parents volunteering laughing

Engage With Schools

Research shows that parent involvement with schools has a positive correlation on student success.  Among the key findings is that children do best if their parents are not only involved at home, but if they volunteer at school and help make decisions about the school's programs.  Your involvement will not only help your child's academic achievement, but it helps all children.  PEN encourages you to develop your volunteer leadership skills and become involved…for your student and as we like to say, for the common good of all students.

Become a PEN Ambassador and represent your school to other parents.
 
Participate in one or more of our Parents As Leaders programs:
 
Parent Involvement 101
 
Join PEN's Susan Schwartz and Laura Diaz for a discussion about the many volunteer opportunities offered at schools and in the school district.  Find out about the various parent organizations and their functions, and other ways that parents can become effective volunteers at their schools.  Held in the spring each year, so watch the upcoming events on the home page.
 
On-site Parent Leaders Training
 
Building on our Parents As Leaders workshops (see below), PEN works with volunteer parent groups at school sites to help parents coordinate parent engagement efforts to support student achievement.  PEN will work with parents to help them develop cross-cultural leadership skills and strategies to bring different parent communities together on their campus.  Contact Laura@penfamilies.org or Susan@penfamilies.org  if you are interested in having PEN work with your parent organization(s).  Available in English and Spanish.
 
School Fundraising for Parents
 
With the budget cutbacks that our state's schools have experienced, the need for additional resources has never been greater.  Today, parents recognize that the traditional bake sales and books fairs aren't going to raise the level of funding they need to sustain the kinds of programs they want at their schools.  PEN is bringing parents together to enhance their fundraising skills.  With support from the Flintridge Center, these sessions are ongoing and include topics like creating a fundraising plan, how to identify potential donors, how to cultivate donors, how to determine what to ask for, starting a school Annual Fund, and sharing successful fundraising ideas.  Notes from previous meetings are available here.  To participate, just sign up for a free PEN membership and you'll receive notifications of the meetings.

 

Creating Effective Parent/School Partnerships: Parents As Leaders

 
PEN, in collaboration with the Pasadena Unified School District, provides free hands-on parent leadership training to give parents the skills, knowledge, and confidence to be effective volunteer leaders at their schools and at the District level. Studies show that when parents are engaged in their children’s schools, their children do better and the schools get better for all students.  Planned for this winter and spring are three sessions:

Session 1: Orientation to Parent Engagement

Do you want to get involved, but you’re afraid that you don’t know the basics or understand the lingo?  This session is designed for parents who want to get more involved with their schools.  Learn about school finance, budgets, and data; understand the relationship between schools and the district; find out about the many different kinds of parent involvement opportunities and ways to overcome obstacles for effective parent engagement.

Session 2: Shared Values through Different Eyes

The diversity in the PUSD schools provides us with a unique opportunity to connect with all types of parents and staff.  Different people bring different knowledge and experiences to the table, but ensuring that everyone feels valued can be a challenge. This interactive session provides parents with practical skills for effective cross cultural communication, building relationships, and working collaboratively with the various communities that make up our schools and school district. 

Session 3: Collaborative Leadership

During this workshop, parent leaders will learn how to implement the collaborative leadership model that leads to positive parent/school partnerships.  Parent leaders will participate in activities that will help them be successful at involving other parents, sharing their vision, leading effective meetings, overcoming obstacles, and valuing process and relationships as much as results.

Parents As Leaders 2012 Workshop Presentations
 
Parents As Leaders 2011 Workshop Presentations and Attendees
 
Parents As Leaders 2010 Workshop Presentations and Attendees 
 
Find out who participated from your school in 2011.

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