As social practitioner it is our responsibility
to ensure that we are providing a connection between the classroom and real
world and in a way that inspires social change. It is us, the educators, who
have the responsibility of education the communities and society as a whole. According
to Carbonneau (2008), “passion
appears to be an important concept to consider in education because the
teaching profession requires teachers to invest time, energy, and their hearts
in their teaching” (p. 2). The field of education requires
teachers to have a strong passion but also to continue to add to their pedagogy
and grow professionally constantly. Therefore, it our responsibility to make
sure that we are always finding ways to improve programs and initiatives at the
schools and programs we are involved in.
I
believe that one of the greatest barriers to leading program evaluations is
going to be getting everyone on board, especially the parents. One downfall to
avoid is not making more opportunities to involve parents in the process of evaluation.
Each year, the parental involvement
seems to decrease. Parents are a major stakeholder in
education because it is they who often guide their child’s educational
experience from kindergarten through 12th grade. However, one major issue is
that parents are often left in the dark or are given little information about
the major changes taking place in education. With that being said,
many students are left with no support from home when it comes to their school
experience. This directly impacts a student’s achievement and school
experience. Often, parents do not know how to be an advocate for their child or
what it even means to advocate on their behalf. One issue is that parents often
rely on teachers to provide them with any necessary information but do not know
what to ask. One way to minimize the barrier would be to teach parents how to
advocate for their child’s education is important. As
noted in Nueman (2013), “As collaborative partners, we need to address these
and other questions if we are to continue to engage parents in supporting and
advocating for their children” (p. 90). Working together with teachers can help
parents to understand that being involved in the process of evaluation can
benefit and improve the educational experience for all children. Implementing and involving all
stakeholders in the process of evaluation has its challenges but also can prove
to be very beneficial to all stakeholders involved, including principals,
teachers, students, parents, and the community.
References
Carbonneau,
N., Vallerand, R. J., Fernet, C., & Guay, F. (2008). The Role of Passion
for Teaching in Intrapersonal and
Interpersonal Outcomes. Journal of Educational Psychology, 100(4),
977-98.
Neuman,S.B.,
&Roskos, K. (2013). Why common core matters: What parents need to know.
Reading Teacher, 67(1), 9-11
