https://www.123articleonline.com/rss/author/264546/possip-pArticles written by Possip P from 123ArticleOnline.comen-usCopyright (c) 123ArticleOnline.com All rights reserved. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1159444/3-reasons-parents-should-give-schools-grace-in-april Parents - schools need grace in the Spring. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1159844/4-tips-to-quickly-communicate-academic-progress Parents want to know how their child is doing academically. Schools can often feel pressure about the best ways to share this information without overburdening teachers or current systems. There is hope. There are simple ways schools can share academic progress information. Also, parents can be an important resource for schools in getting academic information. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1159441/6-parent-engagement-measures-that-arent-meetings Schools want to measure how engaged and involved their parents are. They should! https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1160326/6-tips-for-teacher-parent-communication-principals-corner Last week we shared part 1 of our series on teacher parent communication. You can find it here: https://www.possipit.com/teacher-parent-communication-principals-corner/ We know that parents and teachers have diverse needs and wants. Our last blog shares a bit about how principals can help teachers segment their parents. We also want to share some tactical steps for teacher parent communication. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1159315/7-lessons-learned-from-a-year-of-possip-instead-of-gossip Possip just finished our second school year of working with schools. What a fun adventure! Using simple text and email surveys we learned a lot and were able to see the impact of parent feedback on schools. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1159435/7-notes-of-inspiration-educators-can-borrow-from-martin-luther-king-jr As we commemorate Martin Luther King's birthday and enter Black History Month, it is timely to consider what lessons we can learn from Martin Luther King and apply to schools and school leadership. After all, each educator is transforming minds, communities, and opportunities for the students and families they serve. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1159313/7-tips-to-get-your-kids-talking We know the feeling. You want to get your kids talking and know about every minute of your children's days of school (What did you learn? What did you have for your lunch? Did you make friends? How is your teacher?). Yet the conversation in the car after pick up, or during dinner, or dropping off at basketball is, 'It was fine.' https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1159316/beyond-the-bake-sale-school-fundraising-in-the-21st-century Possip team member Adie Tate is a former teacher and teacher coach. Both having been a teacher - and now as an active member of the PTA at her kid's schools - she spends a lot of time thinking about how to make sure schools have the resources they need. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1159847/build-lifelong-learning-thru-parents Every city is officially back to school. Yay! This means we're also back to working with parents, schools and districts on building community and improved parent engagement. Possip is a learning tool so we are always thinking about lifelong learning. In that spirit, we wanted to parent engagement activities possipitshare some ways that parents and schools can work together to strengthen their student's lifelong learning. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1159674/buses-and-cars-oh-my As many of our Possip schools in the South finish up their first week of school - car lines and buses are top of mind for schools and parents. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1159302/can-schools-handle-the-truth-of-parent-feedback 'If my answers frighten you, Vincent, then you should cease asking scary questions.' This brilliant movie line comes from Samuel Jackson in Pulp Fiction. Jack Nicholson shares a thematic relative in A Few Good Men. 'You Want the Truth! You can't handle the truth!' https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1159434/chronic-absenteeism-parents-4-things-to-know Chronic absenteeism and attendance is a big deal these days. In fact, over 60% of states have some measure of attendance included in their ESSA standards. What does that mean plainly? https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1159409/educating-is-hard-let-parents-help The original opening for this blog post shared a real life scenario highlighting how hard educators' jobs are. The scenario happened just last week to a school counselor I know. Before posting it I shared it with a few folks to see if the post might be too dark - they said it was. Hmmm. 'Just another day at work' for a school counselor in high school is too dark for popular consumption. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1159998/getting-your-school-a-plan-to-respond-to-bullying Last week we blogged about preventative bullying tips. The reality is, bullying happens even with the best planning. Also, we have found that parents can give grace when their child experiences bullying at school. However, they can get frustrated when there isn't a plan to address it. So this week we're back with tips on how to respond to bullying. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1159296/helping-your-kids-and-students-deal-with-holiday-stress While holiday time is full of joy and fun- it can also be stressful for kids, parents, teachers and schools. School counselor Malene Dixon from KIPP Sunnyside High School takes time to share quick tips. Check out these questions parents can use to ask their kids about their day. