Kanaalweg HG Utrecht Tel. 030 – Website: FORUM Institute for Multicultural Development PAOO Project Ethnic Minority Parents and Education Platform

Background Poor school results and high drop-out rates among ethnic minority children Lack of active involvement at home and in school among ethnic minority parents Gaps in communication and expectations between schools and ethnic minority parents

Objectives Increased ability of ethnic minority parents to participate and defend their specific interests within schools and through parents’ organisations. Improved capacity within schools to reach out to ethnic minority parents and develop partnership relations with them for improving their children’s school performance and social development.

Project Structure 1 national platform 31 local platforms PAOO FORUM Project Support Team

Members National Level Platform Parents from various ethnic backgrounds and different towns Representatives of the four national organisations for parents in education, LOM (national ethnic minorities alliance) and ISBO (Islamic schools administration organisation) Project Officer FORUM - PAOO

Tasks National Level Platform Gauge demand for methods and materials for improving parental involvement Document / develop and make available materials & tools Document and disseminate good practices Provide feed back and knowledge support to the local platforms Facilitate sharing of experiences and knowledge between platforms Develop and disseminate knowledge for influencing decision making and policy development

National Level Activities Development of practical tools Development of a data base Training workshops Commission of studies National thematic conferences Regional thematic conferences

Structure Local platforms Established in 31 large & middle towns 5 – 15 members from various ethnic backgrounds, mostly with school going children Independent year plans within realm of project frame work Partnerships with local schools, municipalities, service providers and ethnic minority organisations Supported in practical / managerial tasks by FORUM – PAOO field workers

Objectives Local Platforms Increased awareness and improved involvement and participation of ethnic minority parents in their children’s education and school Improved efforts of school teachers to actively develop partnership relations with ethnic minority parents for creating optimal chances for ethnic minority children Improved efforts of schools to create an enabling environment for involvement of and partnership with ethnic minority parents Increased organisational and institutional capacity of platform

Local Activities Information and awareness raising sessions for parents Thematic debates for school representatives, parents and/or other stakeholders Training workshops for teachers Partnerships with schools Advisory support to schools Partnerships with other stakeholders

Themes Parent support for child education Communication with teachers Culture gap between home and school Language barriers Open school culture Home visits Choice of school, education level and future profession School policy for parental involvement and participation Segregation in education Participation of parents in school level committees and boards Absenteeism and school drop-out Internship opportunities Diversity issues in secondary schools Municipal policies addressing language and learning backlogs, segregation etc.

Lessons learned: Inhibiting factors for parental involvement and participation Parents: Lack insight in school life and education methods Lack awareness and confidence they can contribute to the school and their children’s education Lack time and means to actively support their children’s education Lack language skills to communicate effectively with teachers Lack knowledge about the Dutch education system Expect the school to assume full responsibility

Lessons learned: Inhibiting factors for parental involvement and participation Schools: Lack policies for actively engaging ethnic minority parents Employ inaccessible means of communication for ethnic minority parents Have a closed culture in the perception of ethnic minority parents Lack strategies and efforts to bridge the culture gap between school and home Teachers: Lack skills and insights for intercultural communication Invest too little in a partnership relation with ethnic minority parents

Lessons learned: encouraging and facilitating parental involvement and participation Parents Ensure adequate information provision about education related subjects Increase awareness about the importance of active parental involvement for school performance Increase awareness about parents’ entitlement to a partnership relation with school for creating the best opportunities for their child Build on the strength of organised parents to change the school culture and wider policies

Lessons learned: school level conditions for parental involvement and participation Clear policies for actively engaging parents - focus on continuous communication - carried by entire school team Open school culture based on informal contacts, short communication lines and high expectations of parental involvement and participation Clear expectations between school and parents as serious & responsible partners Open and outreaching basic attitude of school teachers Professional development (teacher-training parent consultants)

Lessons learned: weaknesses in the project design High workload on constantly nation- wide travelling field staff Lack of familiarity with the local situation defining windows of opportunity Dependence on volunteers for very demanding tasks Initial negative / unwilling attitudes at schools Incapacity to reach large numbers of ethnic minority parents

Lessons learned: Strengths and Achievements National level: Increased visibility of the complex factors inhibiting parental involvement and participation Bridging across existing divisions of Dutch society (religious sectors / ethnic groups) Capitalising on a growing body of knowledge based on local experiences and defined from the perspective of ethnic minorities Sharing of experiences, insights and thematic ideas through regional and national workshops involving all platform members, resource persons and relevant stake holders

Lessons learned: Strengths and Achievements Local level: The parents for parents approach represents a unique and powerful instrument to mobilise parents for active school involvement and for uniting parents from different ethnic groups behind a common goal (equal chances in education) Local platforms consisting of highly motivated active parents represent new valuable partners for schools, municipalities and service providers to bring about change Organisational strengthening of local platforms through professional guidance and technical back-stopping