5,280 minutes for education
Saturday, July 19th, 2008
This article in today’s Rocky is really inspiring. I often have buyers ask me about the Denver Public School system, and I usually send them to school review sites like GreatSchools.net or the district’s website, because, as much as I can talk about different neighborhoods, shopping, amenities, home and location values, I haven’t been in every DPS school.
But I am going to print out this article and put it in my Buyer’s Portfolio as an example of the innovative ways that DPS is trying to improve its programs and get parents involved in their kids’ education…
A new campaign that encourages parental involvement in Denver Public Schools is tailored for the Mile High City.
The Mile High Parent Campaign, set to begin on the first day of school this fall, is designed to track the time DPS parents spend furthering their kids’ education. The goal is 5,280 minutes a year, or 30 minutes a school day.
“I’m just hoping to bring a little more awareness of the importance of parent engagement and to celebrate things that we, as parents, do on a daily basis,” said Marlene DeLa Rosa, chairwoman of the Parent Empowerment Council.
Parents who enroll in the program will log their time online or complete a form that details how they assisted their children.
Suggested activities range from reading with a child, attending back-to-school night, helping with homework or taking a child to the museum.
“This is a really positive way to introduce a new conversation about parent involvement,” said Stephanie Hoy, executive director of Building Assets, a nonprofit helping with the campaign.
The campaign is based on the idea that parent involvement in the academic lives of kids keeps them engaged in learning and boosts school attendance.
A 2006 study sponsored by the Denver-based National Center for School Engagement found that DPS high school students on average miss about 25 days per academic year.
“We want to focus on how parent engagement helps with school attendance, how it helps with student achievement; also how parents can participate in a really meaningful way that helps parents, students and teachers work together to acquire whatever it takes for a kid to succeed in school,” said Michael Simmons, community specialist for DPS.
Those who participate could win learning-based prizes such as museum tickets, college scholarships or magazine subscriptions, in an end-of-year drawing. Classrooms with the most parent involvement have a chance to win extra field trips.
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