DOCUMENT RESUME UD 029 922 ED 406 461 The Partnership for Kentucky School Reform TITLE Informational Sheets. Partnership for Kentucky School Reform, Lexington. INSTITUTION PUB DATE 92 NOTE 9p. Descriptive (141) Reports PUB TYPE MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. EDRS PRICE *Advocacy; *Corporate Support; Educational Change; DESCRIPTORS *Educational Improvement; Elementary Secondary Education; *Parent Participation; *Parent School Relationship; Parent Teacher Cooperation; *School Business Relationship; School Support Kentucky; *Reform Efforts IDENTIFIERS ABSTRACT Three informational sheets provide parents and employers with advice on ways of assisting school reform through becoming better citizens, getting more involved in the schools, and initiating supportive efforts. The three informational sheets are (2) "The ABCs entitled: (1) "How Can You Be Involved as a Citizen?"; of Parent Involvement"; and (3) "How Can Employers Be Involved?" Dozens of ideans are presented covering all three areas. Advice on parental involvement covers such areas as visiting school sites, volunteering to assist in classroom activities, supporting school programs and services, participating in the schobl's parent organizations, and supplementing and assisting in the child's educational process at home. Parental assistance through better citizenship includes being more involved in community support efforts for educational reform, sharing information designed to encourage school improvement, and informing legislators of the need to provide support for school reform. Employers can help maintain reform efforts by becoming more involved in educating their employees and the community on the need for school improvement, as well as by applying their knowledge, skills, and resources to assist school districts and schools in the task of restructuring. (GLR) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** INTEGRATING TEACHING STYLES WITH STUDENTS' LEARNING STYLES (SERIES OF 14 The Partnership for Kentucky School Reform Informational Sheets: How Can You Be InVolved as a Citizen? The ABCs of Parent Involvement How Can Employers Be Involved? PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL Office of Educattonal Research and Improvement HAS BEEN GRANTED BY EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER IERICI Skye C. 0 Thu document has been reprOduced as eA) received from the person or organization originating it. 0 Mmor changes have been made to improve S SLA-11rA A reprOduction cluelity Pornts of view or opinions stated in this (loco. TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES mint do not necessarily represent officral INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) OE RI positron or pohcy BEST COPY AVAILABLE 2 ership PartnTHE FOR KENTUCKY SCHOOL REFORM Citizen? Involved As A How Can You Be in schools by: You can become involved and sharing your skills. seeing what needs to be done Volunteering in the classroom - materials, calling parents, preparing instructional Examples: reading to students, etc. tutoring individuals or small groups, and non-parents. that involve retired citizens Developing volunteer projects of school-based committees formed as a result Volunteering to serve on school decision making. other meetings at parent-teacher conferences and Encouraging schools to hold attend. hours when working parents can business or work-sites and/or at Examples: management, school district committees. Sharing your expertise on probleni solving, consensus organizing, facilitating, financial, organizational, group building, training, etc. offering to help with encouraging others to do so by Running for the school board or their campaigns. performing well in is crucial to children Realizing that broad community support community support efforts by: school, become involved in community. Resource/Youth Services Centers in your Volunteering at the Family for four-year-olds. Volunteering in the KERA program at-risk children. provide additional support for Helping to identify and Providing tutorial support training events and school professionals to attend Sponsoring teachers and other other professional conferences. school improvement in education reform and encourage Become a citizen expert on by sharing information: your community journals, professional for local newspapers, business Volunteer to write articles bulletins. organization newsletters, church Speak to groups about education reform and local education progress. involved, even if they Talk to your friends and neighbors and encourage them to get don't have children in the schools. such as those created by the Start or join a local education community committee, issues related to Prichard Committee, to take a public position about community education and the general well-being of children. discuss local progress related to Sponsor public forums that report on progress and education reform. for education Inform local legislators of school activities and of your support of education reform reform; remind them of the need for their continued support and its policies. As a Kentucky citizen consider... We must engage the Only one household in four in Kentucky has children in schools. and who will benefit from the 75% of citizens who pay taxes for school improvement educated work force. stronger economic base that comes from an adult work Kentucky has a declining youth population and has the least educated 35 have not done as force in the nation. Additionally, our young families under age well economically as older age groups. in the nation Kentucky has historically had one of the highest unemployment rates with a low rate of per capita family income. economic future. The image We must be aware of how this data affects Kentucky's economic growth. and reality of a weak education system has limited Kentucky's EDUCATION MUST BECOME A COMMUNITY RESPONSIBILITY. WE MUST ALL WORK TO SUPPORT EDUCATION! United Parcel Service, Inc, Thanks to the Partnership Leadership: KENT C"OZ" NELSON, Chairman and CEO of CEO of Ashland Oil, Inc., DAVID A. JONES, Chairman and CEO of Humana Inc., and JOHN HALL, Chairman and and to the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence. If you need additional information or if you want a speaker to write: come to your community, call or kentucky Education Producin