# data[].attributes.body
The FAST program is all about spending with the student, teacher, and parents in various sessions. These sessions let parents know what is happening in school and can allow everyone to bond with each other.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The FAST Program is an internationally acclaimed, evidence-based family engagement program that supports child well-being and learning readiness, empowers parents, and builds social capital so children can thrive. It is designed to:

Strengthen family relationships and increase cohesion

Engage parents more with the school and enable them to advocate for their children's education

Connect families to other families and community resources to reduce isolation and stress

The program is run at a school or community organization and meets for weekly 2.5-hour sessions, which can be offered in-person or virtually, over an eight-week (or 10-week) cycle. A site will typically run two cycles per school year.

During these sessions, families eat a meal and play games together, parents discuss and bond over shared experiences, kids and youth make friends with their peers, and parents engage in one-on-one special play/conversation time with their children free from distraction.

A trained FAST Team of local parents, youth (for middle and high school levels only - see below), educators, and mental health and other community professionals facilitates the program and provides coaching and support to the participating families.

The program is available at the Early Childhood Education (ECE), Elementary School, Middle School, and High School levels to provide the tools needed to support each developmental milestone. While the core values of FAST remain the same for all levels, some activities are adjusted to develop and strengthen age-specific protective factors to meet the FAST Child's needs.

Up to 60% of the program is adaptable to also meet the needs and priorities of diverse communities, cultures, and local circumstances.

If you are interested in starting a FAST Program in your community, contact us for more information. Explore our FAQs page to learn more.

Bring FAST® to your community

Families & Schools Together can partner with you to provide the resources, training, and guidance necessary to strengthen relationships between children, families, schools, and your community - contact us to get started.

© 2023 Families and Schools Together, Inc. All rights reserved. FAST®, FASTWORKS®, and Families and Schools Together® are registered trademarks of Families and Schools Together, Inc. PRIVACY & TERMS | MEDIA

Proud partner of the

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
FAST® Program - Families and Schools Together, Inc.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The FAST Program is an internationally acclaimed, evidence-based family engagement program that supports child well-being and learning readiness, empowers paren

# data[].attributes.headline
Reasons Why Parent Involvement is Important to Student Education

# data[].attributes.subject
Reasons Why Parent Involvement is Important to Student Education

# data[].attributes.body
Here some research-based and scientific reasons as to why parent/guardian involvement can be helpful to a student's education.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Extensive research has shown that students achieve more in school when their parents are involved in their education. This article discusses the critical role moms and dads can play in a child's education. It also examines what the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) says about parental involvement and offers practical tips that parents can use to become involved.
Role of Parental Involvement in Education
The critical role of parental involvement in a child's education has been examined in countless studies and reports. The research overwhelmingly supports the following conclusions.
1. Academic achievement increases when parents are involved in their children's education.
The more intensively involved the parents are, the greater the positive impact on academic achievement.
2. Parental involvement leads to better classroom behavior.
Parental involvement not only enhances academic performance, but it also has a positive influence on student attitude and behavior. A parent's interest and encouragement in a child's education can affect the child's attitude toward school, classroom conduct, self-esteem, absenteeism, and motivation.
3. Parents should stay involved in their children's education from preschool through high school.
Parental involvement can make a positive difference at all age levels. Parental involvement tends to be the greatest with young children and tends to taper off as children get older. Studies have shown, however, that the involvement of parents of middle and high school students is equally important. In high school, for example, a parent's encouragement can influence whether a child stays in school or drops out. Similarly, a child may consider going to college more seriously when parents show interest in the child's academic achievements and talk with the child about the benefits of a college education.

4. Training helps parents of disadvantaged children get involved.

Parents of minority or low-income children are less likely to be involved in their children's education than parents of non-disadvantaged children. If they receive adequate training and encouragement, however, parents of minority or low-income children can be just as effective as other parents in contributing to their children's academic success. As discussed below, one of the purposes of NCLB is to get parents of under-achieving children involved in their education.

5. Reading together at home greatly improves reading skills.

Reading, in particular, improves greatly when parents and children read together at home. Reading aloud with a child contributes significantly to the child's reading abilities.
6. Schools can encourage parental involvement in many ways.
Significant parental involvement is most likely to develop when schools actively seek out ways to get parents involved and offer training programs to teach parents how to get involved in their children's education.

