Commentary: About 80% of a child’s waking hours are spent outside of school. While we often discuss education and child well-being in terms of what is going on within a school, the biggest influences on a child’s life typically are at home and in the community. Few would question the importance of parents supporting and valuing their child’s education.
Within schools, however, we sometimes feel that our hands are tied. We are so consumed with the work of schooling, that we sometimes feel like what happens at home and outside of school is beyond our control. However, if we are to truly make a difference in the lives of our students, schools must reach out beyond their walls and deeply partner with families and the community. For those who cannot fathom how schools might have any influence in a child’s home life, we have a training for you!
Next week, the National Education Association – New Mexico, in connection with the Community School Movement, will be hosting a Parent-Teacher Home Visiting Training at Lynn Middle School, our city’s first “community school.” Community schools is a strategy to deeply partner with families and the community towards a collective vision of success. The training next week will build our capacity to establish stronger connections between Lynn school staff and the Lynn community.
The Parent-Teacher Home Visiting model is used in schools across the country. National Training Coordinator Yesenia Ramirez and her team will be traveling to Las Cruces from Sacramento, California to conduct the training. She will share a home-visiting protocol which “helps educators and families overcome barriers, and build trust, communication, and common goals.” The Parent-Teacher Home Visiting model is an evidence-based approach that has demonstrated success in increasing attendance and academic outcomes.
District Training Specialist and Community Schools Liaison, and NEA-New Mexico Vice-President, Mary Parr-Sanchez explains, “This training is an opportunity for our schools to build a bridge with families. As our district moves towards a community school approach, we hope to support schools by drawing on research-based practices that foster deep family engagement.”
The training will be offered twice – first on Tuesday November 14 from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM, and again the next evening on Wednesday November 15 from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM. Both sessions will take place at the Lynn Middle School Library. The sessions will be the same content, so participants may choose either date. These trainings are free and open to the public, but RSVPs are required. To RSVP for the training, please visit goo.gl/MnRCbk and submit your contact information. Questions may be directed to Mary Parr-Sanchez at marysanc@lcps.net.