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Resources for Parents
Homework Help - Ask a Teacher
Who Does What -
Helpful information about Ontario's education system from the Ministry
of Education
Different kinds of parents. Different kinds of parental
involvement.
Parent involvement leads to improved student learning. But 'Parent
Involvement' describes a very wide range of different activities, what
matters?
There are many different kinds of activities that can help students
learn, and different people tend to have different preferences.
There tend to be three different kinds of parents, all involved in
important activities to help children succeed.
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There are many
who simply wish to carry out their role as parents. |
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There are others
who are willing to contribute their time and energy as
volunteers. |
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There are still
others who are willing to become part of the school council,
offering their leadership skills to the school community. |
Parents
Almost every parent sending a child to school wants to know, "How can
I help my child do better in school this year?" There are
several very important things that 'just plain parents' can do to
support their children every year, even if you don't want to join the
school council, or cannot volunteer in the school.
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Communicating
effectively with your child's teacher, to assist in overcoming
any challenges, or to advise the teacher of challenges the child
is facing outside of the classroom |
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Simply being a
good parent, supporting the emotional and nutritional needs of
children as they grow |
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Supporting your
child in the completion of homework or the selection of courses
that will prepare the child for secondary and post-secondary
programs. |
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Attending school
events such as assemblies, plays, science fair nights, parent
teacher interviews etc. Simply attending the school reinforces
to your child that what he or she does every day is important to
you. |
These kinds of involvement do not involve joining the school council,
volunteering in the classrooms or leading fundraising activities - yet,
they are very important types of parental involvement. To many, they do
not look like 'parental involvement', because they sometimes do not take
place at the school - but they are important types of parent
involvement.
Volunteers
Volunteers are another distinct group of people within the school.
Although many will never be part of the school council, volunteers offer
plenty of helpful services to students and the school.
The four main types of involvement for volunteers include:
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Traditional
volunteering, including assisting individual classroom teachers,
librarians or others within in the school |
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Organizing or
running fundraising campaigns to benefit the students within the
school |
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Organizing
school social events that bring families to the school |
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Bringing
community resources into the school for the benefit of students |
Although many of these volunteers may never attend a school council
meeting, they play a vital role within every school community.
School Council Members
School council members tend to be visible in terms of their
involvement, but joining the school council is not the only way to be
involved in the school in a meaningful way.
Within most schools, there are a core group of between 5 and 15
people who want to take on the leadership roles that exist on a school
council. Research from the U.S. indicates that only about 8% of parents
want to join a school council. When we factor in scheduling conflicts
and the other demands facing many parents, less than half of those who
would like to be part of the school council can actually fit it into
their schedules. That means that only about 3% or 4% of the parents
within a school might become active with the school council. Others
prefer to be volunteers, and still others prefer simply to carry out
their roles as parents.
As a group of leaders within the school, one way to look at this role
is to:
1. Support those who wish to carry out their role as parents.
2. Support volunteers with meaningful opportunities, training
and recognition.
3. Become effective as a school council in partnering with
the principal and staff in recognizing and supporting the
various roles that parents play in helping children through
their school years.
School councils are generally comprised of those willing to take on
the leadership roles within the school. With leadership comes the
responsibility of understanding the kinds of parents that exist within
the school and the different kinds of activities they may be interested
in participating in. |
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