Eighteen parents of Palm Springs Unified School District students recently received special “graduation” certificates during a ceremony celebrating their completion of the district’s first “Project 2 Inspire” program.
Under the direction of the district’s parent coordinator, Ingrid Lin, the program consists of three levels of education aimed at developing school capacity to meaningfully engage parents in their children’s education with the goal of increasing their child’s academic achievement.
“The program works with parents to increase their knowledge about schooling to ensure that they have vital information about high-quality educational options for their children,” Lin said. “It offers school, family and community engagement opportunities that involve all stakeholders and building action teams that lead to partnerships among schools and community members.”
The 18 graduates will teach level one of Project 2 Inspire at six or more schools during the 2015-16 school year. They have been named “ambassadors” who will serve as mentors to other parents and build capacity throughout the district. The modules in the program are aligned with the district’s strategic plan, and the Project 2 Inspire program is organized through the California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE). Lin worked with the support of the Palm Springs Teachers Association on the program, as well.
CABE’s Project 2 Inspire goal is to “provide high quality parent education and leadership development to teach parents how to create a positive learning environment at home and how to engage, motivate and support their children’s success in school.” The program is offered in both English and Spanish.
At the graduation ceremony, held at the District Service Center, the parents showed off words and phrases related to parent involvement along with puzzle pieces to represent the action words that they live by on a daily basis.
The district’s Parent Center is located at 333 S. Farrell Drive in Palm Springs. The resource center is open daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and parent courses on a wide array of topics including educational technology, financial well-being, interacting with your child through literacy, A-G requirements, and college and career financial support, are offered in mornings and early evenings.
[“source-desertsun.com”]
