Survey: Social Media Offers Valuable Support for Parents – Education News

By Grace Smith

A survey published by the Pew Research Center discovered that parents have smaller Facebook friends networks, but a higher percentage of them were “actual” friends than among non-parents. Of the parents involved in the survey, 75% use social media, which is higher than the 66% of adults in general who use social networking sites, reports Elizabeth Weise of USA Today.

“Mothers are particularly likely to use social media as a place where they both give and receive support, said Maeve Duggan, co-author on the report. “”In terms of the social support, this is sort of a new approach for parents.”

In the past, parents had a community of neighbors, friends, and family. Now, according to the survey, 45% of moms said they “strongly agreed” that they get support from social media, and 22% of dads say the same.Dads do use social media, but they are less likely to ask parenting questions, research parenting information, and receive emotional support. Most parents agreed that this practice is just an extension of everyday life.

via Survey: Social Media Offers Valuable Support for Parents.

Parents Spending More on Back to School, Starting Earlier – Education News

By Jace Harr

Back-to-school shopping is becoming increasingly expensive, and that appears to be the fault of technology.

The Back-to-School Consumer Pulse Poll by the Rubicon Project was conducted in mid-June of this year, and surveyed 1,000 parents of students in K-12 and college, writes Leila Meyer of Campus Technology. Parents were found to be spending more this year on school supplies than in the past and were starting their shopping earlier. They also found that they needed more advanced and expensive technology just to meet classroom requirements, meaning that many parents will be buying laptops and tablets for their students this summer.

56% of parents are planning on spending more money on school supplies this year than last year, and K-12 parents count on spending an average of $873 per student, while college parents anticipate spending $1,124 per student.

72% of parents plan to buy technology-related items. Only 61% plan to buy apparel and retail items, and 50% plan on buying traditional school supplies. More than half — 52% — of college parents plan to buy their student a laptop for the coming school year, and 46% plan on purchasing a tablet.

via Parents Spending More on Back to School, Starting Earlier.

Keeping parents involved in shared decision making | EdSource

By Miguel Hernandez

As school staff and families head back to school this fall, districts and communities are ramping up for the second year of the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF). Like many parents around the state, I’m starting the new school year with both excitement about the potential of this historic reform and with hope that we learn from last year’s implementation and take the needed steps to ensure that the LCFF lives up to its promise of equity and shared decision making in our schools.

Last year provided a glimpse of what is possible when we engage parents, students and community members in new and powerful ways and dedicate resources to increasing opportunity and improving outcomes for students who’ve historically been underserved by our public education system. In my district of Santa Ana, where my two daughters attend school, an estimated 3,000 parents participated in one or more of the LCFF/LCAP listening sessions and 1,700 students weighed in on district priorities, according to the district’s Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP). These numbers, which reflect the interest and excitement that PICO California saw in school districts across the state, speak to the keen desire of parents and students to contribute to the planning for their schools and districts.

via Keeping parents involved in shared decision making | EdSource.

Program helps parents drill down into children’s education – Daily Republic

By Ryan McCarthy

In this month of dads and grads, Glenn Lee Woods is both.

The 34-year-old ironworker and graduate of the Parent Institute for Quality Education was at the Fairfield High School library as one of 25 men and women who completed the nine-week program last week.

“I brought my son so he would understand how valuable his education is to me,” Woods said. “This is getting us going in the right direction.”

“It was an awesome program,” Woods said.

via Program helps parents drill down into children’s education Daily Republic.

How to Get the Most Out of a Parent-Teacher Conference | MindShift

Holly Korbey

Over the next few weeks, parents and teachers will sit across from each other in tiny chairs and discuss a child’s progress in a parent-teacher conference. And though parents and teachers alike may experience the anxiety of expectations, conferences represent one of the most enduring and important home-school communication mechanisms used to discuss a child’s growth and progress, according to senior research analyst Heidi Matiyow Rosenberg of the Harvard Family Research Project.

via How to Get the Most Out of a Parent-Teacher Conference | MindShift.

5 Tips for Engaging Parent Volunteers in the Classroom | Edutopia

Do you find yourself wanting (more) help from parent volunteers, but are either not getting it, or not getting the kind of help that would be truly useful to you and your students? Is managing parent volunteers time-consuming or burdensome? If so, you’re not alone, according to a new survey (see infographic) of a thousand educators and parents by WeAreTeachers and my organization, VolunteerSpot. Even though guardians and teachers overwhelmingly agree that parent volunteers in the classroom are an important ingredient in student success, the study also reveals big gaps in expectations and problems with communication. These issues leave teachers feeling unsupported and parents feeling left out!

via 5 Tips for Engaging Parent Volunteers in the Classroom | Edutopia.