Strategy 2:
Parent-child activities
Many parents in the programs we studied felt that their children’s growing sense of independence limited the amount of support and supervision that they as parents could provide. As the children made the transition to the middle grades, parents also began to feel less qualified to help with school work that required specialized knowledge. Programs responded to these particular concerns by giving parents and children opportunities to become partners in a variety of learning experiences. These experiences placed children and parents outside of their established, home-based patterns of interaction. As parents and children learned together, they developed new ways of relating to one another and began to see themselves as co-laborers in an educational pursuit. Parents gained the confidence they needed to help with their children’s school work, and children began to see their parents as learners and participants in the life of their school- or university-based programs.
A Love for Science
In the Bronx, sixth-grade students and their families get together on a weekly basis to work on hands-on science projects at a reconstituted neighborhood school. After dining together, the families disperse to different classrooms and spend the evening working on science activities that build upon what the students are studying in science class. The curriculum, designed by Columbia University faculty, offers a number of options for extending the learning experiences beyond the school and into cultural institutions around the New York metropolitan area. As a result, many families have taken trips to places such as the New York Botanical Garden and the Liberty Science Center in New Jersey.
The semester-long experience culminates with a special evening that gives families a chance to reflect on their experience in the program and to exhibit their finished projects. “It was unbelievable to see family after family stand up and say how much they love science after being part of this. One father was sobbing,” recalls Naomi Barber, director of Bronx ENLACE, the organization that partnered with a local middle school to offer the science program. Barber also noted that the families’ positive experience created a “buzz” around the neighborhood and resulted in the school having a large waiting list for next year’s class of incoming sixth graders.
Computing Together
Parents at Cesar Chavez Middle School in Waco, Texas also have opportunities to learn with their children in a school setting. Through the GEAR UP Waco program, parents can enroll in ESL, GED, or computer classes that meet in the evening once a week. Child care is provided, but children are also welcome to join their parents as they learn. Working together in a relaxed atmosphere gives parents and children an opportunity to gain valuable skills, and encourages them to seek venues where they can continue to build on those skills.
Matt Williams, director of GEAR UP Waco, tells of a mother and daughter who went through a computer class together. They worked together on the computer to figure things out—whether it be using a word processor, surfing the Internet, or doing email, Williams says. As the mother’s language and technology skills grew, so did her comfort level in interacting with school personnel. This resulted in her becoming familiar with school-based resources, and eventually having her daughter identified as gifted and talented. Her daughter also began participating in additional enrichment activities offered by GEAR UP Waco.
Mother-Daughter Bonding
Several mother-daughter teams can also be found learning together through the Junior League of Austin’s Hispanic Mother-Daughter Program. In addition to other services, the program offers four day-long events throughout the academic year for mother-daughter teams in the program. The kick-off event of the year is a ropes course that allows girls and their mothers work on team building and develop leadership skills. Other events include a community service day, a College & Career Fair, and a day based on the ‘Soy Unica! Soy Latina!’ education initiative. This latter offering covers topics related to peer pressure, self-esteem, and substance abuse prevention.
Each event consists of presentations conducted in English and Spanish, followed by a time for the mothers and daughters to raise questions or voice opinions on the topic of the day. The events “give the moms and daughters an opportunity to talk about some of the tougher issues—like sex education and birth control—that they normally wouldn’t talk about,” explains Rose Escalona, director of the program. “That subject is pretty much taboo in the Hispanic family, so the parents welcome the information that the program provides,” Escalona says. Other discussion topics have included the desirability of attending colleges close to home versus those in other cities or states.
The vignettes above illustrate the impact that shared learning experiences can have on parents and children’s perceptions of one another other and of the people that can help them in their pursuit of postsecondary education. “For example,” says Escalona, “if we send home a note indicating that the child’s grades are falling, the mother will meet with us. When the daughter sees [that], she’s assured that her mom is interested in how well she’s doing.” Furthermore, parents make valuable connections to people in the institutions that can eventually help put their child on the path to college.
