Back-to-School Night Can Get Year Off to Good Start

One evening after work last week, mothers and fathers with children in tow filtered through the gate at Fairhaven Elementary School in Santa Ana. Classes had begun a few days earlier, and it was time for parents to have a look around.

Those familiar with the routine chatted quietly in the school’s small, outdoor amphitheater. Others hung back, looking around the campus for the first time.

While Principal Vicki James welcomed the group, Shannon Bell and other teachers stood patiently outside their classrooms, waiting to begin their annual sales pitch.

“It is so important to have parents on your side from the start,” said Bell, a third-grade teacher. “I’m hoping to get them to buy into me. If they trust me and know that I want the best for their children, they’ll help me.”

With its year-round calendar, Fairview runs on an unusual schedule, but similar scenes will play out at elementary and middle schools throughout the state and country in the coming weeks as principals open their classrooms to parents for back-to-school orientation nights.

Much more than a chance for parents to shake hands with teachers, educators say, the orientation nights are an important and early opportunity for teachers to explain what is expected of students and to press parents to be involved with their kids’ education.

Parents, in turn, say it is a welcome chance to assess teachers and express concerns to them about their children.

“I want to know what she’s going to be teaching my son,” said Ruth Green, whose son has started the second grade. “She should be able to point to where he is now, where he should be at the end of the year and how I can help him get there.”

After James’ introduction, six couples or single parents filed into Bell’s room. It was a disappointing, but understandable, showing for the large immigrant community where parents often work several jobs. (School officials said they had worked hard to notify parents, sending multiple notices home with students.)

“Sorry, but the seats are a bit small,” Bell said with a laugh as Kenneth Miller tried to fit his hulking frame behind his son’s desk.

Humor quickly gave way, however, as Bell got down to business and ran through her qualifications (UC Berkeley, Cal State Northridge, eight years’ teaching). “Enough about me,” she said. “Let’s talk about your kids and what is expected of them.”

Bell described a typical day in her classroom and told parents to expect their children to complete math and writing homework assignments every night. She reviewed a long list of curriculum standards required by state law and talked about standardized tests. Volunteers in class, she added, are always welcome and would help free her up to focus on the individual needs of students.

Above all, Bell implored parents to read with their children for half an hour every night to help ensure that they were prepared for future grades.

“We have to instill the love of reading in them. I can’t impress this upon you enough,” she said. “Next year, teachers will expect that your kids know how to read. There is no excuse -- I have plenty of books for you to take if you don’t have any at home.”

Parents nodded. One took notes.

Next door, second-grade teacher Anne Cody had finished her presentation and was huddling in the corner with Frank Granados and his parents. They were concerned about Frank’s tendency to become easily distracted in class and peppered Cody with questions about their son’s performance. Cody listened intently and suggested moving Frank’s desk away from those of his friends.

Pleased with the idea, Charles Granados jumped up and carried his son’s desk to the other side of the room. Before leaving, his wife signed up for a parent-teacher conference.

Officials at several school districts said they wished parents would attend the back-to-school nights as eagerly as they show up for the more popular, end-of-the-year open houses or the one-on-one mid-semester conferences. By that time, it may be more difficult to solve academic or behavioral problems.

Chris Ferguson, a senior staff member with the National Center for Family and Community Connections with Schools, a research institute, echoed the importance of programs like back-to-school nights.

“The research is clear that parent involvement can make the difference between many children passing or failing,” she said.

Teachers added that the orientation nights are particularly important at schools like Fairhaven that serve large groups of Latino immigrant parents who might be unaccustomed to expressing their concerns in public forums.

Bell, at least, seemed to get her message across. Parents lingered long after she had finished her presentation, waiting for a chance to talk privately about their children. A timid mother asked how best to help her child with homework. A father and son sat on the floor, choosing books they would take home to read.

Kenneth Miller unraveled himself from behind his son’s desk while his wife, Jessica, gave Bell bags of school supplies her office had donated. Both said they appreciated the chance to meet Bell.

“This is our son’s education we’re talking about,” Jessica Miller said. “We wanted to make sure he wasn’t just going to be another face.”