UIC Study Highlights Monroe/LSNA Community Learning Center Success at Engaging Parents

A recent study by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago documented a very high level of parent engagement at Monroe Elementary School and in the programs offered to adults through the school’s Community Learning Center.
 

Four hundred parents at Monroe were surveyed to learn about their perceptions of the school and their participation in the community learning center’s programs. The study sought to learn about the unique success of the community center’s focus on supporting not only students but parents and other adults in the community. The study found that the center at Monroe offers 13 programs for parents and adults in the community. Some of the programs offered include G.E.D. classes in English and Spanish, English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, the Parent Mentor program, weekly conversations with the principal, family science and math nights, self defense classes, a seamstress group, and music lessons.
 

Results indicated that 94% of parents at Monroe were aware of at least one of these programs and 71% of parents had participated in at least one program.
 

The results of this study show that the work of Monroe’s Community Learning Center creates a setting for successfully engaging parents in programs that promote parents’ development, allowing them to be more involved in their children’s education.