Parental Involvement - Deal or No Deal?

The Research page at "I Care"-The Parental Involvement Place has, among other things, the following to say about parental involvement:


Most parents want to be involved in their children’s education. According to Epstein, “family requests for involvement are constant.” Studies show that the majority of parents “want to know how to help their children at home and what they can do to help their children succeed.” Research suggests that “the most effective forms of parental involvement are those which engage parents in working directly with their children in learning activities at home.” The earlier in a child’s education this process begins, the more effective it will be.


Learning at home requires every teacher to understand the important connections between what is taught and learned in school and what is encouraged, practiced, discussed, and celebrated at home (Epstein, 2001).


In another study, Epstein (1982) found that teacher leadership in parent involvement in learning activities at home contributes independently to positive changes in reading achievement from fall to spring, even after teacher quality, students’ initial achievement, parents’ education, parents’ improved understanding of the school program, and the quality of students’ homework were taken into account.

To the best of my understanding, school districts everywhere had been given a mandate by the federal government regarding parental involvement.  Each district, or school, could come up with their own plan on how they would increase parental involvement, but it had to be measurable.  Federal funding required this.

Under these circumstances, the education professionals understandably often decided that what was easily measureable was the number of names on a sign-up sheet for their open-house type meetings, SAC meetings, as well as the number of parent-teacher conferences that were held.

So this seems to have become what our school system means when talking about the importance of parental involvement.

I can attend all the meetings you want.  I can even bring my neighbors.  But not one meeting is going to help my child, or yours, understand the classroom materials any better - and THAT is what is really important, isn't it?

Each school receives a grade (It makes me smile to see the marquees outside schools proudly proclaiming "We're an A school!").  These grades are based, in part, by the percentage of students earning good marks in fundamentals such as reading and math.

Attending your meetings might meet your requirements for receiving funding but it does nothing to help my child when she seems to be floundering in math.

I will continue to attend your meetings.  I have not missed one yet.  In return, please accept that I am of the opinion that “the most effective forms of parental involvement are those which engage parents in working directly with their children in learning activities at home.” and simply make sure I am aware of what my child is to be working on for your class.

Deal?
 

WELL DONE Juleah Medina, 1st grade teacher, Hammett Bowen Jr. Elementary

Ms. Medina makes it easy for the parents of her first grade students to be involved in their childrens lessons and classwork.  Here is the newsletter dated November 19, 2012 - yesterday - Monday. It's current!

In fact, on this page are links to all the newsletters since school started.  What luck for the parents (and children!) who want to keep up with, and get the most benefit from, the lessons in the classroom.

Thank you Ms. Medina.

WELL DONE Shirley McDonell, 1st grade teacher, Hammett Bowen Jr. Elementary

If parents of the first graders in Mrs. McDonells class want to help their children study and get the most out of their lessons they are so darned lucky! 

We have hit the jackpot with Mrs. McDonells class web page.  What's happening in Language Arts? Science? Social Studies? Math?  It's all here!  What a wonderful tool for these parents. 

Thank you, Mrs. McDonell.

I know it takes effort to keep webpages updated so please know that it IS appreciated.

Art, Music, PE, Inclusion

So here I am, methodically going through the websites of Marion County schools one by one and something has caught my eye.  Among the teachers listed as 4th grade, 2nd grade, etc. teachers are others identified as Music, Art, PE or Inclusion teachers.


I'm a curious person (you'd have to be to keep this up!).  I know a Music teacher teaches music, and an Art teacher teaches art.  I remember those from my days in school so I have an idea what's going on there.  What's Inclusion?  What do you do in an Inclusion class? What ages attend this class?


Let me tell you, the Marion County public school system doesn't make it easy to find the answers.


Ft McCoy Elementary has 3 Inclusion teachers.


Greenway Elementary has 3 VE Inclusion teachers


Shady Hill Elementary has 3 Varying Exceptionalities (VE) Inclusion teachers (Hey Blue, I think we found a clue!  "Varying Exceptionalities" write that down!)


Sunrise Elementary has 2 Varying Exceptionalities (VE) Inclusion teachers.


