Parents help build stronger Hartford schools

     By Rich Fahey

Sam Saylor

It has been said so often it seems engraved in stone in front of every school building: It’s almost impossible to have a successful school without strong parental involvement.

Add to that a corollary: Parents, teachers and students working together towards a common goal are an unbeatable combination
for student achievement and success.

At the forefront of the parental involvement movement in Hartford are members of the Hartford PTO Presidents’ Council, made up of representatives from the city’s 38 schools, with 46 voting representatives in all. The members of the council were sworn in at the March 20 meeting of the Board of Education.

Working with them to strengthen relationships between home and school is Jackie Hardy, Hartford Public Schools senior director for family and parental involvement. Hardy oversees a variety of programs designed to increase parental involvement, including Saturday seminars for parents and the Parent Power Institute, an evening and summer program that helps parents support their students’ academic work.

The Parent Power Institute’s four-week summer program, held at the University of Hartford, provides parents with an oncampus
experience that exposes them to the classroom work and teaching methods that their children are receiving. It also helps them with personal job readiness, computer training and communication skills.

“We give them strategies that will help them work at home with their children, as well as make them more confident and effective when they visit a school” said Hardy.

Hardy said parental involvement at the elementary level is strong, but is not as strong as students move to higher grades.“All of the research shows that students with involved parents do better. Children feel and need that support,” she said.

Ongoing communication between parents and teachers outside of PTO meetings or open houses is also important. “We encourage teachers to make calls to homes even when the children are doing well,” said Hardy. “Positive reinforcement is critical to student success.”

Hardy started her educational career as a teacher in Baltimore and has been in Hartford for 10 years. The best part of her job is “to see the results when a parent realizes what a difference they can make.”

Another part of her job is to make parents feel welcome when they visit a school. “We need them to know that we want and need them. We want them to be satisfied customers,” she said.

Businessman Sam Saylor is president of the PTO Presidents’ Council. Aveteran of 20 years of involvement in the Hartford schools, Saylor represents the Hartford Transitional Learning Academy, where his son is a student.

“Everybody has a role to play in this,” said Saylor, who sees his role as being involved in fundraising issues for the schools, making sure the schools are managing their resources effectively, harnessing the energy of parents who want to be involved, and helping parents learn constructive leadership skills.