OLD BRIDGE — In a classroom environment that changes as quickly as the technology it depends on, it’s easy for concerned parents to lose touch with their children’s continually evolving education.
In an effort to keep parents involved, Donna Kibbler, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, kickstarted the Parent University program about five years ago, with support from the Old Bridge Board of Education and various local education groups,
Kibbler said Parent University is an ongoing initiative to help parents and guardians understand the curriculum in Old Bridge schools and to provide strategies for parents to work with their children to support their learning.
More than 130 parents attended 22 workshops offered at Old Bridge High School at the program’s second biannual session on March 14.
“We have evaluation forms that we ask [attending] parents to fill out. We get very positive feedback, and we respond to the topics they suggest,” Kibbler said, adding that parents are especially receptive to free childcare that runs concurrently with Parent University, which is provided by district students enrolled in the Future Educators of America program.
Ann Marie Lockhart, the parent of an Old Bridge fifth-grader, said she had attended Parent University eight times in the past few years.
“For us the classes have proven beneficial,” Lockhart said. “They taught us a lot of things regarding [classroom] programs.”
Parent University keeps parents up-todate on recent happenings in their children’s schools, Kibbler said. Many of this year’s programs focused on recent updates in classroom technology, particularly the integration of iPads into instructional programs.
“We’re continually updating our 21st century environment so our kids are college and career-ready by the time they leave our schools,” Kibbler said.
The program’s workshops also help parents understand what will be expected of their children as they transition through the district from elementary school to middle school to high school.
“There’s also a workshop we have for parents of kids that are going off to college,” she said. “It familiarizes them with the ins-and-outs of college applications and what schools might be best for their child.”
Kibbler stressed the importance of educating parents because of a mutual vested interest between parents and their children’s schools.
“The parents need us, we need them, and the kids need all of us,” she said. “We offer a fabulous education in Old Bridge, and it comes down to the level of participation from students and their parents. [Parent University] is over in the blink of an eye, but the benefits last a lifetime.”
Two sessions of Parent University are scheduled to take place during the 2013-14 school year.
Anyone interested in attending additional programs can visit www.oldbridgeadmin.org for more information.
Contact Thomas Castles at [email protected].