Teachers Receive Training On How To Work With Parents To Facilitate The Education ProcessWithout the proper training and information, relationships between teacher and parents can degenerate quickly. And the fact is that very few teachers receive training on how to work with parents. Of course, the converse is even more true. Nearly half of all principals say lack of training presents a barrier to parent involvement. Several initiatives have begun in an effort to train teachers on how to work with parents. Some of these programs include workshops, handbooks, home visits, and newsletters. The ultimate goal is to promote trust between parents and teachers and get them to work together to increase the students' academic achievement. These approaches foster helping parents facilitate the learning process at home, allowing parents to have a voice in school decision-making, and suggesting strategies to for school staff to reach out and work with parents as partners in the education process. These tactics are aimed at both training and providing information that supports the goals of higher education and changes any negative attitudes present between teachers and parents. Many of the schools surveyed hold regular workshops throughout the year focused on parenting, learning at home, decision-making in schools, and volunteerism. Meetings are held as often as weekly in some schools. Parenting workshops focus on student academic development in several areas including language development and learning styles. Workshops hone in on specific topics such as the relationships between parent expectations and student achievement and how to prevent students from engaging in behaviors counterproductive to learning. Schools can also create better relationships with parents by helping the parents themselves reach academic and work-related goals. Schools often help parents with adult education courses leading to GEDs or college credits, or with courses to help develop better job skills. Schools frequently enlist the help of local colleges to assist in developing these programs for parents. Some innovative school systems have devised programs that allow parents and students to learn together. For example, the Buffalo (NY) Public School System offers computer classes in desktop publishing and computer programming. They even offer take home courses for parents unable to attend the live workshops. The majority of parents surveyed indicated these programs had a significant impact on the student's motivation toward learning and they noticed improvements in math and reading skills. Other programs utilize home visits that allow teachers to offer ideas to parents about how they can promote and foster a home environment that facilitates better learning and academic achievement from students. Other innovative programs include "Community Walks" that introduce teachers to the local neighborhood and provide an understanding of their students' lives outside the classroom. These types of programs open the door to a better understanding between teachers and parents that can effectively remove barriers and foster more cooperative relationships between teachers and parents. |