Schools Workshop Aims to Help Parents Help Their Kids

Hundreds Hear About Legal Rights, Practical Tips

School is more complicated than it used to be. And that's just for the parents.

Hundreds of parents, many with children in tow, attended a series of workshops Saturday designed to inform them of their legal rights and benefits and provide them with tips on helping their kids become better students.

"Education Excellence: All Students, All Parents, All Families" was a collaboration of 25 local government agencies, including the D.C. public schools and the Public Charter School Board, and community groups. The workshops were at McKinley Tech High School in Northeast.

The goal of the event was to encourage parents to become more involved in their children's education.

The expo offered "opportunities and resources for families that are committed to helping their children succeed in school," State Superintendent Deborah Gist said. "We hope that this will be an annual event and we can start to build the awareness of it."

Breakfast and lunch were provided, as was transportation to the nearest Metro station. Translators were available for speakers of Arabic, Chinese, French, Spanish and Vietnamese.

In the school gym, which was filled with about 50 exhibitors, parents filled out applications for library cards and were informed about the public library system's free online tutoring.

Many signed up for private tutoring and applied for subsidized or free child care and lunches. Others attended workshops on topics such as the federal No Child Left Behind law.

Elements of entertainment and education were woven together. Children and parents listened to a storyteller and danced to music provided by a DJ. After the music, parents heard tips over the speakers, such as, "Read with your children, be involved in your child's education and be informed."

Melinda Gray, 37, attended a workshop on how parents can help children read. Her daughter Maya, 6, is learning how to put words together; her son Mason, 3, is not far behind.

"Find a place for them to do their homework at the same time every day," advised Wendy Blackwell of the National Children's Museum. "Always start off with something you know they will know," she said. "For instance, if they are doing fourth-grade math, start with something that is from third grade, and work up to problems they will have difficulty with."

Gray said she found the workshops helpful. "It's just so hard to do this by myself," she said after a discussion on single parenting.

Parents were advised to attend school functions regularly and make sure their children complete their homework.

"This is a great start and important first step to building and enhancing a relationship between community groups, the District, parents and students," said Kim Y. Jones, executive director of Advocates for Justice and Education, a group that works to increase parental involvement in the education of children with special needs.