Employers Respond to #1 Barrier Holding Back Parents from Getting More Involved in Schools
Contact:
Chalkboard Project
(503) 542-4325
info@chalkboardproject.org
Chalkboard Project joins forces with E3: Employers for Education Excellence and Oregon Business Plan, Kicks Off “Employer-to-Classroom Challenge”
PORTLAND, Ore. (Jan. 5, 2006) – Beginning this month, businesses all over Oregon will start giving more to public schools than lip service or the random auction item. They’re putting their money where their mouths are thanks to a new program called the “Employer-to-Classroom Challenge.” By this time next year, over 500 Oregon employers will be pushing policies and practices that encourage school involvement and volunteerism by all their employees, regardless of whether they have kids in school.
Participating companies are required to make a three-year commitment to the Challenge by implementing a combination of school support activities within their company, and recording those activities for all three years. Companies will then receive special recognition as a certified Oregon Education Champion.
The Employer-to-Classroom Challenge is sponsored by a three-way partnership between Oregon’s leading education and business organizations: the Chalkboard Project, E3: Employers for Education Excellence, and the Oregon Business Plan.
"The Oregon Business Plan exists to build a framework for Oregon's prosperity. This starts with well-educated, capable people and education systems to sustain their skills,” said Duncan Wyse, executive director of the Oregon Business Council. “The economic data are unmistakable on this point: raising incomes for individuals and for the state depends directly on developing a well-educated and highly skilled population. Oregon Business Council member companies are committed to helping to transform Oregon's education system and are enthusiastic partners in the Employer-to-Classroom Challenge."
”Employers tell us they want to be involved in supporting their schools and employees in a meaningful and manageable way,” said René Léger, executive director of E3. “We are pleased to co-sponsor the Employer-to-Classroom Challenge with the Chalkboard Project and Oregon Business Plan, and encourage Oregon employers to participate in strategic partnerships with our schools.”
When Chalkboard conducted a recent statewide survey among parents of school children, the foundation-led group learned that work schedule conflicts were identified as the #1 barrier to volunteering time in the classroom. Nearly all of the survey respondents said they would be very or somewhat likely to volunteer time if encouraged by their employer.
In a previous statewide survey conducted by Chalkboard among ALL Oregonians, 83% identified lack of parent involvement as the biggest obstacle to student achievement. When Chalkboard unveiled its 15-point Action Plan last June to make Oregon’s K-12 schools among the nation’s best, the group promised to find a remedy for improving parental involvement.
“Students thrive when parents and community members play an active role in their education,” said Chalkboard president Sue Hildick. “Parents are telling us they want to be more involved in their children’s schools, but they need help from their employers.”
"Our Employer-to-Classroom challenge will help foster a new era of significant partnerships for our children as Oregon businesses step up as we believe they will," said Charlie Walker, Chalkboard board chair.
Here’s the list of policies and practices that companies can choose from as part of the Employer-to-Classroom Challenge:
- Integrate flextime, extended lunch hours or compressed workweeks.
- Provide employees with time to check on their child’s progress or review homework assignments online.
- Provide employees with paid time off to volunteer in schools. - Provide mentors or tutors to existing community engagement programs.
- Supply “on-loan” employees to support schools in areas such as financial management, budgeting, purchasing, team building, communications and strategic planning.
- Provide on-site learning opportunities for teachers and students (job shadows, tours, internships, etc.)
- Offer incentives to employees who are involved in education work, such as matching employee donations to school or community leave time.
- Offer on-site meeting space for parent-teacher conferences or other school meetings.
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.
