Links Between Parents and Schools

It is imperative for modern-age parents to constantly bear in mind that their responsibility for their child's education does not end merely with getting him/her admitted in a reputed schools and paying his/her fees on time. Nor does it end with attending parent- teacher meetings and checking progress reports. Rather it involves all this and more.

With students

Parents can help in the multifarious activities and functions going on in the school all round the year, in more ways than one. For instance, they could share information with students, teachers or a class about general health, information about an upcoming career, or a hobby. Moreover you could disseminate personalised information to the students about a place or country you visited or lived in. Interact with students to induce the importance of human/social values in them. Try tutoring one or a small group of students in reading, developing skills, coach students taking part in an academic competition, quiz, debate, decalamtion etc. Similarly you could coach an athletic or sports team for a particular game, which you were good/proficient in.



This list is virtually endless. You could perform any or all of the following: Demonstrate art/dance/music/cooking from a particular area /country or culture to students. This will enhance their knowledge about the world. Try sharing a particular expertise with the school's faculty, e.g. use of computers, dealing with disruptive students. Help students plan and build an outdoor garden, rockery, cacti collection or a similar project to beautify the outside of the school.

These days, high school students undergo a lot of stress and strain, tensions and emotional turmoil, in their everyday lives and more particularly during their final examinations. This is where you, as a concerned and sympathetic parent, could step in and help the students in relieving stress.

With other parents



Share your views with other parents about the quality of education in the school. Give other parents some tips for develop their parenting skills. Help conduct a class for parents where they can learn methods of being stronger and better parents. If you do possess some literary skills you could produce some written articles /materials for parents on ways they can be more effective parents. Even otherwise, try to write, publish, and distribute a list of parenting tips. Whenever you get an opportunity, serve on an advisory or decision-making committee, serve as an officer in the school's PTA. Help design a parent or student survey for the school. Ensure that such surveys get conducted in an effective manner.

How can I contribute my time towards the welfare
of my children' s school?

* Help and organise study tours for the students to business organisations, industries, corporate houses production centres and similar places where the students can gather information and learn about various activities.
* Help set up an internship or apprenticeship for a student at your business, organization, or agency.
* Host a one-day 'shadow study' for a few small group of senior students about career prospects in business world or corporate organization.
* Go on a local field trip with a teacher and a group of students.
* Alternatively go on an extended cross-country field trip with a teacher & students.
* Contact a particular local business houses and organization regarding possible cooperation.

Is it possible to do some PR work for my child's school?

Yes, you could try out some or all of the means, underlined below:

* Contact a particular local business or organization regarding possible cooperation.
* Write a letter to the government officials about the school.
* Write a letter to school board members about the school, suggesting some improvements and developments
* Go to another school to provide information about this school.
* Help translate information regarding the school into a language other than English or vice -versa.
* Help translate at a parent-teacher conference for people who don't speak English well and/or vice-versa.
* Write an article about the school's activities and salient features and get it published in one or more reputed periodicals.
* Help arrange for a political leader (mayor/MLA/MP/Governor, city council/ state representative) to visit the school to preside over a function or event.

Can I financially contribute to the development of the school where my ward studies?

Outlined below are some simple methods in which you could do this:

* Help to finalise a proposal to the local or governing body that would bring new resources to the school.
* Donate materials to the school.
* Arrange for a business establishment or an industrial to donate useful materials and utility items to the school.
* Organise a fundraiser for the school, from time to time

Parents' education level bolsters kids' learning capacity

Parents educated beyond high school do have a role in bolstering their kids' language skills and academic success, says a new study. "If you want your kids to do well in school, then the amount of education you get yourself is important," said Pamela Davis-Kean, psychologist at the University of Michigan (U-M). "Even after controlling for parental income, marital status and a host of other factors, we find that the impact of parental education remains significant," Davis-Kean said. One of the studies examined the long-term effects of parental education on children's success in school and work, beginning when children were eight years old and extending until they were 48. Another study examined how language skills and school readiness of three-year-olds were positively affected when mothers returned to school. "In every case, we've found that an increase in parental education has a positive impact on children's success in school," said Davis-Kean. "And this impact is particularly strong when parents start with a high school education or less. "These findings may be reassuring to parents at a time when many are unemployed or worried about future job prospects," she said. "They clearly show that in terms of the effect on children's achievement, it's more important for parents to get a good education than to get a high-paying job," she said. "Of course, the more education you have, the more likely it is that you'll find a good job, so an increase in education often leads to an increase in income." More education might mean that parents are more likely to read to their children, she suggested. Or it could be that parents who are in school need to be more organized in order to get everything done, so they tend to create a more structured home environment, with dinner and bedtime occurring at regular times, for example. Creating a more structured environment for children - as opposed to giving them lots of free time - has been getting something of a bad reputation lately. But she believes that for the vast majority of American children, the value of free time has been exaggerated. "There's this idealistic, nostalgic idea that free time gives children a chance to go out and play, and just experience nature," she said. "But in reality, in today's world where both parents are likely to be employed outside the home, what free time means for most kids is sitting in front of the TV, playing video games and generally being bored with no stimulation."

Education bill unacceptable in present form, say activists

Bhubaneswar: The bill passed by parliament on Tuesday to ensure free and compulsory education is unacceptable in its present form, child rights activists said on Thursday. "It is unacceptable because by no means it guarantees the quality of education," Prabir Basu, national convenor of Campaign against Child Labour (CACL), told sources. CACL is an umbrella organization of over 6,500 groups working to eradicate child labour in the country. "The bill is going to exclude or deprive in some way or the other millions of children from different age groups, social and economic categories," he said, adding it did not recognize the right of children in the 14-18 age group to free and compulsory education. Basu also said the legislation did not have any clear directions or commitment on the financial responsibility of state and central governments. According to CACL executive member Ranjan Mohanty, the bill stops citizens from approaching courts if this fundamental right is violated and only allows them to complain to the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), which has no judicial powers. The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Bill, 2009, which accords that right to children in the 6-14 age group, was given parliamentary approval on Tuesday with the Lok Sabha passing it. The Rajya Sabha passed the bill July 20. "CACL has been demanding the re-drafting of the bill when it was first introduced in the Rajya Sabha in December 2008. We have noticed that many of our demands were raised and supported by many of the members both in the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha during the debate," Mohanty told sources. It was unfortunate, he said, that the "highly flawed bill" was passed without any of the suggested amendments being considered. IANS.