulletin boards
- Auto-caller
- School website
- Parent online information site
- School student newspaper
- Display student work throughout the school.
Partnership strategies for elementary school families
- School tours for families
- Grade-level learning packets
- Family visits
- Grade-level parent discussion groups
- Lending libraries
- Family interactive homework
- Parenting workshops
- Health and nutrition education for parents
- Student-led parent-teacher conferences
- Meetings with middle school staff and parents
For secondary school families
- Family visits
- Family workshops to explain courses, electives, credits, graduation requirements, etc.
- Parent-student-counselor sessions for joint college admissions and career planning
- Student-led, parent-teacher conferences
- College and career fairs for families
- Tutors and mentors program for students
- Family classes on puberty, raising teenagers, drug and alcohol prevention/intervention, depression/suicide prevention, etc.
Add an educational component to family events at school
- Back-to-school night - add a guided school building tour for bilingual families
- Family dinner - add parent involvement workshop
- Open house - add community resources fair
- Curriculum night - add cultural heritage fair potluck
- ESL class presentations - add understanding the school system workshop
- Parent-Teacher conference - add student study skills workshop (with interpretation for ELL families)