Reform.. The Partnership for Kentucky School Reform g World-class Students P.O. Box 1658 / Lexington, KY 40592 / 1-800-928-2111 4- ership PartnulE FOR KENTUCKY SCHOOL REFORM The ABCs of Parent Involvement "You can't bring about major reform unless parents are going to be a part of it. You have got to have parents understand that they do make a difference, and you've got to get the teachers and the principals to understand the importance of parental involvement." --Christopher Cross Former Assistant Secretary of Education You can affect your child's achievement, the classroom, school or even an entire school district by getting involved in the following activities: Make sure your children receive needed health care and preventive services. The Family Resouce Center at your school can assist you if you are having trouble getting these services. Call your local school district offices. Be your children's first teacher. Spend time playing with them and reading to them or having them read to you. A half-hour of reading together daily can make a difference! Provide ways your children can explore the world around them. Ask them questions about what they are seeing, touching, thinking. Encourage them to talk and write about their thoughts. Check with your children's teachers to find out what your child should be doing at his/her age. This will help you know what behavior and learning levels are typical. Regularly stress the importance of school to your children. Insist on regular school attendance. Make sure that you support their learning outside of school. Work with your children's teachers to know what to emphasize. Support your children with their homework by establishing a regular homework schedule for them and establishing a place where they can work without interruption. Spend at least thirty minutes reviewing the results of their work with them. Call the teacher immediately with any concerns about academic progress. Work with your children to allow them Establish a restricted TV-watching schedule. selection decisions about what programs to watch. Encourage a role in making some beyond suggested that most children should not watch of at least one news show. It is 1 hour of television daily. few regularly. Informal visits to eat lunch and spend a Stop by your children's school supplements to times when you are there for minutes in classrooms are important programs or conferences. learning. that you do care about education and Volunteer in classrooms. This indicates human resouce for, schools. Possible classroom Volunteering also provides a needed for instructional materials such as those needed activities might include: preparing tutoring individuals or small groups, etc. primary school, reading to children, by serving on school councils, school committees, Assist in local decision-making local or state committees. organization. Become involved in your school's parent workshops. Participate in parent education of your children's teachers. Don't be afraid to ask questions No concern is too "trivial." services. in supporting school programs and Encourage non-parents to join you them do not have children in our schools;Take We need the help of the 75% who them to volunteer. Educating our children is a with you to programs. Encourage community effort. have. Support each other. Talk with other parents about concerns you child's role in the education of children. You are a Parents have the most important either by important advocate. Without support, first teacher and can be his/her most children will have a adult, or some form of an extended family, a parent, another productive. difficult time growing up healthy and NELSON, Chairman and CEO of United Parcel Service, inc., Thanks to the Partnership Leadership: KENT C."OZ" Inc., and JOHN HALL, Chairman and CEO of Ashland Oil, DAVID A. JONES, Chairman and CEO of Humana Inc., Excellence. and to the Prichard Committee for Academic if you want a speaker If you need additional information or call or write: to come to your community, School Reform The Partnership for Kentucky P.O. Box 1658 / Lexington, KY 40592 / 1-800-928-2111 6 ership PartnTHE FOR KEIV1TJCKY SCHOOL REFORM Be Involved? How Can Employers and with an opportunity to learn child in Kentucky must be provided Based on the premise that every high premise that we want to foster used to expect, AND based on the at higher levels than we international level: for them to be able to compete on an achievement of our children in order employee involvement in develop a unique educational plan which supports Each Kentucky employer am that result in and whidt focuses on policies and practices education, whether parent or non-parent, improving school performance. they develop education possible considerations for employers as The following activities are initiatives plans: content of understanding of the need for and Employers can support greater education reform. Kentucky has scant knowledge of the state survey, the general populace Mdwas evidenced in a recent of the reform need to better understand the intention ucation Reform Act (KERA). People that children. We need to keep in mind the legislation will be affecting their programs as well as ways four has children in school. only one Kentucky household in that work places offer prime help address this issue by recognizing Businesses and other employers can effectively communicate KERA information. Likewise, employers can settings to dispense and discuss they might: where they are located. For example, with the public in the community bulletin boards. Display informational material on in-house publications such as newspapers, bank and utility statements, Use local advertising avenues they can play to assist its employees about KERA and to suggest roles and electronic media to inform implementation. work-site or at public events Bureau to address their employees at the Use the Partnership Speakers they might sponsor. the work-site or in places local education issues and KERA at Distribute written information about of business. making document the progress local school districts are Create videos and other materials that implementing education reforms. education forums for citizens and parents. Sponsor and support community to their knowledge, skills and resources Businesses and other employers can use restructuring. schools