Districts can reap community engagement benefits through classroom civic lessons

The benefits of civics instruction extend far beyond the classroom. Students who understand the decision- making process become adults who are more engaged in their communities. Today’s students are the next generation of parents, school board members, classroom volunteers and voters.

Civics lessons also can impact your community immediately by engaging parents in local elections. Timing classroom lessons around the election calendar may increase voter turnout by encouraging parents to model voting for their children.

While civics education has been somewhere between unfunded and underfunded for 30 years, it is still our job as educators to prepare students for life as citizens of this country and the world. But how do we do that? Civics and politics have become intertwined and highly polarized in today’s climate. It is important that we get to the core of what makes a good citizen, which has less to do with politics than you might think.

What is citizenship?

The dictionary definition of citizenship is “(1) the state of being vested with the rights, privileges and duties of a citizen; and (2) the character of an individual viewed as a member of society; behavior in terms of the duties, obligations and functions of a citizen.” In other words, “good citizenship” means doing your part in your community.

In the classroom, talking about citizenship is a good way to bring up roles and responsibilities. What do your students think are their roles as citizens? What do they think their neighbors’ roles as citizens are? Junior high and high school students can discuss citizenship as it relates to government and the roles of government in the lives of its citizens. Current events can be a great discussion starter on citizenship. Were the citizens of Ukraine being good or bad citizens by protesting their president’s decision to side with Russia? Is Edward Snowden a good or bad citizen for leaking confidential military files?

Older students can discuss how the obligations of a citizen changed through history and how they are changing today. A good citizen in 1960 would likely have thrown his or her wrapper on the ground. Did that make him or her a bad citizen or have the duties of citizenship changed? What might the responsibilities of citizenship look like 30 years from now?

Younger children can relate to citizenship as it relates to their own lives. Do they volunteer at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen with their friends, family or church? When they eat ice cream at the park, do they throw the wrapper on the ground or do they put it in the trash can? And what does this have to do with the “duties, obligations and functions of a citizen”?

Democracy in action

Talking about citizenship is a good opportunity to discuss what the school expects of the students and show them the opportunities available to meet those expectations.

Practicing democracy when the faculty, directors or student body needs to make a decision is a good way to reinforce the ways in which people in a democracy make decisions.

Talk with staff and students about why and how decisions were made and what their role is in helping to make decisions. Holding elections for positions of responsibility is another good way to show students how decisions are made in a democracy.

Start local

The school board is a good place to learn about using politics to create change. Showing how civics engagement directly affects students is a great way to get them interested. Are any of your school board members interested in speaking about how they decided to run for office and the campaign process? People do make a difference every day, and engaging in the business of the community is one way it happens.

What do your kids care about?

What are some of the issues that bother your students? It’s easy to believe that the things they are concerned about can’t possibly matter to anyone in the government, but if they thought that, they’d be wrong.

In the 1950s, a woman named Velma B. Johnston encouraged schoolchildren, in a grassroots effort, to write to their elected officials about the slaughter of wild horses. Those children inspired the nation. The president and Congress received so many letters from young people concerned about wild horses that they passed a bill, The Wild Horse Annie Act (http://wildhorsepreservation.org/wild-horse-annie-act), which led to the 1971 Wild Free Roaming Horse and Burro Act (www.wildhorseandburro.blm.gov/92-195.htm).

Letters still hold power, especially when combined with the power of the press. How can your students use the power of the media to enhance their civic engagement?

What do I have the power to change?

Talking about citizenship and our responsibilities in the home, classroom, school, city, country and world can often lead to a discussion about what we have control of. A child may not be able to get his or her bedtime pushed from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m., but, with the help of his or her classmates, he or she can get a state legislator to visit the classroom to talk about getting funding to improve the quality of the school lunches. Don’t think so? Try it!

Learning that they have the ability to impact their larger world can be especially empowering for students who have home situations that are out of their control. Showing children they belong to a larger world in which they can play a big part can be very inspiring.

Contributed by Megan J. Wilson, commercial freelance writer and blogger

Help parents help their children succeed in school

The education students receive in school is critical, but the help they get at home may be just as important in shaping their academic success. Research shows that parent involvement is a powerful influence on children’s achievement. In fact, many studies show that parent involvement is actually more important to a child’s school success than how much money the family makes or how much education the parents have.

