School 2 Home Communication Forum eNewsletter
Vol. 1, No. 2 January 2008
Tools You Can Use

Online Archives

 

The National Network of Partnership Schools (NNPS) maintains an extensive online archive of more than 600 hundred good ideas to improve family and community involvement in schools.

 

In the latest posted issue, for example, you'll read about a family connection team in Naperville, Ill., a celebrity reading night in Mullins, SC, and a student mentoring program in Fresno, Calif. Browse the current issue.

 
In the Spotlight
Engaging Parents and Community Members in New Haven's Schools: A Multi-Pronged Approach
Just as excellent teachers differentiate instruction to better meet students' needs, district leaders must offer many types of parental and community involvement opportunities. A multi-pronged approach is certain to increase the number of stakeholders who become involved in their local schools. 
 Read about the New Haven (Conn.) Public Schools' success in taking such an approach.   
 Dropout Epidemic
If you want to reach at-risk youth, it's important that you also connect with their parents and family members. Nobody knows this better than Bill Lamperes, who has spent a good chunk of his 40 years in education in alternative schools. Lamperes now leads the Peoria Transition Center in Peoria, Illinois. In a S2H Webinar this month, Lamperes will share what he has learned about engaging at-risk youth and their families in the life of schools. Read more.
 
Strategies for Involving Parents of Middle and High School Students
The S2H Forum is creating a storehouse of information, best ideas, strategies, and practices that are designed to bolster parental involvement in schools. Learn more.
Increased Student Achievement
 
Home is Where Education Begins
Learning resources available in the home can lead to boost student achievement, reports the Educational Testing Service (ETS) in The Family: America's Smallest School. The proof is in the statistics. Read this excerpt from the report.
 
Linking Parenting Styles to Learning
Just as all students are different, so are all parents. Research shows, however, that certain parenting styles can enhance student learning. Read more from the Principal's Research Review. 
 
Teens & Parents: Working Together to Effect Change
School leaders interested in education reform can look to parents and their teenaged children for support. The Harvard Family Research Project has found that when parents and youth are engaged in community organizing, academic outcomes improve. Read this excerpt from Family Involvement in Middle and High School Students' Education.