Recognizing that family involvement is crucial to student success at school, CTA and the California State PTA are co-sponsoring an outreach campaign statewide.
Celebrities Edward James Olmos and Debbie Allen are featured in various components of the campaign, which includes radio and print ads and public service announcements offering tips for families to help children learn.
Celebrities Edward James Olmos and Debbie Allen(below) are leading the effort to enlist families in helping children learn. Brochures and fliers can be downloaded from CTA's Web site or ordered in bulk. In late-breaking news, the FOX Family Network has decided to give the Olmos public service announcement national exposure.
"A quality education depends on a partnership between students, teachers, and families," says CTA President Wayne Johnson. "By supporting and nurturing their children's learning efforts, parents are supporting teachers."
"Increased family involvement with both students and teachers will improve the quality of student learning in California," says state PTA President Jan Harp Domene.
Four radio ads, which are airing until Nov. 25, feature CTA Vice President Barbara E. Kerr offering tips for families. "Studies show that kids do best when teachers and families work as a team to help kids learn," Kerr says in the spot that began airing Sept. 3. "So the California Teachers Association is offering some proven tips for families that can help you make a real difference. Tip number one is this: Ask your children what they studied in class today - what they liked and what they learned. Just asking questions shows that you care. And if you care, so will your child."
Stations airing the ads include KFMF-FM in the Chico-Redding market, KFBK-AM in Sacramento, KFOG-FM in San Francisco, KYSR-FM in Los Angeles and KFMB-FM, San Diego.
Building on the momentum of a Los Angeles news conference kicking off the campaign in early September, CTA is reaching out to ethnic communities as well. Print ads ran in several African American, Asian, Latino and Native American newspapers during the first half of the month. The campaign's radio ads are also running on Asian-language stations in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
A print ad offering tips for families features African American actress, dancer/choreographer and producer/director Debbie Allen. She won two Emmy Awards for her role on the television series "Fame," went on to direct "Family Ties" and "Bronx Zoo," and then to produce Steven Spielberg's film Amistad. In the ad, Allen says, "Kids get their best chance to learn when families and teachers work together."
The campaign's public service announcements (PSAs) feature actor/producer Edward James Olmos, who played teacher Jaime Escalante in the movie Stand and Deliver, starred in other movies too numerous to mention and won an Emmy for his work on the television series "Miami Vice." Because of his willingness to take an activist role in many community causes, both on the stage and off, he's considered by many to be the voice of Latin America.
"Helping a child succeed isn't just about homework - it's also about teamwork," says Olmos in one of the PSAs CTA is asking TV stations to air for free. "Families and teachers working together gives kids their best chance to learn. So, set a time and place for homework and keep the room quiet during study. … If we each do our part, our kids can be the best students in the world."
The PSAs are being distributed in English and Spanish.
CTA is reaching out to community groups across California for campaign support. The CTA Community Outreach project involves enlisting groups to distribute a brochure of parental involvement tips.
Some of the tips for parents in the brochure are:
Meet with your children's teachers to find out what they are learning and discuss their progress in school.
Increase your children's interest in homework by connecting school to everyday life. For instance, your children can learn fractions and measurements while you prepare favorite foods together.
Set up a certain time of day that is dedicated to homework. Follow up with your children to be sure their homework is complete and turned in on time.
To further reinforce the messages about parental involvement, the campaign's TV, radio and print spots all mention the CTA Web site [www.cta.org] where parents can learn more about helping their children succeed.
The CTA Web site's home page has an icon about the parental involvement campaign. Clicking on it provides access to the campaign's messages and ads, as well as links to other Web sites addressing this vital issue.
"The success of this campaign will mean further success for our students," says Johnson. "That's a goal that parents and educators must fight for together."
Celebrities Edward James Olmos and Debbie Allen(below) are leading the effort to enlist families in helping children learn. Brochures and fliers can be downloaded from CTA's Web site or ordered in bulk. In late-breaking news, the FOX Family Network has decided to give the Olmos public service announcement national exposure.