Students with involved parents typically:

  • earn better grades;
  • receive higher test scores;
  • are more likely to graduate from high school.

While parents are eager to help their children do better in school, many don’t have a clue how to do it. They remember struggling in math or didn’t like writing, and they don’t feel competent to help their children in those areas.

Many parents also are confused about all the new initiatives and mandates in education, such as the Common Core State Standards and new assessments. They don’t understand them and don’t know how to help prepare their kids to be ready for them.

Tools to encourage parent involvement

Schools can play a key role by providing resources so parents help their kids. Parent information nights are an opportunity to explain what the Common Core standards are and give examples of the standards at different grade levels.

Some schools prepare monthly tip sheets on topics of importance to parents, such as listing online resources for math or reading that parents can use to work with their children at home.

School websites can be an invaluable resource for parents, providing links to articles, websites and other information that could help parents become more knowledgeable and involved in their children’s education.

The Parent Institute (www.parent-institute.com) offers online resources for schools. For an annual fee, schools can subscribe to a daily parent tip sheet that is posted automatically to the school website. The tips are short, pertinent and targeted at either elementary or secondary students. Also, there is a link to other resources for parents, including a “School Success Library” with online articles on a variety of topics, from building reading skills to motivating students.

By reaching out to parents, schools can demonstrate their desire to be true partners with them in guiding and shaping students’ academic success.

A good first step would be to produce a tip sheet with the following information that you could post on your website or send home to parents.

  • Have high expectations: Parents’ expectations can have a strong effect on how their children feel about themselves and how motivated they are to succeed. Healthy and realistic expectations can encourage a child’s success. On the other hand, unrealistically high expectations can set children up for failure and lead to anxiety and discouragement when a child cannot live up to his or her parents’ goals.
  • Encourage your child to read. Reading is one of the main foundations of education. Parents can make a major difference by reading and talking about books and stories with their children. Make sure your home has plenty of reading materials that are appropriate for your child. Keep books, magazines and newspapers in the house. Set aside time for family reading and show that you value reading by modeling it.
  • Talk with your children, particularly about school. Each day, ask your children to tell you at least one thing that they learned or that happened at school. If your child answers “nothing,” ask something more specific, such as, “What did you do in math class?” Usually, children have something worth saying and are more likely to share it if you make it clear you’re interested.
  • Make math part of everyday life. Cooking, gardening, paying bills and even shopping are good ways to help your child understand and use mathematics skills. Show there may be many ways to get to the right answer and encourage your child to explain his or her method.
  • Encourage active learning. Children need active learning as well as quiet learning activities such as reading and doing homework. Active learning involves asking and answering questions, solving problems and exploring interests. Active learning also can take place when your child plays sports, spends time with friends, acts in a school play, plays a musical instrument or visits museums and bookstores.
  • Cultivate good attitudes and work habits. Parents can play a critical role in their children’s success by encouraging good work habits and other positive character traits. Some studies show that qualities such as persistence, perseverance, curiosity and grit may be even more important than IQ in student success.
  • Get enough rest. While adults only need seven to nine hours of sleep to be at their best, elementary school children need 10 to 11 hours. Youth ages 11-17 require 8.5 to 9.25 hours of sleep. You can help your child achieve his or her optimum sleep hours by encouraging a set bedtime in an area that is quiet and cool, keeping computers and other electronics out of bedrooms and avoiding caffeine.
  • Food is fuel. Eating a healthy diet can be a challenge in these busy times. Children need to eat a diet rich in nutrients, including protein, fruits, vegetables, grains and dairy. Encourage kids to help with shopping and have them pick out a new fruit or vegetable to try or help with a new recipe. Limit calories from sugars and solid fats.
  • Move it, move it! Kids who get an hour or more of exercise a day are more prepared for school, feel less stress, maintain a healthy weight, build strong bones and muscles, and sleep better. Parents can encourage this by involving the entire family in activities like walking, bicycling and playing at the park.
  • Promote responsibility and independence. Give your children some responsibility, such as doing homework, handling chores or helping with a pet. Help them break a job into smaller steps, and be aware of their activities after school. Show them that having a job is important and valued.
  • Monitor your child’s television, video game and Internet use. It should be no surprise that studies show that youngsters who watch too much television or play too many video games are more likely to receive poor grades. Set limits on how much time your child can participate in these activities on school nights.

