School Principal: Is Your School worth Saving? By Mrs. Dorothy Barron

School Principal: Is Your School worth Saving? By Mrs. Dorothy Barron

Principals, as you have begun the new school year, have you incorporated ways to insure that your school continues to remain open and functioning? You are the leader everyone looks to for direction.

The greatest asset to your school is Parents; they are decision makers for their children, they vote and they have a voice although many may not use either to their greatest advantage. They can become your greatest advocate, but cannot support you, your school or program if they are not knowledgeable about the educational process, informed, included and/or involved. As the education scene continues to change, do not keep Parents out of the loop any longer.

Even though Choice in Education abounds, there will always be room and a need for the public school setting. For most part the social ability factor here is unique. The public school setting brings individuals from diverse backgrounds; provide social human contact and the opportunity for students to maintain their individuality perhaps better here than in any of the other educational settings.  

Parents can be instrumental in keeping your school open and functioning. Listed are 8 (eight) things you can do to begin winning Parents’ cooperation and/or forging the school-parent relationship. Administrators, have a good school year!

ü  Have you gotten to know any of your Parents and what they do (occupations)? Some Parents deliver and pick up their children from school. Are you outside greeting those Parents in the mornings and/or afternoons?

ü  Is your school and environment pleasing and pleasant? When students and Parents enter their school, are the floors clean and the bulletin boards decorated and decorative? Are you and your staff professionally dressed?

ü  Have you met with the PTA/PTO President and each of you shared your school year goals?

ü  Do you support the PTA/PTO programs; do you and faculty attend PTA/PTO meetings? If you do not have a PTA/PTO, have you identified Parents who could become influencers?

ü  Have you extended an invitation for Parents to sit school committees?

ü  Have you asked Parents for their opinions/suggestions regarding school matters?

ü  When opportunities arise, do you support Parents and their children outside the school building?

ü  Are you cognizant of specific reasons Parents are not involved with their children’s education/school and what is your plan for getting and keeping Parents involved?

Mrs. Dorothy Barron, Founder

Parents Taking Charge in Education http://mrsdbarron.blogspot.com

E-mail: barron.dorothy@yahoo.com

Turning Failing Schools Around by Mrs. Dorothy Barron

Turning Failing Schools Around by Mrs. Dorothy Barron

As many of you are aware, the primary objective of Parents Taking Charge in Education is to assist Parents with becoming informed and knowledgeable about the Education process and involved in their children’s education and/or schools.

Another of Parents Taking Charge in Education objectives is to assist various sectors that serve Parents of children in Grades K-7^th, one of which are Educators. As all of us work to educate our young people, it is going to be important that we realize that Educators must have those needed and recommended resources in order to do an effective job; if they do not, then we are all wasting our time.

I will briefly offer three recommendations that I would  implement which I feel are instrumental in turning failing schools around; failing schools would also include those school which may not at this point be considered failing, but are not conducive to the needs of 21 Century students and the future.

I. Each elementary school would have both a principal and Vice-Principal; each with distinct job descriptions.

II. Elementary Schools would revert back to K-7^th Grades, with buildings designed to separate the two levels (elementary and those grades which encompass middle school).

III. Each elementary school would be structurally designed for the needs of youth, appealing and attractive within and without. Such could afford students a more positive environment for learning and the opportunity to become more creative in their approach to learning. The technology within should not only be equipped for the new millennium - 21 Century and above, but safety and non-overexposure to youth and environment should be major factors.

Some reasons for the above recommendations; the above

1.       Can save resources

2.       Provide stability and security; much of what are missing in the lives of many young people

3.       Can allow a longer period of relationship building between Parents and Educators

4.       Can prevent many Parents from over-extending (some Parents have children in different schools and at all three levels- elementary, middle and high school) and not as available as some would wish to be

Should any Parent or Educator wish to engage further on this subject with Mrs. Barron, please contact her via her e-mail address at barron.dorothy@yahoo.com . She will respond to your e-mail.

Mrs. Barron has been instrumental in implementing and bringing about positive changes inside schools at both elementary and middle school levels, as well as having written and implemented a plan which curtailed student behavior problems by 95-97% at middle school level.

Mrs. Dorothy Barron, Author & Founder

Parents Taking Charge in Education http://mrsdbarron.blogspot.com

E-mail: barron.dorothy@yahoo.com