Parent and Community Relations Plan
Introduction
A Parent and Community Relations Plan is a basis for and guidance for how information will be exchanged, interactions can be mutually beneficial and impactful, and how meaningful participation in activities in the school, with families and with community partners can be influential in supporting student learning and achievement.
Rationale for Parents and Community Relations Plan (PCRP)
A Parents and Community Relations Plan should help pave the way for communications between educators and families. By establishing and discussing expectations, roles and responsibilities and other topics relevant to the community, families and educators can collaborate and support each other. TCS seeks to encourage all stakeholders to work as a team in a collaborative effort to serve students and meet the needs of the whole child. Because meetings and community building activities can help establish trust and a mutual understanding of the needs and aspirations of the school and the family, TCS will encourage and schedule opportunities for this collaboration to occur. For example, multilingual families will benefit from the accessibility which interpreters and virtual meetings can offer. This information will only be revealed through interactions and assessments of needs of the students and families.
Parent teacher conferences are one way that information can be gathered about the needs and wishes of the families. Preparing to gather information about not only the student but the family will provide valuable information about what is needed and how to best support the student. Providing the families with information about the student’s progress, grades and behavior will allow for the families to offer input and guidance and helpful tips on working with their student. Allowing families time to ask questions and voice concerns will also provide valuable information about the student. Working together with families on an action plan and discussing academic and social development can be so very important for a student, but also so worthwhile in supporting the student and family.
Family engagement activities specifically noted in PCRP will further strengthen communications between educators and families. Such practices as home visits, family game nights and culture nights will allow for all families to be represented and celebrated. Identifying the strengths, interests and needs of students and families will support the efforts of the PCRP. Strategically planning events according to the school culture and population will likely result in more positive results. Surveys and sign-in sheets can be used to collect data and monitor the engagement and success of the family engagement initiatives.
The Purpose and Goals of the PCRP
This Parent and Community Relations Plan (PCRP) seeks to define a purpose and establish goals that set a clear reasoning and explanation for the need of such a document. The goal and purpose of the PCRP is to establish guidelines for communications and collaboration between parents, teachers, leaders and the school. It should spell out the responsibilities of each party and set clear guidelines for students such as school expectations, home learning expectations and community opportunities for learning. Ideally this document would be the result of a collaborative effort between the students, parents, educators and the community. Every stakeholder would be provided the chance to interact and contribute to the discussion.
Contributing Members
TCS values all stakeholders. Each stakeholder in the school has a responsibility and role in educating the student. It is essential for all stakeholders to contribute to the teaching and learning process to truly have an impact.
School responsibilities
The school will be responsible for providing a safe, stable learning environment with competent, qualified teachers. The school will facilitate and encourage parent-teacher conferences, provide frequent reports on student progress and provide opportunities for parent teacher contact and collaboration. The school will support the teachers, parents, students and mediate communication as needed.
Teacher Responsibilities
The teacher will be responsible for planning and being prepared to teach, providing a safe learning environment, providing opportunities for all students to learn, engaging students in learning, supporting each child’s growth and setting goals for student’s achievement. The teacher will communicate with the school and parents about the progress of the student and put in place any supports that may be needed.
Parent Responsibilities
The parent will be responsible for ensuring that students come to school ready to learn by being well-rested, at school on-time, with necessary school supplies. The parent will further support their student by reading with them, talking with them, and ensuring that homework is completed and turned into the teacher. They will attend parent-teacher conferences, communicate with the teacher, and collaboratively develop and implement positive behaviors and work habits for their child. The parent will respect and support the teaching and learning of the student and work with the school and teacher to ensure a positive learning experience. The parent will be responsible for showing up and actively participating in the teaching and learning of their child.
Student Responsibilities
The student will be responsible for making every effort to be at school on time, attending class, bringing necessary supplies, and completing classwork and homework. Students should always do their best, obey the school rules, be respectful and willing to work cooperatively. Students should engage in such practices as reading daily, having a positive mindset, and a willingness to learn.
Community Responsibilities
The community will be responsible for supporting the school, teachers, and students and contributing to the teaching and learning opportunities. The community can help in the planning of the educational experience, supporting students, providing resources, preparing students through a variety of interactions, developing social responsibility, exploration of career pathways, and offering mentorships and internships.
Movement toward Goals
Movement towards the goals of the PCRP will be monitored and determined using surveys completed by all stakeholders. Baseline data will be collected at the onset of the initiative to give a starting point. This will be used to determine participation and climate of the school.
Sign-in sheets will be another indicator used to determine movement toward the goals. Each event will have a sign-in sheet that will gauge the success of the event. The sign-in sheet will also assist in identifying the roles of participants. If our goal is to increase community participation in the events, then the amount of community members present will indicate the rate of success.
Outcome Performance Measures
The outcome performance measure for parent and community involvement will likely take some time to become fully realized. Partnerships with parents and community have been known to result in positive outcomes for students. Improvements in academic achievement, attendance and graduation rates have been the direct result of communities, teachers and parents partnering together to educate students.
Milestones and Timelines
The sign-in sheets from previous year’s events will be tallied and used as a gauge for previous participation. The goal of increasing participation will be set to increase attendance at each event by 10% from the prior year’s attendance. With the ultimate goal of 75-80% of students and families participating and 10-15% of participants being members of the community, TCS seeks to increase participation by not only students and families, but also community members.
Anticipated Barriers
TCS will work with students, families, and community members to identify barriers to participation. The school will look for solutions to issues such as transportation, lack of funds, etc. These barriers will be identified through interactions and communications with parents and community members.Overcoming the Barriers
The goal of this plan is to consider all the stakeholders and provide ways to increase participation by all stakeholders. Therefore, when a barrier is identified, multiple solutions will be considered, and the best, most cost-efficient solutions will be offered. Solutions such as buses providing transportation to events, recording events, and live feeds will be available for parents and community members that would like to attend, but due to extenuating circumstances cannot.
Use of Feedback
Feedback from stakeholders is important to TCS. This feedback will be collected and used to address changes needed and provide the most comprehensive approach to the Parent and Community Relations Plan. The feedback on the plan will be used to make updates to the plan.