7. Parental involvement lifts teacher morale.

Schools and teachers benefit from parental involvement because involved parents develop a greater appreciation for the challenges that teachers face in the classroom. Teacher morale is improved. Communication between home and school helps a teacher to know a student better, which in turn allows the teacher to teach the student more effectively. Communication also helps to dispel any mistrust or misperceptions that may exist between teachers and parents.

8. Parental involvement benefits children and parents.

Becoming involved in their children's education, moms and dads get the satisfaction of making a contribution to their children's education and future. They have a better understanding of the school curriculum and activities and can be more comfortable with the quality of education their child is receiving. They spend more time with their children and become able to communicate better with them. Some studies show that a parent's participation in a child's education may inspire the parent to further his or her own education.

9. Time constraints are the greatest barrier to parental involvement.

Lack of time is the top reason parents give for not participating more in their children's education. Lack of time is also cited by school personnel as a reason for not seeking parental support more actively. Thus, effective solutions to enhanced parent involvement require freeing up the time of parents and teachers or finding ways to work around their schedules.

Note: Project Appleseed, the National Campaign for Public School Improvement, initiated National Parental Involvement Day in 1994 and Public School Volunteer Week in 1997. The last National Parent Involvement Day was on November 15, 2007. The next Public School Volunteer Week is the third week of April 2008.

This CNN discussion illustrates why parental involvement in education matters.
NCLB on Parental Involvement
One of the purposes of NCLB is to encourage parents of disadvantaged or underachieving students to get involved in their children's education. This goal is accomplished by requiring the education system to reach out to parents by communicating effectively with them and by providing opportunities for parents to learn how to assist their children. Some of the more important initiatives for parental involvement under NCLB are discussed below. These programs apply to Title I schools, which under NCLB are schools with high numbers of disadvantaged students.
Schools must communicate effectively with parents.
NCLB stresses effective communication with parents and lists specific information that must be communicated. Schools are required to inform parents of their rights to be involved. Schools must notify parents about all school programs and report on their students' progress. Schools are required to describe and explain to parents the curriculum, the tests used to measure student progress, and the expected student proficiency levels. Communication required under NCLB goes much further than simply notifying parents by written announcements or reports. Parents with limited English proficiency must be accommodated, to the extent possible, with communication in a language that they understand. Schools may be required to provide transportation, child care, or home visits if necessary to reach out to parents and get them involved.
A school-parent pact demonstrates a commitment by schools and parents to improve students' academic performance.
NCLB emphasizes that schools and parents share responsibilities for improving academic achievement. Accordingly, each participating school is directed jointly to develop with parents a school-parent pact to articulate how they will help children to meet the state academic standards. Under the pact, the school is responsible for providing a high-quality curriculum and instruction in a supportive and effective learning environment. Parents' responsibilities include supporting their children's learning by monitoring attendance, homework completion, and use of extracurricular time, volunteering in classrooms, and participating as appropriate in decisions pertaining to their children's education.
Schools take an active role in building capacity for parental involvement.
NCLB recognizes that some parents do not know how to participate in their children's education and that some schools do not know how to reach out to parents to get them involved. Thus, schools are required to educate teachers and other school personnel about reaching out to and work with parents as equal partners. For parents, schools are directed to offer materials and training to help parents work with their children, including literacy and technology. Schools also assist parents in understanding the state academic standards, monitoring a child's progress, and working with teachers to improve achievement.

This video explains how parental involvement contributes to positive results.
Tips for Being an Involved Parent
The following are some suggestions for moms and dads who wish to get involved or become more involved, with their children's education. It is important to remember that doing even one thing on the list can make a difference in your child's academic progress.

1. Read with your children and talk with them about the books and stories you read

2. Help your children work on homework assignments

3. Organize and monitor a child's time

4. Tutor a child with materials and instructions provided by teachers (or found on the internet)

5. Attend and actively support school activities

6. Volunteer in classrooms, on field trips, or for special events

7. Continue to be involved as your child is in middle and high school

8. Attend parent-teacher meetings

9. Talk with your child about school on a daily basis

10. Be an advocate for your child to make sure that the child's needs are being met

11. If a problem arises, address it quickly by requesting a meeting with the teacher

12. Advise the teacher of any issues at home that may affect the child's school performance

13. Vote in school board elections

14. Encourage your children on successes and support them on poor performances

15. Take classes at a community college or adult education program to demonstrate to the child that learning is important

16. Participate in PTA or other parent organizations, school advisory councils, or committees

17. If your child's school does not have a program for reaching out to parents, become an activist and persuade the school or school district about the importance of parental involvement

