Introduction
George H. Oliver Elementary School faces various challenges that require policies strategies. I developed four solutions that are paramount in solving numerous challenges in the institution. Parental engagement programs are the most effective solution to be prioritized in the school. One of the most important reasons is that parental engagement programs help to improve communication between parents and teachers. For instance, since the school is situated in the Brickyard neighbourhood with many cases of violence and crime, it will be important for parents and teachers to put a measure that prevents their children from being recruited to deviance groups and cults. When parents and teachers can communicate effectively, it helps ensure that everyone is on the same page regarding the student’s education (Leenders et al., 2019). Parents should be engaged to solve the challenges of high turnover of teachers and the school’s principal. However, this part of the assignment will analyze each solution based on pros, cons and barriers to enlighten the school administration on the expected budget, personnel and expertise in implementing any of the solutions.
Overview of the four solutions
The first solution to increase academic performance in GHO is increasing access to technology for low-income students. The school has a website that can facilitate online learning, particularly during the pandemic. The second solution is the implementation of Trauma-Informed Care Training for Teachers to support students with traumatic experiences in the village and at home. Thirdly, introducing a parental involvement program ensures that parents engage in critical decision-making (Cutuli, Alderfer & Marsac, 2019). Lastly is implementing School-Based Health Centers to support students who need help to huge out-of-pocket expenses from facilities outside the GHO.
Pros and cons of solutions
Increasing access to technology for low-income students can help close the achievement gap, but it is important to consider the potential drawbacks, such as financial challenges. Implementing trauma-informed care training for teachers can help create a more supportive and effective learning environment for all students, but it’s also important to consider how this might impact a teacher’s performance (Christian-Brandt, Santacrose & Barnett, 2020). Introducing a parental involvement program could help improve communication and collaboration between parents and educators. However, it is also important to consider how this might affect a parent’s ability to work or care for their family.
Possible Solution One: Increase Access to Technology for Low-income students
GHO will benefit a lot from implementing new technologies. Technology has many benefits, including increased motivation among students as they use it to learn more things, including taking notes and creating assignments on their own when they are at home. This will also help them to understand what they are learning better. Teachers from GHO will also be able to monitor their student’s progress easily through this technology, improve their teaching skills, and impart knowledge more effectively. Most low-income students need help to afford laptops to use at home.
Pros
Accessing technology in school can be beneficial for low-income students. Its main advantage is that it helps students connect with teachers and parents. It also allows them to get information about classes, homework and other important topics needed for learning. The second advantage is that it will allow them to learn faster, improve their performance and also help them with their grades. One of the reasons this is so important is that low-income families are struggling financially, so they cannot afford the money and time needed to get a computer or tablet.
Cons
However, there are some cons to this approach as well: First, there is a high level of cost involved in purchasing computers or tablets for every student at GHO. Second, some students might need help organizing themselves enough with these devices. Since most of the students from the school are from low-income families, they might need more basic skills to implement the technology. It means the school have computer teachers to provide basic conceconceptsre the technology is fully implemented (Morgan, 2022).
Possible Solution Two: Implementation of Trauma-Informed Care Training for Teachers
Teachers at the GHO are responsible for ensuring students are not suffering advanced psychological conditions from the trauma they experience from society and back home. First, the school has a bad reputation due to poor performance and high turnover of teachers and the principal. Teachers need to understand the students since they might be suffering psychologically. Additionally, students from low-income families experience trauma due to parents’ breakups due to financial challenges.
Pros
Implementing trauma-informed care training for teachers in low-income student schools will enable them to be aware of the needs of their students and provide support to them (Liang et al., 2020). This will also help them identify the signs of trauma and how to respond appropriately.
Secondly, the implementation will enable them to provide better education to their students by teaching them how to cope with stress, anxiety and fear.
Cons
The main disadvantage of the program is the challenges of finances to train teachers. Based on the challenges facing George H. Oliver Elementary School, that could be no resources to facilitate the program. The second disadvantage is the high turnover of teachers where the GHO might train teachers every and then accommodate new teachers that replace the ones that transfer to other schools.
Possible Solution Three: Introduce a Parental Involvement Program
Parental involvement is a great way to encourage learning in school. Parents’ involvement is vital in encouraging students and participating in the school’s infrastructure development. GHO require parents’ contributions to prevent high turnover of teachers and principals and management of resources. Parental involvement program is important because it allows parents to interact with their children individually (Schmid & Garrels, 2021). It also allows them to see where their child may be struggling or excelling.
Pros
The first advantage of introducing a parental involvement program is that it can help improve students’ academic performance. Parents have an important role in education because they influence their children’s lives. Parents should be involved in school because they are responsible for their children’s welfare and development, so they should know what is happening there. The second advantage of introducing a parental involvement program is that it will encourage students’ learning motivation. Students who receive encouragement from their parents are likelier to want to do well in school and achieve their goals.
