Parent Outreach, High Achievement Blend in Pasco

Spent a few hours yesterday listening to Lorraine Landon and Deidra McCollum of the Pasco School District talk about the Family Partnership Program, based on the Epstein Model, of drawing parents into the schools and focusing school events and parent events around the goal of increasing student achievement.

As far as I can tell, Pasco is the only district in the state. Seattle dumped the program about two years ago (unfortunately), although a few schools, like John Stanford Elementary, still use it. This is a school that has a long waiting list to get in, if that tells you anything.

The model, from listening to the discussion between Deidra, Lorraine and Adie Simmons of the state educational ombudsman's office, works to have events at schools that draw the parents into participating in school life and has the ultimate goal of raising the kids' grades and test scores. It seems to be working in the Pasco School District.

The events are decided on by a parent/teacher team. They decide, along with the PTA if the school has one, which events will occur that year and the goal of that event, be it a math night, a "breakfast and a book" event or family history night.

I'll be visiting one of the schools, Whittier Elementary, later this afternoon, which is a high poverty, yet high achieving school, esp. in the writing and reading area of the WASL tests. This model has really helped that school, it seems. So stay tuned.