Parental Involvement: High School Roundtable

This professional development course features a panel of teachers and administrators discussing the challenges and unique requirements of parental involvement at the high school level. The panelists, who are also parents themselves, discuss topics such as: What tools do high schools have to reach parents? What is the role of a parent at this transitional age? How does a parent's responsibility change as they prepare their child for the real world? Panelists also discuss the challenges associated with reaching at-risk students and frustrated parents who have lost hope for their child's academic success. 

Parental Involvement: Applications - Elementary

This course is designed to provide teachers with practical ideas and inspiration for maximizing the impact that parents can make. Teachers and educational leaders from across the state of Arkansas discuss what teachers can learn from parents, how changes in our culture have affected family engagement, and what great ideas they have implemented to involve families on a regular basis.

This course meets the family and community engagement requirements of ACA 6-15-1703.

Parental Involvement: Applications - Middle School/High School

As a student transitions from elementary school to middle school and high school, family engagement changes. This course shows what family and community engagement looks like in middle school and high school, what teachers can do to encourage family engagement, and tips for promoting a positive and inviting school environment for families. 

This course meets the family and community engagement requirements of ACA 6-15-1703.

Family & Community Engagement: Inviting Caregivers & Community Partners Into School

It is vitally important that we take deliberate, intentional steps toward creating a collaborative network of support for our students. Becoming partners in our advocacy for educating the whole child influences student success and strengthens relationships throughout the community. In this course, parental involvement consultant Dave Shepard introduces steps educators can take to invite caregivers into the daily operations and activities of schools. Melissa Dunbar-Gates moderates discussions on broadening the definition of parental involvement toward a more inclusive, community-based definition that encompasses all types of caregivers.

This course meets the family and community engagement requirements of ACA 6-15-1703.

From Extra to Essential: Family Engagement in Arkansas Schools

Today’s classrooms are filled with children of many ethnicities, cultures, and languages. To fully support our students, we must tap into the range of assets, experiences, and perspectives within our families and communities. Research shows us that when schools, families, and communities work together to support learning, children tend to do better in school, stay in school longer, and enjoy school more. What are we doing in Arkansas to co-create with parents, guardians, and invested community partners in our students’ development, wellness, and learning? 

In this course, host Alyson Courtney and Arkansas Department of Education’s Freddie Scott take us on a tour around the state and through the Essentials of engagement. These Essentials are: Communication, Equity, Safe and Friendly Schools, Innovation, Leadership and Support, and Partnerships and Relationships.

This course meets the family and community engagement requirements of ACA 6-15-1703.

My Child, My Student: Parents and Teachers Communicating - Reducing Chronic Absenteeism

This course features Jonathan Crossley, 2014 Arkansas Teacher of the Year. Mr. Crossley discusses chronic absenteeism and suggests strategies that teachers can use to help students be successful. In addition, Mr. Crossley addresses the underlying meaning of chronic absenteeism and why it matters. He also offers suggestions for teachers as they communicate with parents about the importance of regular school attendance among students. 

This professional development session was recorded on October 23, 2014 at the AETN studios in Conway, Arkansas.

The Six Components of Parental Involvement for Teachers

This course, which was recorded on January 15, 2015 at Western Yell County High School in Havana, Arkansas, features Dr. Beverley Romanin, former teacher and administrator and expert parent involvement consultant. The presentation features an overview of Dr. Joyce Epstein's Six Components of Parental Involvement, which include the concepts of parenting, communicating, volunteering, students learning at home, school decision-making, and collaborating with the community.

This course meets the family and community engagement requirements of ACA 6-15-1703.

The Six Components of Parental Involvement for Administrators

This course, which was recorded on January 20, 2015 at the AETN studios in Conway, Arkansas, features Dr. Beverley Romanin, former teacher and administrator and expert consultant on parental involvement programs. The presentation, which is geared toward administrators, features an overview of Dr. Joyce Epstein's Six Components of Parental Involvement, which include the concepts of parenting, communicating, volunteering, students learning at home, school decision-making, and collaborating with the community.

This course meets the family and community engagement requirements of ACA 6-15-1703.

Fostering Positive Educational Transitions for Children of Military Families

Throughout the state of Arkansas, there are an estimated 6,000-7,000 military-connected students in our public schools. These children face challenges unique to life in the military, and their educational careers are hardly unaffected by these difficulties. It is the mission of the 2022 Arkansas Teacher of the Year, Jessica Saum, to bring awareness to these matters. 

In this course, hosted by Cassandra Webb, you will hear from School Liaison Program Manager Terri Williams and Military Family Engagement Advisor Don Kaminar, both state-level experts on matters involving the education of military-connected children. These panelists, in addition to Ms. Saum, will begin by shedding light on the unique challenges faced by military-connected children. Mr. Kaminar will then share information about the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children, also referred to the Military Interstate Children's Compact or simply the Compact. The Compact is administered by the Military Interstate Children's Compact Commission and was designed to help ease school transitions for military-connected students. Mr. Kaminar will help schools understand how the Compact should guide their decisions regarding military-connected students within their districts. He will also discuss the Purple Star Schools program and outline the steps schools can take to earn the Purple Star School designation. Lastly, Ms. Williams will discuss resources available to military-connected children, their families, and the schools serving them. 

The Arkansas Guide for Promoting Family Engagement Through Age Eight

Family engagement is more than simply inviting parents to school once or twice a year; it is a continual process of working together for the benefit of students. Jackie Govan (Director, Head Start State Collaboration) and Jamie Morrison Ward (Curricula Concepts) present the Arkansas Guide for Promoting Family Engagement, a resource educators can use to help promote parental involvement and explain the importance of childhood development to the caregivers in students' lives. The Guide also contains information about putting together action plans for getting families to play a role in their children's education.

This course was recorded at the AETN studios in Conway, Arkansas on June 14, 2016.

This course meets the family and community engagement requirement of ACA 6-15-1703.