A series of new learning guides for families that outline what students in kindergarten through grade five are expected to know and be able to master in mathematics and English language arts at the end of each school year has been developed by Portland Public Schools.
In addition to specific academic goals, the free guides include helpful suggestions on how families can increase their child’s learning at home from engaging in conversations about their school day to participating in school events and conferences. For example, many parents ask, “What did you do in school today?” and get “Nothing” for an answer. But the guides suggest parents instead ask more specific questions such as, “What’s one thing you learned today?”
“Research shows that the more families are engaged with what their student is learning, children do better in school,” said Portland Public Schools’ Coordinator of Family and Community Engagement Chanda Turner, who spearheaded the two-year project to develop the learning guides. “Engaging families and the community directly in student learning is a key strategy for Portland to improve academic achievement.”
Electronic versions of the learning guides are available on the district’s website. Hard copies are available at all elementary schools, the Multilingual Office and the Academics Office. The guides are available in eight languages: English, Acholi, Arabic, French, Khmer, Somali, Spanish and Vietnamese.
For more information, contact Portland Public Schools Coordinator of Family and Community Engagement Chanda Turner at turnec@portlandschools.org or 874-8100.