engagement

							                                       The Rundown…
                      Information for Parents
    Distributed by the Parent Leadership Exchange, a project of the Institute for Responsive Education.

The Institute for Responsive Education (IRE) is a research, policy, and advocacy organization that encourages and supports
school, family, and community partnership to enable high quality educational opportunities for all children. We believe that
schools, families, and communities all share the responsibility to improve schools and raise education standards.



                          Parent Involvement at Home
When parents are involved in their children's education, kids do better in school.
But what does parent involvement look like at home? Here are some
suggestions on how you can work with your child to help him/her achieve and
succeed at school. These are great activities to do during the summer so that
your child is even better prepared for the next academic year!

To help your child develop good study habits at home:

                                                                Limiting TV viewing, cell phone use, computer
                                                                games on school nights
                                                                Show a positive attitude about school.
                                                                Praise his/her work.
                                                                Discuss events that are in the news.
                                                                Go to a museum or performance and ask questions
                                                                about it afterwards.
                                                                Take advantage of internet resources.
                                                                Set aside a specific place and a specific time for
                                                                your child to study – this will give him/her space,
                                                                time, and quiet needed to do his/her homework well.
                                                                Make sure your child does his/her homework every
                                                                day, for every class, and as the homework policy of
                                                                his/her school requires.
                                                                Use a calendar to develop a timeline. This will help
                                                                your child get used to meeting deadlines.
                                                                Help your child to write letters and holiday cards.
                                                                Encourage your child to write his/her own stories or
                                                                to keep a journal.


Please see more suggestions regarding reading and math on the back side. These
were adopted from the parent’s guide to the Boston Citywide Learning Standards.
Check out great resources and tips on homework: Bridging the Great Homework
Divide: A solutions guide for parents of middle school students. Click here:
http://www.nea.org/parents/solutionsguide.html

 Institute for Responsive Education is located at 80 Prospect St., Cambridge, MA 02139 telephone 617-873-0610
 www.responsiveeducation.org fax 617-873-0273 Funding for The Rundown is provided by an anonymous donor.
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To help your child become a better reader:
 Make sure he/she reads every day.
 Take advantage of the local library – make sure to
 get a library card and ask the librarian for book
 suggestions.
 Get books, magazines, and/or articles on any topics
 your child finds interesting.
 Read aloud with your child.
 Read slowly and use a lot of expression to help your
 child form a mental picture of what is being read.
 Ask open-ended questions that help your child
 develop the habits good readers and writers have.
 For example, after your child reads a book, as
 questions such as:
 “What did you like best about the story?”
 “Who are the main characters?”
 “What happened?”
 “What is the main idea?”
 Bring books when you are going some place where
 there might be a wait (subway ride, doctor’s office,
 etc.)
 Make up word games.

To help your child become better at math:

                                    Show as much enthusiasm for math as you do for
                                    reading
                                    While shopping, ask your child how much things cost,
                                    and have him/her compare prices.
                                    Have your child identify shapes he/she sees in their
                                    everyday lives (boxes, cans, books, etc.)
                                    Do jigsaw puzzles with your child.
                                    Play hopscotch – this will help your child develop
                                    counting skills.
                                    When your child solves a problem, ask how he/she did
                                    it.
                                    Introduce some basic math ideas such as adding,
                                    subtracting, or using a calculator to your child before
                                    he/she begins to learn them in school.
                                    Play board and card games that require your child to
                                    count.
                                    Play games that use make believe money to show your
                                    child how to make change and save money for a rainy
                                    day.
                                    Let your children cook with you so he/she can
                                    learn how to measure ingredients.
                                    Take advantage of any hobby or special interest
                                    (like baseball and stamp collecting) that uses
                                    statistical information.
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