The following are recommendations for effective parental involvement.
6.2.1Collaboration, Co-operation and communication
Effective and quality education can be achieved if there is co-operation between educators and parents. Parents and teachers need to work together as a team in order to achieve their common goal of successful and quality education. Collaboration between the various role players will ensure effective education. There must be a relationship of trust between the parent and the school for a balanced development of the 119
child. Parents must be able to trust teachers to such an extent that they will feel attracted to the school. Collaboration with parents involves monitoring, informing and participating. One of the measures that schools can use for effective cooperation is to maintain a two way communication (c.f. 2.5).
Only when parents and teachers get to know each other well will their aspiration for the child be met. Regular communication will assist parents to know the problems and difficulties that their children experience at school and deal with them immediately. Teachers need to communicate to parents the policies, procedures, aims and expectations of the school so that they can equip themselves to be actively involved. It is therefore important for schools to draw up their year plan and programme of assessment early in year and distribute these to the parents so that they can also draw up their own family calendars. Schools need to send out monthly newsletters to parents, in the languages spoken by the community, to inform them of changes in the curriculum, changes in staffing, learner achievements and any other important news that may come up during the month. Good communication must be clear and unambiguous (cf. 2.6.1.1)
Parents need to provide the school with important information about background factors such as living conditions, socio economic status and health issues that the teachers can use to ensure effective teaching in the classroom. Parents also need to understand that they are role models to their children and their attitude towards the school and education will be emulated by the child. Parents therefore must adopt a positive attitude towards the school (cf. 2.7.3).
6.2.2 Training Programs
Training programs are beneficial to educators, parents and learners.
Parents should be trained on parenting so that they can develop the necessary skills to deal with teenagers effectively. Workshops, lectures 120
and talks on discipline, school subjects, careers and other issues pertaining to the school needs to be offered to the parents. Parents need to also be provided with lists of duties that the school requires parents to involve themselves in. Technology has created many problems in schools; parents need to be trained on how to cope with teenagers and technology. Parents need to obtain skills on monitoring learners at home.
Teachers must be trained on how to handle parents. Teacher training programmes must include a module on training teachers to include dealing with parents in the school setup.
6.2.3 Creating a resource room
A room should be created in the school for parents. The room should be equipped with comfortable chairs and desks that parents can use to conduct small group discussions. It should contain information brochures, career information and books that are relevant for parenting.
A suggestion box can be placed in the room to collect parent’s recommendations for improving school activities. Parents should be able meet in this room at leisure to share and discuss ideas. Informal discussions can benefit the school immensely. Parents with similar challenges can meet and support each other (c.f. 2.6.1).
6.2.4 Effective Governing Body
It is essential that the school has an effective governing body. A governing body that supports the needs of the learners, teachers and parents is one that can ensure effective and quality education. The members of the governing body should not be there for status. The parent representative should call up regular meetings with the parents to inform them of new developments at the school. Parents should be involved in all decisions that are taken at the school then they would feel like they belong to the school (c.f. 2.7.5).
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6.2.5 Responsibility of Schools to Increase Involvement
Schools must ensure that parent engagement is priority. It must be part of the schools policies on teaching and learning. Schools must be clear on the aims of all communication with parents. Schools must support parents that are already involved in the learning of their children as well as reach out to the parents that are less involved. New technologies should be used to increase communication with parents. Schools must be flexible in dealing with parents in terms of times for meeting and location of meeting.
6.2.6 Responsibility of Department of Education to Increase Involvement
The department of education must offer clear guidance about parental involvement in schools. It is their duty to provide direction to schools about the relationship between forms and purposes for parent
involvement.
The policy makers must provide
policies that clarify the range of ways in which parents can be productively engaged in schools.They must ensure that purposes for parental involvement are explicit in the relevant policies.