Contributed by Connie Potter, communications director, Forest Grove School District, Forest Grove, Ore.

How to use your new vision statement

Too often, a district vision statement is just a phrase that you “put on stuff” like letterhead, lanyards and websites. If your vision is just a slogan, you are wasting a powerful tool.

If your district has a vision statement, you are one step ahead of many districts. An organizational assessment of the Salem-Keizer School District in Salem, Ore., in 2011 found that most employees knew how their jobs affected student achievement, but they didn’t know what the district vision was. In other words, the bus drivers and teachers knew why their work was important on a daily basis, but they couldn’t tell you what the vision was at the district level.

Vision versus mission

The vision is what you would see if you closed your eyes and imagined perfection. The mission is the statement of work you need to do to move toward the vision.

For example, the vision of your vacation is the hammock under the palms near a sky-blue sea. You may even picture a cold beverage sweating in the tropical heat as it waits for you. If that is your vision, then your mission is everything you need to do to get there, such as call the travel agent and pack. Mission provides direction but vision provides inspiration.

Why every district needs a vision

If all district staff knows the vision, the team is more unified, especially if there are agreed-upon measurements that help everyone see organizational progress toward the vision. Once staff members are excited about the vision, they can share their enthusiasm with the community and create great energy in support of students and schools.

Salem-Keizer didn’t have a vision statement because it had never thought of creating one. We already had a mission statement and strategic plan, but nothing captured our vision, inspired or united us. It just laid out the task before us.

For information about how to conduct a visioning process, see “Visioning: Engage your community to define educational priorities,” in the January 2014 CommunicationPlus issue. We used a similar process and ended up with a vision statement we could all understand and get behind. Our vision is, “Every student graduates, prepared for a successful life.”

Communicate your vision

The process to define the vision was successful, but the problem was that nobody knew about it. During an organizational assessment the following year, no one outside the visioning process knew about the vision statement.

This made our communications planning goal pretty clear: “All staff will know the district vision and how to tell if we are getting there.” Why staff? Because we have 20 years’ worth of survey data that tells us our community gets most of its information from our employees, not our publications or website.

Our plan was developed with cooperation from staff at all levels. We implemented and revised it over a 12-month period, and continue to revise and implement it as staff come and go.

We started with simply raising awareness among staff with internal communications efforts, including employee newsletters and weekly bulletins from the central office to the schools. The first goal was just to let people know what the vision statement was and that it had been developed by district staff, not communication staff or consultants.

Next, we developed a logo for the vision and guidelines for its use. It was important to let people know the vision logo did not replace the district logo and was not interchangeable with it. We asked that all employees use the vision statement if they had a regular signature on their email. Quotes from Mark Twain and inspirational phrases stamped at the end of employee emails were replaced with the vision statement. We provided instruction laying out the proper format, font and placement of the vision statement in email signature lines. The result has been a consistent, attractive reminder to internal and external audiences.

We developed talking points for the superintendent and other district-level administrators to use in meetings at the beginning of the year. Principals were given guidance for discussions with building staff. The messages were consistent with our previous communications, but the in-person presentations allowed us to go much deeper into the meaning of the vision and its importance.

People were beginning to notice our efforts, but the vision was easier to memorize than to illustrate. So we ran a series of feature stories and videos in the electronic newsletter called, “Living the Vision.” These stories reminded staff what the vision was, but more importantly illustrated how someone was living the vision through their work with students or in our support departments.

Getting staff excited about the organizational vision

As we continued educating staff, we opened floodgates of enthusiasm you can only get from student voices. Our “Vision Video Contest” gave students the chance to show how their schools were moving them toward our vision of graduation and a successful life. Our local educators’ credit union generously sponsored the prizes for top videos — iPads. The results were phenomenal. We featured student entries on our website and on the local newspaper’s website for several weeks. It showcased our vision but it also showcased the students, which always creates a positive buzz.

Video length was limited to allow for posting on the Web. Students used music, drama, documentary style and a variety of approaches. Some were heartfelt and moving. Others were downright funny. But all were inspirational and focused on the vision.

