The Plan For Building Involvement

The Hanover Parent Action Group has an awesome plan for building involvement with our community.  Please join us in building for success.

A is for Ask.  If you want people to participate, you must ask. The number one reason people site for not helping is, “Nobody Asked.”

B is for Black Hole.  People are afraid if they volunteer, they’ll be sucked in to a black hole of time commitment from which they can’t escape. Let them know up front that your group is not a black hole. Our goal is to seek out (1 Hour Volunteers) for most of the requests and for those projects that need longer people who have a passion for those commitments.

C is for Communication.  We will use a variety of communication tools to get our message out. We hope to develop a Parent Action Group Newsletter and will be soliciting parents for those with graphics expertise in this regard. We also hope to connect to our web site and also advertising processes such as posters, etc.

D is for Diversity.  We will reach out to parents in our school, not just the ones who are easy to reach.  Our plan is to develop community events that bring families together, events that are multicultural. We will translate materials into Spanish when necessary. Organize transportation when necessary. The goal is to develop broad-based parent involvement.

E is for Examine.  We will be looking closely at our activities to see what is and what isn’t working. The goal is not to do things “just because that is the way they have always been done.” New ideas… new excitement… that is some of the driving force behind the questionnaire.

F is for Fun.  Don’t forget fun! Some special people will dedicate themselves no matter what; more will dedicate themselves if it is fun. We want the groups to have fun together, that will build involvement and help fight burnout too.

G is for Gradual.  Introduce people to Parent Action Groups gradually. Parents who participate in family events are the ones most likely to become volunteers. Those who volunteer occasionally will tend to be the ones who take on more responsibility, such as organizing an event. Organizers are more likely to progress to boards. The goal is moving people from step to step this serves to take the stress out of finding future leaders.

H is for Hour.  This is the length you should limit Parent Action Group Meetings to. People worry about time commitments. There are better ways for them to spend their time helping the District then sitting in meetings. Meetings are for detail work.

I is for Invitation.  The best way to get parents involved is to extend a personal invitation. People are most likely to get involved when they know someone who already does. We will create situations where we meet people one on one for Parent Action Groups not flyers.

J is for Just.  We won’t use this word when describing Parent Action Groups. They are not just another group; they have important work to do.

K is for Kudos.  Awards, compliments, a simple thank you, whether they just organized a smashing fundraiser or sold raffle tickets for an hour all are worthy of a thank you.

L is for Leadership.  Being a leader means looking beyond today. We have to have long range goals, decide how we will get there. If we are going to excite parent s we have to have a long range plan and know where we are going.

M is for Marketing.  We will endeavor to sing the praises of parent action groups, we will make sure people know what we do, when an item is donated to the school we will put a plaque or sticker on it honoring those deserving of credit. When we raise money we will let parents know what that money did for their kids. In short we will endeavor to build a reputation with parents.

N is for New Parents.  Make a special effort to reach out to them. Parents new to the school need other parents help. We will provide them with information about the school, teachers, schedules, and anything necessary to give them a sense of belonging. Our goal is to reach out to them early and individually to give them a positive feeling about Parent Action Groups.

O is for Organization.  Take this seriously and others will to.

P is for Priorities.  Our goal is parent involvement not fundraising. Our hope is to run one-three fundraisers a year and to spend the rest of the time getting parents involved in the school.

Q is for Questionnaire.  We don’t want to just ask for volunteer’s time; we asking for their talent. We have developed a questionnaire to take inventory of people’s talents so we can match the talents and skills to the jobs that need to be done.

R is for Research.  Through the Parent Action Group Organization we intend to share research. Research shows that students with parents involved do better in school, score better on standardized tests, and have fewer behavioral problems. Our hope is to raise base standards for passing in our school, to get kids prepared for the next level. to get more kids into better colleges and trade schools. To raise kids that want to come back home and improve their communities when possible.

S is for School Family Nights.  We want to design events that get parents and teachers together for a night of fun and, perhaps, learning. These events are parent involvement. These will serve to get parents connected better then any other process. These can’t be packaged as extras, and they won’t be fundraisers. The goal is to schedule two per semester.

T is for Training.  Our goal is to not give anyone a job they are not ready for. We want to make sure people know what is expected of them and they have the resources to do the job.

U is for Unite.  Our goal is to seek to unite diverse groups. We want this to be a whole community process that connects all views toward a common goal. Parent Action Groups have to become a source of strength for the district.

V is for Visibility.  We want Parent Action Groups to be visible at all events. We want to set up tables at open houses, registration, and school activities. Our goal is to get board members and the school accountability board to introduce themselves to Parent Action Groups.

W is for Welcome.  That is the way Parent Action Groups should make people feel. Use name tag for your first meeting, take some time to get to know each other, make the first meeting a positive one, so people will come back.

X is for X-factor.  The x-factor in building successful Parent Action Groups is balance. You can’t run an event, fundraiser, or any other project without it. Work and fun, Parent Action Group and personal time, fundraising and involvement time… balance.

Y is for Year.  We will endeavor to plan our events for an entire year. Balance activities through the year to avoid burnout.

Z is for Zero In.  Zero in on building parent involvement. 

September 27, 2009  Tags: , ,   Posted in: Parent Action Group

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