JACKSON – Parents who want to learn how to assist their children with an increasingly digital school workload will soon be able to attend workshops that will help them do just that.
The workshops will be sponsored by the Jackson School District.
Between January and April 2016, the district will host a series of workshops titled Parent University: Breakthroughs in Learning as a way to help parents and guardians become more acquainted with modern learning methods.
“We want to address some of the frustrations our parents may be having in trying to communicate with their child, especially when trying to help them with their schoolwork,” Jackson School District Title I Coordinator Lisa Koch said. “Even the best parent in the world can benefit from learning new ways to work with their child to get the best results, in both academics and behavior.”
According to district administrators, each workshop will consist of four sessions to be held in various schools. Each session will be open to parents with students in any grade level.
To accommodate parents’ schedules, Koch said workshops will be held during the day, on evenings and on weekends. Free child care will be provided.
Each session will be presented by author Sharon McCarthy, whose work focuses on parenting and its role in supporting child growth and development.
Koch said a light meal will be provided at each session to give attendees a “casual atmosphere,” as well as an opportunity to discuss challenges and experiences with their children and the digital age.
“This is not sitting and listening to someone talk to you about what you should be doing. These are fun, interactive and handson workshops designed to help parents develop better ways to reach their children and other approaches they may not have tried to help keep children organized, focused and inspired to learn,” Koch said.
Funding for the Parent University workshops was secured through the federal Department of Education’s Title I grant program, which aims to provide “local educational agencies and schools with high numbers or high percentages of children from low-income families help to ensure all children meet challenging state academic standards.”
Ultimately, Koch said, administrators hope parents from all walks of life will be able to better understand how pupils are receiving their education, while learning valuable skills of their own.
“The whole theme of Parent University is that learning never stops, this applies to parents, too,” Koch said. “We want to help our parents understand what is going on inside our schools and we want to help them so they can be better equipped to help their children.”
For information on dates and how to register, visit tinyurl.com/ouq9lya