Families & the Community Blog

K-12, Parents & the Public

Andrew L. Yarrow has studied and written about education for The New York Times, the U.S. Department of Education, and Public Agenda and, as a parent, is no stranger to parental involvement in education. This blog is no longer being updated, but you can continue to explore these issues on edweek.org by visiting our related topic pages: families & the community.

Families & the Community Education Engagement: Parting Thoughts
While staffing a table at a "family empowerment" fair at my son's school last month, I thought: These are the rewards and limitations of parent and community engagement in schools. On the one hand, some parents were getting information that may bolster their children and families, contributing to educational success. On the other, I, and we, should be reaching so many more parents.
Andrew L. Yarrow, December 9, 2010
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Families & the Community K-12 Partnership Report Now Available Free Online
The K-12 Partnership Report is published 10 times a year online to provide partnership and foundation leaders with information they can use in designing strong and sustainable community/school initiatives.
Andrew L. Yarrow, December 3, 2010
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Student Well-Being Intergenerational Tutoring Program Launched in East Harlem
A new partnership has been formed among the Union Settlement Association, the OASIS Intergenerational Tutoring Program, and AT&T New York to bring intergenerational tutoring to East Harlem's public schools.
Andrew L. Yarrow, November 30, 2010
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Special Education Eighty-Year-Old Advises Schools on Engaging Disabled Pupils
Donald Stedman, nearly 80, launched New Voices to help young people with extreme mobility and communicative disabilities get good educations in public schools.
Andrew L. Yarrow, November 23, 2010
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Budget & Finance A New Meaning for Sweat Equity in Schools
State aid to New Jersey's public schools is down $900 million. The school's Halloween auction raised $430.
Andrew L. Yarrow, November 19, 2010
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Families & the Community Americans Like Their Communities Because of Schools, but Don't Necessarily Like Schools
A pretty environment and good schools are more likely to make people "connect" with their communities than jobs, economic development, and low crime rates, according to a new report
Andrew L. Yarrow, November 15, 2010
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Families & the Community 'Even School Groups Are Being Manipulated by Big Insurance'
According to my local source, PTAs are being asked to jump through hoops by their insurance companies, particularly when they are sponsoring athletic activities, but even when they're having regular meetings.
Andrew L. Yarrow, November 15, 2010
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Families & the Community Vounteer Basketball Coach Sues Local PTO
A California father is suing a parent teacher organization for being pushed out of his volunteer basketball coaching position.
Andrew L. Yarrow, November 11, 2010
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Student Well-Being Web Site Offers Online Mentoring Connections
Icouldbe.org's online mentoring connects mentors and at-risk youth in low-income communities and focuses on college preparation for these teenagers.
Andrew L. Yarrow, November 10, 2010
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Families & the Community Does Biological Child Development Trump Parental Involvement?
In 2010, many are quick to think that technology has made parental involvement in early childhood learning less necessary or less important. Indeed, it sometimes seems as if a tech-savvy generation is wiser, able to learn at younger ages, and more worldly than earlier generations. Not so, says new research.
Andrew L. Yarrow, November 3, 2010
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Families & the Community Webinar Training for Family Engagement
Foundations, Inc., a nonprofit committed to improving educational experiences for America's children, is offering a webinar, "Involving Families in Your Program," November 4 at 1 pm.
Andrew L. Yarrow, November 3, 2010
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Student Well-Being PTAs Target Halloween for Anti-Obesity Effort
The National PTA announced that 22 of PTAs around the country will receive grants of up to $1,000 to conduct activities to promote good nutrition and physical activity as part of its Healthy Lifestyles Month.
Andrew L. Yarrow, October 29, 2010
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Education Do Wired Schools Lead to More Engaged Parents?
While one may learn of a back-to-school night or a school fair via Twitter or Facebook, how much does this really translate into greater school involvement? Do schools, teachers, and, more importantly, students, benefit from all this?
Andrew L. Yarrow, October 28, 2010
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Education Funding New Philadelphia Partnership Sets $100 Million Goal
The Philadelphia School Partnership was established last week with $16 million in anonymously given seed money, and set a five-year goal to raise $100 million and invest in initiatives to boost student performance.
Andrew L. Yarrow, October 27, 2010
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