Tag Archives: Parents

Barry Déquanne

Parent Partnerships

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An effective educational program requires full and shared participation from students, parents, and the school. Similar to a tripod in which all three legs are needed to provide support, a student’s development and realization of potential will not be fully achieved if even one of the legs – students, parents, and school – is not fully engaged in the learning process.

While we often talk about the role of students and schools in education, it is also important to reflect on the role parents play in student development. To that end, I would like to take this opportunity to express, on behalf of our community, our deep levels of gratitude for the positive difference parents make in the development of EAB’s programs, contributions to our school’s growth, and the learning experienced by our students.

What does an effective parent partnership look like? The Inclusive Schools Network emphasizes that effective parent partnerships are built on three guiding principles: Respect, Responsibility, and Relationships.

With a primary focus on meeting student needs, an effective partnership is one that is built on mutual respect in which both the school and parent contributions are valued. Together, the family and the schools’ perspectives are invaluable to the educational process. This is why the focus on parent involvement in decision-making processes and the commitment to seek parent feedback is of paramount importance. With respect also come recognition of limits and an understanding of corresponding responsibilities.

Joyce Epsteen, the director for The Center of Parent School and Community Partnerships at John Hopkins University, effectively frames the focus on responsibility: “Our charge is to create parent-friendly schools and school-friendly homes”. A parent-friendly school is responsible for ensuring an inclusive environment that is committed to working with all students and families and creating structures that enable parents to be full partners in the learning process. A school-friendly home is responsible for reinforcing the school’s values and educational program. There is also a key responsibility for both partners to ensure that communication is constant, two-way, and meaningful. The large number of parent participation, workshop, and feedback opportunities offered by EAB and the similarly large number of parents who attend these events is an encouraging indicator that there is a high degree of responsibility assumed by both the school and parents towards the development of our students.

The third guiding principle is relationship building, which represents the foundation of any effective partnership. With a strong focus on trust, collaboration, and communication, we must ensure that there is an opportunity to contribute, make a difference, and feel valued as members of a dynamic community.

Yes, this can be hard work and there may be times when everyone may not always be in agreement. However, it is the common goal of providing our students with the best possible educational program that reinforces our focus on the ideals associated with respect, responsibility, and relationships.

Finally, in relation to the theme of parent partnerships, I would like to thank our parent volunteers as the extent to which they support EAB is both heartening and inspiring. The support from parents in the last few weeks alone has ranged from the work of the Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO), to the organization of Silent Auction during last weekend’s World Fest, to serving on the Canteen and Food Services Committee, to donating to EAB’s Envision program, to serving as members of EAB’s Board of Directors, to name but a few examples. The hard work and commitment of our parent volunteers makes a real difference in our school and is greatly appreciated by the EAB community.

Blog: www.barrydequanne.com

Twitter: @dequanne

Reference:

Williams, P. (2015). HOW DO WE BUILD EFFECTIVE PARENT-SCHOOL PARTNERSHIPS IN INCLUSIVE SCHOOLS? Retrieved from http://inclusiveschools.org/how-do-we-build-effective-parent-school-partnerships-in-inclusive-schools/

PORTUGUESE VERSION

Parceria Com os Pais

Um programa educacional eficaz requer a participação plena e compartilhada dos alunos, dos pais e da escola. Semelhante a um tripé, onde as três pernas são necessárias para fornecer apoio, o desenvolvimento de um aluno e a percepção de seu potencial não serão alcançados se, mesmo uma das pernas, alunos, pais e escola, não estiverem totalmente envolvidos no processo de aprendizagem.

Embora muitas vezes falemos sobre o papel dos alunos e escolas na educação, também é importante refletir sobre o papel desempenhado pelos pais no desenvolvimento do aluno. Para isso, gostaria de aproveitar a oportunidade para expressar, em nome da nossa comunidade, a minha profunda gratidão pela diferença positiva que os pais fazem no desenvolvimento dos programas da EAB, nas contribuições para o crescimento da nossa escola e o aprendizado vivido pelos nossos alunos.

O que torna uma parceria eficaz? A Rede de Escolas Inclusivas enfatiza que parcerias efetivas com pais são construídas com três princípios orientadores: Respeito, Responsabilidade e Relacionamentos.

Focando primeiramente nas necessidades dos alunos, uma parceira eficaz é aquela construída sobre o respeito mútuo, no qual tanto a escola quanto as contribuições dos pais são valorizadas. Juntos, a família e as perspectivas das escolas são inestimáveis para o processo educacional. É por isso que o foco no envolvimento dos pais nos processos de tomada de decisão e, o compromisso de buscar o feedback dos pais é de suma importância. Com respeito também temos o reconhecimento dos limites e a compreensão das responsabilidades correspondentes.

Joyce Epsteen, diretora do Centro de Escola para Pais e Parcerias Comunitárias da Universidade John Hopkins, enquadra o foco na responsabilidade: “Nossa responsabilidade é criar escolas amigas dos pais e casas amigas da escola”. Uma escola favorável aos pais é responsável em assegurar um ambiente inclusivo que se compromete a trabalhar com todos os alunos e famílias e criar estruturas que permitam aos pais serem parceiros de pleno direito no processo de aprendizagem. Uma escola-casa amigável é responsável por reforçar os valores da escola e o programa educacional. Existe também uma responsabilidade chave para ambos os parceiros em assegurar que a comunicação seja constante, bidirecional e significativa. O grande número de envolvimento dos pais, workshops e oportunidades de feedback fornecidas pela EAB e o número similar de pais que participam desses eventos é um indicador encorajador de que existe um alto grau de responsabilidade assumido tanto pela escola como pelos pais em relação ao desenvolvimento dos nossos alunos.

