Working as a parent involvement specialist is something that you can do with just a bachelor’s degree in education, but before you send off any job applications, make sure that you know more about the duties of a parent involvement specialist.
Many schools hire teachers and make those teachers responsible for getting parents involved in activities and events taking place at the school. In addition to the work you do in your classroom, you will also need to keep parents informed and do other tasks and duties too.
Facilitate Communication Between Home and School
One key duty that these specialists perform is that they facilitate communication between parents at home and the school itself. Something as simple as sending home a letter that tells parents their child scored high on a recent tests opens the line of communication between the two parties. You will also need to contact parents over the phone to talk about any problems their children have in school or issues they have in specific classes. Some specialists also use online systems that let parents log in and post questions, send emails or just keep an eye on their kids’ grades.
Identify Students Who Need Help
Parents often do not know what their kids do in school every day because they only know what their children tell them. They may not realize that a bully keeps picking on their child or that their child is struggling in math or science class. As a parent involvement specialist, you must identify children who need more help and those who struggle in either their personal or school lives. This lets you talk through those issues with a parent and make decisions regarding what to do next.
Create Schedules
Parent involvement specialists are often responsible for creating schedules that show upcoming events and important dates. Many create a weekly or monthly schedule that they send home with their students. You can even send home two copies and ask that a parent sign and date one copy before sending it back to the school, which lets you know that they read the information and know the dates of those events.
Special Events
Those working in the field of parent involvement often create special events that bring students and their parents together. A parent night is just one example. During a parent night, parents have the chance to come in, view some of the work that their kids did in the past and meet with teachers. You may want to host a track and field day or a reading night. With a reading night, students who do not do well in athletic competitions can still show off their skills to their parents.
Promote Events for Parents
The special events that your school hosts mean nothing unless parents actually participate. As a parent involvement specialist, you are the one responsible for getting parents to show up and to help out. You might send home letters that ask for volunteers to work in the concession stand or pass out programs, and you can letters that let parents know the date and time of those events. Denise Read recommends using project planner nights that let parents learn more about upcoming assignments and what they can do to help their kids.
Parent involvement specialists work in both private and public schools and can work with children as young as kindergarten age through those in high school. The duties of a parent involvement specialist including making sure that parents get involved in the school lives of their children, promoting special upcoming events and working with children who need more help than their peers.
