Recently I attended the American Federation for Children’s policy summit in Washington, D.C. This event was an exciting, informative, two-day conference filled with panel discussions, keynote speakers such as Lisa Leslie and Mike McCurry, and networking opportunities with education reformers from all over the country. I left D.C. feeling similar[Read More…]
Tag: parental engagement
Florida private schools take parental engagement up a notch
Teacher Tiffany Smith-Sutton noticed right away the difference it made when parents came to their child’s school to bake cupcakes or learn about fractions during Family Math Night. Homework came back on time. Test scores went up. Classroom behavior improved. “With their parents there, students are good,’’ said Smith-Sutton, a[Read More…]
Common ground on strategies for high-poverty students
Editor’s note: This is the latest installment of an ongoing dialogue between Doug Tuthill, president of Step Up For Students, and John Wilson, a former National Education Association official who writes a blog at Education Week. Doug Tuthill: John, on your John Wilson Unleashed blog, you recently wrote that “there[Read More…]
Florida roundup: Marco Rubio, charter schools, virtual schools & more
Tax credit scholarships. Tampa Bay Times columnist Robyn Blumner doesn’t like U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio’s proposal for federal scholarships. Charter schools. Tampa Bay Times columnist John Romano bemoans the number of charter schools that close because of low enrollment (but curiously doesn’t mention traditional public schools that don’t get closed despite the[Read More…]
‘Where was (Sal Khan) when I was in school?’
Fox 13, a TV station in Tampa, Fla., did a nice piece this week about a unique partnership that shows how much and how fast education is changing. It’s between Khan Academy and Step Up For Students, the nonprofit that administers Florida’s tax credit scholarship program for low-income kids (and,[Read More…]
Schools shouldn’t just involve parents; they should engage them
If schools want parents and caregivers to chaperone field trips and cook hot dogs at the fall carnival, then a parental involvement plan should be their course of action. However, if schools want those same parents and caregivers to actively participate in decisions regarding their child’s success in school, then[Read More…]
In Florida, private schools double down on parental engagement
One school made a calendar for parents, with a note like this one below every month’s Bible verse: Research says … the greater the parents’ involvement, the greater the academic achievement for the student. Another organized a “scavenger hunt” for families, built around tips to help their kids succeed in school.[Read More…]
Noted researcher to study impact of public school choice program in Florida
Like other school choice programs where supply is overwhelmed by demand, the school district in Pinellas County, Fla. offers an option that causes plenty of joy and heartache. Some kids win the “fundamental school” lottery. Some kids lose. Some go on to the high-performing fundamentals, where they’re surrounded by peers[Read More…]