O terceiro princípio orientador é a construção de relações, que representa a base de qualquer parceria eficaz. Com forte foco na confiança, colaboração e comunicação devemos garantir que existe uma oportunidade de contribuir, fazer a diferença e se sentir valorizado como membro de uma comunidade dinâmica.

Sim, isso pode ser um trabalho árduo e haverá momentos em que nem todos vão estar de acordo. No entanto, é o objetivo comum de proporcionar aos nossos alunos o melhor programa educacional possível que reforça o nosso foco sobre os ideais associados ao respeito, responsabilidade e relacionamentos.

Por fim, em relação ao tema parcerias entre os pais, eu gostaria de agradecer aos nossos pais voluntários, pois a forma com que eles apoiam a EAB é encorajador e inspirador. O apoio dos pais nas últimas semanas incluiu o trabalho da Organização de Pais e Mestres (PTO), a organização do Leilão Silencioso que ocorreu no World Fest no final de semana passado, o Comitê da Cantina e Serviços de Alimentos, até a doação feita ao Programa Envision da EAB associado ao desenvolvimento e levantamento de fundos, e ainda serviram como membros do Conselho de Administração da EAB, entre tantos outros exemplos. O trabalho árduo dos nossos pais voluntários faz uma diferença real na nossa escola e é muito apreciado pela nossa comunidade.

Reference:

Williams, P. (2015). HOW DO WE BUILD EFFECTIVE PARENT-SCHOOL PARTNERSHIPS IN INCLUSIVE SCHOOLS? Retrieved from http://inclusiveschools.org/how-do-we-build-effective-parent-school-partnerships-in-inclusive-schools/

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Tony DePrato

Online Reports – Slim Budgets and Happy Trees

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yesno

By: Tony DePrato | Follow me on Twitter @tdeprato

All things being equal, everyone agrees that publishing online is better for consumable budgets and the environment. However, when put to the test, many schools still opt to print reports and report cards (the latter referring to nicely formatted documents potentially with a cute photo).

Two years ago I did a survey of 24 schools. I found 50% did at least one online report, and 60% printed at least one major report a year.

There is a middle ground in this process if a school is currently using a modern student information system such as PowerSchool. These systems allow for HTML5 based reports. The formatting and style options are numerous, and parents can print or save the documents for their records (or embarrassing moments when they meet a prom date).

This is a One-Sided Accounting Issue

Printing is expensive. Printing student records of any type is rarely perfect the first time through the process. Re-printing is common. Waste is abundant. Finally, if you send documents home with students, or mail them, a percentage a never received.

In January of 2011, the Telegraph reported that state schools were spending roughly 200,000 GBP on photocopying over five years. Printing is actually more expensive per page impression, and less efficient. This is not taking into consideration the cost of running equipment or the environmental factors. This is just in paper and black and white toner. Another study in 2011  from the Edutopia blog stated that US Schools are spending 30,000-50,000 USD on printing done by teachers for their classes. Meaning, student printing and office printing is not included.

If that money were reduced by 50%, where could it be reallocated in the land of consumables? The options are fairly endless for teachers needing resources.

In 2015 the Parent Paperwork Blog collected data showing that many schools are spending around 10% more on printing than on education technology. Apps and subscriptions are an excellent value, and not normally considered an asset. Boosting subscriptions and apps with savings from printing would be an excellent benefit in and out of the classroom.

An economist would point out that schools would not be saving if they reduced printing, they would simply be passing the cost on to families. This is true, however, the cost the school is passing is offset by the fact that families will not have massive waste in reprinting. Schools tend to print in large batches. If a mistake is not noticed immediately, then the waste from one batch would equal the initial (and only) printing from many households.

Furthermore, a percentage of families will not print at all. They will save the records to PDF. If the school prints, the school must print equally for everyone.

I am not currently permitted to share my current printing budget. However, in 2013 I was told to find savings in printing and ink. My school has an excellent Xerox plan with all the tools needed to track cost and printing. After analysis, the main issue was printing reports.

The Environmental Impact is Real

If a school really wants to sell people on helping the environment by reducing printing, then the discussion should shift to the processes involved in making paper and ink, using paper and ink, and then wasting paper and ink. Forget about counting pages, and study the entire cycle.

Here is a nice infographic and some research to support what the full cycle looks like:

http://www.milner.com/company/blog/technology/2016/04/22/environmental-impact-of-printing

 

A single school, on a worldwide scale, may not seem significant. I would argue that on a local community scale, a single school is one of the biggest consumers of paper and ink (and all the interrelated components). When a school acts locally, they are not simply helping the campus, they are helping their surrounding community.

Parents Like Nice Looking Reports

I have often lost when debating that my school(s) should send home simple email based reports; or suggested the online reports should be the simple default templates found in PowerSchool and other systems. I have always believed that the data is the most important element, and that 90% of all the development of reports should be in working with and communicating the data. The reality is, people want to see something appealing. With the online world as it is today, families are immersed in nice looking apps and websites. There is an expectation of nice presentation.

I suppose it is fair to state that simple reports look bleak and a slightly unprofessional.

Therefore, I have committed time to developing HTML5 based reports. I have seen many other schools do this as well.

The reports are not only visually appealing online, but have special features to format them for printing or for turning them into a PDF.

Some systems I have worked with in the past can publish a PDF directly to a parent account, however, creating the layout in many of these systems is very time consuming. Because HTML5 is so common, developing new layouts is much easier. The entire process is the same as building any type of webpage, as opposed to developing in a system that use proprietary software.