(Inglewood, CA. . .). . .Inglewood Unified School District knows the importance of parent involvement in determining student success. Research has shown that parent involvement can actually improve students’ behavior, attendance, and achievement. According to the Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement, the benefits of parent involvement is clear: Schools with involved parents engage those parents, communicate with them regularly, and incorporate them into the learning process.
Monroe Middle School Principal Brent Tilley knows the value of parent involvement first hand. Starting with a belief that student success is a shared interest of both school and family, He has implemented several programs and processes over the years to enhance parent communication and their participation on campus. Tilley’s ‘Coffee with the Principal’ meetings have been met with much success and continues to be an arena for parents to speak directly with school administration in a relaxed environment that encourages parents to not only receive information, but to provide feedback as well. “The idea is to give an opportunity to share our information with parents, but also get feedback from them. We’ve addressed issues of school safety, climate, and the culture of the campus.”
Coffee with the Principal, typically has anywhere from 25 to 40 parents in attendance, but the overall benefit to hosting these open forums is that the topics of interest are often shared by the parents with other parents. So the results tend to be far reaching. Such was the case with the onset of Common Core State Standards and Smarter Balanced testing. “We had several conversations with parents on Common Core and the difference between STAR vs. Smarter Balanced testing and how to ensure their child remains successful. What we discovered was that the parents who attend are really influential and do a great job of sharing that information. The feedback that we get helps us to address any issues right away and I really like that.”
This sharing of information and ideas has developed into bonding relationships among Monroe parents and sparked many more to get involved on a daily basis as volunteers. “Parent volunteering is truly key to having successful children, says IUSD Community Liaison Kenmoria Woodson.” She is also a parent who loves to volunteer at her children’s school. Many of the parents that Woodson recruited have never volunteered before simply because they were never asked. “We now have a group of 50 parent volunteers that are available to assist; 7 of them volunteer faithfully on campus every day. Their presence on campus is making a real difference.”
For more information on parental involvement at your child’s school, visit us on the web @ https://myiusd.net