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1159317/homework-friend-or-foe Kristin Jeffrey is a former teacher, a mother of two, and a school board member. She has a lot of experience navigating homework. As a Possip team member she helps connect the many parts and pieces of the family feedback loop together to schools. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1159671/how-to-increase-parents-engagement-in-students-success-with-digital-technology Engaging and maintaining parent engagement isn't easy. Yet parents play a significant role in the academic success of their children so engagement can't be ignored. Multiple studies show big gaps in the success of students whose parents are involved with what's going on in school and the students with parents that are not. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1160004/how-vulnerability-can-be-the-key-to-getting-parents-engaged Natalie is a 2nd grade teacher in one of Possip's partner schools. Recently, she talked with our team about parent engagement, and how she got over her fear of being vulnerable with her students' parents. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1160331/how-vulnerability-can-be-the-key-to-getting-parents-engaged-part-two Natalie is a 2nd grade teacher in one of Possip's partner schools. Recently, she talked with our team about parent engagement, and how she got over her fear of being vulnerable with her students' parents. This is part two of a two part blog. Read Part One here. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1159845/immigrant-families-navigating-family-engagement Isha is a current student who just started her sophomore year at Emory. She is passionate about the immigrant experience and interned with Possip this past summer and is sharing today on our blog a little bit about her experience with parent engagement as the child of immigrants. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1159412/lean-into-small-parent-turnout-starting-where-you-are-with-parent-engagement You may have heard of the book 'Good is the Enemy of Great'. It is a wonderful book that outlines why we don't have great organizations because we're willing to settle for good - or good enough organizations. Here's the reality. We really don't have that many good organizations. Sparing specific names - think about airlines, banks, cable companies, cell phone companies. Few of those organizations are great - or even good. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1159926/meet-our-team-michael-dyer Michael is one of the newest members of the Possip team and has already started to play a vital rManager of Sales and Partnershipsole in helping Possip reach more schools throughout the country. We talked with him recently about his own experience in school growing up, and how he thinks about Possip as a tool to leverage parent and family engagement. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1159669/navigating-a-new-school-district When Kate and her family relocated from Portland to a new, larger district this Summer, there was a lot of new. A new job, a new city, and, naturally, new schools for her first and fifth grade kids. In many ways, it was daunting. As a long time educator, though, she thought she knew how to navigate a new school district, but quickly found that it was more challenging than she'd expected. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1159672/parent-engagement-101-getting-started-on-your-parent-engagement-plans Educators know that students do better if parents are involved. They get higher grades, learn at a faster rate, and have better attendance. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1159414/parents-have-needs-too-academics-is-lower-than-you-think Earlier in my career - before kids - I worked with a few community organizing groups. One group was doing parent surveys - and I was shocked when a large scale survey What Matters Most to Parents in Your Kids' School revealed...that academics were near the bottom. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1159851/parents-need-a-sense-of-belonging-too-7-tips-to-help-parents-belong Belonging is the innate human desire to be part of something larger than us. - Brene Brown https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1159842/partner-feature-nashville-classical Nashville classical was one of Possip's first partner schools. Their enrollment, parent happiness and teacher satisfaction are all inspiring. We wanted to talk to them a bit about their family engagement mindsets and systems. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1159928/preventing-bullying-how-schools-and-parents-can-partner Bullying rates are on the rise. According to a survey done by YouthTruth (https://youthtruthsurvey.org/bullying-today/), 1 in 3 students are bullied in schools. As a parent and principal, seeing a statistic like this is hard. Is bullying different or is the definition of bullying changing? What are ways we can be active in preventing bullying? https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1159930/principals-corner-reflecting-on-parent-engagement-as-a-school-leader In Amanda's second year as a principal in Dallas, she knew she needed to make parent engagement a priority. She'd returned to the school district she'd originally taught in after finishing her master's degree, and she realized that engaging the parents and families of her students would be key to making her campus the best it could be. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1159931/principals-corner-8-steps-to-building-an-effective-parent-organization A recent 2018 survey from the Learning Policy Institute (https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/nassp-understanding-addressing-principal-turnover-review-research-report) found that the fifth highest factor that would help principal retention (behind pay, increased PD, time, and school budget) is having more positive parental support. As a previous principal, I understand the stress that comes with unsatisfied parents. The principal position is so complex and all-consuming that parent engagement and satisfaction can fall to the wayside, leading to unanticipated stress when parent related issues start stacking up. An effective parent organization can help. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1159929/principals-corner-tutoring-program-that-works-for-your-school-and-students This week, a trending question from parents is after school tutoring. Most of this blog is designed to help schools put on a tutoring program and plan - but parents, scroll to the bottom to see suggestions for how you can support your child if your school doesn't have tutoring resources available. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1160001/reacting-to-bullying-a-detailed-plan This post is a more detailed plan of a summary blog post we have. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1159303/recess-in-the-cold So it's cold or rainy and kids need to exercise to relax their brains, work with other kids, and get physical. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1160003/rural-schools-and-engaged-parents Seeing Rural Schools From a New Perspective I've often thought about engaged parents from the lens of my own experiences with family members who attended rural schools. Moving to New York recently has me thinking a bit differently. Since I'm originally from Mississippi and Tennessee I find the subway experience fascinating. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1159430/schools-parents-marriage-a-valentines-season-message We couldn't resist. It's Valentine's season. Cupid shot his arrow at us :-). https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1159416/secret-sauce-to-successful-newsletters Communicating with parents seems easy - yet it can be intimidating. Kimberly Robinson, Family Engagement specialist who has worked at a diversity of schools as a teacher and a Family Engagement leader shares her secret sauce for schools creating easy and fun parent newsletters. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1160327/teacher-parent-communication-principals-corner How To Improve Teacher Parent Communication Teacher parent communication. Parents sometimes say 'I want better communication with my child's teacher.' What does that mean? And is it really possible? The short answer is - yes! There are easier ways to improve teacher to parent communication. This is part 1 of our 2 part series on this topic. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1160330/teacher-vacancies-mid-year-principals-corner Mid-year teacher vacancies is tough! The teachers I worked with knew that choosing to leave mid-year was not an option in my mind. Studies show that students who have a teacher leave mid-year lose about 54 days of academic growth compared to those who have a stable teacher all year (see the research here). Teacher retention and sustainability is a passion of mine. This statistic is exactly why. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1159408/the-gift-of-feedback This special feature on Possip's blog is thanks to educator and entrepreneur Lauren Sikes. Lauren is the Founder and CEO of DesignEd, which innovates culture + curriculum in K-12 schools. She taught for thirteen years in public and private schools in New York City and Nashville, TN. DesignEd offers leadership and organizational development, teacher coaching, and curriculum design. Lauren's experience as an educator and teacher leader informs DesignEd's work of engaging with empathy to design intentional culture + curriculum. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1159437/the-upside-of-helicopter-parents Since it's the holiday season we thought we'd give eager parents a little holiday gift this year. Permission to helicopter. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1159407/tips-for-pick-up-and-drop-off Schools spend a lot of time planning for pick up or drop off, carlines, and bus transportation. Possip hears from parents about pick up and drop off, buses, car lines, etc. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1159427/top-ten-testing-tips-for-parents-schools Kids aren't the only ones who need to prepare for testingHere are top tips for both parents and schools. Our Possip school network lets us see some great tips - both for parents and schools! https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1159670/what-if-the-principal-rode-the-bus What if the principal rode the bus? https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1160005/why-you-should-take-a-school-tour In many of our districts and schools across the country, we are starting to enter a time period where parents will need to choose where their child goes to school - whether kindergarten or high school. This is, admittedly, a huge choice. https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1159443/win-at-parent-engagement When Possip first started we heard with skepticism 'do principals really want to know what parents think Do they really want parent engagement?' https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1159314/youre-good-the-truth-of-first-days-of-school irst days of school. On Facebook and Instagram they look like cute pictures of kids, impressive classrooms, and beautiful libraries. The reality is crying kids at drop off and buses running late. The truth is a lot of first year teachers, class scheduling snafus, and kids worrying about their clothes. There's more! Parents worrying about whether their kid is okay and districts worrying about buses and transportation. We're not done yet! Schools have to figure out who is showing up - fewer kids than expected? More kids than expected?