Abstract

Ryan Kerby, Superintendent for the New Plymouth School District, in Boise, Idaho, believed that parents could become a positive force in the schools in his district with the proper training and support, and he enlisted the aid of the AmeriCorps*VISTA program to help achieve this goal. AmeriCorps*VISTA members set up a parent volunteer program at the New Plymouth Elementary School where parent volunteers were recruited and scheduled through the coordinated efforts of the Parent/Teacher Organization. At New Plymouth Elementary, it was found that proper recruiting and training of volunteers went a long way towards retaining them and ensuring a harmonious classroom situation, with all working towards the common goal of providing the best possible education for students. Shannon Maynard, AmeriCorps*VISTA Leader and Publications Specialist, submitted this effective practice in April 2002.

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Issue

AmeriCorps*VISTA members routinely seek out volunteers from families of students, in an effort to involve whole families in literacy efforts. Like all volunteers, it requires time to train and manage them.

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Action

• Make sure that volunteers are recruited and trained properly. Provide the opportunity for parents who are not frequently involved in school activities to get involved, by making it safe for them to volunteer. Foster an environment where the school staff is ultimately responsible for the students and the volunteer is viewed as a guest.
• Provide a thorough orientation. Introduce volunteers to staff they will frequently encounter and show them where they will sign in. Communicate basic but necessary information such as where the bathrooms are and what the different bells mean. Cover any rules of school etiquette, such as regulations about wearing hats and chewing gum.
• Provide appropriate training so that volunteers feel competent and effective in performing assigned tasks. A volunteer who does not feel adequately trained or competent will become dependent on other teaching staff and will need additional support, which can be distracting and limiting for students. A volunteer who is oriented to the facility and given proper training in the tasks expected of him or her, will be a confident and positive presence in the classroom, and teachers will trust their students with them.
• Volunteer training should include:
  • Learning styles
  • The structure of tutoring sessions
  • Choosing age appropriate books
  • Choosing books that reflect diversity
  • Choosing books that reflect skill levels
  • Building relationships
  • Creating trust
  • Documentation (planning forms, records, logs)
• Provide suitable workstations for volunteers, such as libraries, which work well for tutoring or reading sessions. Volunteers should always be given an area in a public or open space. Never allow volunteers to be alone with a student, to avoid any possible suspicion.
• If volunteers are to help with clerical or hands-on projects, they should not have access to personal or sensitive information.
• Retain volunteers by placing them where they can best use their talents. Many organizations use a formal interview to determine the suitability of a volunteer. Find out from the volunteer what kinds of activities they would be most interested in assisting.
• Never scold a volunteer for missing a day or a time to volunteer. Ensure that your volunteers feel welcome to come back. Let them know that they were missed and encourage them to resume their volunteer activities as soon as they can. Volunteers need to know that their time and efforts are valuable to the school and the children they serve. Assign the volunteers a contact person so that they can get a substitute if they are unable to come at their designated time.
• Include the volunteer in information that reflects progress and improvements of their students.
• Show your appreciation for parent volunteers and reward them often.
• Frequently check to see if partnerships are working. Talk with staff as well as to the volunteers to ensure a quality partnership, with the common goal of educating the students. Some questions you might ask yourself include:
  • Are you using the volunteer to his/her full potential within his/her time commitment?
  • Are the teachers spending too much or too little time guiding the volunteer?
• Always be on the lookout for possible leadership demonstrated by volunteers. Encourage positive and supportive parents to take part in leadership activities such as the Parent/Teacher Organization (PTO) at the school.

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Context

During the 2001-2002 school year, through its Idaho Statewide Literacy Initiative, the Idaho State Department of Education placed 18 AmeriCorps*VISTA members in 14 different school districts throughout Idaho. AmeriCorps*VISTA members recruited and trained volunteers to act as reading buddies, tutors and mentors for children in grades K-3. The first source of volunteers sought out for recruitment was the parents and the grandparents of grade school children, and many programs have been created which involve the entire family.

• The New Plymouth School District Superintendent, Ryan Kerby, believed that parents could become a positive force in the schools in his district with the proper training and support. He enlisted the aid of the AmeriCorps*VISTA program to achieve this goal.
• AmeriCorps*VISTA members set up a parent volunteer program in the elementary school. Parent volunteers were recruited and scheduled through the coordinated efforts of the Parent/Teacher Organization.
• Parent volunteers in New Plymouth work directly with students serving as a guide or listener in reading activities.
• The America Reads program at New Plymouth is structured so that teachers can send students to the library to read with volunteers throughout the day. For many children this is the only time they have one-on-one attention by an adult.
• Other community volunteers are recruited so that there is at least one volunteer available for children to read with from 7:45 to 3:00 p.m. every day.

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Outcome

• The Parent/Teacher Organization, strengthened by the AmeriCorps*VISTA members, is a viable and working PTO that supports the school and staff, recruiting and scheduling volunteers.
• Volunteer hours each day total approximately 20 in the reading program at New Plymouth.
• A summer reading program, in conjunction with the community library, will be established by AmeriCorps*VISTA members.

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Source Documents

Related Practices

• Training parents as literacy tutors
• Getting parents involved with tutoring efforts
• Engaging parents and adults in educational activities at school

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Related sites

AmeriCorps*VISTA

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