Parental Involvement in the Educational System: To Empower Parents To Become More Knowledgeable and Effective.

Many countries throughout the world have developed programs to encourage parents to become more involved in their children's schools and education. In Turkey, the importance of parent involvement has been recognized only recently. The parental involvement program initiated in TED Ankara College in Ankara is Turkey's first Kindergarten and primary school parental involvement program. The program, which features a blend of written materials, meetings, and parent participation in schools and classes is conducted at three levels as follows: level 1 (weekly bulletins, open class); level 2 (panolar, letters to parents and children, communication notebooks, monthly curriculum summaries, home programs, monthly brochures); and level 3 (volunteer parents for school activities, parents as assistant teachers, parents as resource persons, meetings with parents). Parents have credited the program with equipping them with parenting skills, facilitating their understanding of their children's development, and improving their attitudes toward school. Teachers have praised the program for strengthening their relationship with students' families and creating common ground for communicating with students and parents. Studies have shown that, by helping to empower parents, parent involvement programs have helped parents (especially women) with their own development, their children's development, and their community's development. (Contains 10 references.) (MN)