The GEMS Parental Engagement Advisory Group
Improving school programmes and practices of Parental Engagement is at the heart of GEMS Education.
Research shows that Parental Engagement makes children better learners at home and school. It also helps students navigate the education system more successfully. Parents and families can make a vital difference to their children’s success by:
- offering encouragement, for example, by setting high aspirations and by offering praise for work well done,
- frequently having good conversations with their children about their schoolwork, progress, and the wider world, and
- actively supporting their children’s reading, maths, attitudes about school, motivation, and plans for the future
- guiding their children through the system, steering them towards higher-level courses and programmes, getting assistance if they are struggling, and helping them plan for the future.
GEMS is developing a range of approaches to improve Parental Engagement in its schools. In January 2010, GEMS staged its first Parent Engagement week, which is now an annual feature of the GEMS calendar.
To ensure it stays at the forefront of good practice, the GEMS Parental Engagement Advisory Group has been formed.
The members of the group are:
- Charles Desforges – leader of one of the most influential pieces of research into the impact of Parental Engagement in the UK
- Joyce Epstein – creator of one of the most widely used frameworks for school, parent and family partnership working in the world
- Alma Harris – world-renowned expert on school leadership and currently advising the Welsh Government on Parental Engagement
- Anne Henderson – prolific and widely respected researcher, advisor, and popular writer about effective Parental Engagement
- Bill Lucas – internationally renowned researcher and writer on learning, author of many respected, widely translated books on parenting, and chair of the Group
These world-leading thinkers advise GEMS on best practices in organizing and extending Parental Engagement in children’s learning. They provide a firm academic underpinning for GEMS Parental Engagement activities and the quality of this work.
The group is supported by Peter Davies who leads the development of Parental Engagement as part of GEMS Education Solutions.
