Advance notice of upcoming workshops with note of transportation and child care services is essential for parents to plan their schedules. Recruitment announcements should be circulated in all languages spoken by parents at the school and posted in strategic locations such as neighborhood centers, churches, supermarkets, and laundromats. Schools also inform parents about workshops and encourage their participation during regular home visits by parent liaisons and school staff. Some parents call a few other parents, and they in turn are asked to call others from a master list. Neighborhood centers, adult learning centers, churches, and other community institutions may also be willing to announce parent workshops.
Some schools support parent education activities by providing permanent space for parent gatherings.
In these parent rooms, parents can meet with other parents, use resource materials, and learn about other programs and services of the school. Evaluate Success Schools with strong parent education programs assess their activities to see whether they were successful, how they might be modified, and what activities should be added. They can be asked questions similar to those that would be on an evaluation form or can have a free form discussion. Secondary School Strategies Research and experience indicate that parent participation falls off in the upper grades. Secondary schools can reduce some common obstacles to family involvement that stem from the organization and curriculum of the school, and help parents cope with the challenges of adolescence.