Social Media for Family Engagement

The research is pretty conclusive. Family engagement leads to positive outcomes for students. So how do we get there? The foundation of effective family engagement starts with relationships. Families and schools should have a relationship and feel like they are part of a strong community that supports their kids. The relationship begins with schools having a culture that honors and respects the contributions of all families.

Once parents have connected with the schools the work is not over. We know that the type of family engagement that has the most significant impact on student achievement is the type that takes place at home. Parents and other caregivers do not ever need to step foot in a school building to give students the educational benefits that result from family engagement. Families just need to understand the role they can play. That is where social media can help you accomplish your goals.

Many parents have access to technology. In fact, with the advent of smart phones and affordable hardware, the technology gap is shrinking rapidly. So, how can you take advantage of the Internet to increase family engagement? Did you know that there are over 500 million active users on Facebook and over 50% of them check the site on any given day? Consider having a couple of workshops for families in your school computer lab and show them how to connect to your class Facebook page. Did you know that over 77% of all Internet users read blogs? Introduce them to blogging and then show them how to read your blogs and post comments or questions. There are over 300,000 new Twitter users set up each day and 37% use their phone to tweet. Consider setting up a classroom Twitter page and then tweeting homework assignments or strategies for parents to help with homework.

Most families are already active on the web. Give them the content that will connect them to your classroom to keep them engaged in their children’s learning. If you are interested in additional resources, Google it!

Research Based Programs Offered By Alabama PIRC

The following services are available from the Alabama PIRC for schools in Alabama. With the exception of NNPS (which charges an annual membership fee) all services are free for Title I schools and schools in improvement in Alabama.

Family Friendly Walk Through (FFWT):

A Family Friendly Walk Through assists in identifying areas of strength, emerging practices and areas for improvement. Schools receive a final report that highlights the promising practices schools currently implement and provides research-based recommendations for removing existing barriers identified in the process. During a Family Friendly Walk Through, the following areas are assessed:

• · Customer Service.
• · School Environment.
• · School Website.
• · Community Partnerships.
• · School Documents.
• · School to Home Communication.
• · Parent, Teacher and Principal Surveys.

Academy for Parent Leadership Engagement (APLE):

The APLE is a yearlong leadership Academy for teams of parents and teachers. Participants receive intensive training and develop a leadership project to involve parents of student’s not meeting state standards at their own schools. APLE teaches participants how to:

• · Identify and overcome barriers to parent involvement.
• · Understand school report cards.
• · Use a team approach to solve problems.
• · Involve other parents.

National Network for Partnership Schools (NNPS): $200 for schools $300 for districts and organizations

NNPS invites schools, districts, states, and organizations to join together and use research-based approaches to organize and sustain excellent programs of family and community involvement that will increase student success in school. NNPS also guides district leaders to help their schools develop goal-oriented programs of family involvement and community connections, and to meet NCLB requirements for parent involvement.

Family Engagement University (FEU):

The Family Engagement University was created to help professionals, paraprofessionals and community leaders learn best practices in engaging families. The University consists of quarterly training sessions with information related to the research behind family engagement as well as specific strategies schools can use to engage more families. Participants who complete ten hours of training will receive a Family Engagement Specialist Certificate from APEC.

The Alabama PIRC also has a vast array of books and materials for families and schools related to family engagement and student success. Many of the tipsheets and bulletins we print are provided online as well. For more information on these and other PIRC materials contact the Alabama PIRC today. You can reach us at 334-567-2252 or visit our website at www.alabamaparentcenter.com

Engagement Is Better Than Involvement

"When it comes to a breakfast of ham and eggs, the chicken is involved but the pig is committed." This humorous quote captures the differences between parent involvement (the chicken) and parent engagement (the pig). It can also serve to describe the struggles facing schools working to build strong family partnerships.

When you "involve" parents, ideas and suggestions come primarily from the school. The school typically identifies priority areas and recruits parents to assist, based on these priority areas. Parents who are involved serve the school's agenda by- volunteering, parenting in positive ways and supporting student learning at home.

When schools engage parents, ideas come primarily from the families and communities based on their needs and priorities. The parent is considered a leader who is critical to identifying a shared vision and goal. When we engage parents, we have the potential to create a shared community, where families and educators work alongside each other to support and enhance student learning.

