Here is a really good story in the American School Board Journal about how to get parents involved in schools.
Summary:
For schools struggling to help at-risk children, it is essential to reach out to parents. But simply wanting "parent involvement" is not enough. Indeed, the families that stand to benefit most from closer school ties -- families living in poverty, English language learners, and others who find themselves marginalized by any number of misfortunes -- are usually the hardest to attract. Districts, especially those serving low-income families, need comprehensive outreach plans to strengthen family ties and provide parents with the skills and information to help their children succeed. Improving the academic performance of at-risk children requires more than raising standards and monitoring test scores: It means reaching out to families and communities and engaging them in the difficult work of education, writes Lawrence Hardy in American School Board Journal. While disadvantaged communities may, by definition, have the highest levels of stress, no family or school system is immune. Under the old model of parent involvement, a few parents might sit on an advisory committee or volunteer at school. While that might have been fine for 1965, it won't work in 2007, says Joyce L. Epstein, director of the Center on School, Family and Community Partnerships at Johns Hopkins University. "That is not teamwork," Epstein says. "It’s not comprehensive. It’s not goal oriented. It’s not research based." A more dynamic strategy -- what Epstein calls "the new way" -- is to make parent and community involvement an integral part of the school improvement process.
