Christina Hidek, an expert in parent engagement and founder of PTO Answers, shares her insights on the transformative power of parent communities in schools. She explores how engaged parents can enhance student experiences, moving beyond traditional roles like bake sales to strategic collaborations. Christina emphasizes the importance of open communication and mutual goal-setting between schools and parents. She highlights real-world examples of successful partnerships and the vital role school leaders play in fostering these positive relationships.
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insights INSIGHT
Parents Bring Untapped Skills
Engaged parents bring unique talents and skills that educators usually don't have.
Partnering with parents opens new possibilities for enriching the school community.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Solving Conference Scheduling Glitch
A technical glitch caused confusion during parent-teacher conferences about virtual vs in-person.
Parents and teachers collaborated with the principal to design a simple fix segregating virtual and in-person conference nights.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Attend Parent Meetings Regularly
School leaders should regularly attend parent group meetings to understand their needs.
Showing up creates opportunities to identify where the school can provide support and collaborate.
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In this episode, I speak with Christina Hidek, an expert in parent engagement, about the vital role of parent communities in schools. We explore the numerous benefits of empowered parent groups and how schools can build strong, collaborative relationships with parents.
Episode Highlights
The wide-ranging benefits of engaged parent communities for schools, students, and parents.
Uncovering hidden parent talents and skills to enrich the school community.
Moving beyond traditional parent involvement like bake sales to more strategic partnerships.
Real-world examples of how parents have helped schools solve critical challenges.
Strategies for overcoming barriers and adversarial relationships between schools and parents.
The importance of open communication and mutual goal-setting.
How to effectively support and empower parent groups.
The school leader's role in fostering positive parent-teacher relationships.
Key Takeaways
Engaged parent communities are invaluable assets to schools.
Schools should actively seek to understand and utilise the diverse skills and talents within their parent community.
Open communication and collaboration are essential for building strong parent-school partnerships.
School leaders play a crucial role in fostering a positive and productive relationship with parent communities.
Shane Leaning, an organisational coach based in Shanghai, supports school leaders globally. Passionate about empowment, he is the author of the best-selling 'Change Starts Here.' Shane is a leading educational voice in the UK, Asia and around the world.
Education Leaders