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Parent Involvement

This KnowledgeBase archive includes content and external links that were accurate and relevant as of September 30, 2019.

Schools can increase the effectiveness of their bilingual and ESL programs by including a parent involvement program. Offering parents a significant role in their children's schooling helps teachers and administrators develop and implement appropriate strategies. Parent involvement also directly benefits the students and parents themselves.

A parent involvement program can be effective only if it addresses the needs of the community that it serves. Program planners can determine these needs by learning about the parent's backgrounds, concerns and interests. Understanding these factors will help ensure that the program provides relevant services, responds to widespread interests and makes use of the valuable resources parents can bring to the program.

Information that schools need to learn about parents includes:

BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Language background of student and their parents Cultural values and practices of different linguistic groups Parents' attitudes toward education Work schedules of parents Child care needs
INFORMATION ON CONCERNS AND INTERESTS
Parents' concerns about their child's academic performance Parents' knowledge or concern about their child maintaining their first language and/or English Parents' ability and willingness to become involved in the school's decision-making processes Parents' ability and willingness to assist in non-instructional school services
COMMUNICATING WITH PARENTS
Make a positive first impression Maintain positive communication with parents Communicate directly with parents Familiarize parents with school buildings and system Provide frequent and flexible opportunities for parent conferences Promote and provide frequent opportunities for school visits
PARENT DEVELOPMENT
Reduce language barriers to parent participation by linking parents with adult ESL and other community services Provide regularly scheduled informational meetings Provide training in child development Train parents in instructional techniques and methodologies

Source:

Parental Involvement: A Resource for the Education of Limited English Proficient Students, Compiled by Rudy Careaga, Program Information Guide Series, Number 8, National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education, Fall, 1988.

The contents of this website were developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education and are intended for general reference purposes only. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education or the Center, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. Some resources on this site require Adobe Acrobat Reader. This website archive includes content and external links that were accurate and relevant as of September 30, 2019.

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