ERIC Number: EJ767039
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2006-Apr
Pages: 5
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1529-8957
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Breaking the Silence
Latess, Joseph D.; Curtin, Susan; Leck, Glorianne
Principal Leadership, v6 n8 p38-42 Apr 2006
School administrators are often involved in change processes that include gathering input from various stakeholders in their organizations to help in decision making. They usually include other administrators, teachers, board members, and sometimes individuals from the business sector. One group that is often excluded, and is perhaps one of their most important resources, is the parents of the children who attend their schools. This "discourse of silence" may affect decisions in the school that in turn influence the performance of students. To give parents a voice in their children's education, some administrators have turned to the use of parent focus groups. This article discusses how administrators at Black Hawk High School in Pennsylvania used focus groups to gain meaningful input from parents about the process of change in their district. Excerpts from the questions used and a process tool are included.
Descriptors: Focus Groups, Educational Change, Parent Participation, Parent School Relationship, Case Studies, High Schools, Transformational Leadership, Task Analysis, Parent Teacher Conferences
National Association of Secondary School Principals. 1904 Association Drive, Reston, VA 20191-1537. Tel: 800-253-7746; Tel: 703-860-0200; Fax: 703-620-6534; Web site: http://www.principals.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: High Schools
Audience: Administrators
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A