What
Is It?
The Parental Involvement Pledge
has
two
components. It provides an opportunity for parents to formalize their
commitment to working with their child's school through a written
agreement they can complete and take to their parent leader, school
secretary, teacher, or principal. The Pledge also provides a survey of
parent volunteer interests. The survey identifies 37 areas in
which
parents can volunteer in school, outside the classroom and at home. The
Pledge is based on the Six Types of Parental Involvement developed by
Dr. Joyce Epstien at John's Hopkins University.
Obama on Outsourcing
Parenting President
Obama
addressing
the
NAACP
on
its 100th anniversary, stressing the importance
of parenting and responsibility. "That means putting away the X-Box."
How Do You Use It?
The Pledge is a tool to share with staff and parent organizations as a
way of recruiting volunteers and appropriately connecting them with
specific needs and activities.
When Do You Use It? Title
I
of
No
Child Left Behind requires that a
Pledge or other learning compact be used during parent-teacher
conferences. Use it also when you want to encourage parents to
volunteer or when you want teachers to invite and encourage parental
involvement on National Parental Involvement Day,
the
third
Thursday
in
November
or
Public School
Volunteer Week which is the third week of April.
Why Do You Use It?
U.S. Department of Education research (Prospects
Study 1993) demonstrates that schools that use learning compacts
like the Parental Involvement Pledge have higher student achievement
than those that don't use them. The Pledge provides a concrete way to
help parents volunteer because it allows them to choose very specific
activities. It is easier to get a commitment and follow-through if it
is clear exactly what is being asked and what is expected.
Who Do You Involve?
When parents are
involved,
their children do better in school, and they
go to better schools. Why is this true? Because when parents are
welcome in the school and are consulted about decisions affecting their
children, an atmosphere of trust and collaboration develops between
school and home. When this happens, our children will perform at a
higher level, and the school will become more effective. The school is
a critically important community institution, since the quality of
education shapes not only our children's individual future, but a
lso
the future of your community and society.
Your support of public
schools is important; involvement and action by several parents in a
group can influence school policy-makers and result in decisions and
choices than can benefit many children. Use the Pledge with parents,
parent groups, and staff as a tool and encouragement for parental
involvement.
Findings
from
the
U.S. Department of Education's Prospects Study reveal that
students in schools with compacts or pledges in place perform better
than children in similar schools without them because of greater
reinforcement of learning at home. Furthermore, effects of the Pledge
on student learning were stronger than effects from other forms of
school-home interactions. (U.S. Department of
Education's Prospects
Study1993)
