First Lady Crissy Haslam Releases Report on the Importance of Parent Engagement in Tennessee

First Lady Haslam releases a report on the impact of meaningful academic partnerships at 2012 MNPS Parent Engagement Summit in Nashville

NASHVILLE – First Lady Crissy Haslam today announced the release of Parental Engagement in Tennessee: A Report on the Impact of Meaningful Academic Partnerships at the 2012 MNPS Parent Engagement Summit. The event was attended by more than 300 MNPS teachers, administrators, parents, and representatives from local community organizations.

As part of the First Lady’s initiative, Haslam spent the 2011-2012 school year visiting schools across the state to learn from principals, teachers, students, and parents about the value of parent and community engagement in education and literacy development. Presented by the Office of the First Lady, the report compiles much of the information gathered during the First Lady’s School Partnerships and highlights the importance of schools and families working together to support student learning.
“Students spend on average 60-70% of their time outside the school building, so parents can have tremendous influence over academic outcomes for their children,” said Haslam. “Research shows that parents and families are essential to the education of our youth.”

The MNPS Parent Engagement Summit provided an opportunity for school staff and community partners to receive training and to engage in cross-departmental conversations about the needs, challenges, and opportunities in reaching out and partnering with parents across the district. Haslam encouraged the work of conference participants by highlighting the need for parent engagement in Tennessee and shared some of the parent engagement practices she learned from across the state.

“While not nearly exhaustive, I hope this report is informative, helpful, and encouraging to the work that continues in Tennessee,” said Haslam. “It is my hope that by focusing on parent engagement in education, we can have a huge impact on the health, wealth, and employability of Tennesseans.”

For more information about Parental Engagement in Tennessee: A Report on the Impact of Meaningful Academic Partnerships visit http://www.tn.gov/firstlady, www.facebook.com/CrissyHaslam, or follow @CrissyHaslam on Twitter.