Beyond the BakeSale: Week 1 Wrap Up

As educators we jump through nearly every hoop to attempt to give our students the best education we can deliver. We use the latest technology, follow the latest research, incorporate the hottest trends, and even spend too much of our own money to ensure our students have what they need to be successful. But what if we have missed one of the cheapest, easiest to find, and most invested opportunities there is to increase student achievement.

FAMILIES

In the book "Beyond the Bake Sale: The Essential Guide to Family/School Partnerships" authors .... lay out a rubric that details the four different types of parent/school partnerships and challenge us to aim for the highest level

After carefully analyzing the rubric (I even printed it out just so I could blow it up on larger paper :) I fell that my school district currently falls in between an Open Door School and a Come if We Call School, leaning more towards Open Door.

In the supporting advocacy category we firmly fall in the Open Door School category. Our principal is available to meet with parents, progress reports go home, and parent teacher conferences are held twice a year. The other bullets that I checked off in the Open Door School were our friendly office staff and the fact that all our teachers will explain test results if asked.

Unfortunately I felt that we still have a few of the Come if We Call school attributes. Our better educated parents are definitely more involved. Schools will call home when there is a problem with a student, and our families typically just visit the school on report card pick up day. Our PTA seems to be a small selective group with little to no input from teachers.

So what can we do... Let's open the gates!

In the next school year I want to push an initiative to get a Family Resource Center in our school.  A place where families feel welcome to get involved in their child's education, get information on relevant topics, and provide learning opportunities. I hope that our families start to feel like they are just along for the ride in their child's educational journey, but they are helping to drive to boat.

I also want to incorporate families in learning activities. I have already planned my opening project for the year where students interview their family about what their goals are for them for the school year. What they hope they will achieve and what they dream they will become. My goal is that this introductory project will be a first in many family activities that connect with what we are learning in the classroom.

By working together we can achieve more!