PANAMA CITY — When parents are engaged in their child’s education, most teachers believe students will perform better. One local school is gearing up to show parents what kind of engagement will help student achievement.
“Parents should not be actually teaching kids at home,” said Lendy Willis, principal at Oakland Terrace School for the Visual and Performing Arts. “Parents should be involved with reinforcing what the school is doing and working on our creative goals.”
Willis said the Saturday camp will address two styles that can negatively impact a student’s academic performance parents who are not involved enough and “parents who hover” over their children.
As of Wednesday, 135 parents and about a third of the student population had registered for the camp at the relatively small school of fewer than 400 students.
Past school surveys show parents are interested in learning how to create an educational setting at home with their children, particularly in the areas of reading and math, said teacher Deniece Moss.
“We’re seeing parents want to come [to the camp], so we’re excited about the numbers we have,” Moss said. “This is a step in the right direction.”
Willis said by informing parents about instructional goals and objectives and teaching them how to reinforce them, students’ learning gains should increase. For example, parents can make multiplication flash cards and drill students.
“Everything that we give students for homework should be reading or practicing something they have already learned,” Willis said. He added the faculty is going to teach parents how to help their kids practice.
The parent camp will be held at the school Saturday for Oakland Terrace students and their parents. Registration starts at 8:30 a.m. and the camp will start at 9 a.m.