School Officials Tout Parental Action

Kim Hoke, public relations officer for Chapel Hill-Carrboro schools, said studies have shown that children whose parents are involved in their educations do better in school than children whose parents are not.

"I think that more parental involvement in education can boost student achievement," she said.

Dana Thompson, chairwoman of the Orange County Board of Education, said parents play a role in decreasing the minority student achievement gap, one of the system's primary goals.

Thompson said Orange County educators are trying to address students with academic problems, to study test scores, to give more individual attention to schools with minority achievement problems, to channel minority students into upper-level classes and to make schools more accessible to parents.

"We always recognize parental involvement as the key indicator of children's success in school and in life," Thompson said.

Orange County Schools recently have begun a program called Parent University that educates parents on how to be involved in their children's educations, how to have productive parent-teacher conferences and what to read to children, said Ann Osburn, the interim principal of A.L. Stanback Middle School.

Terry Rogers, principal of Cameron Park Elementary School, also said parental involvement is essential to a child's education, both at home and at school.

"Parental involvement is extremely important," she said. "We like to view parents as team members."

She said educators are trying to get more parents to get involved at their children's schools and to make time to help their children with their homework.

To do this, Rogers said, Orange County Schools could do a better job of opening pathways of communication with parents to help give parents a sense of belonging at their child's school.

Rogers said that parents who wish to get involved with their children's education can chaperone field trips, do clerical work or simply help their children with their homework but that the most important thing parents can do is talk to their children about their days at school.

Hoke said educators sometimes have problems with parents who feel uncomfortable talking to their child's teacher or being in a school setting.

"Parental involvement is a strength in this community, and a vast majority of parents understand the importance of education," Hoke said. "But I do think that there are some parents who, for whatever reason, don't feel welcome or comfortable in schools."

Hoke said parents also can do things at home to help their child learn.

Creating space and time for children to do their homework, seeking resources for struggling children and encouraging children to limit their television-watching are all ways parents can help their child succeed, she said.

Hoke said Chapel Hill-Carrboro schools are trying to improve relations with parents who might be wary of going to their children's schools.

A summit on education has been planned by the school district for Saturday to attempt to foster a more open dialogue between teachers and parents, among other goals.

The City Editor can be reached at citydesk@unc.edu