Hold a Panel Discussion                                                        Tool 8

 
Program Action: Hold a Panel Discussion

Purpose
Families meet with school representatives to learn how to take part in making school system decisions.

Staff develop community partnerships with school representatives.

Suggested Materials

Tool 8-Parent Action: Take Part in Making Decisions
Questions for Panelists
Panel evaluation forms

Tips for Leaders

    · Invite school representatives, former Head Start parents, and community leaders to be part of a panel discussion.
    · Prepare ahead of time a list of questions concerning parent involvement in decision making.
    · Send or give the Parent Action pages to parents along with an invitation to attend the panel discussion.
Leading the Discussion
    · Give panel members a set time limit for answering each question.
    · Use both the prepared questions and others from the audience to involve all panel members in sharing information.
    · At the end of the session ask parents to complete an evaluation and share any unanswered questions with you. Use the information to choose next steps for helping parents get involved in decision making.
    · Publish a summary of the meeting and the next steps you have planned in your newsletter. Check to see if panel members have more information you might include in the newsletter.

Parent Action: Take Part in Making Decisions

Outcome: Parents have an important part in making decisions about the education and care their child receives. Follow these steps to make sure your voice is heard.
 

Navigating a new system
Schools and programs have different ways of making decisions. During a transition into a new school or program, parents need to find out how they can get involved in making decisions.
Decision making in Head Start

Parents in Head Start have specific decision- making powers.

Policy Council: A majority of parent representatives and other community representatives on Policy Council share decision making about the program with the governing body and management team.

Parent Committee: Groups of parents for each center, home-based program, or other options make decisions about curriculum and other child activities, as well as parent activities.

Each Parent: Head Start staff and parents work together to decide what activities should be developed to match their child's strengths, interests, and needs, as well as personal and family goals.

Beyond Head Start
When children transition out of Head Start, parent decision-making powers may change. Many schools do not need parent approval to make program decisions. But, they do offer ways for parents to become involved in decision making.

In any school or program parents have the right and the responsibility to be involved in making decisions about their child's education.
Moving to Title I Schools

Many children will transition into Title I preschools and elementary schools. These schools receive federal money to help make sure that low-income students receive the support they need.

Parents in Title I preschool programs have some of the same decision-making powers as those in Head Start because these preschools must follow Head Start Program Performance Standards for child development and education.

In Title I elementary schools, parents must be involved in making decisions about how the school uses Title I funds and how it involves parents. Every Title I school has resources you can use to find out how to become involved.

Action Step: Find out more about 
Title I decision making by:

  • Attending Title I Parent Information Meetings
  • Contacting the school or state Parent Involvement Coordinator
  • Reviewing the written parent involvement policy and school-parent compact

 
Making decision for your child
Making decisions in your school
Advocacy Issues

During transitions you can ask questions about how these and other decisions are made about your child's education.

Your child's school

  • Are children assigned a school or is there a choice?
  • What can I do if I want my child to attend another school?
  • What programs ar available if my child is gifted or talented, speaks another language, or needs after school care?
Action Step: Choose how you 
will take part in making 
decisions about your child
  • Fill out and sign forms
  • Sign permission for records to be transferred
  • Meet with one or more staff members
  • Ask someone else to talk with staff
  • Help develop an individualized education plan (IEP) if your child has special needs
  • Discuss concerns with district or state level school administrators
  • Request a hearing to review a decision
 Advocacy Issues

You can be an advocate on many issues in your program.  Parents can help make decisions about:

  • Parent involvement policies
  • School-parent compacts
  • School improvement plans
  • Curriculum plans
  • Parent group goals
  • Community partnership initiatives
  • Fundraising
Action Step: Choose how you
will get involved in making
decisions about the program
  • Serve on a Policy Council or a school advisory committee such as the School Improvement Planning Committee
  • Join and lead parent groups
  • Meet with the principal or parent involvement coordinator to discuss your own ideas or the parent group's ideas
  • Review and comment on the ideas presented to parents by committees or school staff
  • Vote on decisions presented to parents


 

 
Making decisions in your community

Advocacy Issues
You can get involved at the local, state, federal level, where decisions are made about the following issues:

Standards

  • What students should know
  • How they will be tested
Accountability
  • Whether schools are responsible for what students learn
  • Whether teachers should take tests and continue training regularly
Safety
  • How to make sure children have enough adults watching them
  • How to make sure school buildings and grounds are safe
Funding
  • How much money schools need
  • How to pay for more services in schools


Action Step: Parents play a big
part in making these policy 
decisions. Choose how you will help.

  • Speak at policy and budget hearings
  • Sign and circulate petitions
  • Call or write school board members, legislators, media representatives
  • Keep up to date on which candidates support education
  • Vote!
Take the next step

Action Step: The steps below
can help you get involved with
decision making for your child,
program, and community


  1. Learn what decisions need to be made.

 
 
 
 
  1. Gather related information on the topic.  What are some of the choices?                   Which one do you support?

 
 
 
 
  1. Meet with school staff to share your information and ideas and find out what they think.

 
 
 
 
  1. Review your choices again.  You may be ready to make a decision or you may want to continue discussing ideas.  Find out who else can help you.


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