PS 295 and MS 443 are separate, ethnically
diverse performing arts schools
housed in the same building. Many of
the students’ recently arrived immigrant families
speak languages other than English at home. To
help increase parent involvement at the school,
PS 295 collaborated with MS 443 to offer a free
conversational English class to its parents. The
class meets for one hour-long session each week
in the shared library.
By having more parents who speak
English, PS 295 and MS 443 hope to increase
parent involvement and communication with
the schools. The administration also hoped
that knowledge of English would help parents
in other aspects of their lives. Though both
PS 295 and MS 443 already have high levels
of parent involvement, the schools worried that
parents who did not speak English would feel
excluded from the school community. Even
outside the schools’ own goals, administrators
knew that teaching English would provide the
parents with a valuable life skill.
The PTAs and Parent Coordinators
at both schools sponsored the program, with
the two principals providing classroom accommodation.
A bilingual teacher, whose child
attends MS 443, instructs the class entirely
in English. On average, 18 parents attend the
class each Tuesday morning. They learn English
vocabulary and grammar, as well as written
skills, such as filling out job applications. In
addition to the regular English sessions, the
schools offered a mini-class for English-speaking
parents to learn Spanish. The program cost
approximately $30 per class, which the schools
split.
The ESL for Parents program has
helped increase parent participation and improve
school-home communication at the two
schools. The PTA reports that more non-English
speakers now participate on parent committees.
Some members of the class even formed
a Bilingual Library Squad that volunteers in
the school library while practicing their English
skills. PS 295 and MS 443 plan to expand the
program next year to accommodate even more
parents and make the school community more
inclusive than ever.