Nastassia Jackson loves volunteering in her 3-year-old twin sons' preschool classroom. Little did she know that her dedication to her sons' education – she volunteered nearly 155 hours during the past school year – would lead to an invitation to the White House to share her vision of how to increase parent engagement in schools.
Jackson's sons attend Educare of Chicago, the model early learning school operated by the Ounce of Prevention Fund. Jackson collaborated with her sons' three teachers, Gloria Sterling, Sherrell Carr and Sharon Teamer to launch the Classroom Vision Council in September 2010 to ramp up parent involvement in her sons' classroom.
The council gives parents the chance to work directly with teachers on curriculum and activities, giving parents new insight into what goes on in the classroom. Through Jackson's efforts, all classroom parents participated in the council and realized how rewarding it is - for their children and themselves - to be engaged in the classroom.
Family engagement is a key component of the Educare model. Educare teaches parents how to become champions for their child's education so they will stay engaged when the child enters elementary and secondary school. Parent involvement is a key predictor of a child's success in school, with studies showing it predicts increased reading achievement, lower grade retention, and fewer years in special education.
To share their experience with policy and education leaders, the Classroom Vision Council applied to attend the White House Community Leaders Briefing Series on Friday, Aug. 26. The White House accepted their application, and now Jackson is on her way to Washington, DC. At the event, Jackson will talk to White House and Dept. of Education officials about the council's successful efforts to get parents more involved in the classroom.
Jackson and the teachers launched a literacy initiative that educated parents about the importance of reading to their child and they collected 120 new books to expand home libraries. The team also planned family outings to the zoo, a farm, and a children's museum, and then extended the children's learning through age-appropriate math and science activities in the classroom and at home.
Jackson hopes the policymakers she talks to in Washington, DC, will consider the Classroom Vision Council as a model to help shape parent engagement initiatives across the country.
"The Classroom Vision Council bridges the gap between parents and teachers, and it increases parent involvement in the classroom," Jackson says. "Parents see what's going on inside the classroom, how their child is learning, and ways they can help their child learn."
Stay tuned for updates from Jackson's day in Washington, DC!