HOUSTON – Oct. 23, 2019 – Parents are always welcome in Spring ISD schools, but the district is designating a special day – Nov. 5 – for all parents to visit their child’s school to learn more about how they are progressing this school year.

“We’re actually calling it ‘parent empowerment day’ because there is nothing more powerful in a child’s life than an involved adult,” said Dr. Christian Winn, a Lift 6 Parent Engagement Coordinator. “When parents and guardians are engaged with what’s happening with their student, research shows gains in academic achievement.”

Across the district, campuses will be hosting parent-teacher conferences designed to build connections with parents and guardians on Nov. 5, a day off for students. But at the district’s six comprehensive middle schools, those parent-teacher conferences will look a little different this year because they will also involve the students.

“We’re excited about rolling this out in our Lift 6 middle schools,” Winn said. “We’re asking parents to make an appointment to come in with their student and visit with one of their child’s teachers. That time together will then be used to review how the student is doing overall academically, particularly on recent benchmark assessments, and then to establish goals for the year.”

These 20-minute goal-setting conferences will give teachers, students and parents the opportunity to work together to determine how each student can improve and grow, she said. “We know that when parents and teachers communicate, students are more motivated to succeed.” Winn said. “In addition, students who are part of this process and have ownership of the goals, are more invested in meeting those expectations.”

Leticia Gonzalez, a former Spring ISD principal and now the executive director of the district’s Family and Community Engagement Department, said the most important aspect of Parent Involvement Day, or empowerment day for the Lift 6 schools, is just to get parents and teachers collaborating for student success.

“We typically see a lot of parent involvement in the schools at the elementary level, but it tends to taper off as the student moves into middle and high school,” Gonzalez said. “We want our parents to know that they play an important role at every stage of their child’s educational journey, especially in the secondary grades when the classes are harder and the expectations are higher.”

Details about specific activities on Parent Involvement Day will be communicated by each campus as Nov. 5 gets closer on the calendar. Parents should look for invitations to make appointments to schedule time with their child’s teachers. At all of the Lift 6 middle schools, flyers were sent home to parents and an online appointment link is currently available on each of the Lift 6 school pages for parents to schedule a conference at the most convenient time on Nov. 5.