Cons
The first disadvantage is that students may feel pressure from their parents if they are involved in some school activities, especially those that require them to be away from home for long periods, such as sports. Secondly, some parents are reluctant to engage in the program since they might claim they are busy at work or in their businesses.
Possible Solution Four: Implementation of School-Based Health Centers
School-based health centres (SBHC) are a part of the federally funded community health centres (CHCs), which provide a range of services, including primary care, mental health and substance use disorder services to underserved communities. The SBHCs receive funding from state and local governments, private foundations and philanthropic organizations (Lyon et al., 2019). GHO require an effective SBHC since it will increase access to affordable healthcare for students who cannot pay for medical expenses outside the school.
Pros
The primary benefit is that it can improve the health status of low-income students. They can avoid expensive emergency room visits and hospitalisations by providing them with access to preventative health care services. Another positive aspect of the program is that it will allow children who cannot afford private insurance to access medical attention without paying a premium.
Cons
The cons of implementing school-based health centres are their cost and administrative challenges. It is estimated that it will cost between $1 million and $2 million per year to set up a comprehensive program at each school district in Mississippi. This amount does not include the costs of hiring additional doctors, nurses or other medical professionals working with students at these facilities. Secondly, there may be some resistance from parents who only want their children to attend school for academic purposes.
Discuss of barriers
The administration and other stakeholders need to identify obstacles associated with each solution. For instance, in implementing the technology, it is essential to analyze the parents’ willingness to support the program (Singh, Sharma & Paliwal, 2021). Trauma-informed care and training for teachers might be sabotaged by the teachers, particularly the ones ready to seek employment elsewhere. It is important to ascertain the barriers to parental involvement since it is a new program at the GHO. School-based health centres may face several obstacles, particularly from parents and other stakeholders. It is essential to assess the barriers to strike a balance with other programs.
Possible Solution One: Increase Access to Technology for Low-income students
Many potential barriers could prevent low-income students from accessing technology at GHO. Some of these include a lack of financial resources and insufficient educator training. I would address the barriers to the organization by communicating them to the management and the principle of GHO. Financial resources can be solved by seeking grants from the government and engaging well-wishers organizations for support (Nasuuna et al., 2019). The second barrier can be solved by exposing teachers to prior training to guide the students effectively.
Possible Solution Two: Implementation of Trauma-Informed Care Training for Teachers
Trauma-informed care is important in creating safe and supportive learning environments for all students. However, there are several potential barriers to its implementation in schools. These include a lack of awareness about the prevalence of trauma among children and insufficient training for educators (Reddig & VanLone, 2022). I would communicate the barriers in a general meeting with parents, teachers and students. GHO could provide professional development opportunities for educators on trauma-informed care and raise awareness about the issue among parents and community members through community-based education programs.
Possible Solution Three: Introduce a Parental Involvement Program
Parental involvement is critical to student success, but there are often barriers that can prevent GHO’s parents from getting involved in their child’s education. These can include a lack of understanding of the school system, busy work schedules, and transportation issues (Griffiths, Moore & Brunton, 2022). However, by identifying these obstacles early on, we can develop strategies to overcome them. For example, schools could host parent workshops on navigating the school system, offer flexible scheduling options for parental involvement activities, or provide transportation assistance to parents from rural Mississippi.
Possible Solution Four: Implementation of School-Based Health Centers
School-based health centres can provide vital medical and mental health services mainly to students from humble backgrounds. The main obstacle to its implementation is funding. These centres can be expensive and may require outside financial support (Francis et al., 2021). Another challenge is staffing; qualified healthcare providers may be difficult to recruit and retain in GHO School. I would communicate the barriers through the school accountant. The main solution to the funding is requesting the parents to contribute towards the program. Based on the staffing, GHO can request qualified healthcare personnel from the state, where the state or the federal government will pay the staff.
Summary of the rationale for the selected solution
In my case, I have selected the parental engagement program as the most essential among the other three. First, the barriers are few, including a lack of understanding of the school system, busy work schedules, and transportation issues (Sujarwo et al., 2021). All three barriers would not cost GHO many expenses. For instance, it is cheap to offer the means of transport to a few parents from rural areas. The work schedule issue can be solved by organizing meetings during weekends or even holidays. The meetings can incorporate education to ensure parents understand their schools’ challenges. However, implementing the other three solutions requires time, professionals and much money.
References
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Francis, L., DePriest, K., Sharps, P., Wilson, P., Ling, C., Bowie, J., & Thorpe Jr, R. J. (2021). A mixed-methods systematic review identifying, describing, and examining the effects of school-based care coordination programs in the US on all reported outcomes. Preventive medicine, 153, 106850.
Leenders, H., De Jong, J., Monfrance, M., & Haelermans, C. (2019). Building strong parent–teacher relationships in primary education: The challenge of two-way communication. Cambridge Journal of Education, 49(4), 519-533.
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