I am often challenged by discussions about “21st century skills” or “personalized learning” as they are often quite theoretical. The audience is provoked by videos documenting the changing world outside of school, and we make lists of the skills we want from our graduates in our ever-changing world. There is usually head-nodding approval of the skills we want going forward.
These conversations do have value and it is important to continue to show the longterm vision of where we see the path of learning and schooling going in the years ahead.
We also need to get to the hard work of making the ideas concrete.
Another challenge of the sessions, is that we often use them to highlight the one student, one teacher, one parent, one principal modelling a new way — and lament how we seem unable to have these ideas spill out into other settings. Usually we get to a point, and someone says, “this is great, but how is it scalable?”
So, we need to begin to define baselines we all can commit to on the journey.
There is no one particular document I see as the textbook for where we are going, but in West Vancouver, we are using A Vision for 21st Century Education as a starting place for conversations.
And this past week, in meeting with our elementary principals, we took on the challenge of addressing what many see as the most challenging suggestion in the document — the changing roles for parents.
In a section entitled “Shifting Roles” the document suggests three:
• From Passive Student to Active Learner
• From Parent as Supporter to Parent as Participant
• From Teacher as Lecturer to Teacher as Guide
Here is how the changing role for parents is described:
The increased role of the parent also has to be acknowledged. With greater information availability, parents can be more involved with their children’s education progress, overcoming challenges, and supporting learning outcomes. They can learn more quickly and more intimately what their child is doing at school. They can help guide decisions and more rapidly respond to challenges.
Technology allows far more access to the student’s progress than the periodic report cards and parent teacher interviews of today. Parents are already beginning to expect greater feedback than in the past.
Furthermore, parents have to recognise their educational role outside the classroom. A student’s out of school learning is critical. “Students only spend 14% of their time at school. Indeed, learning is an inherent part of everyday life: each new experience, at home, at work, or during leisure time, may throw up a challenge, a problem to be solved, or a possibility of an improved future state.”
While we envision a stronger role for parents, we are aware that not all students have the family support structures that will allow such involvement. BC needs all of its students to have the best possible opportunity and any implementation of this vision should take such issues into consideration. The system must be structured in such a way that those who face societal barriers such as being single parents or immigrant parents are able to participate to the degree they are able while the system incorporates the support structures necessary to ensure the students get the support they need.
There are lots of people who needed to be brought into the conversation, but we started to draft out what a five-month, one-year and three-year action plan would look like if we wanted to shift parents as supporters to parents as participants in our elementary schools (we also agreed not to say — “we are already doing that”).
Before the end of June we should:
– communicate the vision around “parents as participants”
– use blogs, newsletters and other media to engage staff, students and parents in a discussion about what this would look like
– schools develop their own vision for parents as participants in their schools
– communicate specific examples and rationale to parents about the key role they play in their education
– working sessions for staffs as to how best to encourage parent involvement in learning rather than just volunteer work
– input from parents through a survey to help design plans for next year
By the end of the 2011-12 school year we should:
– use September Curriculum Night for discussion and feedback
– create school/staff action plans in school grade-alike groupings using feedback from end-of-year surveys
– continue throughout the year, on a monthly basis, to highlight the importance of parent participation using various communication tools: website, meetings, email, twitter, etc.
By the end of the 2013-14 school year we should:
– consider big changes to structures that provide myriad opportunities for parents to share their expertise and passion — this needs to be intentional, purposeful and ongoing
– develop ongoing Community Forum dialogues , surveys, and other systemic structures to find out how best to involve parents in learning
– explore different models for schooling (alternate schools, self-paced, etc) where parents could be true partners in the learning — different kind of choice than what we have typically focussed on around programs (French Immersion, Montessori, etc.)
So, that is our start, just our first thinking after one meeting. We are committed to going deeper with this work, and moving from vision to action. We have lots to do. Our next steps include working with other staff and parents to make sense of this very complex notion. It is also clear, while this is a specific focus on one of the “shifting roles”, it has a major impact on the roles of students and educators (tangible thoughts on these changes will be in future posts).
We are very curious what others are thinking as they look at how we embrace shifting roles in our system. We would love others to help fill in the gaps as we move forward with designing our plans.
cultureofyes.ca 
It is very easy to speak in the theoretical. We can all talk about what should happen, but without putting legs underneath them, plans seem not to turn to action. In this post, you have made a template for other districts to follow, and as usual, I will be stealing parts of it to bring it to our district in Kamloops.
I really appreciate the pledge that your admin team made with not saying “we are already doing that”. Your team chose not to take the teflon approach (ie. nothing sticks to us), and that is both courageous and admirable.
