DPS plan seeks involvement of parents for 5,280 minutes

Tracee M. Herbaugh

Published July 14, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.

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A new campaign that encourages parental involvement in Denver Public Schools is tailored for the Mile High City.

The Mile High Parent Campaign, set to begin on the first day of school this fall, is designed to track the time DPS parents spend furthering their kids' education. The goal is 5,280 minutes a year, or 30 minutes a school day.

"I'm just hoping to bring a little more awareness of the importance of parent engagement and to celebrate things that we, as parents, do on a daily basis," said Marlene DeLa Rosa, chairwoman of the Parent Empowerment Council.

Parents who enroll in the program will log their time online or complete a form that details how they assisted their children.

Suggested activities range from reading with a child, attending back-to-school night, helping with homework or taking a child to the museum.

"This is a really positive way to introduce a new conversation about parent involvement," said Stephanie Hoy, executive director of Building Assets, a nonprofit helping with the campaign.

The campaign is based on the idea that parent involvement in the academic lives of kids keeps them engaged in learning and boosts school attendance.

A 2006 study sponsored by the Denver-based National Center for School Engagement found that DPS high school students on average miss about 25 days per academic year.

"We want to focus on how parent engagement helps with school attendance, how it helps with student achievement; also how parents can participate in a really meaningful way that helps parents, students and teachers work together to acquire whatever it takes for a kid to succeed in school," said Michael Simmons, community specialist for DPS.

Those who participate could win learning-based prizes such as museum tickets, college scholarships or magazine subscriptions, in an end-of-year drawing. Classrooms with the most parent involvement have a chance to win extra field trips.

Herbaught@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5623

• July 14, 2008

  2:16 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  fastnloose writes:

  I'm so happy my grandchildren do not attend DPS schools.Public education has many problems,but this district is over the top.

• July 14, 2008

  6:44 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  jacka writes:

  YES on Amendment 47 to make the unions accountable a foster competition!

• July 14, 2008

  8:57 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  rsm writes:

  I have been on the front lines of DPS, first as a teacher and now as a graduate student. Some of the best teaching and learning goes on in DPS, they just never get credit for what they do. This is an exciting campaign, what a wonderful and positive way to engage parents and the community!

• July 14, 2008

  1:04 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  BetterEducated writes:

  "Some of the best teaching and learning goes on it DPS, they just never get credit for what they do."

  Nobody denies that a certain select number of children receive "some of the best teaching and learning." It's that there are so many children who do NOT have this experience in DPS.

  I personally felt confident I could shove the system into giving my children an OK education. That doesn't make it an OK system overall. Your statement belies the fact that in many DPS school buildings, children are thinking of one thing only: getting out -- and that their parents are thinking the same exact thing.

  When ALL children in the District receive "the best teaching and learning," then we will be getting somplace with DPS. I wholeheartedly agree with the gist of the companion article in today's Rocky: DPS FOCUSES WAY TOO MUCH ON ADULTS AND NOT ENOUGH ON CHILDREN.

• July 18, 2008

  2:05 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Diff writes:

  Brings up an idea I had some years ago - make parents spend one day per school year per child in that school helping. Make it like Jury duty, required, with all the same protections for employment as jury duty.
  It would at least give parents some insight to what goes on in the classroom and Give teachers some help - at least a few days per year with some project or activity!
  That would be a commitment to your childs and our young education and I bet some people would regard as something worse than jury duty, but it might wake up a few too.

• July 19, 2008

  4:27 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Who_Me writes:

  5,280 minutes? Wow, isn't that like 5000 more minutes than most the parents of DPS students spent in schools themselves? I'm just asking.

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