ParentInvolvementMatters.Org eNews Archive
ParentInvolvementMatters.Org is a leading resource in helping educators, parent leaders, consultants and trainers who are working to increase family involvement in schools. The Power of Story Telling: Conversations that Build Family-School Partnerships Research has long shown, that despite personal and cultural differences, people who share stories form a common bond. Within our stories are found common threads of experience that lead to new learning, a sense of community, and collective action. This is exactly what Tellin' Stories, a program sponsored by Teaching for Change, sets out to accomplish as it works with elementary-school parents and educators. Tellin' Stories creates opportunities for families across race, class, language and cultural boundaries to connect to each other and to their school -- often for the first time -- through the power of story. The National Education Association, Teaching for Change, and the Maryland State Parental Information and Resource Center has recently posted an online video that depicts the Tellin' Stories project. You can also visit the Teaching for Change website to learn more about this innovative program. Exchanging ideas, experiences and parenting stories is also the foundation of ParentNet, a K-12 program designed to build community between families and schools. ParentNet meetings provide an opportunity for parents to learn from one another in a safe structured environment. Parents learn they are not alone and that their stories bring them closer together than they ever imagined. Watch an online video to learn more about ParentNet. Both programs, Tellin' Stories and ParentNet use the power of conversation to connect parents, families, schools and communities so that all can work together to effect the positive development of children. We encourage you to learn about these programs and see if one of them might be appropriate for your particular school environment. Back-to-School: Insights on Stress-Free Report Cards Connie Hammer, MSW and founding member of the PCI Certified Parent Coaches of New England, calls our attention to the academic evaluation process used in most schools and presents parents with constructive ideas to help them alleviate stress that often accompanies the distribution of report cards. Read her article on positive ways to influence a child's school performance by staying involved before, during and after report cards are issued. Read article. Working in the field of Family Involvement? If you are working in the field of family involvement and have not yet signed up to be in our free Online Consultant Directory, we invite you follow the easy process to register. We also invite articles from professionals that shed new understanding and ways of thinking about building parent-school partnerships. PLEASE FORWARD TO A FRIEND OR COLLEAGUE!		FEATURED BOOK Schools That Learn: A Fifth Discipline Fieldbook for Educators, Parents, and Everyone Who Cares About Education By Peter Senge, et al Best-selling author Peter Senge and a team of educators and organizational change leaders created this resource to offer practical advice on how to strengthen our school communities. An excellent resource supporting education reform and building parent-school communities that learn from one another. Learn More FEATURED NEW WEBSITE Families-Schools.Org A newly developed website from the Academic Development Institute offers a searchable databsse of resources for parents and schools. It is also the home of the online School Community Journal that includes research related to parent involvement and family-school relations. Visit website. FEATURED ARTICLE Anne T. Henderson and Karen L. Mapp, co-authors of Beyond the Bake Sale: The Essential Guide to Family-School Partnerships are interviewed by Teacher Magazine on how educators and administrators can engage parents and families. You can view this informative two-part article by clicking on the following links and signing up for free online access to Teacher Magazine. Link to Article I; Link to Article II. Henderson serves on the Advisory Board of the National ParentNet Association.

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