From the Desk of the Superintendent...
January 24, 2022
FEBRUARY 2022 DISTRICT DISPATCH
Relationship development is a critical component of effective teaching and learning. One of the most important relationships to develop is that between parents and school personnel. Researchers at the University of Chicago undertook a detailed seven-year study of the city’s elementary schools in low-income urban neighborhoods (Bryk, et al., “Organizing Schools for Improvement: Lessons from Chicago,” Urban Education Institute, University of Chicago, January 2010). The study looked at student achievement and school improvement and the factors that affected them the most. Teacher quality was one factor, as one would expect, and another major factor was family involvement. The study found that children in elementary schools with strong family engagement were ten times as likely to improve in math and four times as likely to improve in reading than in schools with weak family ties.
Why is family involvement, especially parental involvement, such an advantage to children’s education and to the overall effectiveness of a school system? Parents who take an active interest in their children’s education have a big impact on their children’s motivation and achievement. When parents talk to their children about school, expect them to do well, help them plan for the future, and make sure that out-of-school activities are constructive, their children do better in school than if their parents are uninterested. When families and schools work together, children are more likely to go to school regularly, stay in school longer, like it more, and have higher graduation rates. Teachers see some aspects of a child from a school perspective, but parents see many other aspects. Children may have all sorts of interests and accomplishments outside of school that their teachers know nothing about. A major contribution that parents can make is to help teachers gain a fuller picture of who their children are and of their special qualities and capabilities.
Please note that there is no school on Friday, February 18, 2022, because of winter break.
