Parent engagement newsletter, 2016 Winter

Parent Engagement

Educating Georgia's Future

Winter 2016

From THE SUPERINTENDENT
Since our last Parent Engagement newsletter, some of you have shown us amazing examples of your direct action to promote academic achievement with your children. In response to our Parent Engagement Month video contests we saw the real-world ways you are engaged, from conducting learning activities at home to volunteering at your child's school. We thank each and every one of our active parents for the work they do. To see the contest entries, visit the Parent Engagement Program's Facebook page: www.bit.ly/videoentries
In this issue we have a follow-up on the Academic Parent-Teacher Team (APTT) model and meeting number two, which was held in classrooms across Georgia. I hope you will read about the fantastic opportunities this program provides and find out if your child's school participates in APTT.
We also showcase a topic that is vitally important to me: literacy development. Research shows that parents of Pre-K and Kindergarten students who receive tips and reminders by text had a positive effect on literacy activities at home, parent engagement at school, and children's literacy scores. I encourage you to participate in the text service provided for free by Get Georgia Reading and increase your child's literacy.

APTT MEETING #2
Throughout the winter, schools participating in Academic Parent-Teacher Teams (APTT) held their second parent meeting, which built upon the first meeting from the fall.
In the first APTT meeting, teachers provided data to parents that served as a snapshot of how their child was performing on a foundational grade-level skill. In the second meeting, teachers provided new data to show the progress of students over two months. Teachers also provided new data on a second foundational grade-level skill.
In addition to data, teachers also provided parents with fun activities for both foundational grade-level skills and modeled how to use them so parents can practice with their children at home.
If you are interested in finding out if your child's school participates in the APTT model go to www.bit.ly/APTTschools

Richard Woods, Georgia's School Superintendent
facebook.com/GaDOEParentEngagement

This chart is an example of the data a parent would receive at the second APTT meeting of the year. The chart represents each student as a number across the bottom. The first vertical bar (green) shows the student's test performance at the beginning of school from the first meeting. The second bar (blue) shows the student's progress.

@GaDOEParents

parents.gadoe.org

Parent Engagement Program

Text-Messaging: Parenting Tips for Literacy Development

During the 2013-2014 school year, Stanford University conducted a randomized control trial of READY4K!, a text messaging program for parents of preschoolers. The program was designed to help parents support their children's literacy development.
Twenty-one stand-alone sites and 13 co-located elementary school sites of San Francisco's Early Education Department (EDD) preschools implemented the text-messaging program. Demographics of the participating families are shown below.
519 eligible families 80% have unlimited messaging plans 34% Hispanic, 29% Chinese, 15% African-American 78% of parents have less than a bachelor's degree Nearly 90% received financial assistance for preschool
attendance costs

About every two weeks, they sent one "placebo" text to parents in the control group about the district's Kindergarten enrollment process or required vaccinations. The control group only had parents who signed up for text messages related to general school news rather than tips on children's literacy development.
They found that READ4K! had significant positive effects on parents' home literacy activities, parental involvement in the school (as reported by teachers), and children's scores on a spring early literacy assessment.
Given the widespread use of text messaging, texting is a practical method for supporting your child's early literacy development. Parents of four and five year olds, text GAREADY4K to 313131 to receive tips, facts, and resources for pre-K and Kindergarten. For more information, visit getgeorgiareading.org/gaready4k.

During an entire school year, researchers Susanna Loeb and Ben York sent parents in the treatment group (those who signed up for text messages related to helping their child's literacy skills) three texts per week about an early literacy skill or cluster of skills. Depending on the parent's preferred language, the text message would be in English, Spanish, or Mandarin.

SOURCE
Stanford Center for Education Policy Analysis Visit the website and watch a video presentation on the research behind the text messaging program.
http://bit.ly/textparents

NOW ACT!
Get Georgia Reading is a partner agency of the Georgia Department of Education that provides resources for parents of Pre-K and Kindergarten students. Parents, sign up for these great facts and tips today! Teachers, share this information with parents!

SAVE THE
DATES

Check out the Engaging Parents Calendar, which provides activities and resources for parents to engage with their children on these special days. www.bit.ly/parentscalendar

Csar Chvez Day - March 31 National Read A Road Map Day - April 5
National Student Athlete Day - April 6 National Pet Day - April 11

National Earth Day - April 22 National Teach Children to Save Day - April 29
Teacher Appreciation Week - May 2-6 National Astronaut Day - May 5