Chalkboard Project promotes parent partnership programs
Contact:
Chalkboard Project
(503) 542-4325
info@chalkboardproject.org
Overwhelming evidence points to parental involvement as critical to student success
PORTLAND, Ore. – Oregonian’s own intuition about how to strengthen public schools confirms what decades of research reveal: when schools support family involvement, students of all backgrounds achieve higher academic levels and improved classroom behavior.
“The quest for stronger schools really starts with a simple equation: when parents are involved, their children perform better academically and schools become more robust,” said Sue Hildick, president of The Chalkboard Project.
In recent survey findings conducted by Chalkboard – a collaborative effort led by five independent foundations with no axe to grind – Oregonians identify lack of direct parental support in the learning process as one of the biggest obstacles to student achievement. The same survey reveals near-unanimity that active parental support for teaching and learning in the home is essential to a child’s success in school. Helping parents become direct partners in their child’s education is ranked as the most urgent priority.
Background surveys conducted by school officials as part of the 2003 National Assessment of Educational Progress exams suggest involvement by Oregon parents falls roughly in the middle of the pack nationally, but lags well behind involvement reported by officials in the Northeast and Midwest. This same research indicates parental involvement in Oregon drops significantly from fourth to eighth grade.
“There is an avalanche of national data indicating that parental involvement is critical to student achievement,” said Diana Oberbarnscheidt, president of the Oregon Parent-Teacher Association. “Here in Oregon, we’re constantly searching for new and creative ways to bridge the gap between parents and the classroom. Regardless of age and background, students flourish when parents are involved in their schooling.”
Parental involvement is just one of the issues Chalkboard will be taking out for public discussion beginning in January. “Raising parent expectations for schools and their own students is one of the best ways to increase student achievement,” said Hildick. “Our research shows that Oregonians intuitively know that, already. Now is the time to speak out and help us wrestle with the tough choices and tradeoffs needed to make our public schools among the best in the nation, while still living within our means.”
As part of the state-wide public discussion forums slated to begin this winter, Chalkboard will roll out a variety of ideas designed to promote partnerships between parents and their children’s schools. “Everything is on the table,” said Hildick. “From on-campus parent resource rooms with translation services and homework hotlines, to tax-based fiscal penalties and incentive-based parenting classes… we encourage all Oregonians to take the time to participate in shaping the future of our public schools.”
About Chalkboard Project
Launched in early 2004, Chalkboard Project exists to inspire Oregonians to do what it takes to make the state’s K-12 public schools among the nation’s best, while strengthening our school system’s financial accountability to taxpayers. Chalkboard aims to help create a more informed and engaged public who understand and address the tough choices and trade-offs required to build strong schools, and to enable statewide programs that can be applied at the local level to improve school quality, accountability, and funding. To date, Chalkboard has connected with about 100,000 Oregonians, asking for their best ideas to strengthen the state’s K-12 public schools. It also has partnered with other education organizations to create the Open Book$ Web site www.openbooksproject.org to track school district spending.
Chalkboard – an initiative of Foundations For A Better Oregon – is sponsored by a growing list of independent foundations. The founding five foundations are: The Collins Foundation, The Ford Family Foundation, Jeld-Wen Foundation, Meyer Memorial Trust, and The Oregon Community Foundation. For more information about Chalkboard and to learn how to get involved, call (877) YOUR-K12 or visit www.chalkboardproject.org.
