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PTA Family Engagement Definition
Georgia PTA believes family engagement is a shared responsibility in which schools and other community agencies and organizations are committed to reaching out to engage families in meaningful ways and in which families are committed to actively supporting their children’s learning and development. Family engagement is continuous across a child’s life and entails enduring commitment but changing parent roles as children mature into young adulthood. Effective family engagement cuts across and reinforces learning in the multiple settings where children learn at home, in pre-kindergarten programs, in school, in after school programs, in faith-based institutions and in the community.
State BOE Unanimously Approves First Statewide Parent Engagement Resolution!
Wednesday, November 10, 2010 was an historical day for Georgia. At the State Board of Education Meeting in Atlanta, board members voted unanimously to adopt the "Parent Engagement Resolution", the first of its kind in our great state. This resolution and statement on parent engagement urges all local school officials to use them (resolution and statement) as a guide in developing local school and district plans and policies.
Several members of the Superintendent's Parent Advisory Council, and members of the Georgia PTA Family Engagement and Legislative Committees were in attendance. President Elect Donna Kosicki spoke in support of the Parent Engagement Resolution, citing "The National Standards for Family-School Partnerships are identified by states, around this country, as the qualitative assessment data that schools, parents and community need to include, along with quantitative date, when determining the programs, projects and events that drive measurable priorities for increasing student achievement to be used in the classroom and in the local school community."
State Chair Wanda Barrs declared, "This is really a beginning…of a real focus on the partnership (between school and home). Two important questions parents and teachers should ask each other is 'How can I help you help my child be successful?' and 'How can I help you to help your child be successful?'"
Together we, school – parents – community, can work together to better understand the value and benefits of and the connection to effective engagement and academic achievement for all children.
To watch the web cast of the State Board of Education Meeting, go to http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/pea_board.aspx?PageReq=PEABoardMeetings. To watch the approval of the Parent Engagement, move the time (at the bottom of the screen) to 1:00 (one hour into the SBOE meeting). This entire portion is approximately 27 minutes long.
To learn more about training and strategies for effective engagement in the classroom and in the local school community, contact Patty Yohn, Family Engagement Chair, at pattyyohn@bellsouth.net.
Parent Engagement Resolution
Letter from State Superintendent
Building Family-School Partnerships the PTA Way
PTA’s process for building successful partnerships starts with the National Standards for Family-School Partnerships and consists of three steps:
Continually educate school stakeholders about the importance of family and community involvement in children’s academic experience, and the vital roles they can play.
Stakeholders include parents, extended family members, other caregivers, teachers, school staff and administrators, community leaders, local businesses and organizations, and more.
Present the message about involvement not only to regular PTA and school audiences but also to local service and social clubs, town meetings, church groups, major area employers, etc. Tell them how they can help improve your school, raise student achievement, and benefit themselves and the rest of the community.
By reaching out to these groups and individuals, you will build trust and ownership - gaining support for the school, the students, the PTA, and the work ahead.
With a shared understanding of what it takes for students to be successful in school, you and your school and community peers are ready to take action.
Work with your principal to create an action team that reflects the school community. Your team may include a teacher, librarian, parent, grandparent, student council president, neighbor from the community, representative from a youth serving organization, and others.
Evaluate the current state of family-school-community partnerships at your school. Identify your strengths and weaknesses, as well as incentives and barriers to involvement. Using the school improvement plan as a reference, discuss how the strengths and weaknesses are impacting student achievement.
Then, create a clear, compelling vision for how families, the school, and the community can work together for student success. Apply the National Standards to your community’s unique situation.
To make your vision a reality, develop an action plan to align policies, programs, and practices with the National Standards. Address the weakness and barriers you identified, and reinforce the strengths. As with any action plan, be sure to define measurable goals.
Periodically assess your progress to determine where improvements have been made and where further work must be done. Also, since a community’s composition and needs are continually changing, continually assess the relevance of your work and the buy-in from the community.
Capitalize on your accomplishments! Your successes - big and small - are your PTA’s best form of advertisement.
Publish stories in school and district newsletters, send press releases to local media, and post pictures and outcomes online to give stakeholders real-life proof of involvement’s power to improve schools and benefit students. Success stories will show school leaders and current and potential members, donors, and partnering organizations why their involvement and collaboration is critical to student success.
The more you promote your successes, the more people will want to get involved - and the more your children will succeed!
Go to www.pta.org/bsp to download resources for educating stakeholders about involvement. PowerPoint presentations are available to give principals, parents, and other community members an overview of the National Standards and the research behind them, as well as practice-based information on how to strengthen family and community partnerships with schools. There are also handouts, with specific tips for parents and teachers on partnering to support student learning, to enhance presentations, share through newsletters and websites, and use as takeaways at PTA and school events.
For a full list of resources, visit www.pta.org/bsp.
Three for Me
Learn more... More Family Engagement Resources
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