| Parental Participation in Schools |
| Training for parents in supporting their children's education |
| Netherlands: The work of Ouders & Coo. |
| Hanka Jansma Ouders & Coo. |
| Maayke Lok-funcke Ouders & Coo. |
| The work of Ouders & Coo. |
Ouders & Coo. was established
in 1995 as a government-funded organisation to look after parents' interests.
It develops and delivers parent training in the Netherlands. Schools and
parents can become members of the organisation. The small charges for parent
training are met by the School Boards, who receive funds for that purpose
from the government. Ouders & Coo meet and train parents in their children's
own school and in several central locations in the Netherlands. The training
prepares parents for their roles in key aspects of the education system
in the Netherlands, including:
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The staff and parent trainers
at Ouders & Coo. have developed a wide range of resources. These have
been carefully designed to be attractive and easily understood by parents
in order to stimulate and encourage their interest in school and the education
of their children. The training enables parents to participate more effectively
in school life. Well-produced resources available to trainers include:
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| The following lists highlight the range of topics covered in the training of parents for the School Board, Participation Council and Parents' Council. Training is also offered to teachers in particular aspects of their work. |
| Training of parents for the School Board |
| Knowledge of the laws of Dutch education |
| Knowledge about the policy of the Department of Education |
| School organisation |
| Building management |
| Resources and management affairs |
| Questions concerning the work and tasks of teachers and parents |
| Parental participation generally |
| Rights of parents in the school |
| Training of Parents for the Participation Council |
| Participation and Employee Representation Act |
| Rights and duties of the Participation Council |
| How to handle cases of disagreement with the School Board |
| How to handle cases of disagreement with the teachers within the Participation Council |
| Communication with the School Board |
| Communication with the Parents' Council and other parents |
| Effective participation in meetings |
| Knowledge about national policy in education |
| Training of parents for the Parents' Council |
| Organisation of education in the Netherlands |
| Organisation of the school |
| Responsibilities of the School Board, Participation Council, headmaster and teachers |
| The range of parental involvement |
| Opportunities for communication with the School Board and Participation Council |
| Communication with contact-parents and other parents |
| Methods to encourage parents into school |
| The purposes of parents' activities and parents' meetings |
| Training for teachers |
| New policy and laws in education and the consequences for teachers' work in the school |
| Didactical skills |
| Class management |
| Catering for the needs of disabled children |
| Coping with pupils' individual needs |
| Teachers' role in the Participation Council |
| Teachers' rights and duties within the school organisation |
| Home Visits and Parents' Consultations |
| The following is a translation of information provided for parents on how they will be involved in supporting their child's education through home visits made by the teacher and at individual parent consultation meetings. |
| "If your child goes to the school it may be possible that the teacher will visit you at home once per year. You can get to know each other and learn about 'how my child performs in the class or group'. |
| The teacher becomes familiar with the family life of the child and can use this knowledge to form a better understanding of the child's attitudes and behaviour. The home visit can therefore be seen as a way of developing a more informed relationship between the school and the family. |
| In parents' consultation meetings, you will have the opportunity to visit the school on an individual basis several times each year and gain information about what your child is learning at school. You are also free to contact the teacher or school at other times if you have particular concerns about your child's experiences at school. |
| During home visits and parents' consultation meetings you will be able to talk about the progress your child is making. When s/he is at level 1 or 2 [4 or 5 years old], progress in reading or in mathematics will be less important than in higher levels. From level 3 onwards, it is important to understand what your child should be learning and what s/he should be able to achieve at the end of the school year. |
You need to know the answer to
three key questions.
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Early awareness of problems enables
you and the school to help your child in a number of ways, for example:
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| Ouders & Coo. has provided you with a checklist with which you can ask direct questions in your meetings with teachers. The time available at meetings is short and very valuable and with this checklist you can use your time as effectively as possible. |
| The checklist consists of several topics, each of which is divided into a number of specific questions. Particular attention is given to the attitude of your child since the school's evaluation is already made clear in the written report. You can record key points from the school report and compare these to the discussions you have with the teacher. You can also make a note of your own questions to ask or remarks to make. |
| The most effective way to use the checklist is to make a note of the questions you wish to ask and hand it to the teacher in advance of the meeting. You will be able to draw to the attention of the teacher points where your experience or understanding is different to that of the school and identify the reasons. For example, your child may be very shy at school but lively and noisy at home! |
| Preparing for your meeting in this way enables you and the teacher to make the best use of the time available." |
| Checklist for parents' meetings with teachers |
| Work |
| Does my child finish work in good time? |
| Is the work rate appropriate, too fast or too slow? |
| Can my child work independently or does s/he often need help? |
| Does s/he need a lot or a little explanation of facts? |
| Other remarks: |
| Play |
| Does s/he often overrule or dominate other children? |
| Does s/he show and take enough initiative? |
| Is s/he careful with material and equipment? |
| Does s/he play alone or with other children? |
| What are his/her preferences (toys, sand, building bricks)? |
| Is s/he a quiet child in the class? |
| Is s/he helpful? |
| Other remarks: |
| Reading |
| Prepatorial reading (lower levels) |
| Does my child know the letters of the alphabet? |
| Does s/he recognise basic words such as left/right or before/after? |
| All levels |
| Technical reading - At which level is s/he reading? |
| How well does my child read (for example, does s/he interpret punctuation correctly?) |
| Understanding reading - At which level is s/he reading? |
| Mathematics |
| Prepatorial (lower levels) |
| Does my child recognise numbers? |
| Does s/he understand basic facts such as above/under or before/after? |
| All levels |
| What is s/he currently learning? |
| What is the level of his/her work? |