Week 6 Final Project Parent Involvement for the 21st Century

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Week6Uneditedexampleofthefinalassignment.docx

Week 6 Unedited example of the final assignment

Below is an unedited example of the final assignment. Please pay particular attention to the subheadings. They follow the criteria in the scoring rubric. I hope you will find this example useful as you prepare your own final paper.

 

TITLE PAGE

 

Introduction

Research studies usually drive the perceptions about a topic like parental participation in school because numbers are solid data points that offer an inside look at subject dynamics. Even so, newer studies may discover underlying elements that seem minuscule, yet they have a pivotal influence on research outcomes. It is a common practice to view parental participation through the lens of time spent at the school, at events and membership in the Parent-Teacher Association. However, studies show that parental expectations, disciplinary practices, and attitudes conveyed to offspring about education in the home counts as parent involvement (Jeynes, 2011). When educators build relationships with parents it offers insight into how parents rule their households and what they expect from their children. When parents and teachers agree about expectations and goals students are presented with a solid plan that encourages academic and behavioral success. Educating students is a lofty task that requires participation and cooperation by all immediate stakeholders and that includes parents, teachers, schools, counselors, and community centered outreach programs.

 Philosophy: Purpose

The purpose of the parent involvement plan is to create opportunities for families and students to foster collaborations with community groups through volunteerism. Secondary objectives include building stronger family relationships and peer interactions through a commitment to a common goal. Creativity and communication are important when dealing with young students. Service learning projects and volunteerism are great ways to re-enforce the four C's associated with the 21st-century skills mandate. The four C's are collaboration, communication, creativity and critical thinking (P21, n.d). Parental involvement plans are necessary because parents and schools need to work together to ensure that all students receive a high-quality education. Teachers do not blindly enter the classroom and hope that things go well. They plan and strategize to engage students in a manner that will encourage them to reach their academic goals. In the process of dealing with parents, organization and planning are needed just like in the classroom. The involvement plan will create activities that help teachers and parents get to know each other better. The students will practice working with their peers and communicating with members of their community.

Some of the best strategies for getting parents involved in school include having a welcoming school environment and an open door policy (Hjalmarson, 2011). Educators are encouraged to adapt to the needs of the parents in the same manner that they cater to the needs of their students (Hjalmarson, 2011). Consistency, communication, and mutual respect are qualities that enhance situations that require relationship building. Another way to build connections with families is to practice cultural relevance and engage family funds of knowledge. Each student in a class is a representative of knowledge that passes from one generation to next generation (Lopez, n.d). Oral histories, traditions, and cultural elements are naturally present in every home environment. Educators have the option to tap into these funds of knowledge and incorporate them into the classroom. Doing so creates opportunities for parents to get involved and it shows students that their history and their presence in society add value to the world.

Plan Aims

Plan Aims

What you intend to do?

Boost student Self-Esteem

Helping others is a way to boost self-esteem because doing so adds a sense of purpose to one’s life and promotes the idea that each individual has something positive to offer to the community in which they live regardless of their economic status.

Promote Academic Development

 

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.2 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. Final Paper: “Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content (CCSI, 2017).”

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.3 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. Journaling: “Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences (CCSI, 2017).”

 

When a community project connects to classroom content, it becomes a service learning project. As the person spearheading the plan, the intent is to get students to reflect on their experience and perform well on written assignments that correlate with common core standards. True reflection builds character and hones critical thinking skills. Students will also use computer skills to create a flyer, project calendar and a website.

Promote Physical Development

Community projects require footwork. Parents and students will distribute flyers and communicate the purpose of their cause to local businesses in the community. Walking is a healthy practice, and it will benefit all who are involved.

Promote Social Development

Hunger and poverty are issues that plague people from all walks of life. Peer to peer collaborations is a good way to practice relationship building skills, tolerance, and respect for other cultures (Cleary & Simons, 2006). It is important to teach students how to view others through the lens of our commonalities rather than our obvious differences.

Increase Parental Participation

The students will come up with a call to action that they think will persuade their parents to help with the project. As a class, we will develop a short video listing some facts about hunger in the area. The students will be challenged to be as creative as possible and to use elements that they think will get their parents attention. We will then send the video to the guardian's phone as a message.

 

Goals of the Plan

There are three goals in the involvement plan.

1. Get parents involved - the project manager will share research information with parents that shows them how their children benefit when they participate and build relationships with schools, educators and the community.

2. Teach students about volunteerismThe goal is to teach the students that they are a part of something that reaches beyond their block and inspire them to take action. If education can stretch student vision beyond their immediate surroundings, it increases the chances of pushing their vision and ideas about where they fit into the scheme of things beyond their state to the nation and ultimately to the world.

