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Miami-Dade County Public Schools
Office of Parental Involvement
Bi-monthly E-newsletter
Rudolph F. Crew, Ed.D.,
Superintendent of Schools
Alberto M. Carvalho, Associate
Superintendent
Office of Intergovernmental Affairs,
Grants, Marketing, and Community Services
Linda D. Brown, Ed.D., Administrative
Director, Office of Community Services
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Empowering Families to Become Partners in Their Children's
Education
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March/April
2008
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Tell Us What You Think
When families and schools
become real partners in the education of children they work
together to make decisions. Because we all share the responsibility
for children's learning and development, we also collaborate in
planning for student success. Such sharing of power can only happen
when there is a mutual respect, and when families know that their
input will be taken seriously. In this e-newsletter, we've provided
some perspectives on the power of partnerships.
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Parent's Guide Supporting School Success
All parents want their
children to do their best. The more schools know about children's
daily lives, language and culture, the more they will be able to
help them reach their potential. Teachers know that most students
bounce back after difficult times and can be motivated to be
successful in school. As a parent or family
member, you can talk to your child's teacher or other school worker
to find out how the school is working to build resilience in
students. As a partner in your child's education, you can
ask your child's school the following questions.
- What is the school
doing to help my child get along well with others?
- How is the school
helping my child learn to solve problems, plan his/her work,
know when to ask for help, and when to form his/her own opinion?
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The National Association of
School Psychologists gives this advice for forming effective
home-school collaborations. Parents and educators working together
toward shared goals with shared power is the essential
characteristic of effective home-school collaborations. The school
must send consistent messages to families that their
contributions towards forming effective partnerships are valued.
Family participation increases when such participation is promoted
by the school. Schools can encourage collaboration by eliciting and
understanding families' perspectives and expectations. Schools
should foster an open dialogue between home and school and should
provide opportunities for families to develop partnership roles in
their children's education, including having decision-making roles
in school governance.
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 The Wisconsin Department of
Public Instruction research findings on Family-School-Community
Partnership suggest that when families are involved in education,
there are significant benefits for students, educators, and
families. Students demonstrate more positive attitudes toward
school and learning, higher achievement and test scores, improved
behavior, increased homework completion, greater participation in
academic activities, improved school attendance, and fewer
placements in special education. Educators report greater job
satisfaction, higher evaluation ratings from parents and
administrators, and more positive associations with families.
Parents experience enhanced self-efficacy, better understanding and
more positive experiences with educators and schools, improved
communication with their children, and better appreciation for
their role in their children's education.
http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/nwp/index.html
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Studies by Anne T.
Henderson, Nancy Berla, and Karen L. Mapp find that when
parents have a sense of confidence and power, their children do
better in school and at home. The schools want families to feel
that they are capable of helping their children do well at school,
overcoming negative influences, and having a positive influences on
the school and community. The following practices are required by
No Child Left Behind and will help empower families:
- Engage families in
planning how they would like to be involved at school.
- Consult a
representative of families and parents about school policies
and proposed actions.
- Offer workshops on
communicating with their children about topics they suggest,
such as talking with children about drugs, problems with
friends or families, and values.
- Embrace a philosophy of
partnership and be willing to share power.
- Design programs that will support
families to guide their children's learning, from preschool
through high school.
When schools support
families to improve the school and community, families feel they
have the power to change and control their circumstances and are
better equipped to help their children. When schools work with
families to develop their connections, families become powerful
allies of the school and advocates for public education.
The Parent Academy of Miami-Dade County Public
Schools offers workshops to equip families with knowledge and
skills to help their children succeed in school as well as helping
the families improve themselves economically and educationally. A
family-centered philosophy recognizes the need to support families
with services that families themselves identify, rather than
attempting to remedy family deficits with services prescribed by
professionals or other community members.
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Miami-Dade
County Public Schools Partners with Hands On Miami to Enhance
Student Learning Environment
Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) in
partnership with Hands On Miami and the United Way of Miami-Dade
identified schools in an effort to enhance our students' learning
environment during Hands On Miami Day. During these days of
service, over 4,000 volunteers clean, beautify, and revitalize 25
project sites throughout Miami-Dade County.
Our Superintendent,
speaking to Pat Morris, CEO of Hands On Miami said, "We have
made remarkable strides in our beautification efforts throughout
the community. These accomplishments could not have been made
possible without our volunteers' efforts and dedication."
Schools in Miami-Dade County continue to partner with organizations
such as Hands On Miami with the common goal of enhancing the
community to provide the most rewarding educational experience for
all our students.
The listed schools are included in the revitalization
project:
- Allapattah Middle School (Miami)
- Bunche Park Elementary (Miami
Gardens)
- Campbell Drive Middle (Homestead)
- Chapman Elementary (Homestead)
- Golden Glades Elementary (Opa
Locka)
- Madison Middle (Miami)
- Miami Park Elementary (Miami)
- Miami Northwestern Senior (Miami)
- Neva King Cooper Education Center
(Homestead)
- Citrus Grove Middle School (Little
Havana)
- Westview Middle (Miami)
- West Little River (Miami)
- Frances S. Tucker Elementary
(Coconut Grove)
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Mentoring Increasing at Homestead Senior High
School
Through the efforts of local civic and governmental
entities, mentoring is on the rise in Homestead. With the support
and additional resources of this community, and the Miami-Dade
County Public Schools' District Mentoring office, Homestead is
about to launch a push to provide mentors for students at Homestead
Senior High School. These mentors will be trained on how how
to serve the students' needs, and in turn they will commit to
mentoring the students selected by staff at Homestead Senior High.
The relationship will take many forms including role modeling,
career exploration, academic support, and listening skills. We look forward to hearing more
about the growth of this effort.
For more information, call
Patricia Lee at 305 995-7317.
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Office of Parental Involvement
Ms. Anne
Thompson, Director
Ms. Angela M.
Lozano, Teacher/Counselor
Ms. Aster
Mohamed, Teacher/Counselor
Ms. Rachel Louis,
Community Liaison Specialist
Please
send your comments and suggestions to:
amohamed@dadeschools.net
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