Creating Effective Parent/School Partnerships: Parents as Leaders Presentation to [School Name] ______________________ Presenter’s Name [Date]

By the end of this presentation we will have: Skills to increase parent engagement with diverse groups of parents at Longfellow. The knowledge to work collaboratively with our school for a lasting impact on student achievement. Desired Outcomes:

To develop the skills, knowledge, and confidence to be an effective parent leader at our school site and the District level. Purpose:

Tip: interact with goal of approaching each encounter with:  Awareness – what are your biases? Be aware of others.  Skill  Confidence – the goal is to put the person you are interacting with at ease. Cross-Cultural Leadership (Diane Burbie)

White – “partner with the school in the accomplishment of my child’s education.” African American – “looking to school to have excellence. Negotiates to get in the best school possible.” Latino – “instill how valuable education is to their children and makes sure they show up. Defers to authority.” Asian – “instill high value of education – I’m going to test my child to see how they did and will supplement when necessary.” General Approaches to Education by Cultural Groups

vary by person’s cultural background, temperament, experiences with authority, own history in school, etc. (Laura’s input) Individual Parent Reactions to School

low level of trust – the skeptic, not emotionally distraught over breaches of trust. continuous evaluation of trust, high willingness to rebuild trust. high level of trust, but falls hard when that trust is breached, not very willing to rebuild. Levels of Trust

 Build relationships with all caregivers. Just smile. If people are late to a meeting, get up and invite them in, find them a seat.  Bridge differences (build on any possible points of common ground)  Motivate others – kindness affects 3 groups: the person giving, the person receiving and the people observing. What Parent Leaders can do:

Be self-assessing Be perceptive Be strong in using inquiry skills Be equipped with a broad range of communication skills Be skillful in using recovery skills (after you or someone else has said the wrong thing) Be prepared to use coping skills Be a constant learner. Elements of Cultural Competence

Clarifying Questions based on four simple principles: It comes from genuine curiosity It seeks information and understanding It reserves judgment It allows for informed decisions/conclusions

Recovery steps Acknowledge there is a misunderstanding and/or problem Be pro-active; don’t be defensive about mistakes Engage in dialogue about the issue Use an intermediary – if necessary Coping Strategies for dealing with offensive acts Choose your battles wisely If your level of influence is great, strategically determine what’s most critical to discuss now and what can wait for later If your level of influence is low say/do what allows you to be true to your principles and/or beliefs without regret.

Facilitated by Susan Schwarz (PEN) & Tracy Mikuriya (PUSD Welcome Center) Parent Engagement: Challenges & Opportunities

1. “A small group of parents does everything at my school.” 2. “Meetings are not convenient.” 3. “My principal has a narrow/limited definition of parent engagement.” 4. “There are language barriers at my school.” 5. “I don’t have time to be an involved parent.” 6. “No one told me.” Possible Challenges:

Possible Solutions:

Thank you!