3. Increase community awareness about hungerThe purpose is to present information that debunks myths about hunger and lack in this country. Awareness is the key component to changing public opinion.

4. Build a relationship with a local food bankLocal initiatives such as homeless shelters, soup kitchens and food banks need volunteers. Realistically, regardless of how technologically advanced a nation may become there will always be people who need help and the way to ensure future participation is to instill volunteerism into students through education and community partnerships.

Resources: School, Funding, & Materials

The materials needed for the project include printing paper, ink, and a t-shirt and project planner for each student. The t-shirts will make our students visible in the community and serve as an advertisement for the cause. We will need poster boards, pushpins for hanging flyers, and a spot in the morning announcements, envelopes and postage stamps. Many of the items may be purchased at the local dollar store, building a website is free, and a few parents and myself may donate postage stamps for our community mailing list. The goal as it relates to finances is not to spend a lot of money to complete this project.

Students Role

The students will be responsible for the flyer, the theme, and the website design. As the facilitator, the plan is to mediate the decision-making process of the students and provide materials. The intended purpose is for the students to be able to look back at the experience and realize that they were instrumental in reaching the goal. Students will also distribute the flyers and participate in donation pickup and delivery. The students will be challenged to take on the role of a reporter to complete their final paper for the unit. The students will need to use their critical thinking and communication skills to reach an agreement on how to move forward with each step of the plan. It is possible that they may not always agree on how to proceed and that will create opportunities for them to practice problem-solving skills. The students will need to be outspoken and give their input to find solutions and enhance their experience. The students will be responsible for keeping in touch with each other outside of school and delegating tasks within their group. The activities will develop leadership skills and community mindedness. Students must be informed and ready to answer questions from potential donors and explain why they are seeking donations.

Parents Role

For this project, parents are expected to participate by driving or being present when the students are distributing their flyers and talking to local businesses. Parents may also donate printing paper and ink for printing the flyers. We want the parents to ask their employers to be sponsors or donate non-perishable food items to the student food drive. We want parents to know that volunteering time for the project is just as important as giving money or goods. We need parents to assist with storage and delivery of the goods. Parents will also be expected to provide motivation and encouragement for their children to embrace the project if they feel uncomfortable stepping out of their comfort zone. We will also need parents to take leadership roles in negotiating the price for our ad in the local paper and t-shirt prices. The project manager is well aware that parents may not participate and she is ready to step up and make sure that the students have a valuable experience. She is prepared to enlist volunteers from the community and the PTA to help her students reach their goal.

Community & Organization Roles

The local food bank chosen for this endeavor must be willing to form partnerships with our students and trust them to represent their mission and brand in the community. The relationship building process will include sharing information. The students will need access to information such as how many families does the food bank serve in a week, what is the most trying time of year for local families, and what products are needed the most. It is our goal not to create any financial burden for the food bank. However, the operators may already have connections that will assist the students in some way, or they may have containers or receptacles with their logo on them to place at local businesses. The role of residents (community) is to give, even if it is just one item and support our students and future leaders of the town.

Gaining Support for the Plan

The facilitator of the project will be responsible for the newspaper ad, acquiring a free or reasonably priced spot on the local radio, and enlisting other teachers to ask students to bring an item. The project manager will also be responsible for mailing flyers to local churches soliciting their participation in the food drive.

Soliciting Support for Events & Parent Participation

1. Local Newspaper - the project manager will meet with a local reporter to see if he/she would like to do a story about the project.

2. Social Media - If parental consent is given; students will live stream pivotal moments and requests throughout the process.

3. Class Website - parents will also be able to learn details about the project on the site.

4. Challenge to other schools - students will invite their friends from other schools to donate.

5. Challenge to local businesses- local businesses will receive a flyer and a challenge to donate directly to the food bank.

6. Call to Action for Parents - students will create a short video that will be sent out to all parents via phone messages and emails.

Plan Evaluation & Criterion for Success

Successful completion of the project is a reflection of the level of parent participation; the amount of food collected, and student reflections on their volunteerism experience. The most important measurements of success are parent involvement and student experience because any amount of food raised will help needy families in the community. Parental support is critical because the project is trying to build bridges between family-school and community. The greatest challenge is trying to get people to look beyond their circumstances to help someone who may be going through something more difficult. If the students walk away with a sense of community, concern for others, gratefulness for what they have and a willingness to volunteer again then the project is a success. There are no guarantees that the goals for this project will happen, even so, the students deserve to have the experience because the problem that we are trying to address is a real-life issue. A survey will be provided for the students, parents, and other volunteers to gauge individual experiences and to determine what went well and improvements that need to be made.