in the difficult task of assist school districts and undertake a number of will require districts and schools to Quccessful implementation of KERA approaches will be of doing things. New thinking and new L./activities that call for different ways from curricula to budgeting. needed to implement changes ranging broad range of personal and technical Businesses can assist this change process by offering schools their might expertise. For example, depending upon the need, businesses curricula. Assist districts and schools in their development of new purchasing, team- Offer training in areas of financial management, budgeting, processing, planning, etc. building and other interpersonal communication skills, data collect important student and Help develop new management information systems to school-based data. school-based decisiod making teams to craft Work with school boards, central offices and organizational structures. and implement more responsible and decentralized from foundations or other Help schools write proposals that can garner new resources funding sources. for particular courses schools may want to teach. Lend space at their work-site as lab settings that can be used to craft new Train teachers in the use of computer technology instructional approaches. approaches that are more responsible to Offer expertise in creating financial management educational innovation. training events and professional conferences. Help school teachers and other school personnel attend employees participate in KERA Businesses and other employers can help their related activities. their children's in helping parents become active partners in 'Ccan work only if it succeeds because parents are disinterested or Such support can be difficult to cultivatenot itation. society make such participation difficult. uncaringbut because the demands and pace of today's and address this dilemma by developing policies Businesses and other employers can dearly help their employee involvement in the education of children in programs that actively encourage community. For example, they might and that focus on parenting and learning issues, Sponsor brown-bag lunch discussions and lectures offer internal education programs on parenting. involirement that support or require parental Advocate government policies, programs and practices for policies and practices that encourage parental Include in corporate advertising their support involvement. work with parents. Support school programs that prepare teachers to participate in school conferences and meetings Implement programs that allow employees to their other employees to be actively engaged in concerning their children. At the same time encourage community's schools. conferences and other meetings at the work-site. Encourage schools to hold parent-teacher employees who take advantage of opportunities to Initiate programs that reward and recognize involve themselves in school activities. education board positions or to participate in community Encourage their employees to run for school Prichard Committee. committees, such as those created by the community dialogue Businesses can act as catalysts and facilitators for meaningful about KERA's implementation and process. alone cannot meet the many needs of children. Interwoven throughout KERA is the notion that schools responsibility. This means Indeed, education and the general well-being of children is a community take education reform seriously and hold that for KERA to succeed, entire communities will need to themselves accountable for its progress. education and a well skilled work force, it is Given the tremendous stake of business in quality mobilizing meaningful community particularly appropriate that business assume a lead role in local reform. For example, businesses might: discussion about children's needs and the progress of collect and publicly report relevant data Encourage and assist schools and other community groups to assuming some responsibility for the accountability about the educational progress of children, thereby of education outcomes. forums that publicly report and discuss progress of Join with other community groups to sponsor making, Primary School, and Family Resource and local KERA reforms such as school-based decision Youth Services Centers. op-ed pieces, radio programs, etc. concerning Take public positions through speaking engagements, well-being of children (e.g.: employment community issues related to education and the general of specific community services, the importance policies for high school students, the need for support of school completion, etc.). for the passage of KERA. Remind all local and Support local and state legislators who have worked of education reform and its policies. state legislators of the need for their continued support ALERT TO KENTUCKY EMPLOYERS! jobs of the future. We do not have enough well qualified workers for the than other states. Kentucky's age structure is changing more dramatically Less than 1/3 of our households have children. nation. Young families under age 35 have not Kentucky has the least educated adult work force in the done as well economically as their parents. unemployment rates in the nation with a low ranking Kentucky has historically had one of the highest in per capita family income. slowed Kentucky's economic growth. The image and reality of a weak education system has all work to support education. Education must become a community responsibility. We must and CEO of United Parcel Service, Inc., Thanks to the Partnership Leadership: KENT C"OZ" NELSON, Chairman HALL, Chairman and CEO of Ashland Oil, Inc., DAVID A. JONES, Chairman and CEO of Humana Inc., and JOHN and to the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence. speaker to come to your If you need additional information or if you want a community, call or write: The Partnership for Kentucky School Reform P.O. Box 1658 / Lexington, KY 40592 / 1-800-928-2111 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION IC Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) REPRODUCTION RELEASE (Specific Document) 9 DOCUMENT IDENTIFICATION: I. Title: THE ABCS OF PARENT INVOLVEMENT Author(s): Publication Date: Corporate Source: THE PARTNERSHIP FOR KENTUCKY SCHOOL REFORM 1992 REPRODUCTION RELEASE: II. 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