I am very grateful to Christopher Westrick, VE Teacher (one of two) at Stanton-Weirsdale Elementary for placing a link on his gallery which led me to this pdf explaining what Inclusion is


I'm still not clear how it works with the thirteen Inclusion teachers at the elementary school level in our district, or why only some schools have Inclusion teachers (but those that do, have at least 2 and commonly 3 Inclusion teachers) At least now I have an idea what it IS.


And you know what? I fully support Inclusion and am pleased that we are able to provide it for children who would benefit.




.

KUDOS Lisa Raymond, 3rd grade teacher, Greenway Elementary

Parents of children in Ms. Raymonds 3rd grade class can easily find the spelling words they ought to help their children practice.  Nothing is posted about what is currently going on in math, social studies, or anything else, but the gallery shows the spelling words for 11/2/12 through Unit 3 week 5 (I don't know what time frame that is but I'm sure that what is shown is at least through November)

Thank you!

KUDOS Ingrid Borge, 3rd grade teacher, Greenway Elementary

Parents of children in Ms. Borge's 3rd grade class can easily find the spelling words they ought to help their children practice.  Nothing is posted about what is currently going on in math, social studies, or anything else, but the weekly spelling words are listed at this time for weeks 11/12/12 through 12/10/12.      

Thank you

Public Education Foundation of Marion County

I didn't even know this existed until I read an article by Joe Callahan, Zanetti ready to tackle new challenges, published November 19 at 6:45 pm

The Public Education Foundation of Marion County appears to be designed to serve a much needed function.  Businesses and individuals can sponsor a school, help provide educational grants & scholarships, and otherwise support education in our county.

Judi Zanetti is going to be ( or is now) the Executive Director of this organization.  

Should be a piece of cake.  It looks like they went out of business sometime around June 2011. At least, that's when, according to their website, they last held a Board meeting.

Or maybe it won't be such a piece of cake.  I don't know how many business owners are willing to donate funds to an organization that looks as if it closed the doors.

If you want parents to play, at least be on the field when they get there.

This article by Joe Callahan was just published (Monday, November 19, 2012 at 6:15 pm)

Yancey tenure as superintendent marked by change

 

In the article it mentions Mr. Yancey's wish that more parents would get involved in their child's education.

 

Now let's be optimistic and assume that reading the article will spark something in at least some parents.  Maybe it's been something they have been feeling they should do for a while. However it happens, let's optimistically assume that for at least SOME parents - it happens.  Educators everywhere get their wish and maybe the angels even sing.

 

If our hypothetical parent reads the article online, it is only a few short clicks to the website of the school his child attends.  It's not too far-fetched to imagine that his internal thought process might go something like this:  "I guess I could start by finding out what's going on at the school." 

 

A few clicks later he is looking at your website, Mr. or Ms. Principal. Is it unrealistic to further imagine that he might choose to look at your newsletter to see what your message to him is?

 

You aren't going to get every parent involved.  My question to you, though, is : Are you putting your best foot forward to meet, even halfway, those parents who DO decide that they might want to get involved?

 

What do you gain by having outdated newsletters, maybe months or years old?

 

Would our hypothetical parent find an invitation to the next SAC meeting on your website? Or does it instead welcome him to attend a meeting that was scheduled in March 2009?  

 

If you want parents to play, at least be on the field when they get there.

But I DO have assignments!!

Many of the class assignment pages are entirely blank.  Many others, though, DO have something written on them.  If I haven't praised the teachers here yet then there is a good chance that I did not find whatever was posted on the assignment page useful at all.

For example:

Monday: Write spelling words in alphabetical order
Tuesday: Write spelling words in sentences.
Wednesday: Write spelling words 5 times each.
Thursday: Practice spelling words out loud with a parent or older sibling.
Friday: Spelling Test.

Would you say this was helpful?

On the surface I suppose it does seem like we have in fact been given homework assignments.  Useful though?  I think not.

WHAT are the spelling words my child is to write in various forms this week?

Do you see how uttterly UNuseful something generic like this is?  Without the specific spelling word, or math problems ( I found much the same referring to math as well) you might as well just not post anything.

Which is what many do anyway.

