Edinburg CISD is a strong believer in incorporating parental involvement as much as possible because parents are a “valuable link” in the educational chain (Parental Involvement, n.d.-b). Our campus at Economedes High School has a parental involvement department that addresses parent volunteers. This department not only handles the parent volunteers on campus but also conducts meetings for parents with literacy, GED courses, and trade certifications. Working in a district with high poverty our parental involvement will give food, clothing, blankets, and school supply donations to student families throughout the school year. 

Joyce Epstein and the Framework of Six Types of Parent Involvement include the following: Parenting, Communicating, Volunteering, Learning at Home, Decision Making, and Collaborating with the Community. Using these six steps will help educators develop more comprehensive programs of school-community partnerships (Joyce Epstein and The Framework of Six Types of Parent Involvement, 2014). Parenting is to help schools understand students and families and assist with child-rearing skills. Communicating with families to promote effective school-to-home to home-to-school communications. Volunteering is the engagement and recruitment of parents as school volunteers for school activities or functions. Learning at home will involve families helping with their children learning at home through homework assignments or other school curriculum activities. Decision-making includes the family’s participation in certain school decisions through PTO, school committees, or club organizations. The last parental involvement by Joyce Epstein would be collaborating with the community. This community outreach coordinates resources with services for the family with other organizations and businesses from the community.    

As a future administrator looking at what the district provides and reviewing researched-based strategies at parent communication and partnerships, I plan to hit the ground running. I plan to keep an open mind and communication plan in place to keep the stakeholders informed on information that pertains to them respecting student and staff privacy. 

References: 

Parental Involvement. (n.d.-b). Www.ecisd.us. Retrieved February 23, 2022, from https://www.ecisd.us/apps/pages/parental_involvement

Joyce Epstein and The Framework of Six Types of Parent Involvement. (2014, December 5). The Latino Family Literacy Project. https://www.latinoliteracy.com/joyce-epstein-framework-six-types-parent-involvement/

POST 2:

As discussed by Del Monte and Epstein (2016), there are six dimensions that strengthen programs and support the campus. The dimensions are parenting, communication, volunteering, learning at home, decision-making, and collaborating with the community. Despite the fact that there are six dimensions, schools should select the ones that best help them achieve their goals and meet the needs of their stakeholders. Parenting: Assist families with parenting and child-rearing skills, as well as understanding child and adolescent development and creating home environments that support children as students of all ages and grades (Del Monte and Epstein 2016). This helps the school get to know and understand their families. Communicating: Effective school-to-home and home-to-school communication will keep families informed about school programs and student success (Del Monte and Epstein 2016). Volunteering: Improve family involvement as volunteers and audiences at the school or in other sites to support children and school activities by improving recruiting, training, work, and scheduling (Del Monte and Epstein 2016). Learning at home: Encourage families to participate in learning activities at home with their children, such as homework and other curriculum-related activities and decisions (Del Monte and Epstein 2016). Decision Making: Through PTA/PTO, school councils, committees, and other parent groups, include families in school choices, governance, and advocacy (Del Monte and Epstein 2016). Collaborating with the community: Work with companies, agencies, and other groups to coordinate resources and services for families, students, and the school, as well as give services to the community (Del Monte and Epstein 2016).

A principal can use their knowledge of the parenting dimension to establish partnerships with families that include giving parent seminars on topics of interest to the families and making home visits. Communication knowledge can help develop parent conferences with all parents at least once a year, monthly events for families and teachers to interact informally, and use communication effectively in as many ways as possible (Epstein, 2002). Using knowledge from the volunteering dimension, principals can establish partnerships by inviting parents to serve as room parents or school crossing guards, as well as including families on school committees. Principals who understand the learning at home dimensions can form partnerships with families to provide information about skills that need to be addressed in schools, include families in the development of goals for and with their children, and inform families about ways to support learning at home. Principals can establish partnerships that give stakeholders a voice in school decision making. Principals may empower stakeholders by encouraging them to attend PTA meetings, providing information about the school board, and inviting them to volunteer on committees that examine school improvement initiatives (Epstein, 2002). Principals might offer workshops on community health, social assistance agencies, and other initiatives by engaging with the community.

References

Del Monte, K., & Epstein, J. (2016, September 28). Joyce epstein and the framework of six types of parent involvement. The Latino Family Literacy Project. https://www.latinoliteracy.com/joyce-epstein-framework-six-types-parent-involvement/

Epstein, J. (2002). Six types of involvement. IRIS. https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/fam-spanish/cresource/q2/p06/six-types-of-involvement/