Congratulations on a good post, and don’t be surprised if you see elements of this action plan in other districts around BC!
Thanks Chris.
Thanks Cale. It is this item I find most challenging when we looking at evolving our system. It is not simply if schools did _____ parents would be participants. The conversation quickly links to ideas that go well beyond the school system. It also quickly moves to conversations about parents with different skill levels and interest levels, and challenges of language and culture. At the basic level I get the idea we want parents to be more than fundraisers – but it sometimes feels so monumental it is hard to find where to start.
Thanks for sharing Chris!
I don’t think these ideas are as abstract as they sometimes seem. In order for them to work, we need to consider the structure we are currently working in. In order to change the paradigm we must work in small steps to ensure we do not disrupt the system we currently have. Revolutions happen bit by bit and I think you have started to lay out the necessary steps required for the end result to be quite different from how we view schools today. A gradual change each year for a few years will lead to a massive difference in the next decade.
Another element that I think goes along with changing the model for schooling would be having a more interdisciplinary approach to student learning. In my first year at UBC I was in the Arts One program, but there is also a Science One program. Teachers become a team and together are responsible for a group of students and their learning. Lectures are taught by different teachers on different subjects and then seminars are run in smaller groups where students become more accountable for what they are learning. We had to write an essay every two weeks, but in high school it could incorporate more project-based activities. As teachers we are limited in what we can assign to students because they have so many other classes as well. If they can have a large assignment that covers many different subject areas students can study content and learn skills with much greater depth.
Anyhow, obviously I really enjoyed your post. I am excited to see this plays out and thank you for sharing each step with us along the way! This is a huge project you have all taken on and I appreciate the risk and amount of work involved in doing so. Great work!
It is interesting your reference to Arts One, as I was also a product of the UBC Arts One program, and it has profoundly impacted how I think about how we organize learning – the ideas of team teaching, large and small group sessions were natural parts of the program (and for me that was 20 years ago and the program had been going for decades).
Like you, I am also I believe in incremental change that leads to large changes over time. When we take on big ideas like parent participation – there are no magic bullets. It is a an ongoing process that begins to redefine expectations for everyone involved in education.
Mr. Kennedy,
Thanks for another thought provoking post!
Issues around parents are really at the forefront of my own learning journey right now. This post comes at just the right time for me.
I really liked hearing President Obama speak to this in his State of the Union address last night:
“And so the question is whether all of us — as citizens, and as parents — are willing to do what’s necessary to give every child a chance to succeed. That responsibility begins not in our classrooms, but in our homes and communities. It’s family that first instills the love of learning in a child. Only parents can make sure the TV is turned off and homework gets done.”
Hopefully this statement highlighted for all parents watching the importance of their involvement in their child’s education.
As educators, I believe we need to analyze our own beliefs about the parents of students in our classrooms. These beliefs will then translate into our practice.
When I began my teaching career, I had rather negative beliefs about parents. I was more afraid than anything of being judged and I did everything to avoid them. Now, however, after teaching 5 years my beliefs are very different. I believe that parents have great hopes and dreams for their children; they want to be involved in their child’s education and feel included; and, they want to know ways they can support their child at home. It is these beliefs that are now fueling my desire to include parents more intentionally in my own practice.
I’m using my year “off” (I’m on maternity leave right now) to research, design, and develop a new blog for the parents of my Grade 1 French Immersion students to use in the 2011/2012 school year. I’m really learning a lot by looking at other classroom blogs, talking to parents and asking them for feedback about the kinds of information they would like to have available to them on a classroom blog/website.
Thanks again!
Jamie Robinson
Thanks Jamie for the great comment. Like you, I began in teaching very worried about parent involvement. I worried about being judged and didn’t embrace them as a partner. I have found being a parent has really helped re-shape my views.
I love the framework you have created for your blog – I hope you don’t mind that I have been sharing it with others!
Good post, Chris. I also like the tangible plans.
Ok. Something that has always perplexed me about “Parent Involvement” and a couple of confessions…:
To me, the challenge around parent involvement isn’t providing opportunities for them to be involved, but trying to gauge how much involvement most parents really want. Do parents really want to shift from being supporters to being participants? I have not heard this from parents.
As administrators we have been told to make this a priority, and it seems to make sense in many ways, and can benefit students, but (at least in my experience) it seems like the vast majority of parents are content to have a relationship with the teacher and maybe help out here and there, but overall they have trust in the school to educate their children.