The Alabama PIRC is committed to working with schools and families across Alabama to ensure that all of our students achieve success. We help schools give families the tools that they need to be fully engaged. We work with families to help them understand the importance of the role they play in their children’s education. If you would like more information about the Alabama PIRC and the services we provide, call us today at 334-567-2252 or visit our website at www.alabamaparentcenter.com.

Special thanks to AZPIRC for contributing the first three paragraphs! Read their blog at http://azpirc.blogspot.com/

Dire Consequences For Alabama's Underfunded Schools

State budget cuts and low tax revenues are leading nearly one in five school systems in Alabama to borrow money just to make monthly payroll.

Two districts -- Coosa and Sumter counties -- face financial intervention from the state. At least three other districts already are borrowing on a line of credit to pay workers, and at least 20 more face having to do so in the next month or so, said Craig Pouncey, assistant state superintendent of financial and administrative services.

Pouncey, who was in back-to-back meetings Monday, did not have the list of school systems with him and could not say whether any Birmingham-area systems are among those borrowing or preparing to borrow money.

"The current positions of these systems isn't because of mismanagement of funds," Pouncey said. "It's because of a lack of tax revenue and cuts because of proration."

The state education budget is in its second year of proration -- across-the-board budget cuts -- and could suffer an additional cut before the fiscal year ends Sept. 30. Pouncey said the state's financial condition could dictate that proration continue into the 2011 school year.

"If there was another declaration of proration, it would be a huge burden on these school systems," Pouncey said. "This is a sign of our economic times, and there are several school systems that could find themselves in this position."

Both Sumter and Coosa county schools have wiped out their reserves, cut personnel and expenses and still are struggling, even with bare-bones budgets, Pouncey said.

Sumter County needs about $900,000 to get out of the red, while Coosa is in the red by $350,000 but needs an additional $600,000 to $700,000 to make it through the rest of the fiscal year, Pouncey said.

Coosa County schools tried to extend a revolving line of credit recently but the system was denied. A state intervention would mean the Alabama Department of Education could receive a line of credit on the system's behalf.

Sumter is in a slightly better position because the school system owns vacant surplus property it can sell.

None untouched
No system has been left untouched by proration. Systems across the state -- including the usually immune Mountain Brook -- have made adjustments, including offering early retirement to employees, laying off employees, cutting departmental expenses and cutting extracurricular activities.

Birmingham city schools will consider declaring a reduction in force this afternoon, which would allow layoffs among its tenured employees. The system has a $20 million line of credit with Regions Bank, which Chief Financial Officer Arthur Watts said helps during these economic times.

Mountain Brook in April secured a $3 million line of credit with BBVA Compass Bank as a precaution.

The state hasn't had to take over a school system since 2002, when it intervened in Dale County schools, Pouncey said. Jefferson County and Bessemer city schools were under state takeover at the beginning of the decade.

Since state Superintendent Joe Morton has been at the helm, no district has been taken over. That's in part because of the school Fiscal Accountability Act of 2007, which requires that school systems report to the state their financial positions. It also requires that school systems have a reserve fund equal to one month's operating expenses in case of emergencies.

Nearly half of the state's 132 school systems lack the required amount in their reserves.

"With the Fiscal Accountability Act, we recognize earlier now when districts have issues," Pouncey said. "We work closely with those systems before it comes to the point of intervention."

In the case of Coosa and Sumter counties, the state Department of Education long ago partnered with the districts to help them overcome their financial burdens. Both systems have requested intervention, Pouncey said.

Marie Leach Alabama Schools Borrow Money to Make Payroll [Internet]. The Birmingham News July 13, 2007 available from http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2010/07/alabama_schools_borrow_money_t.html

Building Reading Habits

Most children learn how to read, but not all children acquire the habit of reading. Parents play a large role in helping their children develop good reading habits. The following tips may be helpful to you:

Talk with your children about reading. Ask your children to tell you about books and stories they have read. Tell your children about your own reading. Make reading the topic of family discussions.

Visit the library with your children. Visits to the library can be a great family activity. Enjoy browsing with your children. Be sure your children know how to use a library card.