The kids wanted to help us communicate the vision, but the prizes were the tipping point. Kids are so busy; without a decent prize, you won’t get much participation.

The videos provided us with a library of clips to use in PowerPoint presentations and speaking events throughout the community. Each provided a glimpse of our vision as embodied by young, vibrant kids on their way to the life our community wants for them.

As our schools became more aware, they requested posters and lanyards for staff with the vision statement on them. Our superintendent took handfuls of lanyards on her school visits and handed them out to staff who the principal identified as living the vision. Soon, demand exploded and we were distributing lanyards by the hundreds.

Instead of giving them out only to people who were recommended for the honor, they became a popular fashion statement for staff and school board members. In the end, sponsors helped us with reorders to keep our budget in control.

Evaluating your results

In addition to the organizational assessment by an outside entity, we also have staff audit teams. Our Management Review Team began asking department leaders and staff about the vision during their routine audits.

When the organizational assessment team returned for the third time, the difference was astounding — to them, not us. They didn’t know about all the work we had done, but they saw the results in the employee focus groups. They asked employees about the vision and they all recited it, how their work contributed to it and how we know we are moving in the right direction.

The superintendent was pleased with our improvement, but the benefit was much deeper than assessment results. Bus drivers, custodians, principals and department administrators share pride in the common vision. Our signature maroon lanyards are recognized by staff at all levels as a kind of badge of commitment and pride regardless of job description.

Your district vision statement is too important to be simply a phrase you “put on stuff.” Get it ingrained in all of your staff and then move it out into the community. It provides much-needed inspiration and motivation to do the hard work of public schools.

Contributed by Jay Remy, communications director, Salem- Keizer Public Schools

Setting the stage for superintendent success

Research by Princeton University psychologists Janine Willis and Alexander Todorov shows people form an impression of a stranger in a tenth of a second. Making a good first impression is especially important for new district leaders. How and when the community meets a new superintendent can cause positive or negative attitudes before the superintendent even walks into the room.

Good planning, based on knowledge of your community’s culture and the style of your new superintendent, is essential to your superintendent’s success and begins long before he or she starts. This is especially true if you hire someone who is new to your community.

Thinking about your community should include:

  • An analysis of how people gather for business and social activities. For example, in some communities, important meetings are held over breakfast. Some communities plan early evening events to accommodate commuters.
  • An honest evaluation of individuals and groups. Include school supporters, supporters you need to cultivate and individuals most important to your mission.

Your plan should include:

  • a list of community members and staff — in priority order — who need to meet the superintendent;
  • the most appropriate venue for each group or individual meeting;
  • a time line for meeting the right people in the right way.

Successful transition plans

  • Have one person responsible for the plan. This person should meet with the superintendent as soon as he or she is named to discuss his or her transition into the district and identify people and groups the superintendent will want to meet right away.

    Ideally, the person in charge of the plan will be knowledgeable about the community and communications. He or she will plan with — not for — the new superintendent. The superintendent will realize the importance of making a good first impression on the right people and will turn to the planner for advice.

    Board members and other key community members will be involved in the planning. They know which community members and groups are critical to the superintendent’s success. Board members who were on the interview team already know a lot about the new superintendent and can assess that person’s style. They and other community leaders know if the superintendent is expected to visit the office of the woman who owns most of the real estate in town and meet her on her own ground or if it is all right to include her in a community reception or business leader roundtable for that first meeting.

