Parent Involvement Matters in Education Reform

If Michigan is to succeed with the goals set for high school reform, families must be included in the equation. Family support is one of the most important factors for students seeking to reach their curriculum goals. Research strongly supports this fact, and Michigan has worked hard to embrace this concept with its focus on school improvement (Leading Change—Summer 2006) and strengthened curriculum standards (Leading Change—Spring 2006). However, many families still feel intimidated by the educational system and left out of important discussions about their children.

The importance of parental involvement in education is something that Michigan families hold dear. Michigan’s new Teacher of the Year, Kimberly Kyff, a fifth grade teacher at Detroit’s Jamieson Elementary, terms such involvement as “crucial” toward educational success. “Maintaining a family-friendly atmosphere is an extremely important component of a successful school,” Kyff said.

As part of the program at Jamieson Elementary, parents participate in school meetings and are welcome in the classroom at any time. Parents also have the option of participating in workshops to help them learn ways to facilitate their child’s success.

“When children know that their parents are involved in their education, that’s exciting for them,” she said. “We have an active parent group and a parent representative in the school all the time. That person has an active voice on the school planning and management team. Our parent group is working with our school to walk our students to school safely, and they are talking about setting up tent-based, neighborhood learning centers where students can get skills reinforced in the summer.”

Before inviting parents to visit her classroom at the end of the school year, Kyff plants seeds for the following year’s success by calling or writing parents about how much she enjoyed having their child in her classroom.

“When you come from a platform of mutual respect between educators and parents, you start this important relationship out on a more positive footing,” she said. “Once parents realize that you have the best interests of their child at heart, they step up and participate.”

The fact is, teachers and administrators can be the best and brightest at what they do, striving to meet all the demands presented before them, and doing so with great finesse. But at the end of the day, students go home—and at home, education continues. What is taught and modeled about the value of education at home can help make or break educational goals at school. Parents will be more empowered if they know that their role in their child’s education is respected by the educational community.

The goal is to make sure students learn the skills they need for work or college and this requires our best educational teamwork—teamwork that values the importance of the family voice.

Judy Winter is the author of Breakthrough Parenting for Children with Special Needs: Raising the Bar of Expectations and a frequent contributor to Leading Change. For more information, contact: jappwinter@aol.com or visit www.JudyWinter.com.