Family Saturdays is a school activity that an elementary school can host to help children with learning struggles. During family Saturdays, children have the opportunity to practice life skills that can improve their classroom experience. It also provides parents with information on child behavioral improvement strategies and family services available within the community. This type of activity can take place once a month and is effective at applying the "parenting" activity that Epstein defines as a parental involvement program designed to assist families with health, nutrition and other services.
Parent-teacher conferences are scheduled meetings that take place in order to provide a setting in which teachers can communicate directly with parents regarding their child's scholastic progress and goals. Conferences fulfill the activity that Epstein defines as "communicating," which is an effective parental involvement activity that establishes communication for school-to-home and home-to-school.
Parents should expect to receive a progress report and an analysis of their child's classroom behavior. Because the elementary years of a child's life include physical and intellectual developments, a parent should be proactive in asking questions during these conferences, regarding at-home activities that he can apply to help his child develop a longer attention span and other necessary classroom participation skills.
Open classroom is a policy that any elementary school can adapt in order to encourage the volunteer aspect of parental involvement activities. In 2009, The New York Times stated, the average American elementary school class size was 23.1 students per class. For many parents, this is a concerning number since the average classroom relies on one teacher to educate each child.
With the open-classroom policy available, parents can come in and lend a helping hand in her child's classroom. In order for each classroom visit to be successful teachers have ideas of how a parent can help during a visit without feeling disruptive or unexpected. Tasks such as passing out study materials, assisting requesting students with assignment completion and reading the class a story are appropriate tasks for parent volunteers.
Homework projects bring the learning experience home and allow parents the chance to actively help their child understand and fulfill curriculum requirements. Homework projects should be simple in nature, allowing for easy completion with just a few steps to follow and a short amount of time needed for completion.
An example of an effective homework project is "the book club" where children are asked to read to their parents. The parents are then required to record the date and the name of the book read. Students who successfully read and have recorded a specified amount of books receive a reward, which can include stickers, coupons to local restaurants and/or certificates of completion.
Parent-teacher organization is a parental involvement activity that gives parents a "voice" in school reform and improvements. Generally, once a successful parent-teacher organization develops, the school has a core group of adults who will raise money, create neighborhood awareness and attract attending families for the purpose of improving school functions and facilities.
Parent-teacher organizations also provide parents with a sense of ownership that encourages them to make a positive difference in their child's educational experience.
When a school hosts a fair, it is practicing the sixth type of parental involvement activity, "collaborating with the community." This is an important school-sponsored program for integrating the surrounding community resources for the benefit of enriching a school.
School fairs take place during the evening hours on a Friday, welcoming local artists, craft-venue owners, small restaurant owners, bakers and other entrepreneurs. Admittance to the fair goes toward a needed school improvement fund. For families, it's an inexpensive way to provide family entertainment in a safe and friendly environment.