  • Fit the style of the new superintendent. Meetings and events capitalize on the positive aspects of the new leader’s style and are comfortable for everyone involved. Some leaders are dynamic speakers and enjoy mixing with a large crowd. They learn names quickly and thrive in a setting such as a community reception. Other leaders are more comfortable engaging small groups or individuals in problem- solving or exploratory conversations.
  • Respect the public relations mantra of starting at home. Place all staff, including classified staff, at or near the top of the list. The first impression of staff members travels quickly through the community. They are seen as being “in the know” and community members accept their perceptions as reality. If staff members feel this person is the right choice to be superintendent, chances are good that positive community perceptions will follow. Some superintendents spend time in the district before their actual start date, getting acquainted with key administrators and union leaders, and visiting schools. Depending on the time of year, a back-to-school celebration or all-staff reception may fulfill the immediate need for staff to see and meet the new superintendent.
  • Recognize that timing is critical. The superintendent’s schedule during his or her first few days in office will send a strong signal about his or her priorities. There are many competing demands for this precious time. Some community “movers and shakers” expect to be first on the list. Staff members want to meet their new boss right away. Determine community members or groups that are most critical and assess methods for moving quickly through this introductory phase. Most community leaders belong to one or two civic groups where the superintendent can be scheduled to give a brief talk.
  • Provide a briefing for the new superintendent before each meeting or event. This includes a brief profile of the participants, such as their role in the community, how they are involved with schools and things that are important to them that will serve as good conversation starters.
  • Arrange for support when needed. Many superintendents appreciate someone they already know accompanying them to meetings and events. This person will make introductions and assume the role of note-taker or fact-provider when needed. If trained in communications, the person who accompanies the superintendent can provide observations about subtle responses that are strong indicators of meeting success or future needs for this individual or group.
  • Evaluate periodically and revise when necessary. Honest evaluation of community coverage and perceptions may mean revising the original plan or assigning follow-up work with certain individuals or groups. In some cases, it may mean a shortened plan because of the obvious conclusion that the stage has been set for a long, successful superintendent tenure.

Contributed by Gay Campbell, communications consultant

Key 2014-15 dates for school calendars

Here are some special days you may want to note on your 2014-15 school year calendar or take into consideration as you establish programs for next year. They are from “Resources for Planning the School Calendar,” published and distributed by Educational Research Service and National School Public Relations Association, 15948 Derwood Road, Rockville, MD 20855. Order online at nspra.org/products or call (301) 519-0496. The price is $38 per copy, plus $7 estimated shipping and handling.