Why am I doing this?

Parent Portal

First let me say that I LOVE the parent portal.

But it is what it is.

Several times, when I have approached teachers asking for information about upcoming assignments, they said something like "Oh you should sign up for the parent portal!"

I signed up for the parent portal back when it was introduced. The portal is where parents can log in and see their childs grades.  Each assignment, quiz and test is posted with the grade your child earned.

AFTER THE FACT.

For some reason I have never been able to clearly communicate that I want to be proactive with my childs education.

If my preferred level of involvement consisted only of yelling at my child for not doing as well as I know she could have on an assignment or quiz, the parent portal would more than meet my needs.

HOW can I make sure that homework gets done and tests get studied for if I have none of this information when it counts - in ADVANCE?

Teachers only put information in the portal after  the event has occurred. Sometimes longggg after.

The parent portal is wonderful for what it is, but it is not at all what I am looking for when I ask "What's coming in the next week?"

Why am I doing this?

Welcome to the 2008-2009....

Really?

I'm only singling out individuals for praise here, not holding anyone up for ridicule.  But do any principals, deans, executives, school board members, let alone the teachers themselves ever review what their classroom pages say?

Truthfully I've found a lot of pages where the information is dated sometime in August or September which is very disheartening.

Welcome to the 2008 - 2009 .....

UNacceptable.

Maybe teachers don't bother because they think no one cares.  Shame on us parents for not being more involved - and vocal about it!

But teachers, please, have faith.  If you build it they will come.

How many websites do YOU keep going back to if they haven't updated for months or even years?

This is making me so much more grateful for those teachers who ARE making the effort to give the parents tools to work with.  Fresh tools.

It's also making me more determined to see that they get the recognition I sincerely feel they deserve.

Each of these teachers has received an email with a link and the text of their post.  The principal has been copied on that email and in many cases (only because it occurred to me after I had started this) the appropriate School Board member has been copied.

Why am I doing this?

Marion County FL High School Newsletters

Here are the most recent newsletters for our Marion County FL High Schools as of November 18, 2012,


Belleview High School - Fall 2012
Dunnellon High School - page not found
Forest High School - November 2012
Lake Weir High School - November 2, 2012
Marion Technical Institute - November 2012
North Marion High School - no newsletter found
Vanguard High School - November 2012
West Port High School - no newsletter found

WELL DONE Kristina Ellers, Kindergarten teacher, Eighth St Elementary

Ms. Ellers is giving the parents of her Kindergarten students the information they need to establish and practice great habits for lifelong learning.   Her newsletter is current so parents can incorporate the classroom lessons into their activities at home.

THANK YOU!

Why am I doing this?

WELL DONE Sandra Dailey, Kindergarten teacher, Eighth St Elementary

If the parents of the students in Ms, Daileys class are inclined to want to be personally involved with their childs education and put in the effort recommended by ...pretty much everyone..they are in luck. Ms. Dailey has a newsletter with current information for these parents regarding the lessons their children are learning.

Thank you, Ms. Dailey, for providing the tools for parents to develop great habits within their families at the start of their childrens educational experience!

Why am I doing this?

Marion County FL Middle School Newsletters

Here are the most recent newsletters for each of our Marion County Middle Schools as of November 18, 2012.

Belleview Middle School -October 2012
Dunnellon Middle School - November 2012
Fort King Middle School - Page not found
Ft. McCoy School - October 2012
Horizon Academy at Marion Oaks - October 2012
Howard Middle School - November 2012
Lake Weir Middle School - November 2012
Liberty Middle School - October 30, 2012
North Marion Middle School - October 5, 2012
Osceola Middle School - November 2012

Why am I doing this?

From the start, when my child entered the public school system, I wanted to have full knowledge of what she was learning and ensure that she was doing the work that the teacher deemed necessary to develop a thorough understanding of the material. 

If the teacher assigned homework, my child had damn well better do it.  If the teacher assigned a project, same thing. 

School was fun and exciting.  She came home each day with many new things to share with us.

Then we hit a rough patch, grades started slipping, the parent portal would show a homework assignment that hadn't been turned in 2 weeks ago.
 
