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CONTACT: Matt
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October
20, 2014 – First Lady of Georgia Sandra Deal and State School Superintendent
Dr. John Barge announced the I CAN Play a Role Campaign, an engaging way for parents
and stakeholders to come together around the common purpose of improving
student achievement, during a kickoff event Monday,Oct.20 at the State Capitol.
The campaign will run through the month of November, which is Parent Engagement
Month in Georgia.
Through
the campaign, parents are asked to choose from 15 different I CAN Play a Role
pledge cards, which provide them with concrete ways to get involved in their
child’s education. The state’s goal is to receive 50,000 parent pledge cards to
impact family engagement and student achievement in Georgia.
Parent
engagement is a priority for the Georgia Department of Education, and a key
part of its work with Title I schools. For more information on those efforts,
parents can visit
link.
“Parent engagement is the key to success for our youth. We want
parents and caregivers to have their own conversations about how to keep their
families strong. Whether we engage them in recovery treatment, prevention
activities, or education, our communities that utilize parental involvement
have stronger outcomes for children,” Mrs. Deal said. “Parent engagement is not
just beneficial for individual families; it also affects our communities.
Schools depend on the support of parents for the needs of the classroom, the
community environment and the successful education of its students. Similarly,
Georgia’s workforce depends on students who obtain the best education
possible. Parent engagement plays an integral role in a child’s future.
Parents serve as role models who help children to dream of who they would like
to be. the more educated and skilled children become, the more opportunity they
have to impact their future. Georgia’s schools produce the state’s workforce;
and the better prepared our students are for jobs, the greater their impact
will be on the future of our state.”
“The
research is clear on this point: when families and communities come together to
support their schools, students achieve at higher levels,” State Superintendent
Dr. John Barge said. “Engaged parents can make the difference between a school
that’s barely getting by and a school that’s thriving. I encourage all parents
to make this pledge to be involved in their child’s education, and I thank them
in advance for doing so. The support of engaged families is an absolute
necessity in the work we do – we cannot succeed without them.”
Parents
who are engaged and empowered to become actively involved in their children’s
education are a crucial part of a school that is functioning properly. Parents,
schools, families, and communities working together can create meaningful
partnerships that ultimately lead to significant gains in student achievement,
across the board.
I
CAN Play a Role pledge cards will be distributed by Title I schools, and they
are available online at
this link. Resources for parents interested in increasing their
involvement, and for schools working to increase parent engagement, are
available at
this link. Learn more about the Georgia Department of Education’s Parent
Engagement Program at
this link.
Here’s
what other speakers at the Parent Engagement Month Kickoff Celebration had to
say:
Rita Erves, 2013-2015 President – Georgia PTA: “We have
all heard it said a thousand or more times in a thousand or more different
ways. The bottom line is that there is only ONE formula that results in
student achievement and success: family + school partnerships. The
winner in this simple equation is without exception, every child. The
Georgia Parent Teacher Association (“GA PTA”) recognizes the powerful role that
parents play in this partnership. For the fourth consecutive year, we are
pleased to collaborate with the Georgia Department of Education to utilize the
newly-revised Georgia Parent Leadership Awards. We will acknowledge
parents from around the state who have made
significant contributions to this amazing formula.”
Amy M. Jacobs, Interim Commissioner of the Georgia Department of
Early Care and Learning: "The Department of
Early Care and Learning is honored and excited to join with the First Lady, the
Georgia Department of Education, and the other sponsors of the I Can Play a
Role campaign to impact family engagement and student achievement across our
state. Children begin learning from the moment they are born. As their children’s
first teachers, families play a critical role in
supporting learning at home and at school."
Gaye
Smith, Executive Director – Georgia Family Connection Partnership: “School systems
alone cannot be solely responsible for educating our children. It takes a
community effort to achieve the results we want for all our children.
Partnerships between community organizations that connect resources to support
schools in overcoming barriers to student access are essential, as well as
reinforcing a year-round learning process, including afterschool hours,
holidays, and summers when students are not in the classroom. That is one of
the roles Georgia Family Connection county Collaboratives play – connecting
communities to schools.”
Deborah
Rogers, State School Superintendent’s Parent Advisory Council: “I am so happy to be part of such a worthy
endeavor of challenging parents across Georgia to become engaged with their
children, which will only lead to success in school. As a parent we all must
remember that education starts at home and getting involved, being involved,
and staying involved are all ways that parents can ensure the success of their
children’s educational paths.”
After
the kick-off event, attendees had the opportunity to visit with state partner
organizations that play a key role in engaging families:
·
Communities In Schools of
Georgia
·
Georgia Department of Education
·
Georgia Department of Early Care
and Learning
·
Georgia Family Connection
Partnership
·
Georgia PTA
·
Parent to Parent of Georgia
·
United Way of
Greater Atlanta
