In the Sacramento City Unified District, teachers visit their students' homes to meet parents and establish two-way communication. That example inspired new state legislation to help other districts create similar programs. In South Bay Union Elementary, a parent liaison visits the parents of students with many absences and helps solve problems. Last spring, for example, she helped six families avoid homelessness. Welcome parents Encourage parents to stay and visit when they drop off their kids.
Parents chat with teachers and administrators after dropping off their kids.
The schools we interviewed all hold parent meetings on evenings and weekends so working parents can attend. Turnbull, for example, holds a regular bilingual story hour. Other schools sponsor Family Math nights or evenings when families come and read aloud together. Educate parents Offer parenting classes. Since most of the parents at Ramona are immigrants, says Woo, the school offers parenting classes that emphasize ways of dealing with the cultural split between generations.