What the District is doing: programs supporting parent involvement

by Hannah Davis

In an effort to strengthen the relationship between parents and the schools, the School District has set up programs to increase parental involvement in their children's education and school.

The School District's Office of Family Engagement and Language Equity Services (OFELES) has put forth a number of programs to give parents tools they need to help students flourish in school. Below is an outline of initiatives that support parents as they navigate through the School District.

Parent Volunteers Program

To increase parental presence in schools, the District launched the Parent Volunteers Program (PVP) in January, funded by a $1.7 million Parent Involvement Program grant from the state. A grant renewal allowed the program to continue this year.

The key components of the initiative are Parent Welcome Desks and Parent Patrols. Parent Welcome Desks, formerly called Parent Assistance Desks, involve parents in welcoming guests to schools, distributing information from the District and other agencies, and serving as resources to parents. The School District aims to have a Parent Welcome Desk operating in every school this year.

Parent Patrols bring parents and caregivers in to help monitor areas in and adjacent to schools.

The program has been administered and parent recruitment and trainings conducted through a number of community-based organizations, the largest part being managed by Communities in Schools of Philadelphia.

Some 500 parent volunteers have already been trained and given $250 to $350 stipends. Parents and caregivers volunteer between seven to 10 hours a week over a 10-week period.

Home and School Associations

When the School Reform Commission adopted its Declaration of Education and 2008 goals, one commitment was that “100 percent of schools will have a Home and School Association or School Council.”

Currently, the District is at about 70 percent of that goal of having these school-based, parent-led organizations all across the District. According to Philadelphia Home and School Council President Greg Wade, there are now 194 associations.

The School District has recently boosted its support of the citywide Home and School Council (see “Citywide parent group has a new leader and new support from the District”).

School Councils

Of late, there has been less District focus on School Councils, created at many schools in the 1990s as a site-based decision-making body. Councils are composed of various numbers of parents, teachers, other school staff, the principal – and sometimes a community representative – with District personnel constituting a majority.

Home and School Association members often sit on the School Council and help to organize and monitor elections for School Council members.

“At present, there is a bit of a debate as to the number and quality of School Councils in operation,” acknowledged Jim Scott, the District's director of community relations and faith-based initiatives, who just recently assumed the responsibility for parent programs in the District. He said he hopes to have a better idea of how many functioning School Councils there are by early 2007.

Scott said his office plans to review the role of School Councils with representatives of the Home and School Council and the Parent Leadership Academy.