One summer, I discovered the school websites with pages for each class' assignments.  I made a plan.  Next year was going to be different.  I would check this thing (the class page) every week, every day if I had to, and there would be no more missed homework.  Before she could go play with a friend, I would need to SEE the completed homework that had been assigned by the teacher.

The school year started great.  Information was posted. My plan was working,  I went to the Open House and thanked each teacher for keeping us informed this way.

Sadly, it didn't last long.  When I asked for the resources to be kept up to date, the teachers, guidance counselors and principals all pointed me to the wonderful Agenda Planners that each child now had.

Agenda Planners ARE wonderful IF the child actually writes the homework assignment in the darn thing....copied correctly...completely.....legibly....AND remembers to bring it home.

How am I to enforce the teachers requirements for her class if I don't know what they are?

Imagine the citizens of Marion County hiring a traffic cop and sending him out there without giving him any knowledge of the speed limits and traffic laws we have.

Imagine further if when he pulls a car over, the driver is able to whip out his handy Agenda Planner and say "See here, Officer?  I AM supposed to go 75 miles per hour in this residential zone. I know, because I wrote it down."

Silly, huh? 

That's kind of what it felt like to me. 

I became frustrated, and then curious.   I looked at the class pages for other teachers and found it wasn't just my child's teachers. The link to the school newsletter hadn't even been updated for months.

I looked at the rival schools in the district and discovered the same thing.  It's systemic.  

Am I the only parent who cares whether their child  does the work required to get good grades?  I refuse to believe that. I know from talking to many of them, I am not.

Am I the only parent that ever spoke up and asked for the resources that already exist, to be used?

I have been told that I am. 

Privately others have mentioned fear of retribution toward their children.  "Just be quiet and go with the flow.  Do the best you can." it has been said to me.




But...but...these schools are making a big deal about parental involvement, I thought to myself.
THEY say it's important to them.  WHY, then, should we be quiet?  I WANT to be involved in my child's education.   I WANT what they are saying THEY want.

 I repeat : How am I to enforce the teachers requirements for her class if I don't know what they are?


And that is why I am doing this.  Because as hard as it is for me to believe, it is system wide and so I feel I am going to have to address the system.

WELL DONE Terry Weber, 4th grade teacher, Dunnellon Elementary

Again we have a nice informative newsletter for the week of November 12.

Thank you, Ms. Weber.

Why am I doing this?

Education World: Parents and Teachers Working Together

"The school's best ally in the task of nurturing a student's innate 'urge to learn' is, first and foremost, the parents," says Bernie Poole in his online book Education for an Information Age. "A Nation at Risk (1984) paints a sobering picture when the report states that while parents do have 'an undiminished concern for the well-being of their children,' for the most part they are not culturally encouraged by the education system to intervene in their children's education. Unfortunately, this distancing has not improved in the last 20 years. Working parents, language differences, economic and cultural divisions, and a history of schools regarding parents as intruders and critics rather than partners have built walls.

This is the opening paragraph of  Education World: Parents and Teachers Working Together, an article written in October 2005 with many terrific ideas for strengthening the parent teacher partnership.

I encourage you to read it.  I found the entire article to be informative and encouraging.  This next paragraph particularly struck a chord with me.

"I've mostly taught 9th graders," noted Marcella Ruland. "The transition to high school can be difficult for many, so I try to give parents all the information they need or want to help them help their children. I have a Web page that I advertise to parents as well as to students. On the site is a section for assignments. I have a long-term planning calendar and an assignment log that provides a rather detailed day-by-day listing of what was done in class, what work was collected, and what homework was assigned. I make sure I post instructions for class work, so absent students can make up assignments while they're out. I also post instruction sheets for all projects. Students lose things and, this way, the instructions are still available. Many parents have said how helpful the Web page is, particularly because students sometimes say they don't have any homework." 

Absent students can make up assignments while they are out.
Students lose things.
Students sometimes say they don't have any homework.

It's NOT just me!!!!


Why am I doing this?

WELL DONE Sarah Linn, 4th grade teacher, Dunnellon Elementary

We only had to look through a few more class pages to find our next one with current assignment information to help parents assist their child.  Ms. Linn has a nice informative newsletter for the week of November 12.