2014 — 2015

Date — Observance/holiday
Sept. 1 — Labor Day
Sept. 1-30 — Library Card Sign-Up Month
Sept. 7 — Grandparents’ Day
Sept. 8 — International Literacy Day
Sept. 11 — Patriot Day
Sept. 14-20 — National Arts in Education Week
Sept. 15-16 — Mexican Independence Days
Sept. 15- Oct. 15 — Hispanic Heritage Month
Sept. 16 — Mayflower Day
Sept. 17 — Citizenship Day
Sept. 17-23 — Constitution Week
Sept. 21 — International Day of Peace
Sept. 22 — First day of autumn
Sept. 24-26 — Rosh Hashanah*
Sept. 28 — National Good Neighbor Day
Oct. 1-31 — Crime Prevention Month
Oct. 1-31 — Czech Heritage Month
Oct. 1-31 — Italian American Heritage and Culture Month
Oct. 1-31 — Polish American Heritage Month
Oct. 1-31 — National Principals Month
Oct. 1-31 — Trick or Treat for UNICEF Month
Oct. 3 — Yom Kippur*
Oct. 5-11 — National Metric Week
Oct. 5-11 — Fire Prevention Week
Oct. 6 — Child Health Day
Oct. 6 — German American Heritage Day
Oct. 8 — International Walk to School Day
Oct. 12-18 — National Educational Office Professionals Weew
Oct. 13 — Canadian Thanksgiving
Oct. 13 — Columbus Day
Oct. 13-17 — National School Lunch Week
Oct. 16 — World Food Day
Oct. 19-25 — National Character Counts Week
Oct. 20-24 — National School Bus Safety Week
Oct. 23-31 — Red Ribbon Week (Drug-Free America)
Oct. 24 — United Nations Day
Oct. 25 — Make a Difference Day
Oct. 31 — Halloween
Nov. 1-30 — Native American Heritage Month
Nov. 2 — Standard Time
Nov. 4 — Election Day
Nov. 11 — Veterans Day
Nov. 17-21 — American Education Week
Nov. 19 — Education Support Professionals Day
Nov. 19 — Gettysburg Address Anniversary
Nov. 20 — National Parental Involvement Day
Nov. 21 — Substitute Educators Day
Nov. 23-29 — National Family Week
Nov. 27 — Thanksgiving Day
Dec. 1 — World AIDS Day
Dec. 7 — Pearl Harbor Day
Dec. 10 — Human Rights Day
Dec. 15 — Bill of Rights Day
Dec. 16-24 — Hanukkah*
Dec. 21 — First day of winter
Dec. 25 — Christmas
Dec. 26-Jan. 1 — Kwanzaa
Jan. 1 — New Year’s Day
Jan. 1 — Emancipation Proclamation Anniversary
Jan. 1-31 — School Board Recognition Month
Jan. 18 — World Religion Day
Jan. 19 — Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Feb. 1 — National Freedom Day
Feb. 1-28 — African American History Month
Feb. 1-28 — National Children’s Dental Health Month
Feb. 2 — Groundhog Day
Feb. 2-6 — National School Counseling Week
Feb. 12 — Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday
Feb. 14 — Valentine’s Day
Feb. 16 — Presidents’ Day
Feb. 17 — National PTA Founders Day
Feb. 17 — Mardi Gras
Feb. 18 — Ash Wednesday
Feb. 18- April 4 — Lent
Feb. 19 — Chinese New Year
Feb. 21-28 — National FFA Week
Feb. 22 — George Washington’s Birthday
March 1-31 — American Red Cross Month
March 1-31 — Irish American Heritage Month
March 1-31 — Music in Our Schools Month
March 1-31 — National Middle Level Education Month
March 1-31 — National Nutrition Month
March 1-31 — Social Work Month
March 1-31 — Women’s History Month
March 1-31 — Youth Art Month
March 2 — NEA’s Read Across America (Dr. Seuss’s Birthday)
March 2-6 — National School Breakfast Week
March 2-8 — National Foreign Language Week
March 8 — International Women’s Day
March 8 — Daylight Saving Time
March 9-13 — Classified School Employees Week
March 11 — Johnny Appleseed Day
March 15-21 — National Agriculture Week
March 15-21 — National Poison Prevention Week
March 17 — St. Patrick’s Day
March 19 — Absolutely Incredible Kid Day
March 20 — First day of spring
March 21 — Bahá’í New Year’s Day
March 21 — International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
April 1 — April Fools’ Day
April 1-30 — National Poetry Month
April 1-30 — National Autism Awareness Month
April 2 — International Children’s Book Day
April 3 — Good Friday
April 3-4 — Passover* (First Days)
April 5 — Easter
April 7 — World Health Day
April 10-11 — Passover (Concluding Days)
April 12-18 — National Environmental Education Week
April 12-18 — National Library Week
April 15-16 — Holocaust Remembrance Day*
April 19-25 — Administrative Professionals Week
April 19-25 — National Coin Week
April 19-25 — National Student Leadership Week
April 20 — Patriot’s Day
April 20-24 — Public School Volunteer Week
April 22 — Earth Day
April 22 — Administrative Professionals Day
April 23 — Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day
April 24 — National Arbor Day
May 1 — Law Day
May 1-7 — National Physical Education and Sports Week
May 1-31 — Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
May 1-31 — Better Hearing and Speech Month
May 1-31 — National Physical Fitness and Sports Month
May 1-31 — Preservation Month
May 3 — World Press Freedom Day
May 3-9 — Be Kind to Animals Week
May 3-9 — Teacher Appreciation Week
May 3-10 — National Music Week
May 4 — Horace Mann’s Birthday
May 4-8 — School Nutrition Employee Week
May 5 — Cinco de Mayo
May 5 — National Teacher Day
May 6 — National School Nurse Day
May 8 — World Red Cross Day
May 10 — Mother’s Day
May 10-16 — Food Allergy Awareness Week
May 11-17 — National Children’s Book Week
May 16 — Armed Forces Day
May 17-23 — National Educational Bosses’ Week
May 18 — Victoria Day (Canada)
May 25 — Memorial Day
May 31 — World No Tobacco Day
June–July — Fireworks Safety Month
June 1-30 — Caribbean-American Heritage Month
June 1-30 — Great Outdoors Month
June 5 — World Environment Day
June 14 — Race Unity Day
June 14 — Flag Day
June 14-18 — National History Day Contest
June 16 — International Day of the African Child
June 18 — First Day of Ramadan
June 21 — Father’s Day
June 21 First day of summer 

*Begins at sunset on the preceding day

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