Most school districts are coming up with dozens of parent
engagement programs. No shortage of
effort and sincere desire to make things work.
Then why do parents remain on the periphery, almost staying
at-arms-length from what’s needed? How
can we move from the frustration of many failed efforts to the warm
satisfaction of success?
Most success stories include a laser-like pursuit of a
single goal. A singer wants to be a
star, so they pursue that with everything they have. Career counselors agree that a scatter-gun
approach will fail and that a sniper approach is what’s needed. A pitcher who tries to be a third baseman may
end up cut from the team. A child who is
always drawing should probably not try to become an accountant or salesman.
When we face a challenge with a single focus, a single idea
that we can put our whole self into, we end up with a much higher chance of success. When we find that single talent or purpose
and give it our all, we stand a much better chance of winning against the competition. Trying to be all things to all people never
works. Trying to get everyone to agree,
or to like us, can never be achieved.
But, if we can find one thing that will take root, one thing that will
grow and become stronger, then we have a chance to draw others into its
success.
Instead of many ideas for parent engagement, I suggest
finding one foundational idea. Like the
difference between scattering many seeds on dry soil and adding humus and water
to the soil first. If we make the soil
rich and ready for seeds, then we can have a great garden.
The core impediment to parent engagement is ignorance. Parents don’t know what their role is
supposed to be, how to fulfill that role over thirteen years of schooling, and
where to get the information they lack.
They rarely know just how important they are, and how to translate their
love for child into life success for child.
Schools don’t know what will work to increase parent involvement. If they did they would be doing it. They also don’t know where to find the
answers they lack. So, what we have here
is ignorance winning out and students losing out.
One “soil enriching” solution would be to capture the attention
of first-child kindergarten parents.
When parents are bringing their first child to kindergarten for the
first time there are many unrepeatable opportunities. They are scared. They are lost and confused. This is an opportunity to draw them in with
useful information, to give them knowledge that enables and empowers their
participation. Ignoring these parents in
their time of need is a critical error.
To do this smartly would be to develop an online learning
process using the school's LMS (learning management system) platform and create
accounts for parents. This could then be
introduced in first-child classes and followed up with through the LMS
interface. Coupling it with a communication
process whereby the teacher and parent interact with each other to help all
three (student, teacher, and parent) build a unified approach to education will
create rich, fertile soil. Imagine the
future of these parents’ involvement.
Imagine the subsequent trust and inter-communicative exchanges that will
happen over the years. Imagine how much more successful the other programs (scattered seeds) will be.
By finding one specific solution that addresses an
underlying issue (ignorance) and building in beneficial practices to create
perpetual successes, progress will be made. As the roots reach deeper into the soil each year, more and more parents
will join this new culture of enabled participation instead of standing on the periphery with reticent distance. More and more first-child parents will hear about and attend the classes. By opening them up to other parents of older students there will become a growing buzz about the difference this interaction and unity of purpose can make in the success of the students. And THAT will draw parents in even more.
