A Checklist For An Effective Parent-School Partnership

"One way to start improving your school's parent-school partnerships is by assessing present practices," says Joyce Epsten at Johns Hopkins University. The following questions can help you evaluate how well your school is reaching out to parents.

Which partnership practices are currently working well at each grade level?
Which partnership practices should be improved or added in each grade?
How do you want your school's family involvement practices to look three years from now? Which present practices should change and which should continue?
Which families are you reaching and which are hard to reach? What can be better done to communicate with the latter?
What costs are associated with the improvements you want?
How will you evaluate the results of your efforts?
What opportunities will you arrange for teachers, parents, and students to share information on successful practices in order to strengthen their own efforts?

Type I-Parenting

Goal
Help all families establish home environments to support learning.

Practices
School provides suggestions for home conditions that support learning at each grade level.
School provides workshops, videotapes, and/or computerized phone messages on parenting and child-rearing at each grade level.

Outcomes
For parents-increased self confidence in parenting, increased knowledge of child development.
For teachers-understanding of family cultures and values.

Type II-Communicating

Goal
Design more effective forms of communication to reach parents.

Practices
Teachers conduct conferences with every parent at least once a year, with follow-ups as needed.
Language translators are provided for minority families.
Weekly or monthly folders of student work are sent home and reviewed, parental comments returned to teacher.

Outcomes
For Parents-understanding school programs, monitoring child's progress.
For Students-better decisions about courses and programs.
For Teachers-use of parent network for communications.

Type III-Volunteering

Goal
Recruit and organize parent help and support.

Practices
Set up parent center where volunteers can meet and where resources for parents are located.
Send out annual postcard surveys to identify all available talents.

Outcomes
For Parents-understanding teacher's job, increased comfort in school interactions
For Students-practice in communicating with adults
For Teachers-readiness to try programs that involve parents in new ways

Type IV-Learning at Home

Goal
Provide ideas to parents on how to help child at home.

Practices
Distribute calendar listing possible topics for discussion by parents and students.

Outcomes
For Parents-interaction with child as student at home.
For Students-achievement in skills practiced.
For Teachers-better, more efficient designs of homework assignments.

Type V-Representing Other Parents

Goal
Recruit and train parent leaders.

Practices
Become involved in independent advocacy groups, and participate in and/or lead PTA/PTO or other parent organizations.

Outcomes
For Parents-input into policies that affect child's education.
For Students-rights protected.
For Teachers-awareness of parent perspectives for policy development.

© 1994National Parent Information Network

Credits: Joyce Epstein