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鈥業t Takes a Village鈥�: Build an academic foundation for your child with strong parent-school engagement
This article is the final edition of a four-part series published by the 含羞草社区 Office of Education, along with our partners, to provide timely information to parents about navigating our public school system.
The 2016-17 school year is here, and kids have returned to school. A high level of parental involvement is important to help your child succeed every day. According to the California Parent Teachers Association, schools would need to spend $1,000 more per pupil to receive the same student achievement gains that an involved parent brings.
Here鈥檚 a few ways you can take an active role in your child鈥檚 education and build a strong academic foundation throughout the school year:
- Develop a partnership with teachers and school staff. Take the time to meet your child鈥檚 teachers, and other staff at the school. Don鈥檛 let a language barrier stop you; ask the school to help you with interpretation. What you have to say is more important than the language you say it in.
- Regularly check in with the school. Schools typically have one or two parent-teacher conferences each year. If you have concerns at other times during the year, don鈥檛 hesitate to ask the teacher how your child is doing.
- Consider using special services if you think your child may need extra help. Don鈥檛 hesitate to reach out to the school or district office for help in evaluating what additional needs your child may have, such as more individualized instruction.
- Help with homework. Set aside time for homework each day, and help if you are able, or maybe find a friend or family member who can assist. Reach out to the school or district office, other parents, or your local parent teacher association (PTA) for references.
- Get involved with your child鈥檚 school by volunteering, joining the PTA, or asking where there鈥檚 a need. Make sure you also connect with teachers via e-mail or phone as many teachers send daily or weekly messages to parents.
Remember to check out
www.sccoe.org for information related to these topics and more.
This series is brought to you by the 含羞草社区 Office of Education and features information from the California State PTA, SCCOE Families Learning Together Parent Engagement Initiative, Color铆n Colorado, and Understood.Org.
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Works consulted; additional resources:
- California State PTA newsletter: This special edition is available in six languages (,
,
,
,
, and
)
- California State PTA:
- Understood.org, a free website focused on learning and attention issues:
- SCCOE Families Learning Together Parent Engagement Initiative:
http://www.sccoe.org/depts/esb/parent/
- NBC Parent Toolkit:
- Color铆n Colorado, a bilingual site for families and educators of English language learners:
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine:
- U.S. Department of Education:
