Turning Parents Into Volunteers

The New School Year Is About To Begin. Have

You Prepared for Your Parent Volunteers?

by Rhonda Jones

 

“It is a very well written and practical book, certainly helpful to teachers,”

- Marilyn Price-Mitchell, Parent Involvement Matters

A comprehensive guide for recruiting, training, and maintaining parent volunteers. Over 168 pages of step-by-step instructions, tips, ideas, forms, and more! Purchasers can request FREE MS Word Document including all forms for easy customization to your school or classroom.

Did You Know?

Research in the areas of parent involvement indicates that parent participation is one of the greatest indicators of student success. Read what the experts say:

* “Parent involvement provides valuable resources in terms of volunteer time and contributes to increased support for the school.”

* Studies found that the academic achievement of low-income students in particular seemed to vary directly with the degree of parent involvement.”

* “Effective parent involvement correlates with students’ earning higher grades and test scores.” (National Institute of Education)

* “Those schools that favor involvement of parents outperform schools with little parent involvement.”

* “On the basis of children’s achievement and the overall quality of the school, those schools that have long-lasting and comprehensive parent programs are more effective than those without such programs.”

What’s Inside “Turning Parents Into Volunteers!”

Introduction
Planning is essential in the development of an effective parent involvement program. If parents have to jump through hoops to volunteer, they simple won’t. Schools and teacher must also be very specific regarding their needs and how parents can meet them. Turning Parents Into Volunteers will provide an array of great information and tools that will get your program off to a great start and assist you in operating a successful classroom volunteer program all year long.

Chapter 1: Why a Parent Volunteer Program?
There are many benefits to recruiting volunteers to assist with classroom and school operations. Having parent volunteers helps to enhance your class curriculm, increases student achievement, increases teacher appreciation and many more. You will learn all the reasons why you need a parent volunteer program?

Chapter 2: What Teachers Should Know About Parent Involvement
Many studies indicate that given the opportunity, parents will participate despite the overwhelming myth that many parents just don’t care. You will learn what teachers need to know about parent involvement in order to create a success classroom volunteer program.

Chapter 3: Barriers to Parent Participation
Many educators often blame parents for not wanting to participate in their children’s education. This perception may be partly true for some families, but research suggests, by far, that the greatest obstacle to parent involvement is teachers themselves. You’ll learn the barriers to parent involvement and ways to overcome them.

Chapter 4: What Will Parent Volunteers Do?
Not knowing how to effectively work with parents was identified as a major reason teachers don’t use classroom volunteers. Similarly, unclear expectations of teachers and schools in the volunteer process, also perpetuates a lack of parent participation. This chapter will help you to decide the most efficient use of volunteers for your grade-level.

Chapter 5: Recruiting Parent Volunteers
At the beginning of the school year, it’s common for teachers to send home a parent volunteer interest or survey form in hopes of recruiting volunteers. No only does this chapter provide you with a variety of recruitment survey forms but a dozen or more ways to solicit volunteers for your classroom.

Chapter 6: Preparing Parent Volunteers for Service
(Complete with Training Materials)
There is nothing more frustrating than being asked to do an assignment without being given any previous training or education. This chapter provides you with everything you will need to plan, organize, and host a parent volunteer training session(s). Includes teacher’s guide, instructions, and curriculum on teaching parents the procedures for:

Guided-reading
Office Machine Instructions
Reading round-tables and Discussion Starters
Fluency testing and High Frequency Word Activities
Correcting papers and Editing student writing
Conducting a Writing Seminar
& more.

Chapter 7: Involving the Whole School
Turning Parents into Volunteers is written for the individual teacher who wants to establish an effective parent volunteer program in his or her classroom. However, the ultimate goal is that it would become a school-wide affair. This section will provide tools for volunteer coordinators, in addition with other chapters, to develop and organize a school-wide volunteer program.

Chapter 8: Rewarding and Recognizing Volunteers
Even with the intrinsic rewards gained from knowing you are helping others, always be mindful of ways you that show your parent volunteers appreciation throughout the year. Instead of leaving volunteer recognition to chance, set up a system ahead of time of how you will show your gratitude for parents who give up time from their daily schedules to be a part of your classroom. To make that job easier, I have put together a calendar worth of ways to tell volunteers they’re special and encourage them in their efforts.

Chapter 9: Tools of the Trade
These teacher resources will assist you in keeping track of volunteers and further organizing your program.

These forms, tools, and templates will save you time so you can get started with your volunteer program right away! Customize many of these forms to meet your specific school volunteer needs. Below is a list of what’s inside:
Teacher Survey Regarding Parent Participation
Teacher Recruitment Forms
Newsletter press release announcing your program
Teacher Evaluation of the Program
Volunteer Evaluation of Program
Volunteer Tea Party Invitation
Parent Volunteer Badges
Thank you Card
Volunteer Log
Materials at Home Logs
Certificates of Completion
Certificates of Thanks
Volunteer Feedback Form
Volunteers at a Glance Form
Classroom Record-keeping Form
Preparing Materials at Home Logs
Parent Volunteer Project Sheet
Individual and Group Intervention Form
Parent Opportunity Descriptions
Volunteer Training Guides
Parent Involvement Pledge
Confidentiality Agreement

Who Needs This Book?

Teachers Who Want Parental Support
Parent Volunteer Coordinators
Elementary School Principals
School Community Leaders
Student Teachers
Professors Who Teach School/Family Relations

Click Here to Order Book  Now!

Limited Time Book for only $26.95

(Regularly $29.95)Related Article:

Education World Wire Side Chat: Interview with Author Rhonda Jones

Cultivating, Running, A Great Parent Volunteer Program, Click Here

 

More About the Author

 

 

 

 

Rhonda Jones, received her Masters Degree in Educational Leadership and Parental Involvement. As a 11-year veteran elementary school teacher, Rhonda developed a successful classroom volunteer program that promoted student achievement and encouraged parental support both in and outside the classroom. Each year she organized and coordinated a parent volunteer training session along with training manual that prepared parents to work confidently and effectively with teachers and students. Rhonda is available to conduct trainings and professional development workshops for teachers and parents in your area. For more information please contact her.