The Parent Principal

4. The Home-School Partnership

When I began as principal of our learning community, I recognized that there was a need to put a procedure into place that would contribute to the health, safety, and well-being of our students.

It was my goal as principal to try to be outside each morning, as often as I possibly could, to greet the students as they entered their school. I believe that I was successful in meeting that goal, something of which lasted to my very last day as principal. Having a presence outside served multiple purposes, one of which was to witness the culture of how students arrived at our building at the start of each school day. In doing so, it became apparent that a change needed to be implemented.

A high percentage of our students did not qualify for transportation to and from school as they did not meet the mileage requirement. As a result, many walked or rode their bikes, while a good number of students were dropped off by their parents, grandparents, neighbors, etc. Although a crossing guard was assigned to the intersection of streets that bordered along the front and side of our school, many students did not avail themselves of this most important resource. When dropped off at a distance from the crossing guard, across the street from the school, the students would venture out between parked cars, providing drivers going in both directions with very little visibility or warning that the students were determined to cross the street from that location.

Being a presence outside helped to some extent. When I observed students begin to cross, I told them they needed to walk to the corner and let the crossing guard do the job she was being paid to do. I spoke to parents about my concerns, wrote letters to the community about safety and the expectations associated with the morning arrival routine. I also called the PTA presidents to inform them of my concerns and asked them to come in to meet with me to see if there was a way we could solve this problem, which continued to be a concern despite the efforts I had made.

The Safety Drop-off Program came to be as a direct result of the conversation that took place to address the issue of concern that we shared. The addition of the drop-off to the morning routine, made a difference in what we were seeing. Boys and girls being driven to school were now being dropped off on the school side of the street near the gated entrance to the school grounds. Two to three parent volunteers greeted the students when brought to school, directed them to the front entrance of the building. This provided comfort to those dropping the students off that their kids were safe by avoiding the potential hazard of crossing as they had been doing. Thie Safety Drop-off Program also minimized the congestion of cars we had seen each morning.

The success of this program was attributed to the parent volunteers who were at their posts five days a week, every week of the school year, rain or shine, snow or freezing temperatures. The parents were always there. I took great pride in being able to share with our learning community that since its inception, there had not been a day where there weren’t parents manning the Safety Drop-off Program. That is truly remarkable because it is not said in a hyperbolic manner, but stated as a fact.

This is but one example of many that I believe illustrates the connection our staff and I had with the parents of our learning community. The relationship we established with parents contributed to the well-being of the students in many ways. Maintaining an open line of communication with parents, relying upon them as a resource, and including them in the processes helped support the academic, emotional, social, and behavioral progress of our students.

When students sense that their parents/guardians and the school staff are working closely together, in a mutually respectful, goal driven manner, it sends a very important message to them that they are part of a team that is designed to provide a wide array of support for them.

As mentioned in the introduction to The Parent Principal, the principles we are looking at here overlap with one another. The home-school partnership benefits when there is on-going communication, where both parents and staff aspire to inspire, and when both know that they can rely on the other as valued resources throughout the school year. The true beneficiaries of the dynamic are the students of the learning community.