Make time for family reading. Family life can be very busy, leaving little time for reading. Make reading a family activity by occasionally setting aside 30 minutes or more for everyone to read. Turn off the television. Let each family member select his or her own reading material. Enjoy quiet time reading together.

Give books as gifts to your children. Books make wonderful gifts for birthdays and other special occasions.

Read aloud with your children. Children are never too old to read aloud. Parents often read to their children when the children are small. When children first learn to read, they read aloud to their parents. But when children get older, they often stop reading aloud with their parents. Keep alive the enjoyable activity of reading aloud. Share favorite passages with your children.

Use the newspaper as a tool for encouraging the habit of reading. Talk about the newspaper with your children. Show young children the different sections in the newspaper. Clip articles and share them with your children. Encourage your children to clip articles to share with the family.

Encourage children to read to prepare for family activities. Before a family vacation, outing, or special event, ask your children to read about the location or activity and to report the information to the family.

From Solid Foundation, © Copyright 2008, Academic Development Institute

Alabama Receiving More Than $58 Million for Turnaround Schools

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced that Alabama will receive more than $58 million to turn around its persistently lowest achieving schools through the School Improvement Grants (SIG) program. These funds are part of the $3.5 billion that will be made available to states this spring from money set aside in the 2009 budget and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

"When a school continues to perform in the bottom five percent of the state and isn't showing signs of growth or has graduation rates below 60 percent, something dramatic needs to be done," said Duncan. "Turning around our worst performing schools is difficult for everyone but it is critical that we show the courage to do the right thing by kids."

The $58,052,413 made available to Alabama is being distributed by formula to the state and will then be competed out by the state to school districts. In order for a school district to apply for these funds, it must have a state-identified "persistently lowest achieving" or a Tier III school -- a school that has failed to meet annual yearly progress for two years and is not identified as a persistently lowest achieving school.

However, Tier III schools can only receive funds once all of the state's persistently lowest achieving schools have received funds. Alabama's application, which includes its list of persistently lowest achieving schools, as defined by the state, can be found here: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/sif/summary/index.html.

School districts will apply to the state for the funds this spring. When school districts apply, they must indicate that they will implement one of the following four models in their persistently lowest achieving schools:

• TURNAROUND MODEL: Replace the principal, screen existing school staff, and rehire no more than half the teachers; adopt a new governance structure; and improve the school through curriculum reform, professional development, extending learning time, and other strategies.
• RESTART MODEL: Convert a school or close it and re-open it as a charter school or under an education management organization.
• SCHOOL CLOSURE: Close the school and send the students to higher-achieving schools in the district.
• TRANSFORMATION MODEL: Replace the principal and improve the school through comprehensive curriculum reform, professional development, extending learning time, and other strategies.

Once schools receive SIG funds, they will be able to begin to spend them immediately to turn around schools this fall. States may apply to the Education Department for a waiver to allow them to spend funds over a three-year period. An additional $545,633,000 has been provided for SIG in 2010 and will be awarded to states to fund additional schools in the 2011-12 school year. The department has also made a request for an additional $900 million for the program in the 2011 budget.

The article above is from a press release issued by the U. S. Department of Education on April 21, 2010.

Article from the Public Education Network Weekly Newsblast

As part of his sweeping healthcare overhaul, President Obama has made the federal government primary lender to students, the Associated Press reports. A final set of tweaks to the healthcare bill created an opening for the far-reaching legislation, the largest rewrite of federal college assistance programs in four decades. About half of undergraduates receive federal student aid, and nearly 8.5 million students attend college with the help of Pell Grants. Under the measure, private banks will no longer get fees for acting as middlemen in federal student loans, and the government will use the savings to boost Pell Grants and make it easier for loan repayment. In addition, some borrowers could see lower interest rates and easier approvals. The president has promoted the changes as a way to make college more affordable for students, with a debt load more manageable after graduation. "This reform of the federal student loan programs will save taxpayers $68 billion over the next decade," Mr. Obama said in his weekly address. "And with this legislation, we're putting that money to use achieving a goal I set for America: By the end of this decade, we will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world."

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/mar/30/obama-to-sign-student-loan-legislation-in-virginia/