18. Consider involving grandparents, who may be retired and have more time, in their grandchildren's education

The extent of Parental Involvement
While teachers and other school personnel agree that parental involvement leads to better achievement, there is some controversy about how far that parental involvement should extend. For example, most educators resist having parents involved in hiring teachers, paying teachers, and other personnel matters. Moreover, choosing textbooks and developing curricula are seen by teachers as requiring an expertise that parents do not have. NCLB seems to recognize this sensitive issue by limiting the rights of parents to areas involving parent participation. For example, parental involvement policies must be developed jointly with schools and parents, parental feedback about the parental involvement policies is encouraged, and parents have a say in the use of the Parental Involvement Fund.

This video offers a look at the basics of parental involvement.
Conclusion
Parental involvement in a child's education is an advantage that money cannot buy. All parents, regardless of economic status, race, or primary language, can do simple things like asking a child about school or attending a parent-teacher meeting. Being involved in your child's education not only helps your child to achieve more academically, but it also lifts teacher morale and provides you with the satisfaction of making a difference in your child's education.

Questions? Contact us on Facebook. @publicschoolreview

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Parental Involvement is Key to Student Success - PublicSchoolReview.com

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Parental involvement plays an important role in student success.

# data[].attributes.body
Here is the school's website if you want more information about the school.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
8th Grade EOY Packet 23-24 8th Grade End-Of-Year (EOY) Activities 8th grade students were given the 8th Grade EOY packet with information regarding all activities and events. It is important that all families read through the packet as it contains eligibility criteria...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
8th Grade EOY Packet 23-24 8th Grade End-Of-Year (EOY) Activities 8th grade students were given the 8th Grade EOY packet with information regarding all activities and events. It is important that all families read through the packet as it contains eligibility criteria...

# data[].attributes.body
If you would like your student to have mentor, please check out this website.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Funds are appropriated by the legislature to the Florida Department of Education each year for Mentoring/Student Assistance Initiative grants and School and Instructional Enhancement grants. The purpose is to improve student performance for low-performing, at-risk students by providing additional learning opportunities; increasing personal responsibility and community involvement; discouraging drug and alcohol and weapon use, and other delinquency involvement; reducing dropout rates; and improving academic achievement.

Best Buddies International provides mentoring activities to intellectually challenged students to help them become integrated with other students and promote social inclusion in the community. Middle schools and high schools throughout the state are targeted. Each chapter pairs students with and without intellectual challenges in one-to-one friendships. Through their Best Buddies friendships, these students learn social skills, develop self-confidence, and in some cases learn leadership skills within the club.

The Big Brothers Big Sisters program provides mentoring activities for at-risk and low-performing students, addresses unmet needs at low performing schools, and provides training and support to mentors. They work within low-performing schools to provide academic assistance to students who are identified as at-risk in one of the Florida Standards learning areas. Students are assigned to a mentor and a case manager who tracks the students' success. Activities include one-on-one mentoring, homework support, extended classroom learning, and addressing individual skill gaps.

Boys & Girls Clubs provide tutoring and mentoring services for at-risk and low-performing students after school. Activities include Power Hour (homework help and tutoring which raises students' academic proficiency), Power Learn (reinforces and enhances skills and knowledge learned at school), Goals for Graduation (teaches students the concept of academic goal setting), other academic activities, family engagement and collaboration with schools.

The Girl Scouts of Florida's "Get Real" Mentoring Program is designed to provide mentoring activities for at-risk middle school girls to improve their student performance. The participants are provided reading and writing opportunities, as well as interactive activities that teach life skills. This program connects these students with caring community members that serve as mentors. The goal of the "Get Real" curriculum is to increase the girls' motivation and ability to make positive life choices that will impact school performance.

Orlando After-School All-Stars (ASAS) Project ASAS-FL is a collaboratively designed, community-driven initiative providing targeted, structured, academic support, enrichment activities and workforce education for 975 socioeconomically disadvantaged students in grades 6-12. The programs and services are provided to the targeted students at schools in three ASAS chapters in Florida (Orlando, South Florida (FIU) and Tampa). All programs occur on the host campuses during the afterschool hours as well as during the summer. The general goals of Project ASAS-FL are: providing a safe environment, improving academics, and career awareness and readiness.

