Parental involvement in school is a key element to a student’s success. It is essential that parents know what their child is doing at school both academically and behavior wise. However due to working and busy schedules, some parents rarely step inside of their child’s classroom. Therefore, it is crucial that schools and teachers make every effort to get parents involved.
Many children are now back at school. They have met their new classmates and new teacher. Because it is equally important for parents to also get acquainted with their child’s new class, many schools and teachers host back to school open houses or parent nights.
During these events, parents are invited to come to school and meet their child’s new teacher. The teacher then discusses his or her expectations and classroom rules and procedures. The parents have a chance to meet other classroom parents. They can look around the room and ask any questions that they may have concerning their child’s education.
Some schools hosts a school wide open house and begin with a general meeting with the principal. The principal may discuss school wide plans and policies. The meeting then adjourns and each teacher holds an individual meeting in the classroom.
In other cases, individual grade levels hold their meeting on different nights. This better accommodates parents with more than one child at the school.
These types of meetings are very helpful to parents and students who are new to the school. They are great for kindergarten parents and parents of students who transferred from a different area. They are also good reminders and reinforcers for veteran parents who have had children at the school in the past.
If you are a parent and your school does not hold a back to school parent night, you may want to suggest having one to the school principal. If you are a teacher, consider planning a parent night with your other grade level teachers.
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NCLB Results Improving Education or Teaching to the Tests
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