The Portland Public Schools is launching a new program, Parent University, to involve parents and guardians more fully in their children’s education.
The series of interactive workshops on educational topics will be held throughout the winter and spring. The workshops will be held at each of the city’s middle schools to make them convenient for families from those neighborhoods.
“Families are crucial partners in their children’s education,”said Portland Superintendent Emmanuel Caulk. “We want to empower them to understand how the learning landscape is changing as we work together to ensure that all students graduate ready for college and careers.”
The first workshop will be held on Dec. 10 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Lincoln Middle School. The workshop will focus on the updated State standards in English language arts and math, and be repeated at Lyman Moore Middle School and King Middle School, at dates to be announced.
The standards, which are being implemented throughout Maine this school year, emphasize complex content and the development of real-world skills such as problem-solving, collaboration, critical thinking and communication. The district’s curriculum area teacher leaders, along with Superintendent Caulk, will facilitate the workshop.
Parent University workshops on understanding student data will be scheduled in the spring.
All workshops are free and no registration is required. For more information, contact Chanda Turner, the district’s family and community engagement coordinator, at turnec@portlandschools.org.