Thank you, Ms. Linn!

Why am I doing this?

WELL DONE Denise Fields, 4th grade teacher, Dunnellon Elementary

I was beginning to think we were going to strike out at Dunnellon Elementary. I looked at the class pages for 27 teachers before I found one with current assignment information.

Take a look at Mrs. Fields Newsletter for the week of November 12

The spelling words list is there along with homework assignments. My 40-something eyes could do without the fancy shmancy font but at this point I suspect I'd be happy to find useful information for parents even if it was written in hieroglyphics.

GOOD JOB Mrs. Fields!

Why am I doing this?

Plagiarism

If you received papers from two students written with precisely the same words, including the same incorrectly spelled words, what would you call it?

PLAGIARISM, correct?

If you're going to be so lazy that you are going to copy another teachers class description, at least take the time to find one that can spell!

Marion County FL Elementary School Newsletters -

Here are the most recent newsletters linked on each of our Marion County FL Elementary School websites. 


Anthony Elementary - Keep checking back. Our newsletter for the new school year will be up soon!
Belleview Elementary - November 2012
Belleview-Santos Elementary - November 2012
College Park Elementary - Coming soon for the new school year!
Dr. N.H. Jones Elementary - November 8, 2012
Dunnellon Elementary - no newsletter found
East Marion Elementary - December 1, 2011 
Eighth Street Elementary- dated July 28,2012
Emerald Shores Elementary - no newsletter found
Evergreen Elementary - Evergreen Elementary School Newsletter will be posted soon.
Fessenden Elementary - November 2012
Ft. McCoy School- October 1, 2012
Greenway Elementary - no newsletter found
Hammett Bowen Jr Elementary - November 2012
Harbour View Elementary - November 2012
Madison Street Academy - April 2012
Maplewood Elementary - November 2012
Marion Elementary - no newsletter found
Oakcrest Elementary - October, 2010
Ocala Springs Elementary - November, 2012
Reddick-Collier Elementary - November 2012
Romeo Elementary - March 2, 2012
Saddlewood Elementary - no newsletter found
Shady Hill Elementary - November 2012
South Ocala Elementary - February 2012
Sparr Elementary - November 2012
Stanton-Weirsdale Elementary - November/December 2012
Sunrise Elementary - June 2012
Ward Highlands Elementary - November 2012
Wyomina Park Elementary - November 2011



Why am I doing this?

Dr. N. H. Jones Elementary

Dr. N.H. Jones Elementary was the 5th elementary school whose faculty directory pages I looked at one by one. When I got to this one my first thoughts were that this should be interesting.  Their website homepage proudly proclaims "We are a Magnet school!"  "We are an Innovative School" and we are an "A" school"

Educators insist that parental involvement is key.   Since my pet peeve is wanting to know in advance what the assignments are going to be, and not being able to..I was sure that I would find an environment of clear communication here at this school.

I dove in, excitedly hoping to find a treasure trove of pages with the information parents need.

I was disappointed to find the first page I looked at (and several others) hadn't been updated in months.

But I DO want to point out that of the five elementary school websites I have reviewed so far, Dr. N. H. Jones Elementary has stood out with kudos for EIGHT teachers!

WELL DONE Lori Conrad 1st grade teacher, D. N.H. Jones Elementary
WELL DONE Lisa Hager, 1st grade teacher, Dr. N.H. Jones Elementary
WELL DONE Melanie Svercek, 1st grade teacher, Dr. N.H. Jones Elementary
WELL DONE Leslie Keene, 2nd grade teacher, Dr. N.H. Jones Elementary
WELL DONE Brenda Winne, 2nd grade teacher, Dr. N.H. Jones Elementary
VERY WELL DONE Kelly Hubner, 4th grade teacher, Dr. N. H. Jones Elementary
WELL DONE Debra Miller, 4th grade teacher, Dr. N.H. Jones Elementary
VERY WELL DONE Kimberly Dunn, 5th grade teacher, Dr. N.H. Jones Elementary



THANK YOU! 

Why am I doing this?

