This article, written by CABE CEO Maria S. Quezada, offers insight on the successful outreach methods that the organization has implemented. I was surprised when the article states, “The program also has provided over 150,000 pieces of informational brochures and handouts yearly and reached over 3,000,000 parents and others through radio and television programs where staff shared their expertise to program audiences locally, nationally and internationally.”
Radio and television programs are a great way to reach parents with busy schedules in a non-intrusive way. For immigrant parents that are skeptical or simply unable to come into their child’s school as volunteers or to get involved in other ways, this kind of outreach easily brings important information to them. Clearly, this has been a successful outreach strategy with over 3,000,000 parents tuning in.
I think it is extremely important to pinpoint how and why parents should get involved, as well as the possible range of involvement. As the article states, “Parents [can] simply visit the school, help out at the school regularly, speaking with teachers, principal, and other parents, and/or simply sitting down when the child comes home to discuss what the child learned or did that day in class.” By consistently encouraging these simple involvement strategies through radio and television programs, parents can decide which methods work best for them and their children.
The Michigan Department of Education similarly compiled research on the positive impact of parent involvement, as well as simple ways for parents to guide their children toward academic success.
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