Palmetto Elementary/Middle School
invited parents of students who were
having behavior problems to a series
of Parent Support Workshops. During these
meetings, which were held twice per quarter,
parents learned strategies for helping their
children become better students. They also gave
parents an opportunity to share their stories
with other parents facing similar challenges.
Palmetto specifically targeted students who were
receiving the most disciplinary citations and
were at risk for referral to an alternative school.
Many of the students at Palmetto come
from impoverished families, and some have
incarcerated relatives. Knowing that students
who attend alternative schools may have trouble
with law enforcement, the teachers at Palmetto
wanted to do whatever they could to help the
students improve their behavior and stay in
their home school.
The assistant principal worked with
the district parent liaison to develop topics for
each Parent Support Workshop. The liaison
researched those topics and created a presentation,
giving parents strategies for helping their
children stay in school, including establishing
reward systems at home. The parents also saw
a video about the importance of children having
boundaries, rules, and chores.
Getting parents to attend the workshops
proved to be the biggest challenge. The
parent liaison solved this by driving some
participants to the events. The school also offered
lunch or breakfast at the support sessions,
making it easier for more parents to participate