November 15, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nebraska Receives Grant to Enhance Parent Involvement in Children's Learning
LINCOLN, NE [11/15/06] - Nebraska schools, parents and students will soon benefit from a new program that will lead to improvements in student achievement, and help strengthen parents' involvement in their children's education throughout their lifetime.
The Nebraska Children and Families Foundation (NCFF), in partnership with the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) and the Munroe-Meyer Institute (MMI) at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, has received a five-year grant in the amount of $2.7 million from the U.S. Department of Education to implement a new Parental Information and Resource Centers (PIRC) program, which was created by Congress in 1995 to help parents prepare their children to learn and achieve in school.
The PIRC program will focus on communities where parents have the most difficulty being involved in their children's education due to poverty, language barriers, physical distance between home and school, and other factors. The program's trainings and communication strategies will impact children from birth through their high school years.
"Parents are some of our first and best teachers, and this program is an opportunity to help parents play a bigger role in their child's education. One of our priorities should be finding ways to utilize our educational resources to develop creative ways for parents to be more actively involved in their child's education. Our goal should be on creating an environment in Nebraska where learning becomes something that takes place not just in a classroom, but becomes a central part of family life," Gov. Dave Heineman said.
The PIRC centers will work in cooperation with the already existing 21st Century Community Learning Center programs in Nebraska, which provide an opportunity for students and their families to enhance learning and the discovery of new abilities through after-school activities.
The overall design of the PIRC program has four components, including policy change at the school level, establishing PIRC centers in high-need school buildings, creating model PIRC centers in districts that require assistance system-wide and a public engagement campaign that includes a Web site and educational materials.
Parents will be able to participate in educational activities, informal meetings with teachers, volunteer tutoring, at-home learning projects and school leadership opportunities. Concurrently, teachers, administrators and other school personnel will receive training in how to partner with families to support children's learning.
"If we are serious about the learning of all of our children, we must invest time, energy and resources in providing the best of the two factors that matter most, that is parents and teachers. Our children deserve nothing less than our best," Nebraska Education Commissioner Doug Christensen said.
According to the National PTA, parental involvement programs such as PIRC can produce outcomes such as higher grades and graduation rates, better school attendance, lower rates of suspension, decreased rates of juvenile crime, and greater enrollment in post-secondary education.
The adoption of federal No Child Left Behind standards has placed more demand on Nebraska schools to improve student achievement. Multiple research studies, including the Harvard Family Research Project, have shown that parental involvement programs like PIRC are directly linked to school improvement and better long-term outcomes for children.
"As Nebraska's Senator, I'm working to make sure the federal government upholds its promise to America's schools and provides the right resources and best opportunities for our children," Senator Ben Nelson said. "As a proud parent and grandparent myself, I know the importance of parent participation in a child's education and am excited by the possibilities of the PIRC program in Nebraska."
Nebraska's need for the PIRC program is linked to the challenges many parents face with regard to income, language barriers and work schedules - all of which influence a parent's ability to be involved in their child's school. Half of Nebraska's K-12 students live in households in which the average per capita income is $14,000 below the national average (Source: Commissioner's Report on the Tale of Two Nebraskas, www.nde.state.ne.us). Nebraska also has experienced one of the nation's highest percentages of growth in the number of English language learners-an 1800% increase since 1989 (Source: Nebraska Department of Education.)
According to the national 2005 Kids Count Data Book, 69 percent of Nebraska households with children ages 6-12 have all available parents in the workforce, making it difficult for parents to participate in school-based activities. This figure is six points above the national average. The figure for households with children under six years of age is 67 percent - seven points above the national average.
"Increasing parental involvement in their children's education reaps bountiful rewards for our young people. The PIRC program will open doors to a better education for many Nebraskans, and nothing is more important than providing for the future of our children," Congressman Tom Osborne said.
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About Nebraska Children and Families Foundation (NCFF): Founded in 1997, the Nebraska Children and Families Foundation (NCFF) is a public-private partnership whose mission is bringing people together to achieve the best results for children and families. The foundation unites Nebraska communities, government agencies and the private sector in the work of preserving families through an innovative system of grant making, programs, technical assistance, research, policy analysis, advocacy and education. NCFF is a statewide organization based in Lincoln.
About Munroe-Meyer Institute (MMI): Part of the University of Nebraska Medical Center and located in Omaha, MMI specializes in working with persons with genetic disorders and developmental disabilities. Its focus areas are education, research, training, and clinical services provided in an interdisciplinary and collaborative environment to support individuals with special healthcare needs and their families.
