Jillian Kelley

Inquiry to Curriculum: Mid-term Paper

Mini Literature Review

In a reading from EDT 473, I have found a teacher who I believe has found the way to have a
strong relationship between parents and the school. Mary Cowhey says to establish a good
relationship and trust with families by sending home a letter to the families of your future
students before the school year starts. Teachers can learn about their students and their families
through home visits. The child gets to show the teacher things about their home life specifically,
but the teacher is also able to pick up on other information such as how the child relates to their
siblings. Home visits are a good way for a teacher to truly see the diversity in all of his/her
students families. The teacher has the chance to talk with a parent directly about anything they
want to share about their home lives because nearly everything at home can affect how the child
acts in school. Cowhey noticed objects around the home that the families seemed to be interested
in and asked them to share the objects with the class if it applied to any of her lessons. She also
invites and encourages parents to visit the classroom whether it be on a regular basis or whenever
they can stop in, such as for a field trip. She sends family letters home weekly so that parents can
see what is going on in the classroom so that parents are able to ask their children specific
questions of what they were doing. This shows the child that the parents truly care about what
they are doing in school and therefore are more likely to be invested in the school work as well.
When parents volunteer in the classroom they gain specific insights to how their child
learns and also the learning community that has been created in the classroom. Positive and
frequent interaction between teacher and parent can not only improve the childs achievement,
but can also change a parents perception of her or his child (Cowhey, 2006). This relates to
another reading from this class. According to Deborah Meier (2003) our schools could better
serve families and children if we were clear about what we were and weren't trying to do: our
vision or mission (as we call it nowadays), our methods of assessing both individual students and
the school, and finally our specific plan of action. (Ideally, families should also have an
opportunity to sample what a school looks, sounds, and "tastes" like - not just read what it claims
to be.) Families are more willing to get involved when they can see the importance of their
involvement.
According to Hindin (2010), The role of family in childrens education is
unquestionable. Parent involvement is influenced by classroom teachers and their ability to
work with families. Examples of home-based experiences include helping children with
homework and school-based projects, supporting childrens learning through encouragement and
interest, reading with children, and discussing childrens learning. In the study completed in this
article, teacher candidates answered surveys by saying that parent communication in special
education classrooms was far more prevalent than in general education classrooms. These
teacher candidates also states that parent interactions were more negative in urban school settings
than in suburban settings.
Cowhey, M. (2006). Black ants and buddhists thinking critically and teaching differently in the
primary grades. Portland, Me.: Stenhouse Publishers.
Hindin, A. (2010). Linking home and school: teacher candidates' beliefs and experiences. School
Community Journal, 20(2), 73-90.
Meier, D. (2003). So what does it take to build a school for democracy. The H.W. Wilson
Company.


