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Published on 11/20/1995 All articles from this issue

The parent factor and its effect on Los Altos schools

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By Merle Baruch

Special to the Town Crier

Los Altos School District, which serves six elementary schools and two middle schools, is one of the best school districts in the state. It has been recognized as such by all of its schools being awarded as California Distinguished Schools and two of the schools, Bullis and Santa Rita, receiving the prestigious Blue Ribbon Award. The student's scores in the state exams are among the highest in the state. Most importantly, the children who graduate from there continue to do well academically all the way through the education ladder. They obviously have learned the basics, as well as good study habits.

The school district also has a very committed and vocal group of parents as shown by the turnout of more than 850 parents at a recent school board meeting discussing an issue they felt strongly about - Halloween celebrations. These parents spoke out against a board proposal and effected a change. This is not the first time this has happened. A few years ago, the parents got together and helped pass a School Parcel Tax after the State cut school funds. The school board and the administration tries very hard to work harmoniously with the parents such as when changes in district boundary lines are discussed, because they know these parents have spoken strongly in favor of neighborhood schools. School Board Trustee Terri Sachs states "one of the board's goals is to continue to improve communication allowing the parents to know what's going on and inviting them to participate. The Board really cares about what the parents have to say." The parent factor is very real in the school district.

Another positive influence of the parent factor in the schools is in the quality and quantity of its parent volunteers. Superintendent Marge Gratiot feels volunteerism in the school the culture of our community. A lot of people move to Los Altos because of the wonderful reputation of the schools. Education is valued very highly in Los Altos and is reflected by parents helping in the schools. Also, she states, the schools welcome their help, whether it's through PTA or helping in the classroom, or, in any other aspect at ,or relating to, the school.

Principals Linda Echols, Dave McNulty and Brenda Dykman agree there is a sense of real partnership between the parents and the teachers. School board member Terri Sachs also agrees with this and adds this is what the school board values. Volunteers enable the schools to do so much more for the children providing the teachers with extra time, money, resources and talent. The teachers feel very supported by the parents. This type of environment is optimal for learning to take place.

Volunteers do many different things with the schools. There are at least four playground volunteers at lunch every day who supervise activities and make sure every child feels safe and secure. There are volunteers in the library, in the computer lab, music and art volunteers, and, of course, volunteers in the classroom reducing the adult-child ratio and helping the teachers in whatever way is needed. Through the PTA, many committees exist to help the school with fund raising so the school can afford new resources, such as computers, special assemblies, and field trips. The PTA also helps improve the physical learning environment (e.g. new carpets in the classrooms) adding to the attractiveness and safety of the schools and their play structures. It serves as a focus for parent interaction to the school, thereby promoting better communication which works to the benefit of the children. Another path of fund raising is through the parent volunteer organization of the Los Altos Education Foundation, which provides money for music, science, and physical education programs, school supplies, and hiring of extra teachers which lowers class size.

The number of volunteer hours and the amount of money contributed by the parents is staggering and really emphasizes a strong support for the schools. More than $800,000 was raised last year for the schools. The number of volunteer hours that were reported (and is always considered as grossly underestimated) was 74,344.

What do the parents get out of volunteering and how do they manage to do it when so many of the volunteers have full- or part-time jobs? Gina Wulff, the Honorary Service Award recipient from the PTA Council answered she wanted to be a good role model for her children and volunteering at, or for, the school showed the children in a concrete way their parents value education. She feels fulfilled and she knows she is making a difference. Also, studies have shown children do better at school if their parents are involved, Karen Lantz, past PTA President from Oak School reminds us. She helps out to give something back to the community. Lynn Palay, a parent volunteer of four years, said volunteering has helped her get to know firsthand what is going on at school from the inside, as well as helping the school obtain the resources they need to do a good job educating. Also, for her, it was a way to make friends after making a cross country move. Deb Pullen, another fourth-year veteran, talks about work and volunteering, saying she just attended the meetings that were held after work and helped at the events that were on the weekends. She did what she could because it was, and is, important to her to do something for her kids. Nancy Steedman, from Almond school, got involved from the first day at the" back to school coffee " and is still going strong three years later for the same reasons that have already been mentioned. Men play a big part in volunteering, as well. They help out with technology committees, fund raising and participating in the classroom sharing their expertise or going on field trips.

There is a danger of burnout with parents who do too much volunteering. An antidote to that seems to be moderation and variation of volunteer activities. Some helpful hints in combating burnout include working on an activity that the volunteer is comfortable with, and trying to get help if needed. Budgeting time so as not to conflict with family time is very important, Karen Lantz relates. Get involved at times that fit for you and your family. Another preventitive measure is getting recognition for one's efforts. That is where the school and PTA comes in with their parent appreciation teas and classroom awards and acknowledgements in the school newsletters. However, the most important recognition comes from the children themselves.

The children's reaction to seeing their parents at school in various capacities is mostly one of pride. There is a certain prestige given to the children whose parents volunteer a lot and are well known at school. The staff at school knows these children. Also, according to Principal Dave McNulty of Oak School, he sees the role modeling of the parents taking place as these children are the ones usually on student council and serving on committees to better their school experience. They perceive their parents' work at the school is important and valued. They seem to feel very comfortable in the school setting which might give them an extra edge.

Superintendent Marge Gratiot , who recently won an award as the best superintendent of the state of California, shutters to think what this school system would be like without the parent factor. "We'd be forced to have a less creative curriculum and the students would not have opportunities to work at different levels in the classroom. There would be no computers and the playgrounds would be all run down and less well supervised. There would be no parental feedback to help us improve our schools. This is a wonderful district and it wouldn't be this wonderful without the parents who give of their time." When the result of parent participation is happy, highly motivated and well-educated kids this is what it is all about for the many volunteers.