To promote excellence in any school and to build up a well-developed generation, we, school staff, have to respond to what society needs and requires. Nowadays, building up an efficient citizen in society requires a nonstop and consistent follow-up from two main sources: parents and school. Each has its role, each has its method and each has its impact. However, cooperating, coordinating and collaborating make a difference especially when working on various approaches: mental, behavioral and academic.
The school relates to the individual good of students through collaborating with stakeholders to ensure academic success, professional development opportunities, and positive school culture. Stakeholders’ commitment & leadership provide support and reassurance for teachers; students and specialists reinforce their leadership priorities in promoting a learning climate, monitoring a student progress, and defining the school’s educational mission. To meet the complex challenge we face, stakeholders have committed to the success of all students and collaborate with others to achieve this aim. GAI had successfully achieved an open communication among different stakeholders which is the basis of successful school systems. Global Academy School system provides multiple opportunities to communicate their expectations to stakeholders.
At GAI, we expect and ensure desired results by maintaining high expectations for student achievement. We effectively monitor performance by using feedback procedures for improvement in instructions practices and student performance. For this reason, parental involvement and communication is applied at GAI via parent’s meetings, PTA, interviewing parents, following up with coordinators participating in school activities and programs and being familiar with the school rules and policies.
To begin with and as a first step, meetings with parents, getting to know them and becoming familiar with their background, their family matters and any kind of delicate parental situation shorten the distance between the school administration and the parents and facilitate the process of the cooperation between the two parties. Such meetings are held with the coordinators and the social workers. Coordinators and the social workers often explain to the parents what is desirable and what school rules and policies should be applied and followed.
Moreover, meetings for parents with teachers are held twice per semester. Such meetings are considered to be one of the indispensable and basic steps of parent’s involvement and communication since they assist parents to meet teachers and update themselves with their child’s academic level and behavioral level. Parents, in such meetings, are entitled to ask about any teaching tips that might help their child improve when necessary. During these meetings, stakeholders are given the opportunity to address the board directly and discuss their concerns towards the school. GAI has “an open policy” to conduct scheduled evening board meeting every month. Furthermore, report cards and progress reports are sent home on a regular basis to keep parents abreast of student achievement. All students’ assessment results are available for parents. In these report cards, stakeholders find the grades of thee quizzes and exams done by the students per semester. The students’ report cards come prior to the parent’s meeting with the teachers.
Other than meeting with the teachers, parents also meet with coordinators when it is ultimately important and when a student fails to fulfill what is requested and required. Coordinators often follow- up with teachers on anything that is related to the student and not only on the academic and the behavioral levels. Coordinators call the parents when serious matters occur and when a severe case takes place. GAI coordinators always do their best to reveal what is fundamental for the students to follow in order to achieve not only the lesson objectives but also the school objectives.
Many parents tend to think that their responsibility stops with the admission of their children in school and expect the rest to be carried out and followed by school authorities. This is why Parent Teacher Association is considered an essential component of any educational institution. It plays an integral role in how the school functions. Such associations are usually organizations for teachers and parents to work together for the school’s welfare and to improve the quality of education in the school.
The members of the parent teacher association at GAI meet every two or three weeks in order to discuss its work. The PTA creates awareness among teachers and motivates them to keep on doing their best with students. Furthermore, PTA provides support for the teachers when needed and understand the teacher’s decision when it comes to teaching strategies and classroom rules. The GAI PTA develops a mutual understanding, congenial and harmonious relationship between parents and teachers. Eventually, it fosters educational partnership between school and home for the child’s benefit. For this reason, stakeholders are invited to attend meetings and discuss issues or expectations with the school administrators. Administrators and teachers are always available for scheduled parent –teacher conferences.
Surveys are another tool used to evaluate stakeholder’s satisfaction and expectations. An on-line paper survey is made available to parents, teachers’ and support staff to assess areas that need improvement. Such surveys are considered a fundamental part done by the stakeholders because they reflect parental insights and the changes that they want to implement and execute. The involvement of the stakeholder’s in all the above programs serve as an opportunity to communicate directly with the code of student conduct and school handbook are disseminated annually to all parents. School newsletters are also used to keep parents current with school events and activities. Moreover, formal memos issued by the administration are sent to parents through the school website to keep them involved.
So far, Global School had developed a professional learning community by sharing a vision and goals that have student learning as the focus. We are leading for improvements by engaging in practices that support the ongoing improvement of teaching and learning. Our school is led by a vision that appreciates education and proves that education goes beyond books and classrooms. It simply enables children’s growth and helps them discover a value system that can be their compass in the world.
Briefly speaking, when it comes to the students well being; the teachers, the parents, and the school administration should join forces in order to construct a decent and responsible citizen ready to deal with everyday situations and crucial circumstances that might come along the way. Enhancing education, providing the best educational atmosphere and provoking students to bring the best in them is not only the teacher’s job or the school’s job, but it is also related to the parental involvement and communication.
We set out ambitions and coherent program aimed at positioning GAI as applying one of the best educational systems. While much has been achieved, but we still want to build on our accomplishments. We will continue to focus on system improvement, partnership with parents and the local community.