Context
My field placement is at Welch Elementary in Cincinnati, OH. There are around 400
students at the school from grades Pre-K to 3
rd
grade. This is a diverse school with 42.3% white,
41.1% African American, 9.3% multiracial, and 4.8% Hispanic students. 14.4% of the students
have disabilities, and 5.3% have limited English proficiency. 56.6% are economically
disadvantaged, and the median yearly household income for the area is about $56,991. There is a
large difference between the median household income for black households with $39,506 and
$60,774 for white households. The average home in the area costs about $141,300, the median
individual worker income is $31,387 which is prevalent in this community considering how
many families in the school district are single-income families. 46.7 males are employed, and
53.3% of females are employed in the area.
From the schools website, I found that their mission statement is: We champion life-
long learning, affording all students the knowledge and skills necessary to realize their full
potential in life. From the districts website, the vision statement is we will provide quality and
innovation in educational programming and instruction, enabling all students to successfully
confront the challenges of the future.
In my 1
st
grade classroom taught by Mrs. Corrie Scheidegger, there is a bright and
welcoming environment. The walls are plastered with bright colors and posters that reflect the
classroom community. There are 11 girls and nine boys in our classroom currently. There are
three students on IEPs and one student who is an English language learner, although he does not
receive any special accommodations because he is very proficient. Many of the students get
pulled out of the classroom to work on their Math and English with Title I tutors. There are many
parents that are involved with the classroom, however there are a few parents that barely have
any contact with the teacher. There is one parent who visits the school every day to help with
PTO school activities, another parent who works in the lunch room every day, and another parent
who comes in to the classroom every day to work with children on their sight words and their
reading. Overall, Mrs. Scheidegger has expressed that most parents are involved in their childs
schooling and are willing to help in the classroom in any way they can; however the two students
that have the behavior issues are the ones whose parents are not involved in the classroom. Mrs.
Scheidegger has repeatedly tried to call the parents at all hours of the day with barely any
response. Also, only one of the parents came to only one of the parent-teacher conferences
throughout the year. When Mrs. Scheidegger talks with them, she says they seem uninterested
and arent willing to take the steps necessary to help their child succeed and correct their
behavior issues. Most of the parents with students who are on IEPs are all very active in their
childs schooling; they get help from tutors on the side, and work extensively with their child at
home to finish their work and do extra practice work. There is one parent with a student on an
IEP, however, that in years past refused to retain their child even though it was suggested by the
Kindergarten general education teacher, the special education teacher, and the principal of the
school.
Findings
My question based on tensions that I have seen at Welch Elementary is: How do we as
teacher leaders work with parents to help them get involved in their childs education as well as
interested in and willing to work with schools when it comes to behavior issues or learning
disabilities?
During field I wished to gain information to help me solve these issues as a future teacher
leader. I planned to observe parent-teacher interactions through sitting in on any possible
meetings that I can. I also interviewed my teacher to see her own ideas about what could be done
about these issues that have just not been able to be implemented in the school. Lastly, I listened
to other teachers perspectives on the best ways to handle parents who dont seem to value
education so that I could hear other professional opinions first-hand.
After talking to many teachers about these issues, I have found that the best way to get
parents involved is to be persistent. Even though my teacher has tried countless times to get a
hold of a few parents that do not get involved in the classroom, she keeps trying, hoping that
someday she will get through to them. Sending notes home for the parents is also key. Teachers
need to try to be in constant communication with all parents. Also, giving some incentive to the
child for talking to their parents and getting them to sign papers or call the teacher can be a major
help. It is important to not assume that the parents simply dont care about their child. What I
heard from a few teachers was that the parents just dont care, which I believe is not the case in
most scenarios. The parents may have issues going on in the home that teachers are not aware of
so all teachers need to be respectful of that when asking parents to get involved in the classroom.
If the teacher does ever get in touch with the parents, it is important to emphasize how important
they are to their childs education. When they view school in a positive light their children will
be more likely to view it positively as well.
It is especially important for parents to get involved who have students with disabilities
or behavior issues. Students are far more motivated when they see their parents getting involved.
Also, the parents can give teachers major input because they most likely know their child better
than the teacher does. It is important to find a common ground with these parents as well. An
example that I saw during my field of this tension improving was when I observed a parent-
teacher conference between my teacher and the mother of one of the students in my class.
Throughout the entire year, Mrs. Scheidegger had a lot of trouble getting through to this mother.
This particular student had no documented disability, but the mother believes the child is
dyslexic. Although she put work in to helping her child outside of the classroom, she refused to
accept that her child may need to repeat the first grade based on her ability level compared to the
other children. She had refused to retain this student in Kindergarten even though it was strongly
suggested to her by teachers and administrators. Throughout the year Mrs. Scheidegger would
continually send notes home with work showing the lack in the students progress. After meeting
several times with no luck, the time I was in this conference was finally the right time for her to
decide to retain her daughter. Mrs. Scheidegger showed data to the mother and put the
information in to words that she could easily understand. She tried to relate to the mother
expressing that she understands that this is a difficult decision, however it would be very difficult
for this student to succeed in the second grade. This persistence was the key for my teacher so
that she was able to show the parent how much she cared for this student.
Discussion
After researching my inquiry both through my field experience and through the literature
review I have found that parental involvement is one of the most important factors for a child to
succeed in school. It takes a lot of work by the teacher to ensure all students families are
welcome and involved in the classroom, but it is essential for a students achievement in school.
As a future teacher leader, I will strive to involve all families in my classroom. When I feel there
is a disconnect between myself and families, I will try to relate to them on a personal level to
gain trust in our relationship, and I will be persistent in showing families how important they are
to their child. I will also keep an open line of communication always between families and
myself. Lastly, I will help other teachers struggling with this issue by showing them support in
any way I can so they know and understand the value in parent participation and involvement in
the classroom.

Sources:
http://www.usa.com/school-district-3904736.htm
http://www.nwlsd.org/
http://wps.nwlsd.org/