School District Thanks Families on National Parental Involvement Day

Disponible en: Español

Parents are educators’ number one partner in helping students succeed in school.

Many individuals in public education impact students’ lives. It takes every person — bus drivers and classroom teachers to cafeteria workers, administrative staff, and countless others — to make a difference. Parents and legal guardians are critical factors in students’ success and well-being.

Parent involvement has always mattered. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted how much their involvement ensured students are learning and that schools can provide families with the supports they need.

The pandemic has raised awareness of many inequities in society. The district and schools have worked hard to ensure that students receive meals, devices, and connectivity to learn on and off-campus. Staff members have also provided families training on using district-issued devices and how to navigate online tools and resources.

The only way to prevent COVID-19 from deepening inequality is to equip families to support learning at home.

“Parents are educators’ number one partner,” said Martha Escalante, executive director of Family and Community Engagement. “Parents are always essential but incredibly impactful in a child’s early learning years when they require, need frequent adult facilitation and interaction.”

Parents, experts on their kids, understand how to motivate them or how they learn best. Parents can also determine when they need to reach out to a teacher for help. Teachers, on the other hand, are the experts on instruction. They know what their students need to make progress. Parents and teachers both want to help kids learn and be successful. By collaborating, they can ensure students make progress.

Students spend about 25% of their waking hours in a classroom setting or learning environment (in-person or virtually). That leaves a lot of time outside the classroom. There is so much potential for families to engage. In addition to reading with kids, parents can also talk to them and ask questions. Talking also helps students gain reading and language skills.

“It comes down to building relationships between the parents and teachers,” Escalante said. “They work together setting goals and making a game plan. They then measure progress and celebrate together. Small wins lead to big wins.”

In addition to families working with teachers, they can also take advantage of the resources and information the FACE Department provides. Parents who participate in the weekly sessions learn how to be effective home coaches, set goals, and have long-lasting, positive impacts on their children.

“Before the pandemic, we were looking to revamp our outreach and work to engage our families,” added Escalante. “COVID-19 propelled the changes in overdrive. The pandemic has really allowed us to show the power of parent engagement to help children learn. This increase in engagement and communication is for the better and the good of all students.”