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The Leadership Opportunity for School Councils Gord Kerr, M. Ed.This article is republished at the request of people who attended the Annual Conference of People for Education on November 4, 2006 at York University. Just over 10 years ago, the school council system was created opening up a formal channel for dialogue between parents, teachers, principals and the community. For many schools in Ontario, that creation simply formalized a dialogue that had been going on for years. However, prior to the formation of school councils, there were many schools, as many as 1/3 of Ontario’s schools where a dialogue did not exist. That was the breakthrough of school councils – creating a mechanism for dialogue in every school. But … a mechanism for dialogue was only the beginning. It simply set the stage for the real opportunity facing school councils. In 1998, the Education Improvement Commission completed an extensive study of school councils. The EIC recommended that the purpose of school councils be clarified to focus on improved student learning, and that school councils focus on the following three areas in order to achieve this purpose:
The last two areas have been the primary focus for many school councils over the last number of years. However, the real opportunity for school councils is to take a clear leadership role in fostering parental and community involvement in education. There is an overwhelming body of research that indicates that children do better in school when their parents are involved in their education. Some studies indicate that any kind of involvement is better than none, while other studies indicate that some kinds of involvement have a greater impact on student learning. Both are true. How can school councils take on a leadership role in fostering parental and community involvement in education? Perhaps the best way to start is to recognize that there are different kinds of parents within a school, and that they have different preferred ways of being involved, and in helping their children. There are some who simply wish to carry out their role as parents. There are some who are willing to contribute their time and energy as volunteers. There are still others willing to become part of the school council, offering their leadership skills to the school community. All have important and valid roles in helping children achieve success at school, but sometimes, the things they do are not highly visible, or look like ‘involvement’. Parents This is the group of people who simply wish to carry out their role as parents. Some of them will never volunteer their services to the school, or attend a school council meeting. Recent research in Ontario indicates that this group may be 60% or more of the parents within our schools. Yet, almost every parent sending a child to school wants to know, “How can I help my child do better in school this year?” A school council can support this group of parents in these key ways: Communications – reaching out and helping these parents to know what is happening at school, and encouraging them to maintain a two-way communication with their child’s teacher and the school. Newsletters, websites, encouraging the effective use of school journals, encouraging attendance at parent-teacher interviews are all examples of actions that school councils can take to encourage open communications. Learning at home – encouraging parents to assist their children with homework or course selections. This may involve collaborating with staff on a school-wide homework policy, or the provision of seminars for parents who may struggle with the nightly task of encouraging their child to complete their homework. Participating in school events – encouraging parents to attend school events, such as plays, assemblies, art exhibits, etc. When a child sees their parent attend these events, it reinforces to the child how important they are, and how important the school is to the parent. Parenting resources and seminars – helping parents to meet the challenge of parenting a growing child. These may include books, videos or seminars on bullying, motivational guest speakers, or workshops on the nutritional needs of growing children. Leveraging community resources – encouraging parents to help their children take advantage of clubs, lessons, sports teams and, if needed, community agency resources. Many of these activities do not look like ‘involvement’, however research indicates that these are among the most effective ways for a parent to be involved in their child’s education. School councils can take a clear leadership role in encouraging these important types of involvement. Volunteers Volunteers are another distinct group within the school. Again, some may never be part of the school council, yet they lead numerous key initiatives that assist with student learning. They are perhaps a schools greatest resource in both helping students directly, and helping to engage other parents in the school. Helping this group carry out their tasks well is key method for school councils to take a leadership role in fostering parental and community involvement. The five main kinds of volunteer activity include:
How can a school council support these activities? Does this group of individuals require leadership and focus – to ensure that their efforts are put towards meaningful initiatives, and perhaps ensure alignment with the school plan to improve student learning? Do they need some training and development to ensure that their efforts comply with board policies? Do they need some start-up resources (funding) to get a very worthwhile initiative off the ground? Do they need support and encouragement from the school council? Might a little recognition go a long way to encouraging your volunteers to keep up the good work, and then simply stay out of their way? Volunteer efforts might be lead by a committee of the school council, or they might be run by separate groups in the school. For students, it doesn’t matter who runs them, and supporting volunteers assists in fulfilling the purpose of school councils – to improve student learning. What kinds of support do your volunteers need? School Council Members School council members are visible in terms of their involvement, but it’s evident that joining a school council is not the only way to be involved in a child’s education. Within most schools, there are a core group of 5 – 15 parents who want to take on the leadership roles that exist on a school council. How can this small group take on a leadership role in stimulating parental and community involvement?
By taking a leadership role in these areas, a council addresses the real opportunity for school councils, fostering parental and community involvement in education. Gord Kerr served on the Interim Ontario Parent Involvement Advisory Board, the Parent Voice in Education Project and recently founded The Parent Involvement Centre to spearhead continued research within this field (www.parentinvolvement.ca). |
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