w Parent Engagement Tool Kit Aims to Help Schools Raise Student Achievement

by Lloyd G. Bingman, Ph.D., Michigan Department of Education, Office of School Improvement

Most educators recognize the importance of parent involvement in raising student achievement. However, many schools throughout the state find it difficult to engage parents in their children’s education. That’s why the Michigan Department of Education’s (MDE) Office of School Improvement is developing a parent engagement tool kit that schools can use to build successful partnerships with parents and families.

The tool kit will incorporate input from a variety of sources:

• Current research on parent involvement.
• School administrators and teachers who have been successful in engaging parents.
• Parents and parent associations who have suggested ways in which
  schools and parents can work together to improve students’ academic achievement.

The kit will help educators and administrators develop effective strategies and systems to move parent involvement beyond bake sales and teacher conferences to active parent engagement. The kit also includes tools to assist teachers and principals as they communicate with parents about a child’s learning.

The MDE welcomes your ideas and suggestions about successful strategies for engaging parents in their child’s education. The MDE expects to release the elementary level tool kit in fall 2004.

This is just another example of the creativity, hard work, and commitment of the fantastic MDE seeking ways to 'help our teachers teach and our children learn'" said State Board member Marianne Yared McGuire.

For more information or if you have any ideas on promising practices or successful strategies for engaging parents, contact: the Michigan Department of Education, Office of School Improvement, (517) 241-3147 or BingmanL@michigan.gov.

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