Research clearly shows that parent involvement is a critical factor in students’ success. Many years of research have shown that when parents are involved with their child’s education, the child has higher grades, test scores and graduation rates, better school attendance, increased motivation and self-esteem, lower rates of suspension, decreased use of drugs and alcohol and fewer instances of violent behavior.

There are many ways for parents to be involved at the Fourteenth Street School. The school has a very active PTO that meets monthly to plan ways to help support staff and students.    There are multiple opportunities to volunteer at the Fourteenth Street School, and the ways to be involved are vast and varied.  Teachers use volunteers to help chaperone field trips and special activities, to help prepare materials for lessons, to read to a student or to be read to by a student, or to assist with the implementation of a special lesson or project.  The PTO relies on volunteers to do everything from popping popcorn to staffing family activities to helping with small projects in the school or on the school property.    Parents can be involved at the school by being a regular participant at school events such as the annual Fall Jubilee or the Winter Chorus Concert.  Parents can stay informed about school activities by reading the monthly newsletter and/or checking the BSD website.

While these are all good ways to be involved with the Fourteenth Street School, the most important thing is to be personally involved with your child’s education. Talk to your child every day about school. Make reading together and talking about books a part of your family’s daily routine. Play games together often. Find ways to incorporate vocabulary and math into everyday activities. Make learning fun!