Parental Engagement and Involvement

"Parents are a child's first teacher"

Parents have a strong influence on their children. Their involvement plays a crucial role in their child's academic performance when they are involved in their children's school life. Research shows that students perform better in school and tend to have fewer behavioral problems with a parent who is routinely involved in school activities such as attending meetings with a teacher, serving on a committee or attending a school board meeting.

Direct parent engagement with teachers and active involvement in school life is necessary and should be encouraged. It allows parent to closely monitor their children's activities, classroom participation, and ensure that the child completes schoolwork. Studies have demonstrated the positive effects of parent involvement at both elementary and secondary levels, with the largest effects often occurring at the elementary level.

As a Board Member I am committed to:

- Develop and implement parent-friendly programs within the schools. The purpose is to provide access to full communication about current issues impacting education and engage parents in the issues and decision making process of the School Board.

- Foster communication between home and school by creating "policy and curriculum maps" on the internet to eliminate complexity and confusion.

- Expand child-specific communication programs to include positive news. This will foster a positive environment and create value for parents to do outreach and get involved. We all know that school-initiated communication for a specific student tends to take place when a student is faced with academic problems.

- Encourage parents to motivate their children by simply letting them know the value and the importance of achievements and academic success.