Reply to Title 1 Schools - Parental Involvement

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Reply to "Title 1 Schools - Parental Involvement"

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[quote=Anonymous]Someone on the EOTP entitlement thread (which has completely devolved at this point) asked how parents can get engaged in high-poverty schools in a way that can make positive change and engage the low-income parents who are there. I have no idea how others at my child's EOTP community-eligibility FARM school perceive me (I certainly hope it's not entitled), but here is how I approach it.

The school my child attends is my neighborhood school and is high poverty and largely ELL (though not dual language). I volunteer for the school in a variety of ways--I am on the PTO, help run open houses, chaperone field trips, and generally ask what I can do to help the school and my child's teachers. I think the main thing, though, that I do to get involved is to get to know the other parents and kids. I know all the kids in my daughter's classroom and stay for a while each morning while they eat breakfast to chat with them. I also know most of the parents, the majority of whom speak Spanish--my Spanish is far from perfect, but it really helps to make an effort to communicate in the language that they are most comfortable in. I don't do this as part of any grand plan, but rather so that my daughter and I feel a part of the community. Ultimately, it does not matter to me that most of the families have very different backgrounds from my own; we all have children who attend the school, and that is enough to bring us together.

Do I wish there were no screen time and more healthful breakfast options? Yes. But that is not what I am talking about with the administration, families, and kids at the school. Instead, I am focused on building trust with all families and creating a real community where people all feel welcome, even though ostensibly there are many differences among us.

I'm curious how others on DCUM who are at Title 1 schools approach parental involvement and community-building.[/quote]

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