Theory: Identity Role Model & Epstein’s Six

The role identity theory teaches that experiences such as volunteering become identity markers that are filed away for later use in life to inspire a repeat of the previous experience (Henri & Stefanik, 2014). Example 1: the knowledge gained during Certified Nursing Assistant training emerges in the presence of those needing care. Techniques such as pillow placement to ease pain and pressure points, positioning to lift or assist with mobility, changing elaborate bandages, recognition of infection and perception of fever and dehydration through mere observance occur without much effort. Even though the pursuit of higher education ventured down the path of Psychology and Education, the actions mentioned above distinctly define a personal characteristic acknowledged as the caregiver. Example 2: Giving, sharing, and collaborating are also experiences that create identity markers that encourage future participation in the practices. In a previous experience, lack encouraged sharing. Four friends (including me) found themselves hungry, and none of them had any money or the ingredients to make a complete meal. One friend had eggs, another had bread, and the third had luncheon meat and ketchup. The fourth friend had nothing to offer, and that did not matter. The friends combined what they had, and everyone departed nourished. The activities discussed above precisely explain a personal characteristic confirmed as the collaborator and the contributor. These examples may seem simple; even so, they are real-life encounters that add validity to the premise that supports the identity theory role model. If schools are seeking to inspire future events of volunteerism and community mindedness, they must first provide student experiences that open the door to the concept and service learning projects are the way to accomplish that goal.

Epstein's theory contains six components that are needed to influence student success. The six components are "parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision-making, and collaborating with the community (Griffin & Steen, 2010, p. 1)." Parenting refers to how parents relate to their children. Psychology constructs place parents in one of four categories; authoritative, agreeable, inattentive, and tyrannical (Mgbmere & Telles, n.d). Psychology suggests that parenting styles directly affect children's ability to adapt to new situations and how they interact with others. Communication skills can make or break any relationship. The home environment is the first place of learning for all students. Since children learn from their environment through natural observances, the ability to communicate is shaped by those experiences. Volunteer activities make room for social, emotional, and academic growth. Learning at home encourages students to be responsible for their role in the education process, prepares them for future learning, and solidifies what they are learning in school. Decision-making entails developing skills that foster the ability to weigh actions, choices, and their consequences. Collaborating with the community is important because it creates expanding support systems that expose students and families to a diverse group of people with different levels of knowledge, expertise, and wisdom.

Conclusion

The purpose of this discourse was to discuss a plan to get parents involved in a service learning project with their children. Educators are charged with the task to reach out to parents in a way that appeal to them and to continue the process even if parents do not respond. In this plan, the students and the project facilitator develop creative ways to get the parents attention via text messages, emails, flyers, and word of mouth. A marketing strategy to advertise the project is in place, and donation solicitation methods are present. Schools and educators need the support of parents, and the research supports the idea that children have a better educational encounter when their parents are available shareholders. Some parents will meet the challenge to participate with enthusiasm and others will remain uninterested, and in that case, the focus shifts to the well-being of the student (Hjalmarson, 2011). As this dialogue comes to a close please remember: Educating students is a high task that requires participation and cooperation by all immediate stakeholders; that includes parents, teachers, schools, counselors, and community centered outreach programs, however, the omission of involvement on the part of parents does not negate the fact that all children deserve a proper education.

 References

Cleary, B. & Simons, L. (2006).THE INFLUENCE OF SERVICE LEARNING ON STUDENTS' PERSONAL AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT. Retrieved from  http://stgwww.stjohns.edu/sites/default/files/documents/adminoffices/asl-influence-on-development.pdf (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Common Core Standard Initiative (2017). English Language Arts Standards >> Writing >> Grade 8. Retrieved from http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/W/8/

Griffin, D., & Steen, S. (2010). School-Family-Community Partnerships: Applying Epstein's Theory of the Six Types of Involvement to School Counselor Practice. Professional School Counseling, 13(4), 218-226.

Henri C. & Stefanik, G. (2014).VOLUNTEERING: THEORETICAL APPROACHES AND PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS. Retrieved from http://www.afahc.ro/ro/afases/2014/socio/Andronic,%20Razvan-Lucian_%20Volunteering.pdf

Hjalmarson, F. (2011). Differentiated parent support: Engaging parents in unique ways to increase their involvement in School. San Diego, CA: TurnAround Schools Publishing.

Jeynes, W. (2011).  The School Community Journal  (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. , 21(1), 9-18. Retrieved from http://www.adi.org/journal/resources/2011ss_SCJ.pdf

Lopez, J. (n.d). Funds of Knowledge. http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/939

Mgbmere, B. & Telles, R. (n.d). Types of Parenting Styles and How to Identify Yours. Retrieved from https://my.vanderbilt.edu/developmentalpsychologyblog/2013/12/types-of-parenting-styles-and-how-to-identify-yours/

Partnership for 21st Century Learning (n.d). The 4C Research Series. Retrieved from http://www.p21.org/our-work/4cs-research-series

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