You Want Us To Do What with Parents?

The National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) has given the Michigan Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) a challenge. “Find colleges of education that are willing to add a parent involvement component to their curriculum and also find school districts that will add parent involvement to their teacher professional development training.”

How about learning meaningful ways to include parents in their child's education and to lead them toward success in school? Educators have a child for a year—parents have them for a lifetime. Taking opportunities in preservice teacher education to teach teachers the value of parent involvement and how to effectively communicate with parents produces rewards for children, educators, and parents.

Some states have been doing this for many years with great success. Michigan PTSA has the research and trained presenters to bring the program to your college or school district. The program is called Building Successful Partnerships and is based on the association’s six National Standards for Parent Involvement.
Everyone appreciates the value of parent involvement, and certainly all educators want to see the home/school connection be meaningful and successful, according to Donna Roberts, Michigan PTSA Administrative Director.

For more information, contact: Michigan PTSA, (517) 485-4345 or donnar@michiganpta.org.