Ideas to Support Schools
Welcome to the "Good Ideas" forum, where you can share ideas for supporting schools in a time of budget issues and controversy about the best ways to educate children.
This forum is open to EVERYONE in the Southwest Portland area. This includes people who don't have kids in school and those who do. It is especially designed to give a place for people who don't usually get involved in education but who care about it.
Any idea is welcome (subject to rules about obscenity and personal attacks). This is, however, a moderated forum. When you submit a post, it is checked by the forum moderator, who sends it on to the forum unless they have questions or concerns. If the forum manager doesn't send the post along right away, they will get in touch with you about their reasons for questioning the post, and give you a chance to revise or withdraw it.
Strong school libraries,
Strong school libraries, staffed by a teacher-librarian and a library assistant, are an important but often lacking part of a strong literacy program.
Some notions on supporting schools
My husband and I own Westside Academy of Kung Fu and CrossFit Hillsdale, and ran enrichment programs throughout PPS for years prior to opening our storefront in Hillsdale. I also am a certified Elem teacher and have taught throughout PPS and N Clackamas SDs. Just some (very general) thoughts...
While funding continues to be a huge challenge, it seems that schools that develop a positive "team oriented" culture do especially well in best serving the needs of students. Getting parents on board in supporting classroom teachers is always huge...and being able to reach out to ALL families in the greater community can be especially tough. It seems that different schools do well with different kinds of support. While some are not able to rake in the big bucks through fundraisers and the like, schools can indeed be resourceful in pulling from local community to get the help needed to fulfill the "dream" (or make up shortfall) so desperately needed for a given school culture. Here are some brilliant ideas as seen throughout various schools in local district(S):
Making volunteerism a serious commitment among school families (complete with training on how to be an effective class helper) and pull from local businesses to get readers in to work directly, consistently with low SES and struggling readers [see the SMART program on steroids]. I am an experienced teacher for instance and would be thrilled to come in and read to a class once a week, lead a movement program, or teach any variety of short-term class. I have never seen a PTA or school rep at the Hillsdale Business Association meetings though, nor been invited to participate in local school events though we run high-quality outreach through our business.
Improving on fund-raisers that have worked well in the past by hooking in with other schools that have done so on grand scale for long periods of time (Buckman Art Show an Sale, Used Book Sales, School Auctions that raise $thousands$...hit them up for advice~ they are doing something right. Don't reinvent the wheel with a new chair every year. Maintain good contacts!
Offering Community Building events that don't look to raise funds, but DO raise morale...Family Game Night, School Dances, Etc.
School-Wide Focus on Life Skills!!! RESPECT among/between all community members.
Quality Teacher Assistants shared, or that float between various classrooms are invaluable.
Buying quality curriculum (books and teaching tools) if the admin and staff identify areas lacking...the whole school must be on board, but can be INCREDIBLY effective!
Offer enrichment opportunities (see Young Audiences) though don't pay the high price...Friday Electives in many schools. We know a lot about this:)
Magnet schools sometimes have Community Outreach Specialists that help support classrooms in gathering materials, booking enrichment gigs, arranging field trips, garnering classroom donations from businesses and the public at large.
Americorps Volunteers or other volunteer staff in schools on staff focusing on Sustainability and Nutrition/Outdoor Education.
I'll look back to see what other write to gauge if I am offering up the kind of dialogue you are looking to promote:)
Boxtops
Some schools collect boxtops from products to turn in for cash or credits. Easy to do, collect them and give them to the PTA or sponsoring organization. No cost to you, but takes time to collect and turn in.
Visit a school in the neighborhood
Drop in, or call for a tour. Even if you aren't enrolling a student, it helps you to get a feel for the school, and improves your ability to help and understand them.