I must admit that I have never been to one of my kids’ schools’ PAC meetings. For me, as a parent, I just need to know that I am welcome to contact the teacher or administrator if I need to. Technology has made this communication easier, but again, I must admit that my wife and I don’t make much contact outside of the regular parent-teacher nights, …. Am I a bad parent?! I am a bit nervous about ‘passing’ as a ‘Participant!’
When I brought up this idea of parents shifting from supporters to participants at a recent PAC meeting, those in attendance (10 or so), were a bit stressed at the thought; it made me wonder if it stresses those that are already participating, what might the rest think of the idea?!
OK – I agree and you and I have that shared experience of working in a school where we had very few parents at PAC meetings and struggled to engage them.
What is interesting about this concept of parent participation is that I see it not only as a school responsibility to engage parents but a shift in society where parents are expected to engage in their school.
I remember my interview for vice-principal in Coquitlam a decade ago, and I got the “parent question” of what role I saw them playing in schools. I responded by saying it needed to be more than selling chocolates and running hot dog days (everybody laughed). While this is true, and most will give the head-nod in agreement it is really hard to redefine parent engagement.
Don’t feel bad – while I feel very comfortable contacting my kids’ teachers and principal I have also never been to a PAC meeting at their school.
RANT YOU SAY
Great post with plenty of poignant fodder. As a veteran who has been continually progressive and proactive with admin, parents, students, I have generally felt BC kids get a good education- some get a fabulous learning experience but despite increased trend toward the role of the parent in education, I believe we have a paradox. Parents(PACS)have grown to become Quasimodo political bodies who in some jurisdictions influence policy more than senior staff. We now have ‘school planning councils’ where parents again have more than a third to a half of the three legged stool.(we teachers foolishly often opt out like spoiled playmates) I honestly seldom see where these bodies help or lead better practice or innovation. In there panic to make teaching ‘accountable’ they also seldom innovate but often add hurdles or restrict resources.
I get excited when you speak so encouragingly about parents in action with educators but they more often than not are fighting school boards and local administrators and rarely involved with teachers offering many collaborative experiences. I must sound so cynical but I see more parent energy at Dry Grad mtgs and Fashion Shows than any educational event. Not knocking these events but I think too many modern parents (current teen years) feel entitled to services and outcomes regardless of what they or they son/daughter invests. Fifteen, even ten years ago, when parents supposedly had no real role in schooling, teachers had more support AND participation from parents as partners. We were never lacking volunteers, committee members, or visitors in the school. I feel less I AM LESS A PARTICIPANT and less appreciated than ever before in teaching despite the justifiable and healthy encouragement for change and real involvement. Like never before I hear comments and read reports about public schools that are so loaded in myth and misinformation. I don’t believe BC public education is as ‘broken’ as we are led to believe- on the contrary. Like young Ashley so wisely notes, incremental adoptions lead to revolutionary differences a decade apart. She is so right. I was once in her shoes. Now I’m in the trilight of a career that embraces reflection. To an external observer, what I do today is almost not recognizable from even 1999. The core remains true-communicating with teens but the pedagogy, resources and assessment are severely different. Are they better? No point comparing because we can only attempt to predict what they need never know. The future is simply too dynamic. When Ashley was in kindergarten my classes did not contain multiracial, multiethnic, special needs, ESL, etc. I did not need to have the huge array of skills required to function in a school today. When I called Mrs. Brown she was home, now I get an answering service. I used to get a Dad dropping by to say hi and share a hockey story now I get 14 emails demanding something. Your objective to yearn for genuine meaningful parent participation in schooling is a credit to your leadership capacity. Your parent community are so lucky. I am less convinced in your paradigm assumptions.
I just don’t see the institution embracing teacher as ‘guide’. I think too many people of influence are not willing to trust teachers with any kind of autonomy. I’m not sure parents even like guide. When I contact a parent, after numerous discussions with his student, about chronic absenteeism, the frequent response isn’t ‘participate’ but rather you deal with it. The participating programming problem solving parent is already engaged in the school and always has been. Maybe not in a formal capacity but in a capacity that fit their life.
I’m not convinced our parents can participate. I never doubt the want but parents today, like teachers have a harder job. I believe they carry more demands and strain around each day and asking them to be major stakeholders AT SCHOOL is additional tax they will not pay. Don’t get me wrong, we will find glorious examples of terrific parent collaborators at all levels but I think we always had that we just didn’t articulate it the same way.
Maybe I’m just an old nostalgic pragmatist but I honestly believe the real change makers for improved learning and educational experiences is still the skilled heartfelt teacher who incrementally improves his practice over time. Simply change for trendiness is wrong. Many programs delivered from universities were glorified research projects or marketing devices that should never been adopted. Trendy and current doesnt equal meaningful or cost effective. Ie. Distance Learning first blush cool idea. As it stands? 10% completion rates aren’t advertised yet they continue to be offered without change.
