State educational leaders met at a Lansing elementary school today to kick off a partnership that encourages increasing parental involvement in all Michigan schools.

            This new, statewide effort provides each school building free of charge with a First Day of School Activity Guide that provides concrete building level strategies to encourage and increase parent involvement at the local level. 

            This guide is being provided to all Michigan principals through a partnership between the First Day Foundation, the Michigan Department of Education, the Education Alliance and the Michigan Business Leaders for Education Excellence.

            The effort will support current district efforts to involve parents in the educational process, and provide new, cost effective strategies in light of budgetary struggles local school districts are currently facing. 

            “We want to use this opportunity to celebrate the outstanding work our public schools do at fostering increasing parental involvement, and use the First Day of School Activity Guide to encourage further efforts in this vital area,” said Tom Watkins, Michigan Superintendent of Public Instruction. “Districts are facing a scarcity of resources, and these strategies will help them maximize their efforts toward increasing parental involvement at the building level.”

            Watkins said parental involvement is an important part of the educational continuum, and as such, is a new factor to be included in Education YES! - the state’s new accreditation system approved by the State Board of Education on March 14.

            The press conference took place at Gier Park Elementary in the Lansing Public Schools to illustrate the importance of local schools encouraging increased parental involvement.

            “We, as educators, know the extreme importance of an involved parent or parents to a child’s success in the classroom,” Lansing School District Superintendent Dr. E. Sharon Banks said. “We are pleased and grateful that these state leaders are offering such strong and visible support to this all-important issue for our children. High standards, strong teachers and involved parents are key ingredients toward ensuring the
success of all students.”

            A top Michigan parents organization lauded Michigan’s efforts toward increasing awareness for parental involvement.

            “With the new requirements of the “No Child Left Behind” federal education legislation, it will be extremely important to provide schools with additional resources for parental involvement,” said Donna Roberts, director of the Michigan Parent, Student, and Teacher Association. “This guide is a vital tool for engaging families in their children’s education and making them feel even more welcome in the school district.”

            Parental involvement also determines whether or not a child will succeed in school, said State Board of Education President Kathleen N. Straus.