What’s Right With Our Schools: K.B. Sutton elementary parents get involved
FORSYTH, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Parents and students at K.B Sutton Elementary School flood the hallways during ‘Science Night’ to learn about how cotton candy is made, what ingredients make “slime” and when it makes sense to incorporate formulas into scientific equations.
The list goes on, but it’s not longer than Parent Involvement Specialist Brandi Pye’s to-do list of how to keep parents engaged with their children’s education, both at home and at school.
“I just do my best to get parents involved, because it definitely reflects in our students’ test scores, their grades and their academic success,” said Pye.
More than 200 students and 250 parents turned out for this month’s event.
Monroe County’s Board of Education Director of Federal Programs Sandy Colwell says, due to Title I funding, the school system can target the schools that need a parent specialist to step in and coordinate programs to keep parents actively involved in the learning process.
“We look at weaknesses and then we plan activities for our students and our parents based on those weaknesses,” Colwell says. “Actually (as) part of us receiving our Title I funds, we are required to focus on parent involvement, but it is such a huge piece of a student’s success [that] we would do it if we didn’t have any kind of mandate.”
Pye believes midday workshops, creative learning techniques, and themed after-school programs are creating a successful and healthy atmosphere for educational growth at K.B. Sutton.
Leave a Reply