Partner with Parents to Promote Student Progress
ETA/Cuisenaire Suggests Ways to Enlist Parental Support
Vernon Hills, IL—Back-to-school traditionally brings the obligatory "Parents' Night," when mothers and fathers assemble in student classrooms and squeeze into too-small desks to meet the teachers and receive a basic overview of the classes, projects, and activities that await their children each day. Quite often, this is the only time parents set foot in the classroom, save for parent/teacher conferences once or twice a year.
But those days are changing fast. Statistics show that school-age children spend some 70 percent of their waking hours outside of school. When it comes to student achievement, activities outside of school, especially at home, can be just as influential as what happens inside the classroom. Research from the Michigan Department of Education indicates that family participation in education is twice as predictive of students' academic success as is socioeconomic status. And, the more intently parents are involved, the data says, the more beneficial the achievement effects, with some more active programs showing success rates of up to ten times greater than any other factors.
More than ever before, teachers and schools understand that forming strong partnerships with parents is vital to unlocking a child's learning capabilities and potential for success. Teachers say that students with actively involved parents are consistently higher achievers, more active participants, better readers, and higher scorers on standardized tests. They also attend school more regularly, are enrolled in more advanced-placement classes, and are much more likely to complete higher education.
ETA/Cuisenaire, the nation's leading provider of hands-on supplemental products for math, science, and literacy education, has recognized the need for strong parental involvement with products designed to support the home-school connection, enlist parents as partners in their children's success, and provide easy-to-do learning activities that are grade-appropriate and reinforce school lessons.
"Our products enhance and strengthen the link between families and the regular school day," says Jemilah Senter, Senior Manager of Marketing and Merchandising for the company. "What better way to get parents on board than to offer simple programs that equip them with the tools to participate as equal partners in their children's learning processes?"
The ETA/Cuisenaire products designed to accelerate student achievement with parent and family involvement include Home Team Advantage®, toolkits and skill reinforcement packs filled with easy-to-follow, hands-on activities that support core curriculum and state educational standards; and Learning Place® for Families, convenient backpacks stuffed with convenient, at-home lessons that correlate with the regular school day. The company also offers customization options for these resources, allowing schools and districts the opportunity to tailor the contents to their individual learning goals.
"We recognize that each school and district has distinct goals, as well as specific thoughts on the kind of family involvement support they want and need," Senter explains. "We are willing to do whatever we can to assure these programs support and enhance the schools, students, and families who use them."
Beyond these specific take-home resources, ETA/Cuisenaire also recommends several other ways to involve parents in the student-learning process throughout the year, including:
- Involve every student's parent in some way. Some parents have far more time than others to devote to classroom activities. But you don't want students to be confused or hurt because their parents aren't participating when others do. Look for ways for these parents to contribute by providing project supplies, snacks, or performing typing or phone-tree projects at home. Be clear to your students that all of their families are supporting the school in important ways.
- Assign a parent/student project. Ask parents to collaborate on writing a story or "publishing" a book, then ask them to join the class to present the finished products jointly with their children. Have them discuss how they selected their topics, research they did, strategies they used to develop characters and story lines, and more.
- Hold a Family Reading or Storytelling Night. Ask for volunteer parents to lead the group in reading a compelling story and then talk about it. Consider acting out the story, or have a parent and child take turns reading in character.
- Plan a Science Saturday. Build a volcano and a tornado in a bottle; plant seeds; dig through dirt -- whatever fun, hands-on projects your students enjoy. Enlist parents to organize the event and assist their children with each activity.
"Bottom line," Senter emphasizes, "the more families support their children's learning process, the better their children will do, not only in school, but in life."
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About ETA hand2mind
Headquartered in Vernon Hills, Ill., ETA hand2mind is recognized as the premier publisher and pioneer of manipulatives-based education, with more than 8,000 supplemental reading, math, and science resources. Aligned to state and national standards, these products offer hands-on educational opportunities that make learning fun for students and teaching more effective for educators.
For more information, press only:
Londa Della 800-445-5985, ext. 5219
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