VERY WELL DONE Kimberly Dunn, 5th grade teacher, Dr. N.H. Jones Elementary

The parents of students in Ms. Dunns class already know what the expectations are for the week AFTER Thanksgiving!  How amazing is that?

Why am I doing this?

WELL DONE Debra Miller, 4th grade teacher, Dr. N.H. Jones Elementary

We have two links for Ms. Millers class.  Her main page outlines the week as well as another page titled This Week in Class which has more details to help parents navigate the week ensuring that their children meet their homework / test preparation / project obligations.

Yes, we are happy with Ms. Millers pages.

Why am I doing this?

VERY WELL DONE Kelly Hubner, 4th grade teacher, Dr. N. H. Jones Elementary

It's Friday, November 16, and already the parents of Ms. Hubners students can see what the plan is for next week!  Granted, there are two days off next week and no homework on the other three - but at least we know!  Plus, there is information for a test that will be on the 30th.

WONDERFUL - Thank you for helping parents be proactive in ensuring homework and test preparation is done.

I'm going to keep an eye on this one.  I hope that I will find similar results in future weeks.

Why am I doing this?

WELL DONE Brenda Winne, 2nd grade teacher, Dr. N.H. Jones Elementary

What a cute newsletter with homework clearly outlined as well as spelling words.  The solar oven project sounds like fun, too.

Why am I doing this?

WELL DONE Leslie Keene, 2nd grade teacher, Dr. N.H. Jones Elementary

Here is a Homework page that is laid out day by day, very easy for a parent to understand what their child is responsible for.

Why am I doing this?

WELL DONE Melanie Svercek, 1st grade teacher, Dr. N.H. Jones Elementary

I am linking to Ms. Sverceks newsletter page because she has diligently kept up with publishing newsletters for the parents of her students and each is very informative.

Well done! 

Why am I doing this?

WELL DONE Lisa Hager, 1st grade teacher, Dr. N.H. Jones Elementary

What a nice summary of this weeks events and spelling words.

Why am I doing this?

WELL DONE Lori Conrad 1st grade teacher, Dr. N.H. Jones Elementary

Nice newsletter with spelling words and the weeks assignments!

Why am I doing this?

Well Done Jerkeshea Potts, 5th grade teacher, Belleview-Santos

The assignments for the week are complete and clear.

I've got to ask though.  Why are so many of the teachers that DO provide stuff having to use materials from the U.K?

We don't have anything good here in the U.S.?  That's probably a topic for future exploration.

Why am I doing this?

WELL DONE Rebecca Lynn 4th grade teacher, Belleview-Santos

The assignments schedule for the week is complete, the gallery is chock full of information including all details & deadlines for the Science Fair.

This made me smile.

Why am I doing this?

WELL DONE Christine Egitto 3rd grade teacher, Belleview-Santos

Assignments for each day are clearly laid out (including page numbers!) with additional information in the "Details" section.  See for Yourself

WELL DONE!!!!

Why am I doing this?

Congratulations Lisa Merian, 2nd Grade Teacher, Anthony Elementary

A quick scan through the 24 Faculty websites today, Friday November 16, 2012 found a link to the November 12-16 newsletter containing this weeks homework for the 2nd grade class of teacher Lisa Merian. Parents of Ms. Merians students can easily find math & spelling homework for each day of this past week as well as vocabulary words and reading assignments.

It's entirely possible that all teachers are publishing such newsletters and sending them home with  the students.

It's also possible that I am the only parent in the entire world that has concerns about actually receiving and keeping track of this kind of information.  I love that if my child was one of Ms. Merians students I could easily find the information I needed to ensure my child has a successful week.

If your child is one of Ms. Merians students, please THANK her for giving you the tools you need to help your child succeed.

Why am I doing this?

Marion County FL Public School websites

We have a really wonderful resource in Marion County to keep up with our schools.  Each of our schools has a website.  Each school website shows the list of faculty with links to their pages.  There is a page for each and every class with the following very important sections:

Syllabus.  This tells us what we can expect the students to learn from the class.  What is being taught.  What it's about.

