Parents As Partners in The Classroom

Teachers Upfront 2015
Parents as Partners in the Classroom
Presenter: Tinus du Preez

Presentation Title: Parents as partners in the classroom: Why does it make a
difference?
Introduction
• The literature on parental involvement on
children’s education conveys the clear
assumption that parents’ involvement benefits
children’s learning.
• Engaging families in the education of their
children at home and at school is increasingly
viewed as an important means to support
better learning outcomes for children.
A BRIDGE Community of Practice

• When schools and families form strong
partnerships, children have higher
achievements in school and stay in school
longer.
• Parents as partners in the classroom provide a
range of benefits for parents and children.
This can include improvement in reading,
writing and numeracy as well as greater
confidence, helping their children at home.
What is parental involvement – what does it
mean for parents to be partners?
• Most children have two main educators in

their lives – their parents and their teachers.
• Parents are the prime educators until the child
attends pre-school or school. They remain a
major influence on their children’s learning
throughout school and beyond.

• The school and parents both have crucial roles
to play in children’s education.
• There is no universal agreement on what
parental involvement (partnership) is.
• It can take many forms, from involvement as
governors, partners in the classroom, reading
to the child at home, teaching songs or
nursery rhymes and assisting with homework.

Involvement can be categorised into two
broad strands:
• Parents as partners in the life of the school;

• Parents’ involvement in support of the
individual child at home (not for discussion
tonight).

Types of parental involvement
1: PARENTING
• Help all families establish home environments to
support children as learners.
• Parent education and other courses or training
for parents.
• Family support programmes to assist families
with health, nutrition and other services.
• Home visits at transition points to pre-school,
foundation phase, intersen phase and high
school.
2: COMMUNICATING
• Design effective forms of school-to-home and
home-to-school communications about school
programmes and children’s progress.
• Conferences with every parent at least once a
year.
• Language translators to assist families as needed.
• Regular schedule of useful notices, memos, phone
calls, newsletters and other communications.

3: VOLUNTEERING
• Recruit and organise parent help and support.
• School and classroom volunteer programme
to help teachers, administrators, learners and
other parents.
• Parent room or family centre for volunteer
work, meetings and resources for families.
• Annual postcard survey to identify all available
talents, times, and locations of volunteers.

4: LEARNING AT HOME
• Provide information and ideas to families about how
to help learners at home with homework and other
curriculum-related activities, decisions and planning.
• Information for families on skills required for learners
in all subjects at each grade.
• Information on homework policies and how to
monitor and discuss schoolwork at home.
• Family participation in setting learner goals each year
and in planning for further studies or work.

5: DECISION MAKING
• Include parents in school decisions, developing
parent leaders and representatives.
• Activate parent organisations, or committees for
parent leadership and participation.
• Independent advocacy groups to lobby and work
for school transformation and improvements.
• Networks to link all families with parent
representatives.

6: COLLABORATING WITH COMMUNITY
• Identify and integrate resources and services from
the community to strengthen school programmes,
family practices, and learner learning and
development.
• Information for learners and families on community
health, cultural, recreational, social support, and
other programmes/services.
• Information on community activities that link to
learning skills and talents, including additional
support programmes for learners.
Parent Involvement Ideas for Schools
• Know THE SECRET to getting parents to attend meetings
at school - make sure they know they’re genuinely invited.
• Establish a friendly contact with parents early in the year,
“In Time of Peace.”
• Insist that teachers not wait until it’s too late to tell
parents about potentially serious challenges. Early
intervention helps.
• Ask teachers to make positive phone calls / contact with
parents. Parent communication is a cost-effective
investment.

• Focus on the strengths of families - they know their
children better than anyone else. Find ways to get
that information to teachers, other school staff.
• Learn how to deal with angry parents - separate the
parent from the argument he/she is making.
• Use active listening. Don’t get angry. Look for areas
of agreement, “We both want your child to do well.”
Find a win-win solution. If you’re not sure about a
parent suggestion say, “I’ll certainly keep that in
mind.” If necessary, devise a temporary solution.
• Provide a brief parent newsletter. One sheet of
paper is best.
• Remember “30-3-30” in writing school
newsletters. Eighty percent of people will
spend just 30 seconds reading it. Nineteen
percent will spend three minutes. One
percent will spend 30 minutes (your mother).
• Know why parents say they are not involved:
– Don’t have time,
– Don’t know what to do,
– Don’t know it is important,
– Don’t speak English.

• Take heart from the “one-third rule.” Research says
if you can get one-third of a school’s parents
involved, you can begin to make significant
improvement in learner achievement.
• Be aware that teachers are more reluctant to
contact parents than vice versa. Solution: get
parents and teachers together - just as people - in
comfortable situations.
• Stress two-way communication between schools
and parents. “One-way” isn’t communication.
• Conduct school surveys to reveal family attitudes
about your school.
• Ask teachers what they would like to tell parents if they
had the chance - and ask parents what they would like to
tell teachers. Then exchange the information!
• Put up a “Welcome” sign in every language spoken by
learners and parents at your school - get parents to help
get the words right.
• Have handy a ready reference list of helpful materials
parents might use to help them cope with challenges.
Better yet have a lending library.
• Try day-long parent workshops on topics such as building
self esteem, language development, motivating children,
encouraging reading, discipline, talking with kids about
sex, dealing with divorce, etc.

• Set up a parent center in your school stocked
with resources to help (and lend to) parents.
• Be very careful to monitor how your school
telephone is answered. Phone impressions are
lasting ones!
• Be aware that parents are looking for a school
where their children are likely to succeed.
• Solicit parent volunteers at the Open Days /
Admission Days.

• Investigate “techno” systems to keep parents
up-to-date on homework, school activities.
• Understand key reasons for parent non-
involvement.
• Bridging Evenings (or days, or afternoons) for
parents and learners getting ready to go to a
new school / phase - help answer questions,
relieve anxieties, and build involvement and
support.

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Teachers Upfront 2015

Parents as Partners in the Classroom

Presenter: Tinus du Preez

A BRIDGE Community of Practice

• Most children have two main educators in

A BRIDGE Community of Practice

A BRIDGE Community of Practice

• Parents as partners in the life of the school;

A BRIDGE Community of Practice

A BRIDGE Community of Practice

A BRIDGE Community of Practice

A BRIDGE Community of Practice

A BRIDGE Community of Practice

A BRIDGE Community of Practice

A BRIDGE Community of Practice

A BRIDGE Community of Practice

A BRIDGE Community of Practice

A BRIDGE Community of Practice

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