ERIC ED406461: The Partnership for Kentucky School Reform Informational Sheets.

11 Pages·1992·0.31 MB·English

by  ERIC

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)
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Title:
THE ABCS OF PARENT INVOLVEMENT
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THE PARTNERSHIP FOR KENTUCKY SCHOOL REFORM
1992
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Position
COORDINATOR
Sinre--).-4.,.til % .C1/72-c-
Organization
Printed Name f/
W. SNYDER
CAROLY
THE PARTNERSHIP FOR KENTUCKY SCHO(
Telephone Numbe!
REFORM
Address
P.O. BOX 1687
) 233-9849
' 606
LEXINGTON, KY 40592
Date
MAY 18. 1994
OVER
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