This document discusses engaging parents in their children's education to improve educational outcomes. It provides prompts for participants to reflect on how their family and community backgrounds have influenced them. Suggestions are made for easy ways to connect parents to higher education opportunities, such as designating contact people at colleges, inviting college representatives to make presentations, and networking with student groups to disseminate information. The importance of parental involvement and informing parents about the value of education beyond high school for college admission and retention is emphasized. Developing collaborative relationships between schools and colleges is recommended to fully engage families in understanding college readiness and the application process.

1. NOVEMBER 4, 2011
DON’T DISS ME—TABLE TALK REACHING THE
“UNDER-RESOURCED”
Geraldine Hayes Nelson, Ph.D.
Diversity Programming and Community Outreach
Kent State University
Paula J. Rosky, Ph.D.
Principal and Independent Consultant
Kent, Ohio

2. Engaging Parents
 A presentation based on the participants’
experiences
 Taking a look at how your family and community
formed the person that you are
 How could we ignore parents and families when we
work with students to improve their educational
outcomes?

3. Where I’m From
Keep score of how your background informed your future by adding according to each prompt.
You will share your score on the class discussion board.
1. Add 1 if your parents were born in the United States.
2. Add 1 if your parent or parents have completed college.
3. Subtract 1 if you have a parent that never completed high school.
4. Add 1 if you went to a private high school or elementary school.
5. Add 1 if you went to a private college.
6. Add 1 if you have been to graduate school.
7. Subtract 1 if your ancestors changed their names.
8. Subtract 1 if you have been denigrated because of your religion.
9. Add 1 if you are Protestant.

4. Where I’m From
10. Subtract 1 if your parents speak or spoke English with an accent.
11. Add 1 if you have lived abroad for more than one month.
12. Add 1 if you have vacationed in other countries.
13. Add 1 if you were taken to art galleries or museums by their
parents.
14. Subtract 1 if you earn less money because of your gender.
15. Add 1 if you have an immediate family member who is a doctor or
lawyer.
16. Subtract 1 if your parents were not active in school activities.
17. Add 1 if you were raised in a home with at least 10 children’s books
and 50 adult books.
**What was your score? Talk about your results on the discussion board.

5. What is the World Café?
 The Café is built on the assumption that people
already have within them the wisdom and
creativity to confront even the most difficult
challenges.
 Given the appropriate context and focus, it is
possible to access and use this deeper
knowledge about what’s important.
 We will participate in a virtual World Café!

6. Café Etiquette
 A Conversation that MATTERS!
 Focus on what matters.
 Contribute your thinking.
 Speak your mind and heart.
 Listen to understand.
 Link and connect ideas.
 Listen together for insights and deeper questions.
 Have fun!

7. Think back to a time in your childhood and the messages that you
received from the following entities that helped form your identity.
Discuss each on the discussion board.
 Parents  Discuss things you just
 Grandparents knew – maybe no one
 Religious institutions ever said them; you just
knew what were the
 Community and school expectations (roles) of
 Media – newspapers, little boys and little girls?
radio, TV, etc.  Describe the kind of
 Peers and other kids in neighborhood in which
the neighborhood or you grew up
school

8. Value Added to Effective Parental
Engagement: Parents are Resources!
 Increase academic expectation and increased college aspirations for students
 Increased early awareness of the importance, expectations, and benefits of
education
 Provide opportunities for early connection to colleges
 Strengthens relationships between parents/guardians and school districts
 Increase college readiness, enrollment, and retention of students

9. Why Parental Engagement?
 We must have a detailed plan of action to ensure parental engagement:
 Parents must be informed and engaged in a variety of avenues.
 Engage parents in efforts to remove barriers and the mystery associated
with higher education.
 Use of CMSD Partnerships with institutions of higher education to facilitate
a seamless entry for CMSD students into college.
 Assist in the creation of avenues of support for parents to their student.
 Provide information and awareness of higher educational terms and criteria
in efforts to better assist their students’ enrollment into postsecondary
education.
 A collaborative relationship must be established at target schools with
principals, and counselors at the lead!

10. 9 Easy Things You Can Do:
Establish a contact person at local higher education institutions—not just
admissions staff, but TRiO personnel (Educational Talent Search, Upward
Bound, Student Support Services). Think outside the box: The most helpful
person might be in the Financial Aid office.
Join an e-mail/distribution list (even with an office like Media Relations) to
learn about formal and informal activities that your students can attend.
Ask to be sent multiple copies of informational brochures/student
newspapers, etc. so that your students are exposed to the world of higher
education.
Ask your PTO and school auxiliary staff (secretaries, librarian, etc.) to help
you monitor media coverage about local academic institutions in local
newspapers and on the Internet.

11. 9 Easy Things You Can Do:
Invite higher education staff to make presentations to parents and
faculty/staff—not just the standard Admissions office presentations on
College Night.
Invite representatives from community based organizations (past
scholarship awarders) to make presentations to the PTO and to faculty/staff.
Network with the student council, student newspaper and even yearbook
students and staff to disseminate information to students through their
media or venues (ads in the newspaper, flyers at sporting events, etc.)
promoting access to higher education.
Recruit PTO members and Athletic Booster sponsors to staff informational
tables during the school day, at PTO meetings, sporting events, etc.
Recruit PTO members, Honor Society and Student Council students to
update bulletin boards/displays.

12. Institutional Resources & Personnel that Focus
On Student Recruitment and Retention
Unit/Program Resource
College NOW staff, Urban League, NAACP, Academic support and
Esperanza, TRiO Programs intervention
Admissions Offices Coordinates campus
Athletic Department tours/presentations
Facilitates ongoing visits to
campus
Academic or Theme Approach Provides use of meeting and
College of Arts and Sciences (STEM) or classroom space; facilitates
individual departments (i.e., Mathematic, recruitment of mentors and staff
Biology, Chemistry, Technology) to deliver presentations and
programming

13. Engaging
Parents with HS.
graduation
expectations
Exposing Parent s
Connecting to College
parents to the
Higher Education Students Readiness and
value added to
Process education beyond
HS
Student/
parent
meetings twice
per year

14. Parental involvement and the sharing of the value added to education beyond high school is
a critical factor for the admission and retention of students. Staff must have a detailed plan of
action to ensure parental engagement.
Parents must be informed and engaged in a variety of avenues. Staff must engage parents
in efforts to remove barriers and the “mystery” associated with higher education.
Partnerships with institutions of higher education can facilitate a seamless entry for students
into college; assist in the creation of avenues of support for parents to their student; and
provide the knowledge and awareness of higher educational terms and criteria in an effort to
better assist students’ enrollment into postsecondary education.
A collaborative relationship must be established at target schools between principals,
guidance office staff, and university teaching departments. District level support from
superintendents must be developed.
This synergistic relationship allows full development of family knowledge and awareness
regarding college readiness and the college application process, knowledge of career paths,
and understanding of the value added to a college education.

15. Geraldine Hayes Nelson, Ph.D.
Kent State University
Pipeline Initiatives and Diversity Programming
ghnelson@kent.edu
Paula J. Rosky, Ph.D.
http://www.linkedin.com/in/paulajroskyphd
prosky@kent.edu