Parent Involvement Matters.Org eNEWS Archive
Thank you for your overwhelming support of our new website to help increase meaningful parent involvement. As this web resource grows, so do the possibilities for change in our schools and communities. If you work with parents and school leaders, you know there are many challenges to raising healthy, successful children and that the responsibility to do so rests with all of us. We urge you to share your successes with others by contributing to our site. Getting involved is a very easy online process. What is ParentNet? Although we feature many organizations, resources, and publications on our website, ParentNet was at the beginning of our journey and remains at the core of our mission to build parent-school communities. The founding principle and guiding philosophy of the program lies in the value of the experiences and stories of ordinary parents. These experiences help adults learn and grow along with the children in their care. At the heart of ParentNet are grade-level discussions at your school, centered on everyday parenting challenges. Trained volunteer parent facilitators lead meetings, a faculty liaison gives supportive guidance on school and education-related topics, and a "Parent Contract" keeps the discussion positive and on-track. The development of ParentNet was a collaborative effort of more than 30 schools and hundreds of parent leaders in five states whose children were in grades Pre-K through 12. Ten-year funding for its development came from schools, individuals, and foundations. Because we believe that the program and its resources should be made available to any school wishing to use or adapt it, we now offer many online resources free from ParentNet Central. We encourage you to visit and download these resources. Announcing NEW ParentNet Starter Kit All you need to start ParentNet at your school is contained in our new Starter Kit, available for purchase online. The kit contains step-by-step resources, ParentNet DVD, ParentNet Volunteer Handbook, and complete Training Manual for implementing ParentNet. Whether you want to start a pilot project in one grade, in an entire school, or with groups of multi-cultural parents, you will find the resources and materials in this binder a valuable starting place. We also recommend the Starter Kit to current ParentNet Schools as it will update all previous materials and put everything at your fingertips. Learn More Are you a Trainer or Consultant? We are committed to connecting professional advocates for parental involvement in education with the schools and parents who need your services! You are invited to list your services in our free Consultant Directory if you are a parent educator, trainer, organization development practitioner, certified parent coach, psychologist, speaker, consultant, ParentNet trainer, or other professional who works with parents and/or schools to increase parent involvement or build parent-school partnerships. Please Spread the Word about PIM.Org Forward This Newsletter to a Friend or Colleague!		FEATURED BOOK Developing Caring Relationships Among Parents, Children, Schools, and Communities by Dana R. McDermott A new book that synthesizes theory, research and practice to focus on parents and teachers as adult learners growing along with the children in their care. Learn More FEATURED ARTICLE Parent Engagement in Education: Drama or Empowerment? by David Emerald Womeldorff Learn about the dynamic dance that often occurs between student, parents and school and how we can partner together to create systems that support student success. Read Article Have an Article to share with our readers? FEATURED SUCCESS STORY Learn how seven isolated mothers, each with challenging children, formed a valuable support system that has evolved into a web resource that helps other parents. A Wild Ride: The Power of Story, Support, and Strategies While Raising Challenging Children. Have a Success Story from your community or school?

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