Designing a Continuous Parent Education Curriculum

If we could carve a maxim in stone over the main entrance of a school, a statement of purpose and a reminder to children, parents, and staff as they pass through the doors, it would be, “School is a place where everyone learns.” Of the three stakeholder groups, the one that schools least strive to educate is parents. Programs are often limited to parent orientation before a new grade begins school (e.g., kindergarten orientation), annual Back to School Night, and one or two parent-teacher conferences. 

Beyond educating parents on developmental issues and reinforcing a collaborative “It takes a village” mindset in the school community, there is another reason for schools to prioritize parent education. Perhaps a result of noxious life experiences or a knee-jerk reaction to authority, many parents perceive schools as bureaucracies, monochrome brick edifices unyielding to their children’s best interests. A robust parent education curriculum delivers a powerful counter message that “We care” and “You can count on us” in these difficult times. The result is a more trusting and true partnership between home and school. 

Designing a parent education curriculum 

Just as schools map the mathematics curriculum from one year to another, as students’ readiness and their needs evolve, we recommend that schools thoughtfully design a parent education curriculum from the year a child enters until graduation.

For example, in an elementary school, what are the challenges of parenting primary-age children as they begin formal schooling, acquire core competencies, and interact with peers in classrooms and playgrounds? How is this different from the demands of parenting a child in the intermediate grades to address their specific cognitive, social, emotional, and physical needs? How does the school’s curriculum in the classroom and extracurricular environment change, what should parents know about it, and how can they continuously support their children’s learning? 

Convene a committee of teachers, counselors, school psychologist, and administration together with parent leaders to plan a curriculum of parent education that spans all grade levels your school offers. With school personnel contributing insights from the perspective of trained professional educators, and parent representatives weighing in on activities that would engage the audience, a robust blueprint for the year develops. Committees begin with discussion of emerging holistic childhood needs, differences in curriculum, and distinct parental challenges at each grade. 

Delivering a parent education program

Evening parent education programs best fit the schedules of parents working outside the home. Preschool and elementary schools may offer simultaneous child care in a nearby room. In a multilingual community, translators or translation equipment is needed. We arranged some programs in the daytime and the evening. The effect was to reduce the number of parents attending each session, resulting in smaller groups and a more comfortable setting for parents to talk openly and ask questions. 

Potluck suppers: Parent education was designed to meet both academic and social aims, just like a classroom. Elementary and high school students hail from separate neighborhoods; multiple neighborhood elementary schools typically converge in middle school. One goal of parent education is to facilitate social interaction in order to create a genuinely unified and inclusive community. What better way to encourage mixing than breaking bread together? Because people tend to sit with friends and neighbors, we sometimes assigned seats, prompting participants to initiate new relationships with table partners. Then we’d play icebreaker games.

For instance, in the fall of sixth grade, the entry year in middle school, each table competed in a game of “Do You Know More Than Your Sixth Grader?” with questions on youth culture (e.g., the meaning of “brat summer”) and some tough mathematical PEMDAS questions. 

After the greeting and eating, programs addressed needs at each grade. Returning to middle school, sixth-grade parents broke into separate rooms to meet their child’s guidance counselors. In seventh grade, with children in the throes of puberty, a panel consisting of a pediatrician, a child psychologist, and the principal described adolescence from the perspective of each discipline, then answered heartfelt parent questions. (And no one would get a bill, we promised.)

The most impactful post-supper program occurred in eighth grade. Several weeks before, a videographer from the community recorded a talented psychologist interviewing a panel of two dozen eighth graders. Topics the student panel delved into included their feelings of emotional safety in and out of school, substance use among friends, and what parents are doing well... and not so well! The video, which was edited down to 15 minutes, served as a springboard to honest and lively parent conversation mediated by the psychologist. 

Coffee with the principal: From the vantage point of the classroom, curriculum varies every year. Continuing the middle school illustration, changes are especially pronounced in sixth grade, the entry year, and seventh grade, the year students begin world language study and become eligible to play interscholastic sports. In the fall of sixth grade, “Coffee with the Principal” was held in the daytime and evening in a classroom setting to encourage discussion among a smaller group. The focus was parental strategies to support a successful transition—e.g., doing homework and involvement in extracurricular activities.

In the spring, led by the district athletic director, the topic turned to interscholastic sports: tryouts, time commitment, paperwork requirements (a common impediment), and sportsmanship expectations for spectators. Just before graduation, “Coffee with the Principal” included a debrief of middle school and an opportunity for parents to share helpful feedback on their family’s experience. 

We frequently relied on district-level staff and community agencies to provide informative speakers. District instructional technology staff gave hands-on instruction on the use of the school’s array of parent communication apps. A community counseling center assigned two psychologists to lead an annual series of parenting workshops. A neighborhood substance abuse prevention organization funded occasional speakers—for example, a medical school professor sharing research on adolescent substance use trends. 

At the beginning of each program, we reiterated the ultimate objective. “As you leave, we hope you walk out the door realizing school can be a helpful resource. We envision a true partnership of parents and school working together to nurture and teach the children we share. You can always call on us.”