Current & Upcoming Assignments This is what really excites me.  Here is the section designed to let us all know what homework is assigned, what tests are coming up, when we will need to buy that posterboard for a project.

Past Assignments.  This section could be especially helpful when looking ahead to see what classes might be like next school year. I assume teachers simply move information from the Current section to the Past section as time passes.

This is the brilliant idea I was talking about in the last post.  In one place all parents can see what to expect for the week ahead.  At  least, that's my plan.  You see, since I became a parent of a child in the public school system, it has been my intention to invest time each weekend to review the pages of each teacher my child has with my family calendar in hand. 

There's a test on Thursday?  Ok, we know we are staying home Wednesday night to make sure to get some studying done.  Vocabulary and an essay due on Tuesday?  I better check and see where we are at on those.  And so on.

I don't know who had the idea or how this system came about, although I am trying to find out.  It is fairly unique.  I have checked out the websites in other school districts, even other states, and I have not found anything to compare with what we have.

In case you were thinking I started this blog to be a cheerleader, here's where you find out differently.

This is a wonderful tool that someone, some time in the past, thought would be useful.  Maybe there was even an item on the ballots asking the taxpayers to fund this terrific new ( at that time) idea. I don't know.

But I do know we aren't using it.

Don't believe me? Go ahead, see for yourself.  Here is the directory of schools in the Marion County FL Public School system,  Pick one, any one.  Look at the teachers' pages. 

I give a grade of F for blank pages.  It's the equivalent of my child not even trying.  You'll find some smattering of teachers here and there using these resources.  Most, however, are not.

Why?

So, Do you have any homework tonight?

If you read the list of suggestions in my last post from the FLDOE you may have noticed that none of them involved baking cupcakes or acting as chaparone at the school dance.  They are suggestions for personal involvement with your child.

As I see it, at a minimum, my responsibilities in this educational partnership are to make sure my child gets to school on time and in good shape as well as ensure that he/she completes all required activities.

This leads me to the title of this post.  I hate hearing "Nope" as an answer.  Not because I want my child to spend hours poring over books, but I have NO reliable way of knowing if that is true. 

Like every other parent I would prefer that my child was a paragon of integrity and never ever lied or even forgot.  Years ago, however, I was granted citizenship to Realityland. 

Here are three related suggestions from the previous post:

• Ask the teacher what your child is learning and how you can support this at home.
• Talk with your child daily about homework, classroom activities, and events.
• Make efforts to stay informed of school and classroom events.

I could, I suppose, email each of my child's teachers each morning before I leave work and ask them if there will be any homework or reports, projects, what-have-you to be completed. 

Imagine if the Department of Education gets their wish and all parents become involved at such a level.  I would hate to be a teacher having to answer all those emails!

Apparently this scenario was thought of years ago and some brilliant person has already conceived and implemented a terrific solution for all.

November is Parental Involvement in Education Month

According to the FLDOE (Florida Department of Education) site November is Parental Involvement in Education Month.

It's November and I'm a parent so let's get involved.  From that page...

The following are just a few suggestions of the many ways you can be involved with your child's education:

• Contact your child's teacher early in the school year and maintain communication throughout the school year.
• Participate in parent/teacher conferences.
• Ask the teacher what your child is learning and how you can support this at home.
• Talk with your child daily about homework, classroom activities, and events.
• Learn about school policies and expectations so you can help your child understand them.
• Make efforts to stay informed of school and classroom events.
• Model behaviors and attitudes you expect from your child.
• Encourage and nurture your child's creativity.
• Be proactive in making the school aware of your support for your child's education.
• Talk with your employer about flex time so you can participate in school activities.
• Establish a daily family routine.
• Monitor out of school activities.
• Model the value of learning, self-discipline, and hard work.
• Express high, but realistic expectations for achievement.
• Encourage your child's development/progress in school.
• Encourage reading, writing, and discussions among family members.
• Be positive when talking with your child about school related activities.

We'll come back to all that at a later time. 

I have a child in the Marion County FL public school system.  Maybe you do too, or maybe you are an employee of Marion County Public Schools, or even a taxpayer who is  curious about what you're getting for your money.  There will be something here for you as well.  I promise.