E X E C U T I V E    S U M M A R Y

Engaging Parents in the Learning Process

prepared by The Liberty Group for:

Joan Davies, Director
Bay Region IV School Support Center
Alameda County Office of Education

May 1997

Background
In order to assess the need for parent-involvement initiatives at districts served 
by the Alameda County Office of Education, interviews were conducted with 24 
district superintendents in the San Francisco Bay area.  There was strong consensus 
among participating superintendents that parent involvement in the learning process 
is essential to each child's ultimate academic success.


Key Findings
€ Few district funds are allocated to implementing initiatives for parent-involvement, 
  whether at the district or at the local level.
 
€ There is little expertise among administrators and teachers in the skill area of 
  dealing effectively with parents and bringing them into curriculum decision-making 
  or involvement with their children1s school experiences.
 
€ Currently existing administrative evaluations do not address accountability for a 
  principal's ability to work well with parents, though most superintendents consider 
  this a crucial factor in a school-site administrator1s overall performance.


Core Recommendations
€ District should conduct audits to assess availability of resources to allocate for 
  parent-involvement initiatives.
 
€ The County Office and the regional center should serve to support and coordinate district 
  and school-site programs aimed at training parents, teachers, and administrators to 
  collaborate on curriculum design and student achievement.
 
€ An evaluation instrument should be developed to assess the performance of principals in the 
  skill of 3working well with parents,2 and principals should be held accountable for achieving 
  and maintaining competency in this skill area.

libertygp@aol.com