Jennifer Armenia

Case Study 4: Family Math Night

ISLLC Standard 4

 

A school administrator is an educational leader who promotes the success of all students by collaborating with families and community members, responding to diverse community interests and needs, and by mobilizing community resources.

Questions:

1)      How does the principal collaborate with parents to help reach school achievement goals?

2)      How does the principal collaborate with local businesses to help address community needs and interests?

Description of Situation

            One of the school wide goals in the elementary school is to improve students’ achievement in math.  Because of this math goal, our school decided to have a family math night for the parents and students to attend. 

At the family math night students and parents would learn games and activities they could do at home to reinforce the concepts they learned at school.  In order to make this night successful it was necessary to get assistance to provide supplies for the activities.  The goal was for all students to be able to take home some supplies so they could do activities at home without having to buy things.  The school’s partners in education assisted in this buy donating some supplies that were necessary.  Along with local businesses by donating supplies, one business agreed to provide dinner for families for a reduced price. The idea behind this was that parents wouldn’t have to worry about feeding their children before coming to family math night.  They would be able to provide their family with dinner for a relatively low cost and would be able to participate in the games and activities as well. 

Many parents were contacted to help with picking up needed supplies, organizing the supplies and setting up for family math night.  Some school funds were used to purchase games that were math related and those games were used as door prizes for the students.  Students ate dinner in the cafeteria where they also received their math bag with directions for the activities, a deck a cards and a few other materials needed for the games.  After dinner the students proceeded to the gym where teachers were available to teach them how do the activities that were in their math bags.  The students were very excited about eating pizza as well as seeing their teachers after school hours. 

            Answers to Questions

1)      In this case the principal contacted parents to ask for assistance in organizing family math night.  Parents helped to make flyers, generate games and activities that could be played with few inexpensive supplies and put together math bags for each child.  Parents were also used to help set up the cafeteria and gym for family math night.

2)      The principal asked local businesses to donate supplies to the school in order to make family math night a success.  The supplies that were needed to inexpensive and could be used for many different activities.  Businesses agree to donate supplies as well as provide pizza at a reduced price to make it easier for families to afford.  Holding family math night was in the interest of the community since it will help students develop math skills which will better prepare them for jobs in the future.

Evaluation of Case Study

The level of performance in this case study is proficient.  I think the family math night was a great success and was well planned.  Local businesses in the community were used to acquire supplies and food which helped make family math night a success.  The principal asked for parent volunteers to help organize the event so all the planning wasn’t placed upon the principal.  Parents felt like they made a contribution to the school by donating their time as well as help students by reinforcing concepts the students had been taught in class through the use of games and fun activities.  The only suggestion I have to improve this case study would be to provide transportation for families that were unable to attend due to the lack of transportation.  In this particular school it is mainly Hispanic students that are unable to attend these activities due to the lack of transportation.  Providing transportation would allow help the school respond to the diversity in the school and incorporate more of the population in the extra activities the school offers.