I concur with our young colleague that improvements bit by bit in an interdisciplinary professional manner will maintain a strong public education system. Yielding too fast or too much to the few vocal and participating parents will not ensure longterm schooling value. We only need to look south to witness decades of expedient ‘reforms’ that has crippled a public system and spoiled a private one.
Excuse my rant but your postings always get my professional and personal passion for public schooling stoked. I suppose that is what a good blogger should do. All the best with your efforts in change. Thx
Ps
If young educators like Ashley are influenced as much as old flames like me, you are the leader we need. 🙂
Thanks Al – this is why I blog, for conversations like this. I am not sure how to best respond, so at least now I won’t – great thoughts.
Thank you for the kind words of encouragement.
Thanks Al, I think everyone reading and responding to these types of inquiries are what we need! But yes, Chris certainly seems to have the “Good to Great” leadership qualities we need to support us all.
I also need to proofread my comments a bit more closely before posting them!
Thanks Ashley. It is amazing the energy that comes from these conversations. Thanks for participating and being part of my network.
Hi Chris,
Another great, thought-provoking post, thank you.
The picture of parent participation that I drew from your words was involvement on a very personal, child-focused level, as opposed to PAC membership or trying to take an active role AT SCHOOL as Al discusses above.
What parent hasn’t fallen back on “How was your day at school today” and received the proverbial “fine” in response? I’m hoping the technological change you’re pursuing will give parents insights into the classroom that will allow them to have much more meaningful conversations about the day. Just having a printout of my child’s daily schedule lets me direct my questions to specific subjects taught that day. Being able to log into the virtual classroom and see the project descriptions sparks discussions at the dinner table that relate directly to what’s going on at school.
A teacher knows how to educate, and I know my children – perhaps collaboration is simply having the tools and forum available to work together to help each child get the most out of their classes.
I can support the teacher by supporting my child, and the more information available the better I’ll be able to do that.
I don’t want to tell a teacher how to teach, and I don’t want to tell my child how to do their homework, but I’d like the opportunity to share in their community.
So many of the ideas expressed here are ones that I have had but never been able to articulate as clearly or as well as here. There are a few ideas that stand out for me. The quotation where the changing role of parents is discussed, more specifically ““Students only spend 14% of their time at school. Indeed, learning is an inherent part of everyday life: each new experience, at home, at work, or during leisure time, may throw up a challenge, a problem to be solved, or a possibility of an improved future state.”” It reminds me of a statistic I saw from Charles Ungerleider about the percentage of impact a teacher has on a students learning. It also reaffirms for me the importance of involving parents in the discussion. Ultimately what they want, and what we want is the same thing, for their students/children to have the best opportunity possible to be successful.
The stress or issues from this seems to be what this model will look like. I admire you for outlining a plan for your district and publishing it and starting the dialogue. As a teacher when I think of parents as participants I don’t think of the PAC, or other such body but more inclusion of the parents in the dialogue about their children and their success and failures. This can be something as simple as inviting parents into your PLN, to the rapidly increasing in popularity Friday 5 (I personally do the Wednesday 5)
As for Mr Smith’s quote “I honestly believe the real change makers for improved learning and educational experiences is still the skilled heartfelt teacher who incrementally improves his practice over time” I agree whole heartedly but for me that incremental improvement involves moving away from seeing parents as an adversary or a threat to my autonomy and a recognition that if we are to create lifelong learners then we need to include the parents and all parts of the students’ lives.
What a thought provoking post! I liked the idea of parent as a participant, although I do admit, that it also makes me very nervous. I am a parent of 5 children, four of whom are currently attending the public school where we live, and one is a post-secondary student. I am a member of SPC in my children’s school, and am the co-chair of our DPAC. I do not attend as many meetings as I would like, and frequently do not fulfill all the duties of my positions, and many nights, I am not home to turn off the TV and make sure homework is done. I am a passionate advocate of public education, and have endured many arguments at PAC meetings for suggesting that as parents, we are more than hot dog sellers, and fundraisers. I worked to bring the Parent Advisory Council role back to the PAC at our schools, and have created many enemies in the process. Yet my knees quake at the thought of increasing my role in the public education system. I looked at your goals, and wondered, if the goals were not reversed, in that I see that tapping into people’s passion and expertise are the way to engage parents as participants. I have longed for a place and time in the school, where I can share my skills, expertise and passion with students.
