Families assume the greatest responsibility for the growth, development and education of their children. They share this responsibility with some people and institutions at certain periods. When they send their children to school, they share this responsibility with educational institutions. No matter how well prepared the learning environments offered to children are, they are not as effective as desired unless they are supported by families. When the family and the school support the child in the same direction and at the same time, their development is much healthier. Family involvement; It is a set of activities organized for parents to contribute to the development and education of their children attending educational institutions. All of these activities aim to support the parent's role in their child's education and development. The main goal is to support the education given at school at home and the education given at home at school, to ensure continuity and thus ensure that the child reaches the desired behavioral changes both at school and at home in a safe and controlled manner. Ensuring integrity and continuity in education will be possible with family participation. Research has shown that the positive effects on the development of children raised in programs that support family involvement are permanent.
What are Positive School-Parent Relationships?
“School-Parent Relationships ” concept; It covers two different communications between parents and school:
1. Effective exchange of information:Open sharing of ideas between families and school personnel on issues that concern both parties. With open sharing of ideas, parents and school staff will see themselves as partners working together on education, supporting each other to achieve a common goal.
To Ensure Information Exchange:
Home Visits: School personnel should visit families' homes and provide information about school services and family participation programs. Telephone calls can also be used for the same purpose, especially when the homes to be visited are spread over a large area and the staff cannot visit all families in their homes. However, although home visits cannot be made frequently, they should be preferred.
Parent Survey: Parent survey, parent It is a good method to collect information about what children are curious about and their thoughts about their children's education. More specifically, the purpose of the survey is:
- To determine which areas parents want to focus on regarding parent education,
- To clarify the problems that parents experience while helping their children's development,
- To measure satisfaction with teachers and the curriculum,
- To find out which form of school-parent communication is more effective and to get ideas from parents for improvement.
Parent Red Line: Schools; They can set up a phone line where parents can directly reach a school representative such as a counselor or teacher. There should be a line that parents can call whenever they want to talk about any problem and where the representative can help with the solution.
Written Information from the School: To inform about a special situation at the school or an upcoming meeting, “Parent Flyers” can be used. Flyers can also be posted on bulletin boards around the school, in the parent room, and in places where parents frequent. Bulletins can be prepared to provide regular information to parents. Newsletters may include a calendar of upcoming events and meetings. Children can also make some contributions such as drawing and writing.
Parent Handbook: It can be prepared annually and distributed to all parents. It may include the history of the school, telephone numbers where parents can contact the school, and articles explaining some important points about education.
2. Interpersonal relations:Establishing a face-to-face relationship between parents and school staff. Positive relationships; It enables parents and school staff to know each other personally and to be comfortable and friendly as long as they work together on school-related issues. This doesn't mean that parents and people at school all have to be close friends. The aim is for parents and school staff to share their thoughts without fear of being misunderstood and causing conflicts.
If parents and school staff are from different economic and cultural environments, interpersonal relationships can be difficult to establish. In such cases, many parents, like the school, While they are uncomfortable communicating with a large public institution, teachers may interpret this as parents' indifference.
To Improve Interpersonal Relationships:
Lunch and Dinner: A meal that parents and school staff eat together attracts attention and provides a chance to communicate.
Parent-Staff Trips: Trips to be held together provide both parent education. It also helps parents get to know each other and the school staff.
Multi-Purpose Activities: An event organized to share information with parents also provides the opportunity to chat and socialize.
To Establish Positive School-Parent Relations:
- It is important to try to reach all parents.
- The method should be two-way - parents should also be able to reach the school.
- It is important to support families' participation, develop activities and facilitate the participation process.
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