A newsletter describing what students are studying in class this week, a phone call when something out of the ordinary happens, and welcoming classroom environment for parents. It's these routine things that great teachers do that encourage families to be involved in their children's learning and in their children's classrooms and schools.

It was this welcoming classroom environment and an invitation from the principal that hooked Carol Johnson's interest in getting involved at Armatage Elementary School in Minneapolis. Parents were always greeted with open arms by Joy Bartlett, her son Charlie's first-grade teacher. "She was always open to parents enriching kids through their own interests, including both jobs and hobbies," said Johnson.

"One family helped the kids prepare special food for Hanukkah celebration. Another father was a pilot who arranged a field trap at Northwest Airlines. When the parents are invested I their children's education, the kids are proud, the whole class benefits, and it's a win-win situation," says Johnson, who reported that at Bartlett's invitation, one father has served as the annual school carnival chairman for five years.

Bartlett learned the value of family involvement from her mother, who was the first African-American teacher in the state of Minnesota. "She really believed in getting parents to help," recalls Bartlett fondly and proudly. The relationships she developed with families lasted until her just before her death, when she was visited in the hospital but then-Sate Treasurer Jim Lord and his father Judge Miles lord, as well as former U.S. Vice President Hubert Humphrey, who was instrumental in getting Joy's mother her first teaching job.

Creating a comfort level in the classroom is one of the most important factors in encouraging the love of learning, according to Bartlett, who says children are enormously influenced by the attitude of their families toward school. "How is that project coming? What are you spelling words?" She says these are the questions families committed to education routinely ask their children, and they are questions that make a difference in their students; achievements.

Another way families can make a significant impact on their children's learning without even stepping through the schoolhouse door is to support a daily homework routine. When Johnson's three sons get off the bus they have a snack with their mother and then settle down to do their homework at the kitchen table. Johnson's oldest son, Sam, has Down syndrome, so she often works with him one-on-one. Her son, Charlie, who is in second grade now, is self-starter, so Johnson merely has to review this homework. And although her son, Jack, is in the gifted program at school, he needs organizational help. "I'm his taskmaster," laughs Johnson. Before bedtime, Johnson reads with the boys. Sometimes the older ones read their own books, but they all enjoy this predictable time together.

Johnson's involvement at school has evolved from participation in Book Nook, a program that encourages parents to read their children's classes from time to time, to serving for two years as PTA president of Armatage. Her volunteer work outside the classroom was prompted by a call from the school principal. "My experience is that if someone makes a call to invite parents to volunteer, 95 percent of them respond positively," Johnson said. Generally, just asking parents to show up doesnÌt work very well, she adds. "When they get a call to do a specific job, with specific job, with specific instructions, they are more likely to participate successfully."

Key role of a school principal

Principals play a key role in family involvement by showing appreciation, according to Johnson. She says the Armatage principal, Joan Franks, does a good job of identifying school needs and ways to get them accomplished with the help of parents. And she uses her biweekly newsletter as a way to publicly thank parents for their support of the school.

Franks says she sees the role of the principal in promoting family involvement as threefold. "First, it's my job to provide opportunities and ways to get families actively involved in the school," she said. "Secondly, it's my job to help create a welcoming environment and treat families in such a way while they're here that they want to come back. Last, I make sure they know they're appreciated and valued. During our student of the month program, I ask students to give families a round of applause because they can't be successful without their families' support."

In today's fast-paced world, many parents have a tough time spending time at their children's schools. "If they can't come to school, they can make it a point to be excited about the work that comes home," says Tartlet. "Display is on the fridge, and share it with Grandma and Grandpa."

Bartlet is so committed to including families in her students' learning that she publicizes her home phone number in her class newsletter. Sometimes she gets several calls a week; sometimes she doesn't get any. Usually, there's a quick questions about homework, but sometimes calls last more than a half-hour when there's a problem with a student.

"I'm like an old-fashioned doctor on call," she says. "Most parents respect my time at home. In the long run, these phone calls save time by preventing miscommunication. You can clarify so much in a single conversation."

"Parents know their children so well, they can provide important clues to teachers for improving learning and to what's going on at home or on the playground that may be keeping students from doing their best work," say Bartlet. "Communication regularly with parents speeds my teaching by leaps and bounds.

"Kids love to please their parents, and they know when parents and teachers have a bridge through communication. This is especially helpful for kids who are having trouble with behavior. I often tell those children that "I know you Mom and Dad want you to do your best."

All kids benefit by having caring adults involved in the work of their schools and involved with their schoolwork at home. And the job of teachers and principals, according to Bartlet and Franks, is to create a welcoming atmosphere that is as Tartlet puts it "like a neon sign flashing."

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