I read all the comments so far and think that many educators need to address the issue of seeing parents as adversaries instead of partners and participants before we can make any progress. If parents see this as an opportunity and not another pressure, and are encouraged by teachers, administrators and other professionals, then we can all reap the benefits.
Great thoughts and exchange of ideas here! Love it!
It seems that the discussions/definitions about parent involvement often split between the “parent involved with their own child’s education and learning” and the “parent involved with their school or parent committee/advisory/council…depending on what province/state you live in. Yet, parents don’t always fit into one or the other category neatly.
I understand and appreciate what Julia is saying, “I don’t want to tell a teacher how to teach, and I don’t want to tell my child how to do their homework, but I’d like the opportunity to share in their community”. I also recognize that some parents are very comfortable with initiating and participating in conversations with their child’s teacher while others are not so much. Here is where I see the great value (although often misunderstood and misintrepreted and non-empowered) of the “organized” parent group. Some parents may need the support of other parents “at the school level” to help guide them in the HOW to have those respectful conversations with teachers and administrators about student learning and supports, as well as in how to share in their community.
Speaking from the “bridge” I guess….and from the worlds of parent/educator/helping newcomers…
,
Mr. Kennedy,
I had the chance to see you speak this past Tuesday at the Vancouver public library and you were fantastic. You saw the crowd all liked your passion and authenticity. Your blog is also outstanding. Hopefully you take seriously what others on the panel said and what people in the audience said – you should run for premier or at least education minister.
Keep it up.
Thanks for the kind words. I am lucky – I got a great job right now.
What a great vision!
I definitely agree that those abstract conversations are valuable, but making it concrete and scalable will really move things forward.
Coming from lower elementary in an under-resourced community, while the quoted description of the Parent as Participant would be amazing, that last paragraph that talks about “societal barriers” is more the rule than the exception. I’d really be curious to see how that could be broken down further to really address that need.
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[…] an earlier post, Parents as Participants, the initial impetus came from A Vision for 21st Century Education, a document released last […]
Wow – where to begin?
What wonderful discussion and dialogue. I see administrators struggling with the reality of a changing education environment; teachers recognizing both the benefit and the possible adversarial nature of engaging with parents; and parents honestly expressing some of the concerns with how to be involved and at the same time avoid burn-out.
And yet – I struggle – this conversation is happening (and wonderful) on this blog and others. As I sit in PAC and DPAC meetings, and stroll the halls, and listen to other parents at coffee and in the parking lot…it’s not yet happening in the general parent population. I hear the concern that perhaps parents aren’t really interested and would like to just send their kids to school. But I would argue that parents don’t yet know how to ask the questions or what questions to ask (and perhaps are afraid to ask some questions for fear of looking stupid).
What would it “look like” if parents were actually involved (Chris gives some ideas in his associated post regarding Bowen Island – but just the tip of the iceberg). I think some parents need an actual concrete “vision” in order to engage.
At the same time, those of us who are already discussing this as parents need to draw others in and be part of the formative discussions. I suppose it’s a bit of chicken and egg – parents need to be involved in “creating” the vision but some also need the vision in order to engage.
So my questions are:
How do we involve parents in the “creation” of this vision for parent as participant (without making it adversarial)?
How do we as parents communicate and involve other parents (it’s not up to the administrators and teachers to do this solely on their own)?
Once we begin to develop this vision – how do we communicate it to other parents so it can actually be implemented and become a cultural change of parent involvement?
Would love any thoughts from those of you who are obviously grappling with similar thoughts…
21st Century parent,
Thoughtful complex questions. How do parents get more involved in change? Political policy aside, I believe parents have more access and more ways to connect with school practice than ever before. As a veteran teacher, I have seen the changes. I can criticize teachers, admin, governments AND parents for the breakdowns we recognize; however, I also see a culture that struggles with participation. We all have comments and opinions but do not act on opportunities. I believe because only the vocal and ambitious get a voice. The vast majority of parents want education to grow and mature but are so involved in their modern lives, change requires participation. I see PACs and DPACs struggling with getting quorums for meetings. I see a government mandated School Planning Council system that doesn’t have teachers adequately represented. Parents have options if they act. Most schools I’ve seen willingly are open to ideas but they also struggle with demands and policy they did not craft. We need participation at all levels. Like our Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the responsibility half of the formula is too often ignored over demands of ‘rights’. Vision first is needed but we all need to want public education to succeed not just hope it survives. Frankly, the private education realm is equally stressed with how to adapt theory and practice to our modern world. You- by asking the questions and engaging have made the step forward to action. I’d keep building a relationship with your local school administration and district parents. your comments encourage me greatly,