1. Using Technology to Support Education
Spanish Information Workshops for Parents
Workshop #1

2. Welcome

3. Objectives
Provide parents with significant information about the importance of parental involvement on secondary education
Encourage parents to use different tecnology tools to improve communication with school
Build a strong connection between famiies and school
Reduce the cultural and language barriers

4. Agenda Activity (Parent Discussion) Pre-Survey
The Importance of Parental Involvement
Why is Communication Important?
Communication Tools
Activity (Bingo)
Closing Thoughts
Questions
Post-Survey

5. What is parental involvement?
Parent Discussion
What is parental involvement?

6. Pre-Survey

7. The Importance of Parental Involvement

8. Research confirms that when parents participate in the education of their children, children are able to:
Achieve better grades
Achieve higher test scores
Attend school more regularly
Finish their homework more consistently
Demonstrate more positive attitudes and behaviors

9. Children tend to achieve more, regardless of ethnic or racial background, socioeconomic status, or parents’ education level (Jeynes, 2003).
Children have better self-esteem, are more self-disciplined, and show higher aspirations.

10. 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.

11. Barriers

12. Although research has demonstrated that parental involvement has positive effects on student outcomes, educators continue to struggle to find ways to engage Latino parents.

13. Barriers
Although many parents have expressed a desire to be involved in the education of their children, according to research, many parents misunderstand their role in their children’s education, given that they do not understand the meaning of parental involvement as defined by the school (Delgado-Gaitan, 1994; Valdes 1996).
The most common barriers include:
Language
Cultural differences
Conflict with working hours
Lack of transportation
Need of childcare

14. Collaborating with the community
Parenting
Communicating
Volunteering
Learning at home
Decision making
Collaborating with the community
Epstein’s Six Types of Involvement

15. Parenting
This type of involvement encourages parents to establish home environments to support children as students.

16. Communicating
This type of involvement encourages parents to design effective forms of communication between school and home.

17. Volunteering
This type of involvement promotes the recruiting, training, and organizing of parents in volunteering activities at school.

18. Learning at Home
This type of involvement encourages parents to seek information and ideas on how to support students at home with their homework, activitites, decisions, and planning.

19. Decision Making
This type of involvement encourages parents to be more involved in school decision-making, and supports the development of parents as leaders and representatives.

20. Collaborating with the Community
This type of involvement encourages parents to identify and integrate community resources and services to strengthen school programs, family practices, and student learning and development.

21. Why is Communication Important?

22. Communication
Communication is an important skill that can help us to establish contact with people, to give or receive information, express what we feel and think, and to share our thoughts, ideas and experiences with others.

23. Communication
Good communication between families and schools is necessary for student success.

24. Communication
Parents and teachers who share important information about students are able to promote academic achievement.

25. Communication Tools

26. Communication Tools
Given that technology has changed the way we communicate with others in recent years, it is essential that parents are trained on how technological tools can support the academic education of their children.

27. Communication Technology
This type of communication tools not only allows us to establish social relationships and acces information, but it also allows us to communicate with others.

28. Communication Technology
While the use of traditional forms of communication remains the main form of communication, electronic communication has reduced the time and language barriers.

30. Microsoft Engineering Excellence
Closing Thoughts
Microsoft Confidential

31. Microsoft Engineering Excellence
Questions?
Microsoft Confidential

32. Post-Survey