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Box Tops for Education(TM) Launches First Ever Kids' Caucus on Parental Involvement in Education

Posted on: Monday, 3 October 2005, 09:00 CDT

Box Tops for Education today announced the Box Tops for Education Kids' Caucus, a one-of-a-kind assembly of kids, parents, education officials and members of Congress to discuss solutions to improving parental involvement in education in the United States. The Kids' Caucus will be held on Capitol Hill in April 2006 and provide an opportunity for those who deal with parental involvement in education each day; parents, teachers and children, to offer practical insight to education officials into how parental involvement in education can be improved.

"As educators, we know that increased parental involvement is one of the most important ingredients needed to improve student performance," said Reg Weaver, President of the 2.7-million-member National Education Association (NEA). "We commend Box Tops for Education for recognizing the importance of funding programs that support parental involvement in education, and creating an environment where children and parents can meet together with policymakers to discuss real solutions."

"As a long-time supporter of America's schools, we know that there is a positive connection between parental involvement in education and a child's overall academic success," said Brian Peters, Manager, Box Tops for Education. "Kids' Caucus builds on our signature Parental Involvement in Education (PIE(SM)) Grant Program and our overall Box Tops for Education program which has raised $150 million for K-8 schools across the U.S. since 1996."

According to the recently released 2005 MetLife Survey of the American Teacher, new teachers consider engaging and working with parents their greatest challenge. By engaging parents, students and teachers in the dialogue on how to improve parental involvement in education, the Box Tops for Education Kids' Caucus will serve as a catalyst; inspiring creative ways to better what has been such an urgent matter for teachers.

Kids' Caucus Essay Contest

Beginning October 1 through December 1, 2005, kids in grades 5-8 can enter for a chance to win a trip to the Box Tops for Education Kids' Caucus by entering the Kids' Caucus Essay Contest. Box Tops for Education is asking students in grades 5-8 to tell them in 250-500 words, "If you and your parent or guardian were made principals for the day, how would you improve parental involvement at your school?" Kids' Caucus Essay Contest entry forms can be downloaded at www.boxtops4education.com.

Kids' Caucus Selection Process

In February, Box Tops for Education will select fifty (50) Finalists(a)--one from each state--to receive a $1,000 Parental Involvement in Education Grant (PIE(SM)) grant that will be used by their school to enhance and/or improve their parental involvement in education efforts. An expert judging panel including representatives from the National Education Association (NEA), National Coalition for Parental Involvement in Education, Parent Institute for Quality Education (PIQE) and Alison Cook-Sather, a leader in the emerging field of researching students' perspectives on education, will then select ten (10) Grand Prize winners to go to Washington, D.C., where each student and his/her parent or guardian will have the opportunity to share their creative ideas for new parental involvement in education programs with members of Congress on Capitol Hill.

"The Kids' Caucus Essay Contest gives students an opportunity to speak directly to policy makers about how to improve their schooling experiences through parental involvement," said Alison Cook-Sather, Kids' Caucus Judge and author of Education is Translation: A Metaphor for Change in Learning and Teaching. "Since students' voices are typically missing from official conversations about school reform, it is inspiring to see a program like Box Tops for Education ensuring that those voices will be heard in the Nation's Capital."

(a)Two additional finalists will be selected: one (1) from the District of Columbia and one (1) from either a U.S. territory or U.S. military based school located outside the United States, for a total of fifty-two PIE(SM) (52) grants and $52,000 in grant money.

About Box Tops for Education

Since 1996, the Box Tops for Education program has provided parents with easy ways to raise cash for their children's schools, donating more than $150 million to 86,000 schools nationwide. In addition to acting as a simple and effective fundraising tool, Box Tops for Education provides parents with simple ways to get involved in their children's education. In 2001, recognizing the impact that increased parental involvement can have on a child's academic success, Box Tops for Education established the Parental Involvement in Education (PIE(SM)) grant program. To date, this program has awarded $140K to schools across the country to expand and enhance their parental involvement in education efforts. This fall, Box Tops for Education is announcing an exciting new initiative building on their commitment to improving parental involvement in education; the first-ever Kids' Caucus.

About The National Education Association

The National Education Association (NEA) is the nation's largest professional employee organization, representing more than 2.7 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators and students preparing to become teachers.

About Alison Cook-Sather

Alison Cook-Sather, a leader in the emerging field of researching students' perspectives on education, has published articles in prominent education journals including Educational Researcher, Teachers College Record, Radical Teacher, Innovative Higher Education, and Teaching Education, and she has been invited to give talks in Canada, England, and the United States. In her book, Education is Translation: A Metaphor for Change in Learning and Teaching (University of Pennsylvania Press, in press), and in her co-edited volume, In Our Own Words: Students' Perspectives on School (Rowman & Littlefield, 2001), she argues that giving students greater voice and agency in their own educational processes is essential if schooling is to be meaningful and effective. She is currently co-editing the International Handbook of Student Experiences in Elementary and Secondary School (Springer Publishers, forthcoming).

Source: Business Wire

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