TENNESSEE MIGRANT EDUCATION PROGRAM PARENT INVOLVEMENT TRAINING

WHY PARENT CLASSES? Due to our belief in the importance of parental involvement in a student’s education and overall well- being and an expressed interest by parents during parent meetings, we have decided to implement parent classes to be used in conjunction with in-home tutoring with migrant families. Through parent involvement lessons, we work to give parents the tools and skills needed to increase involvement in their children’s education and create a home environment that encourages success for all.

WHY PARENT INVOLVEMENT IS IMPORTANT When parents are involved, students achieve more, regardless of socioeconomic status, ethnic/racial background, or the parents’ education level. When parents are involved, students exhibit more positive attitudes and behavior. Children from diverse cultural backgrounds tend to do better when parents and professionals collaborate to bridge the gap between the culture at home and the learning institution. g/parent-involvement- pta-research g/parent-involvement- pta-research

According to Henderson and Berla (1994), the most accurate predictor of a student's achievement in school is not income or social status but the extent to which that student's family is able to: Create a home environment that encourages learning Express high (but not unrealistic) expectations for their children's achievement and future careers Become involved in their children's education at school and in the community Our lessons are designed to facilitate the parent involvement that is so vital to student success and give parents tools and activities that can be used to bring about that success.

WORKING WITH PARENTS Working with parents differs from working with children in several ways, though some of the same general skills can also be used. Important points when working with parents: Create a safe learning environment for learning by establishing rapport with the part and acknowledging the unique situation of the parent. Place parents’ learning of new skills in the context of their goals for their children and their families-focus on the children’s needs and create support for their children’s development.

WORKING WITH PARENTS Lessons with parents are planned to make efficient use of time and to tailor the presentation of information and the practice of new techniques to fit the parents’ specific needs and skills. Teach using concrete examples of the desired behavior by modeling the specific skill. Give parents copies of the resources in the lessons for them to reference.

WORKING WITH PARENTS Incorporate Principles of Responsive Interaction: Listen carefully to what the parent says Respond to the content and timing of the parent’s communication. Balance turns in conversations. Teach in response to the parent’s behavior and communication. Give positive, descriptive feedback. Omit negative feedback. Ask for clarification when patent’s behavior or communication is unclear.

WORKING WITH PARENTS It is critical that you work to create a relationship of trust and understanding. Parents need to know they can trust you and feel comfortable with you in their home. Your demeanor when working with parents needs to be open, understanding, and caring. We are not there to tell parents what they are doing wrong. We are to show them what we have found to be positive ways of working with their children and help them choose the tools they would like to integrate into their home.

FIRST MEETING WITH PARENTS 1.First review the introduction lesson for parents. Familiarize yourself with the information from the training and the information in the first lesson. 2.Give an overview of the lessons with the parents and the benefits for them and their children. 3.Be sure they understand their responsibilities related to the lessons and the program and inform them of your responsibilities which you agree to complete. 4.Both you and the parent sign the contract agreeing to your roles and to complete your outlined duties. 5.Review the questions in the introduction lesson with the parent to find the areas they want to work on and discuss the different lessons that are available for them to participate in. Have the parent select 2 lessons they would like to participate in.

KNOWING DEVELOPMENTAL LEVELS OF YOUR STUDENTS When working with families and trying to incorporate new strategies for working with children, it is crucial to know the students you are working with and what their developmental levels are. Children develop in stages and as they pass through these stages their reasoning abilities and overall skill levels grow and change. Having an idea of where a student falls on the developmental scale will help to better tailor instruction to be more effective. Although there are general guidelines for the milestones of child development, all children develop at different rates than the norm and the milestones should be used as a broad generalization to guide you and help guide parents in modifying instruction.

KNOWING DEVELOPMENTAL LEVELS OF YOUR STUDENTS The CDC website has a breakdown of child development from infants to teenagers with summaries, characteristics, and parenting tips for each grade level. Review the information on the site and feel free to share the information with parents. The site can be changed to Spanish in the upper right-hand corner and a printable version can be selected in that location as well which could be a good resource to print and give to parents. ting/index.html

CREATING A PLAN Read through the plan thoroughly and be sure you feel comfortable with all content. If you are unsure or want to know more about something, look it up. Be prepared to impart the information to parents and be ready for questions they may have. In other words, be as much of an expert in the content as you can in order to effectively instruct. Provide a listed summary of what will be conducted in the lesson with the parent. If you have chosen to incorporate any additional materials, be sure to note that and explain why you have included them.

REPORTING In your report, give a summary of what happened, what worked well, questions the parent had, an opinion of overall progress with integrating the lesson, and what you think could be done better. 2 hours of planning time allotted- this would be during your normal weekly time since this is in lieu of tutoring. Reporting time will be included in the 1 hour of reporting per week.