School Board Member, Washoe County, Estela Gutierrez
Enthusiastic for Parent Teacher Home Visits
Estela Gutierrez's thoughts on Parent Teacher Home Visits and commitment to work with ACTIONN appeared recently in the Reno Gazette-Journal.*
"In the past month, our community and state officials have debated student success strategies to improve K-12 education. Increasing opportunity for all children to learn at the highest level can be attainable, but not all strategies are applicable to every school. Data from best practices is imperative when making decisions about what resources trustees support and align with our strategic plan.
One strategy the Washoe County District will expand next year is the Parent Teacher Home Visit Program. This program will be expanded with existing revenue to 12 schools, six of which will include our one-star and two-star schools.
The goal of home visits is to help strengthen relationships between parents and teachers and increase student success. The district has programs at some school sites, including Kate Smith Elementary, a four-star school with a high number of minority students and students from low socio-economic backgrounds. I mention Kate Smith because of its similar demographics and student makeup to some of our one- and two-star schools.
Home visits are credited with helping to increase overall student achievement and attendance at Kate Smith, and many parents have expressed an increase of mutual respect and trust. As a product of home visits myself, I can relate to the trust factor and how critical that is in engaging my parents. My parents, like many at Kate Smith, came from a country that was different systematically. For example, the only time you met with a teacher in Mexico was when your child was in trouble. Essentially, trust among teachers, parents and students is the core of the success of the home visit program.
In order for home visits to work, the school must commit to this level of parent engagement and provide training to teachers. A home visit doesn't necessarily need to take place at a home - it can be anyplace where both the parent and teacher feel comfortable meeting. The goal is for teachers to better understand the needs and realities of their students.
No student success strategy happens alone. The district is looking at the Sacramento Parent Teacher Home Visit Program as a best practice model, which they built by partnering with community organizations in order to improve educational outcomes. Our district is committed to partnering with Acting in Community Together in Organizing Northern Nevada and other organizations in support of the Parent Teacher Home Visit Program."
For more information on the "nuts and bolts" of Parent Teacher Home Visits and their effect on student outcomes: http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/admin241.shtml
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