October 17 Press Conference and Reception Recognize Community Organizations
Partnering with MCPS to Provide Workshops

A new Parent Academy being offered by Montgomery County Public Schools is getting high marks from parents since its launch earlier this month. Nearly 250 parents who have attended workshops agree that the Parent Academy is doing a good job of linking parents to information and resources they need to help their children succeed in school.

The Parent Academy, a project of the MCPS Department of Communications, was developed to respond to parents’ requests for information and strategies to assist them in becoming more involved in their children’s education. More than 30 workshops on a variety of topics are being offered free of charge throughout the fall. Child care and foreign language interpretation are available upon request.

“The Parent Academy provides an array of important workshops that will empower parents to help their children succeed in school,” says Board of Education President Nancy Navarro. “I hope many parents will take advantage of the opportunity to sign up for one or more of the workshops.”

The workshops, which offer practical and important information for parents, cover topics such as helping with homework, encouraging teens to make good decisions, exploring the power of positive discipline, and helping children succeed in middle school. Several workshops focus on issues that are important to parents with children needing special education services. Additional workshops will be added beginning in January 2008.

The Academy also has been very effective in reaching a culturally diverse group of parents, including those who speak languages other than English. Parent participants have students at all grade levels; 32 percent of the participants have been Hispanic, 31 percent white, 27 percent African American, and 9 percent Asian American.

“Initial response to the Parent Academy has been strong, with almost 250 parents from all parts of our community attending classes in the first weeks of the program,” says Superintendent Jerry D. Weast. “I believe this reflects the relevance of the topics and the high quality of the workshops presented by our community partners and MCPS staff.”

Eighteen community partner organizations that have assisted in presenting many of the Academy workshops were recognized at the October 17 press conference at Silver Spring International Middle School. They are:

Conflict Resolution Center of Montgomery County
Charles W. Gilchrist Center for Cultural Diversity
Identity, Inc.
Impact Silver Spring
Interages
Montgomery County Bar Association
Montgomery County Bar Foundation
Montgomery County Collaboration Council
Montgomery County Council of PTAs
Montgomery County Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health
Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office
Montgomery County Teachers Federal Credit Union
Montgomery Housing Partnership, Inc.
Montgomery County NAACP Parents’ Council
Navy Federal Credit Union
Potomac Ridge Behavioral Health System
Stepping Stones Shelter
The Dwelling Place

More information about the MCPS Parent Academy is available at the link below.