Parent Programs
The following programs and organizations provide training and education for parents and school staff aimed at building family-school partnerships. The costs, quality and content vary widely. We do not recommend specific programs, rather list them here for your reference and review. We urge the consumer to be selective in their choices.
Active Parenting
Active Parenting delivers education programs for parents, including programs for Christian parenting, Jewish parenting, and parenting teens. Other programs from Active Parenting Publishers include 1,2,3,4 Parents (parents of children ages 1-4), Families in Action (parents of teens), and Cooperative Parenting and Divorce.
ASPIRA Parents for Educational Excellence (APEX)
APEX trains Hispanic parents to become informed advocates for education in their communities. Their series of ten workshops in Spanish and English cover why education is important, the home connection, school structure, what parent involvement means, etc.
Beyond Diversity
A powerful and personally transforming two-day workshop designed to help teachers, parents and administrators consider the implications of racism, exclusion and prejudice on student learning. During the seminar, participants will engage in a thoughtful, compassionate exploration of racism and how it manifests today in our culture and in our schools.
California Parent Center
Located at San Diego State University, the Center offers professional development for teachers and administrators
Common Sense Parenting
This 16-hour workshop, offered through Boys & Girls Town, is designed for those who spend their time and energy working with children and families. The program empowers staff, parents and volunteers to increase children's positive behavior.
Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership (CIPL)
The Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership, sponsored by the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence, offers a variety of programs aimed at bringing together parents, teachers, community members, and school administrators, for training, information, and experiences which help them work as partners to raise student achievement: Read recent evaluative research of their program, "Knowledge is Empowering: Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership Fellows' Involvement and Influence after Training."
Families and Schools Together (FAST)
Located in Wisconsin, FAST is a multifamily group intervention designed to build protective factors for children (4 to 12 years old) and empower parents to be the primary prevention agents for their own children.
Hispanic Mother-Daughter Program
The Hispanic Mother-Daughter Program helps students and parents understand the benefits of academic achievement, that a college degree is an attainable goal, and the specific steps to achieve that goal.
The Latino Family Literacy Project
The Latino Family Literacy Project provides training for teachers throughout the USA who work with Latino parents to improve parent involvement, school success, reading, and English skills.
National Fatherhood Initiative
If you are looking for ways to help dads in your community with the skills they need to be involved, responsible and committed fathers, this initiative offers programs, workshops and publications to help.
Parents and Teachers Talking Together (PT3)
The Prichard Committee for Academic Exellence in Kentucky has launched a program that includes structured discussions between parents and teachers to improve relationships and as a tool for parent involvement.
Parent Effectiveness Training
Parent Effectiveness Training (P.E.T.) class is the pioneering course that has guided millions of parents around the world. Improve family communication with Dr. Thomas Gordon's techniques.
Parent Leadership Training Institute (PLTI)
A twenty-week institute that reaches a diverse audience of adults raising children. PLTI seeks to enable parents to become leading advocates for children. It is designed by the American Leadership Forum, Leadership Greater Hartford, and the Connecticut Commission on Children.
Parenting with Love and Logic
A sensible parenting approach that emphasizes natural consequences and parental empathy. From Jim Fay and Foster Cline, for parents of children aged 2-12. Parenting teens module also available.
Parents for Student Success
Parents for School Success is a nonprofit advocacy organization in Washington State that offers Parent to Parent Seminars that help parents create positive home environments for children. They also consult with schools, assisting with the development of custom parent and community involvement methods and practices.
Partnering with Parents: Walking the Journey Together
Sponsored by Iowa State University Extension, Partnering with Parents consists of a series of 11 interactive training modules based on principles of family centered practices and parenting education theory and research. In addition to professional development, each module contains activities and other resources you can download and use in your work with parents. A Parenting Education Certificate of Completion is available from ISU Extension.
Security Dads
Offers workshops for fathers that give dads a positive role to play in schools and in building relationships with their kids.
Teaching Parenting the Positive Discipline Way
Positive Discipline is based on the philosophies of Alfred Adler and Rudolf Dreikurs who believed that all human beings have equal rights to dignity and respect. All Positive Discipline methods are non-punitive and non-permissive. They are "Kind" and "Firm" at the same time. Kind, because that shows respect for the child (and for the adult), and Firm because that shows respect for what needs to be done. Many training modules are available, from preschoolers to teens.
Tellin' Stories Project
A project of Teaching for Change, Washington D.C., Tellin' Stories engages families and staff in the stories that connect people from diverse backgrounds.
Tennessee State Improvement Grant (SIG) supports children with special needs, preschool through high school, and their families in the development of language, communication, pre-literacy and literacy skills to ensure academic achievement. Their Family Resource Kit Workshops are offered free via their website.
TIPS
Teachers Involving Parents in Schoolwork is a program developed by Joyce Epstein at Johns Hopkins University. TIPS features homework assignments that require students to talk to someone at home about something interesting they are learning in class.
If you would like us to review your program for inclusion in our Web Resources, please use our Link Request Form. All sites must be relevant to our content and support our mission of building collaborative parent-school partnerships and increasing parental involvement in education. We do not accept links from companies or organizations that sell school fundraising products or materials.
