Happy Mother’s Day from the Communities In Schools family! We are so appreciative of all the hard work mothers across the nation do to raise their children. Parents are truly a student’s first and most important teacher, and it’s an honor for us to be able to give mothers the resources they need to raise successful students. Enjoy your special day, moms! You’ve certainly earned it.
A parent participates in a reading activity for students with Communities In Schools of Lakewood, Wash.
At Communities In Schools, we talk a lot about removing the barriers that prevent students from reaching success in school. It is a key driver in all the work we do.
But guess what? Parents are often blocked by seemingly insurmountable barriers, too. Our model of integrated student services provides for parent engagement initiatives that support parents, so they can continue being an intricate partner in their child’s education.
Back in 2002, a study on parental involvement in education revealed what many people invested in education reform already knew: greater parent involvement equals greater student success. Stronger parental engagement leads to students themselves being more engaged, which leads to them having better attendance, grades and higher graduation rates. But while the goal of parent engagement initiatives is to get parents to take an active role in their children’s education and to see how important that is to their child’s academic success, it’s become evident that, all too often, parents are faced with barriers and can’t take the necessary steps to becoming engaged.
How is the parent who speaks another language going to be able to help his or her child with homework that’s in English? When can a working parent find time to volunteer at school? And what if the schools themselves never let parents know that there are resources available to help them?
Communities In Schools treats parent engagement as an integral part of its strategy around supporting students with a community of resources. During the 2010-2011 school year, 165 affiliates reported that they provided, facilitated, or coordinated family engagement/strengthening services. And of those, 59 have parent centers operating through one or more of their school sites. Across the country 253,257 parents/guardians were involved with or engaged by Communities In Schools.
Partner schools have welcoming information packets and often organize school tours to help parents become more familiar with their child’s school. Site coordinators arrange meet-and-greet sessions, on and off campus, to encourage parents to get involved in activities to support their children. In some cases, workshops have been specifically created for parents, to cover topics such as employment, financial literacy and parenting skills. Removing barriers frees parents to play the role of first and most important teacher in their child’s life.
It’s an ongoing process and commitment. But Communities In Schools has, for years, been actively trying to engage parents in meaningful ways, so that they not only volunteer, but become partners, and help in the decision-making process of their child’s education. Parent engagement, after all, is critical to the eventual success of our youth and our country.
Today’s blog post is from National Network Executive Vice President Gary Chapman.
National Network Executive Vice President Gary Chapman at the Unsung Heroes award ceremony on October 18, 2011.
Until I was five years old, my favorite superhero was Superman. I wanted to be Superman so bad that I even tried to leap tall picnic tables in a single bound.
I learned quickly that I did not possess super powers and started kindergarten with a broken leg.
From then on, my favorite superheroes were not those with superhuman powers, but those who used brains and technology to protect the public, like Iron Man.
Last week, we celebrated the best of the best in Communities In Schools – the face of hope in schools across America – the Site Coordinator. These professionals have the privilege of working with students who are shining stars, full of potential. They are known by many different titles – campus directors, graduation and success coaches, school managers – but to us they are the Unsung Heroes.
At the heart of our organization is a mission to empower students with a community of support, eliminating barriers that get in their way of learning so that each shining star can succeed in school and in life. Through rigorous evaluation, Communities In Schools has evolved from a set of founding principles to our current focus on integrated student services – interventions that improve student achievement by connecting community resources with both academic and social needs of students and their families. The power of what these Heroes are able to do each and every day is amazing and can be seen in the stories told by their nominating executive directors. View full article »
Site Coordinator Damien Coran (center) believes the most important part of his work is establishing relationships.
For Damien Coran, being a Communities In Schools of Omaha, Neb. site coordinator is all about establishing relationships. It starts with school principals and teachers, and getting their buy-in on programs. It includes reaching out to parents and the community, and inviting them to partner with him on their children’s success. But the most rewarding relationship is the one he has with his students.
“My favorite things are hugs and high-fives,” says Damien. “I see the kids I’ve worked with all the time, everywhere I go.”
Damien is not exactly new to relationship building. The University of Nebraska grad, who originally wanted to be a teacher, has been working with kids from preschool to college as well as families and the community. His career path has led him into the nonprofit world, and work he finds fulfilling.
“I’ve always been about helping people,” he says. When he found out about the site coordinator job, it was his “Aha moment.”
“I thought: Communities In Schools is me. If anybody should be a site coordinator, I should.”
Damien also shared that he himself was once headed toward becoming a high school dropout until someone steered him the right direction. This motivates him to making a difference in students’ lives.
“My deepest goal when I started was to find kids like me.” View full article »
Today’s blog post comes from Kelly Whalen, author of The Centsible Life, a blog designed to help you live the life of your dreams on a budget. You can often find her on Twitter and Facebook talking money and motherhood.
(L-R) P&G U.S. Marketing Manager Jim Leish,"The Centisble Life" author Kelly Whalen, John Legend, and Communities In Schools President Dan Cardinali
Earlier this summer my business partner, Julie Meyers Pron, and I were introduced to the amazing work Communities In Schools does throughout the country when we attended the GIVE Education press conference hosted by P&G, Communities In Schools, and with Grammy Award-winning musician John Legend. While the event was great (as was John’s singing-you can view the video here), getting the opportunity, with a small group of other bloggers, to have an intimate Q&A with John Legend, as well as P&G U.S. Marketing Manager Jim Leish and Communities In Schools President Dan Cardinali, was truly enlightening and inspiring.
As bloggers one of the great things we can do is bring a voice to causes we truly care about, and with the new school year on the horizon I knew there couldn’t be a better fit than working with Communities In Schools. View full article »
