Introduction+to+the+topic+of+Effective+Parent+Councils

=Introduction to the topic of Effective Parent Councils: = = = The information regarding effective parent council groups is fractured, vague, and in many respects, shallow. Even defining a parent council proved an arduous task. What our group did conclude, is the metaphor of parent council groups as constellations is appropriate; there is not one, shining star that is the answer to effective parent councils. Instead, it is a constellation of factors, similar in that they combine to form a picture of more effective schools, but disimilar in that those factors making the parent council effective are dependant on context.

The research suggests that there is no overwhelming evidence supporting a correlation between parent council involvement in school and student achievement (see Corter & Pelletier, 2004; Pharis, Bass & Pate, 2005; Leithwood, Jantzi & Steinbach, 1998; Nygaard, 2010). However, Fullan (1997) notes that while the presence of school councils may not improve student achievement, "nothing motivates a child more than a climate in which learning is valued by a partnership pf school, family and community" (as cited in Pharis, Bass & Pate, 2005, p.35).

So, out focus question is born of this conundrum:


 * 1) During the 1990s, departments of education in all the Canadian provinces introduced legislation requiring all publicly funded schools to form parent advisory councils
 * 2) The reserach, however, provides little evidence to suggest that parent councils impact student achievement
 * 3) So, __** what should the role of parent council groups **** in our schools be ** ? __