November 26 ,2007
Dear Fellow Nebraskans:
Recently we recognized three Nebraska school districts for their efforts with parental involvement in education. The schools are creating opportunities that further engage parents in activities at their schools and in their child’s education.
This year, the Nebraska Association of School Boards joined me in creating an award to recognize school districts that encourage parents to get engaged. While Nebraska has a strong education system, one of the best ways to create an even better pre-school though college system in Nebraska is to strengthen parental involvement.
I’ve challenged our education community to find better, more effective ways to get parents more actively involved in their child’s education. This award is one way to recognize the success of this effort in several school districts in our state. I’m pleased to congratulate the Loup City, Madison, and Papillion-LaVista Public School Districts as the first recipients of the Governor’s Award for Parental Involvement.
These districts have gone beyond the traditional parent-teacher conference to develop innovative ways of welcoming parents into their buildings. The end result is that parents, teachers and administrators have developed stronger relationships and are committed to helping students accomplish their goals.
Loup City Public Schools emphasizes parental involvement in early education as a way to establish good communication with families early on and encourage parents to help stimulate their child’s learning process both at home and at school. Parents are required to volunteer each month while their child is in pre-school. Later, they’re encouraged to continue volunteering as part of an after-school or summer school program.
Loup City parents are also encouraged to spend 20 minutes a day reading to young children. Administrators have made their schools a welcoming place for parents by encouraging them to eat lunch with their son or daughter. In addition, this was the third year the district involved parents, students, teachers, and administrators in setting priorities for the district by asking them to participate in the school district’s strategic planning sessions.
Madison Public Schools was honored for activities ranging from sponsoring grandparents’ day and family movie nights, working with major employers in the community to post information on school events at work, having translators available at all school activities, and encouraging all the members of a family to participate in school events. The increased connection with parents has helped Madison schools and teachers resolve challenges by working with parents to address issues directly.
The Papillion-LaVista School District was honored for creating events that encourage parents to spend time with students at their school. Parents come to school early to eat breakfast and read with students, enjoy a snack while helping their child practice math, volunteer to walk students to school, or participate in literacy nights by learning activities that can be used at home to encourage their child’s reading.
The Papillion-LaVista School District also stresses the importance of parent interaction to new teachers. The district provides training that helps new staff members develop skills to master parent-teacher communication is a significant part of the district’s new teacher training program.
I want to commend these school districts for their commitment to exploring new ways to involve parents in the day-to-day activities of their schools. I know from my visits to classrooms across our state that many teachers and administrators would welcome the opportunity to partner with more parents.
We all have a responsibility to prepare our students for success in school. I hope these ideas will inspire all Nebraskans to look for ways to become more involved with their child’s education.
