Erin Doherty

Blog 4
1) A brief summary of the weekly readings: (articles)
Why Some Parents Dont Come to School
This article talks about some of the barriers that hinder some parents from participating in
their childs education. The institutional perspective states that children who do not
succeed in school have parents who do not get involved in school activities or support
school goals at home. There has been recent research that emphasizes the importance of
parent involvement in promoting school success. The article also discusses how for many
parents their own personal school experiences create obstacles to involvement.
Additionally, those who have dropped out of school do not feel confident in school
settings. Another reason for parents not being fully involved is economic constraint. The
article lists some suggestions from parents: 1) clarify how parents can help, 2) encourage
parents to be assertive, 3) develop trust, 4) build on home experiences, and 5) use parent
expertise. The article concludes by saying, If we make explicit the multiple ways we
value the language, culture, and knowledge of the parents in our communities, parents
may more readily accept our invitations.
Family Partnerships
This article asks, How can schools meaningfully engage families in supporting student
learning? Research shows that family involvement is likely to increase student
achievement when that involvement is connected to academic learning. There are three
important approaches that have been identified: 1) building respectful relationships, 2)
engaging families in supporting learning at home, and 3) addressing cultural differences.
The article provides several examples of home visits. For example, a father was teaching
his sons how to care for and ride the familys three horses. A teacher discovered this
knowledge and designed an interdisciplinary unit on horses. The students and the teacher
even took a field trip to the farm home. I really appreciate this quote from the article,
Educators and family members begin to understand cultural differences when they share
their lives. Towards the end of the article, school-home reading journals are discussed.
Teachers and families can exchange reading journals all year. Students can take home
their notebooks two or three times a week. Parents can then read with their children and
write together in their journals. The article concludes by explaining the importance of
addressing cultural differences.
2) Artifact with a caption:
Caption: Alligator Alley. What not to do.

3) A reflection that makes connections:

At the Boys and Girls Club, I have watched parents come and go in the evenings. They
walk into the club and sign out their child or children at the end of the day. Most of them
are coming from work and some are carrying younger children in their arms. This weeks
article readings about parents and home-life reminded me of my observations at the club.
Most of these parents work long hours and cannot be there to pick up their kids from
school. Therefore, they enroll their kids into the Boys and Girls Club so that the school
buses can drop them off there and they know their children will be well cared for until
they can pick them up themselves. From talking with my group of kids, I have learned
that many of their parents dont help them with homework or have the time to. In
connection to myself, I remember always having parents that were very interested in my
work and involved in my education. Both my parents work but still made time to make
sure I was doing well in school. I have always been self-motivated but can understand
how these kids from other countries must feel. As an intern and future teacher, I need to
advocate for my students and I need to reach the parents of my students from many
different entry-points. I can definitely use the suggestions in the articles to communicate

to the students parents. I am glad I am going through these experiences now, so that
when I have my own classroom, I will know exactly how to handle these situations.
APA Citations
Finders, M., & Lewis, C. (1994). Why some parents dont come to school.Kaleidoscope:
Contemporary and Classic Readings in Education, 106, 50-54.
Allen, J. (2008). Family partnerships that count. Educational Leadership, 66(1), 22-27.