Estados Unidos: EDUCATION: Why schools are now teaching parents, not just kids

América del Norte/ Estados Unidos/Junio de 2016/The Press Enterprise

RESUMEN: El Distrito Escolar Unificado Corona-Norco abrió un centro el 7 de junio para ayudar a Rangel y otros padres a obtener recursos para ayudar a sus hijos a que les vaya mejor en la escuela. El Centro de Padres, ubicado en un edificio de ladrillo, en la calle Sexta en el centro de Corona, ofrece clases de inglés, talleres de liderazgo, talleres, grupos de apoyo y otros servicios. El distrito, que está alquilando el espacio de la ciudad de Corona, gastó $ 600,000 en mejoras incluyendo nuevas alfombras, pintura, pared seca, computadoras, mesas y sillas. Los padres pueden obtener café y relajarse en un entorno acogedor, dijo Cassandra Willis, coordinador del centro. «Nuestro objetivo es ayudar a construir una relación con la escuela de su hijo», dijo Willis.
Otros distritos escolares del interior de Temecula a San Bernardino han abierto centros de padres en los últimos años como parte del plan de responsabilidad del estado que exige una mayor participación de los padres. En muchos distritos, el dinero para la participación de los padres proviene de la fórmula de financiación del estado que entró en vigor en el año académico 2013-14. El distrito ayudó a más de 2.200 padres en el año escolar que acaba de concluir en su centro principal en la Avenida Magnolia junto a la Escuela de Adultos de Riverside y en dos oficinas satélite. Una oficina satélite es móvil de 5 de julio a partir Escuela Primaria Longfellow a Bobby Bonds Park, mientras que otro está en el centro de la comunidad Villegas Ysmael. Además de lo académico, Holmes dijo que los centros conecta a las familias a los bancos de alimentos, refugios, centros de salud, asesoramiento y otros servicios sociales. Pueden inscribirse en talleres y aprender habilidades tales como la enseñanza de sus hijos a leer y prepararlos para la universidad.
Jerry Rangel has lots of questions about his kids’ education.
The 37-year-old Corona resident wants to know about Common Core academic standards, state tests, funding formulas and other issues. But he said it’s hard getting information because the office staff at his sons’ schools are so busy.
“You feel like a number,” said Rangel, who has two sons in middle school and one in elementary school. “You’re battling five other parents for attention.”
Rangel doesn’t have to jostle for position with other parents any more.
The Corona-Norco Unified School District opened a center June 7 to help Rangel and other parents get resources to help their children do better in school. The Parent Center, housed in a spacious brick building on Sixth Street in central Corona, offers ESL classes, leadership trainings, workshops, support groups and other services.
The district, which is leasing the space from the city of Corona, spent about $600,000 on upgrades including new carpet, paint, dry wall, computers, tables and chairs. Parents can get free coffee and relax in a welcoming environment, said Cassandra Willis, the center’s coordinator.
“Our goal is to help them build a relationship with their child’s school,” Willis said.
Other Inland school districts from Temecula to San Bernardino have opened parent centers in recent years as part of the state’s accountability plan that calls for more parent involvement. In many districts, money for parent engagement comes from the state’s funding formula that took effect in the 2013-14 academic year.
The focus is on helping the parents of low-income students, English learners and foster youth.

MEETING BASIC NEEDS
“They come in saying, ‘My kid is difficult to deal with and is not doing well at school,” said Keyisha Holmes, coordinator of the Riverside Unified School District’s Parent Resource Center. “I don’t know what to do.”
The district helped more than 2,200 parents in the recently concluded school year at its main center on Magnolia Avenue next to Riverside Adult School and at two satellite offices. One satellite office is moving July 5 from Longfellow Elementary School to Bobby Bonds Park, while another is at the Ysmael Villegas Community Center.
In addition to academics, Holmes said the centers connects families to food banks, shelters, health clinics, counseling and other social services. They can sign up for workshops and learn skills such as teaching their kids to read and preparing them for college.
“The center acts as a liaison with families and community partners to have basic levels of needs met so education can become a focus,” Holmes said.
The Moreno Valley Unified School District teaches Spanish-speaking parents who are new to the United States about the public education system and the importance of getting involved. Many immigrant parents view school officials as authority figures who shouldn’t be questioned, said Beverly Lopez-Armijo, the district’s parent involvement specialist.
By STEPHEN WALL / STAFF WRITER
KURT MILLER, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Fuente: http://www.pe.com/articles/school-806284-parents-district.html