Kathleen White

Kern County Superintendent of Schools Office is proud to present the first article in a series that will highlight parental involvement in a local school. This month we are featuring Fairview Elementary School in the Greenfield School District.

In the fall of 2007 the school's leadership committee created: Teacher guided Parent Nights. The monthly Parent Night at Fairview School has become a place where parents and teachers are active partners in the childrens' education.

Each month a different grade level takes responsibility for organizing and holding the event. Grade level teachers take this opportunity to welcome families and let each parent know that they are a valued member of the school community. Teachers review homework and classroom expectations to give parents a clear understanding of the instructional program and what their child is learning. Teachers and parents are engage in grade-level standards-based learning activities that can be taken home to reinforce concepts currently being taught in the classroom. These activities are designed so that parents can support, encourage and help their child at home. Both mathematics and language arts standards are presented in a student and parent-friendly manner to involve the entire family in the learning process. The sessions, offered in both English and Spanish, begin with the parents watching demonstrations of the educational activity or game. Parents are then given the opportunity to practice using the materials with their own children. In addition, families are given a Homework Dictionary to help with questions that parents may come across when helping their student at home. These are also provided in both English and Spanish.

Parent Night attendance has steadily increased throughout the school year. Parents have stated that they really like getting the information from the teachers and have asked for more subjects to be included in future events. They also enjoy the opportunity to share experiences and connect with other parents. The staff at Fairview Elementary School believe that this is just one way to support parents and families. The teachers and site administrators feel that parental involvement is extremely important to raising academic achievement for all students. Fairview Elementary School Parent Nights are just the beginning of a child's academic success.

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