“Why the PARENT Notebook?
becoming a parent.”
— Quote Source
 
“The goal is to create parent tools to use in school and for parents to use at home. ”
 

Back Story

Making a difference

Make a difference. That was the mission over thirty years ago when a new UCLA graduate, with a credential in hand, was ready to leave the ivory tower and make a difference in the world. From a classroom teacher and coordinator to a training consultant, it's always been about teaching and learning.

Corporate Experience

There have been a few “detours” along the way. I left the public school system and entered the corporate training world. I applied my teaching skills in this new envrionment while honing my skills and gaining a variety of new experiences at:

  • IBM Education Systems • Lead teacher trainer • Develop training programs and manuals for internal and commercial publications • Marketing consultant

  • McDonnell Douglas Corp. • Senior Training Specialist • Designer of training materials • Certify training programs

  • SmartClassroom™ • Marketing specialist • Curriculum adviser • Consultant for new technology development

  • Work Improvement Networks, Inc. • Consultant and Developer of curriculum and training materials for the K-12 and private sector markets

PARENT INVOLVEMENT

While gaining new skills, I was concurrently researching parent education curriculum for both personal and professional reasons. I gathered information from first person observations by interviewing parents, getting feedback from district administrators, and by attending parent education classes.

But . . . “Why the PARENT Notebook™ Company?”

Becoming a parent. Having spent so many years working with families and providing workshops and suggestions to parents . . . the challenge of how to be an involved parent AND manage family demands became very apparent. This reality forced a reassessment of parent engagement with the demands of the family dynamics.

Becoming a parent and as a teacher, understanding what I have always expected of parents led me to the simple core belief that parent involvement is “being there.” The “Knitting Story” illustrates the core belief of PARENT Notebook™.

Core Belief

For me, the following story captures the essence of parent engagement.  It supports my belief that every parent can help a student succeed.

During an awards ceremony, a young lady, who was accepted to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), spoke with gratitude about her mother who always supported her education.

“MY MOTHER . . .
does not understand calculus. My mother does not understand English. But when I studied late into the night, she was always on the sofa, knitting, so I wouldn’t be staying up by myself. When I saw my mother knitting, I worked harder to finish my assignments, so we could both go to bed.
”
— Garfield High School, Los Angeles, California

From these experiences, I realized that parents didn’t always have the information they wanted or needed to help their child do well in school. As a Title I Coordinator, I knew there were Title I parent involvement requirements, and that teachers and administrators had specific thoughts about what they wanted parents to know and do. The traditional way to inform parents was through meetings and workshops. But often, busy parents don’t make it to school.

HOW DO YOU GET MORE PARENTS INVOLVED?

THE CHALLENGE

Create tools for parents who come to school to use at school and create complementary tools for parents who don’t come to school to use at home—reaching parents where they are.

STILL MAKING A DIFFERENCE

This is the story of the PARENT Notebook™. Thirty years later, still out there to make a difference.

Teacher, Consultant, Parent

“Parents are clearly ready to help their children succeed academically, but they need better information and tools from the schools to do so—ranging from how to help with homework to how to get into college.”
— John M. Bridgeland, John J. DiIulio, Ryan T. Streeter, and James R. Mason, One Dream, Two Realities: Perspectives of Parents on America’s High Schools, Civic Enterprises in association with Peter D. Hart Research Associates for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, October 2008.

Doing Our Part

The PARENT Notebook™ publications are assembled by special needs adults. It is consistent with our belief that everyone can contribute to society no matter what obstacles they face.

The PARENT Notebook™ pages are printed on both sides to conserve paper and the 3-ring binders contain a total of 49% recycled content.