Take Stock in Children provides mentors and college scholarships for low-income students between 6 th and 9 th grades in order to enhance their likelihood of college preparation and attendance. This program provides students with college and vocational-technical scholarships, volunteer mentors, student advocates, tutoring and community support. Each child signs a contract agreeing to maintain good grades, to remain drug and crime free, and to meet with his/her mentor regularly to receive the scholarship. Each student is assigned a caring adult mentor who meets with the student at his/her school for one hour each week.

Teen Trendsetters, a program of the Barbara Bush Foundation, serves academically at-risk students by providing mentoring activities through the Teen Trendsetter Reading Mentors (TTRM) to improve student performance. High school students are recruited and trained to mentor 3 rd grade students in one-to-one reading sessions. These sessions may occur before, during or after school. The mentoring and reading materials for TTRM are designed for students at different reading levels and to incorporate different learning styles. The mentor training provides a practical hands-on approach to working with the mentee and the reading materials.

The YMCA READS! Program provides mentoring and tutoring assistance to at-risk 1 st and 2 nd graders in reading. Using the Systematic Instruction in Phoneme Awareness, Phonics and Sight Words, the volunteer mentors not only assist students in their reading mechanics, but they also work to instill a love of reading and literature. First and 2 nd graders are referred from low-performing schools or schools that have a high percentage of students scoring below grade level in reading. YMCA READS! site coordinators and volunteer mentors work with the students in small groups, on a 1:2 basis or on a 1:1 basis, mentoring the referred students in reading as well as character development and building self-esteem.

For more information on mentoring and student assistance initiative programs, please contact:

Tiffany Chandler, Program Specialist
Phone: 850-245-0679
Tiffany.Chandler@fldoe.org

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Mentoring/Student Assistance Initiatives & School & Instructional E

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Funds are appropriated by the legislature to the Florida Department of Education each year for Mentoring/Student Assistance Initiative grants and School and I.

# data[].attributes.body
This website further explains how important a parent/guardian can be in a student's education, and this website offers more resources on how parent/guardian can further help their student.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
When the Center launched Parent Power! Newsletters almost ten years ago, it was with the busy parent in mind who needed to know a lot in a short amount of time. Over the years we've provided counsel and advice to thousands of parents who don't have time to become a policy expert but need a better way to assess the conventional wisdom and challenge their schools to succeed. You can never know too much, and to that end, this section is designed to take you to school. Know that some of this material is a little dated but its ideas are evergreen.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Parent Power - The Center for Education Reform

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Since 1993, the leading voice and advocate for lasting, substantive and structural education reform in the U.S.

# data[].attributes.body
If you are wondering why a mentor for your student can be helpful, please check out this website.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Providing high-quality mentors to new teachers yields major academic benefits for students, a new study finds.

©Shutterstock.com/kmlmtz66

Past research has shown that mentors can help to address the persistent issues of teacher shortages and job dissatisfaction, preventing new teachers from burning out and leaving the profession. Without a mentor, nearly one in three new teachers leave by their fifth year, but with a mentor that ratio drops by more than half, to one in seven.

But a new study from SRI Education suggests a dramatic pass-through effect to students as well: When new teachers are part of a high-quality mentorship program, their students experience major academic gains. In the study, students whose teachers were in the New Teacher Center's mentor program gained an additional two to four months of learning in reading and an additional two to five months of learning in math when compared to their peers in the control group.

Mentorships are particularly effective, researchers found, if mentors are well trained and use strategies such as regularly observing classroom instruction and providing feedback to new teachers, and using available student data to identify areas of growth for the teacher.

The study followed over 600 new teachers across two districts, with roughly half randomly assigned to a two-year mentorship and induction program while the other half received "business-as-usual" supports.

Mentors met with new teachers one-on-one almost every week, giving lesson-planning advice and helping to analyze student work. All in all, about three hours a month were spent on mentorship meetings, a relatively small commitment for the gains in student learning.

"When new teachers are better prepared and have the skills to effectively teach, students learn more, and we can work to close the achievement gap and give kids a fair opportunity to succeed," explains Ellen Moir, CEO of the New Teacher Center.

The takeaway: The case for mentorship is steadily growing stronger. Mentors help prevent teacher attrition and improve job satisfaction-and there's new evidence that they can boost student learning too.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Providing high-quality mentors to new teachers yields major academic benefits for students, a new study finds. ©Shutterstock.com/kmlmtz66 Past research has shown that mentors can help to address the persistent issues of teacher shortages and job dissatisfaction, preventing new teachers from burning out and leaving the profession.