-Mohua Bose

-Shilpa Solanki

THE ORCHID SCHOOL, PUNE

PARENTS AS PARTNERS

INTRODUCTION

“In this complex world, it takes more than a good school to educate children.

And it takes more than a good home. It takes these two major educational

institutions working together.”

–Dorothy Rich, author of Mega Skills.

Awareness of parents

rights of a child to receive quality education

decisions taken by the school

from the fee structure to the appointment of teachers

from curricula choices to extra-curricular activity choices

transparency in a relationship

Once parents are enrolled in the school philosophy, it is

easy to make them understand the choices made by the

school. It is also the only way to counteract the

skepticism with which parents generally greet any policy

changes or decisions taken by the school.

The Orchid Belief

informed, engaged/ enrolled, involved

‘informed and engaged’ parents - better home-school

cooperation and increased student success.

‘enrolled parents’ - conduits though which the teacher is able to reach a child even when he/she is outside her sphere of influence.

when parents are ‘involved’ in their children’s education, children do better in studies, are more interactive in class, and are in fact, more ‘interested learners’.

The Orchid Model

Parent Teacher Association

General Body Meetings

Transport Committee

Teacher Recruitment Panel

RTE Committee

Food Committee

Admission Committee

Decision making and enhancement programs- Leapstart, XSeed

Class Parent Volunteer System -

Structure

Main Class Parent

Support Parent -1

Set of 8-10 parents

Support Parent - 2

Set of 8-10 parents

Support Parent - 3

Set of 8-10 parents

Class Parent Volunteer

System

Teacher Evaluation

School Council Selection Panel

Concerts, Cultural

programs, Class Presentations

Field trips and camps

Strategic Planning

Substitution for teacher

Awareness drives

Pool of human resource

Channel for sensitizing

parents

quick and efficient system of sending

messages

Other Areas Of Parental Involvement

REGULAR COMMUNICATION

• Parent Meetings

• Newsletters

• Phone calls

• Class Mail Group

• School Website

MAKING LEARNING VISIBLE (MLV)

• Presentation to parents

• Exhibitions and fairs

LIFE SKILLS ORIENTATION PROGRAM

Process

• introduction of School policies and philosophy

• mention of Class Parent Volunteer System General Orientation

• detailed explanation according to requirements of each level- Pre Primary, Primary and Secondary

Level wise Orientation

• expectations for that particular class and CPVs selection/nomination Class Orientation

• Filling grids and forms Workshop for the teachers as well as the CPVs

Epstein's Framework of Six Types of

Involvement

1. PARENTING

2. COMMUNICATING

3. VOLUNTEERING

4. LEARNING AT HOME

5. DECISION MAKING

6. COLLABORATING WITH COMMUNITY

Using The Orchid Model Schools need to have guidelines and a structure in which parent

volunteers and teachers can work hand in hand. So Class Teachers

are encouraged to:

• Create guidelines for parent volunteers - clear dos and don’ts

• Encourage teachers to list what parents can do at home and at

school to support their child's learning.

• Communicate what parent groups can do.

• Send out a volunteer survey, to find out what parents are interested in

doing.

• Have an orientation to train the volunteer coordinator team.

Using The Orchid Model

• Make sure class teachers have all the volunteer activities listed

with the time slots available and the amount of time requested.

• Create a potential pool of human resources

• Contact parents the way they want to be contacted, by phone, e-

mail, etc.

• Assign one main parent volunteer and three support volunteer

for every class – our 3 tier CPV system

• Confirm assignments with parents and thank them.

• Always stick to an agreed schedule

Assessment of success or failure

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SURVEY correlation between engaged parents and level of satisfaction.

“Overall satisfaction of parents who are actively engaged with the PTA is higher than other parents.” - CSS Report

SURVEY OF PARENTS AND TEACHERS

questionnaires and open forums to discuss effectiveness of the system for parents, students and teachers

PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS REPORT-

joint endeavour by parents and school on actual student performance record can make a difference

Analysis According to the CSS report, “Overall satisfaction of

parents who are actively engaged with the PTA is higher than other parents.”

when parents are ‘involved’, their choices and responses are educated.

comments are not on assumptions but on data gathered or practices observed.

whether supportive or not, their views being based on facts, gives a true picture of the effectiveness of school policies and programs.

system needs periodic reviews and checks to ensure that the goal is not tampered with.

The Flip Side

There are many reasons why parents may not become active in school life:

•Too little time/work schedule/single-parenthood

•Lack of resources/transportation/child care

•Language barrier/cultural isolation

•Social isolation/low educational level

•Not knowing how to contribute

•Feeling overwhelmed, intimidated or unwelcome

The responsibility for changing this state of affairs must lie

with the school.

What research says..

The evidence is consistent, positive, and convincing: families have a major

influence on their children’s achievement in school and through life. … The

research continues to grow and build an ever-strengthening case. When schools,

families, and community groups work together to support learning, children tend

to do better in school, stay in school longer, and like school more. (Henderson

& Mapp, 2002, p. 7)

Specific to academics, there has been a positive link made between parent

involvement/engagement and the following indicators of student achievement:

higher grades and test scores (on teacher ratings, achievement, and standardized

tests), enrolment in higher level programs and advanced classes, greater promotion

rates, higher successful completion of classes and earned credits, lower drop-out

rates, higher on-time high school graduation rates, and a greater likelihood of

movement into post secondary education (Epstein & Van Voorhis, 2001)

Conclusion

“I learned the hard way. I learned that if I took time at the beginning of

the school year to phone each family to introduce myself, offer a few

positive statements about their child, and let them know what was

happening in class, I had fewer problems during the year. In fact,

communicating with parents turned them into advocates for me and for my

students -- a helpful resource rather than a dreaded hindrance. In short,

we became partners.”

– a teacher.

Thank You

Visit The Orchid School, Pune – website – www.theorchidschool.org

Class Parent Volunteer Grid