The Idea

There is no topic in education on which there is greater agreement than the need for parent involvement! Families want to know how to help their children do their best, and how to communicate with the teachers and school personnel (Epstein, J. L., Sanders, M. G., Simon, B.S., Salinas, K.C., Jansorn, N. R., & Voorhis, F. L. School Family & Community Partnerships, Corwin Press, 2002.) For ages, researchers have been studying the dynamics of the family and the relationships upon which learning is built.

Families care about their children and want to be good partners. Often the roadblocks of time, easily accessible information, consumer friendly materials, and willing partners make the process of involvement cumbersome, at best, and sometimes very nonexistent in many communities.

If we are going to help students improve, parents are one of the major, key ingredients to energizing this success. Not only do parents need to be involved, but also they need to feel they can contribute to this equation of dynamic learning in the 21 st Century.

The Plan

The Parent Academy will be the “first of its kind” in the country. Partnering with higher education academicians, K-12 practitioners, actively engaged parents, and the public and private sectors, The Parent Academy (TPA) will offer M-DCPS’ parents the opportunity to enjoy an academic collegiate environment AND learn how to help their children succeed. Partnering with higher education, the goal is to have buildings, facilities, and resources harnessed to open college classrooms to parents all across this county. Within these walls of higher learning, parents will be offered a myriad of classes ranging from “The A,B,C’s of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, “ to how to Help My Child with Math! Parents will have a rich menu of opportunities, which will include basics on how to help their child, to their own life skills classes, such as How to Write a Resume for a New Job!

The Parent Academy will also host credit-awarding accelerated coursework for parents who want to earn their degrees! Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a cadre of trained, talented teachers every year from the ranks of our wonderful parents! The opportunities for this public/private partnership are endless.

The Faculty of The Parent Academy will truly be of the 21 st century. College professors, teachers, administrators, business persons, and our very own parents will all be part of this remarkable venture. With the wealth of knowledge and skills in this town, the classes and courses can be tailored to the diverse communities, which intertwine within this dynamic county.

Organizers envision “graduation ceremonies” where children will applaud their own parents for their success. Other future plans include on-line classes and live chats with experts, demonstration teaching, parent leadership training, and a parent media center for resource building.

The “Bricks and Mortar”

Miami-Dade County Public Schools and Superintendent Rudy Crew are looking for innovative, creative, and passionate partners who want to be part of this cutting edge initiative. Miami-Dade College is one such perfect example of a higher education/K-12 partnership for parents. They could attend classes to help their child, or they could attend classes to gain further skills. And, we are looking to offer accelerated certification courses for those parents who want to expand their employment opportunities by becoming paraprofessionals, teachers, or administrators or a myriad of other certification opportunities with higher education.

The types of classes to be offered fall into a three tiered initiative:

Core Courses for parents to help their child, Growth Courses for parents to learn new skills and opportunities, and Certification Courses whereby parents can increase their employment opportunities.

Partners are needed who can offer facilities, resources, faculty members, creative ideas, funding, and a “can do” attitude for children. For further information, contact the Superintendent of Schools or the Office of Parental Involvement at 305/995-2680.

Enroll today in Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ “The Parent Academy.”

Building the Future...one parent at a time