A r c h i v e d I n f o r m a t i o n

FOR RELEASE 
January 19, 1995
       
Contact:  Jim Bradshaw 
(202) 401-2310

Riley Appeals To Business To Support Family Involvement In Education

Citing the need to "dramatically improve workforce skills," U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley today called on American business to inspire greater family involvement in education through such means as flexible work schedules, lunch- time parenting seminars and matching leave to volunteer in schools.

Following a meeting with corporate chief executives, Riley released a guidebook, Employers, Families and Education: Promoting Family Involvement in Learning, detailing "family friendly practices" businesses can use to help parents and family members get more involved in children's learning.

"The bottom line in business depends on an education system whose bottom line is family involvement," Riley said. "Being family friendly is one of the best investments a company can make. It can help recruit and keep top workers, improve productivity and increase employee motivation and loyalty."

Riley said business leaders understand the importance of education and cited a recent poll of company executives showing 91 percent believe U.S. policy should focus on K-12 education as a top priority to boost U.S. competition.

Another survey, he said, revealed that 89 percent of executives name lack of parental involvement as the biggest obstacle to school reform.

In September, Riley announced a Family Involvement Partnership for Learning, now with more than 100 sponsoring organizations, to encourage and support the critical role of caring adults in the success of children. Research has conclusively shown that student achievement improves when families are engaged with schools.

Among ideas suggested in the new publication, prepared for the department by the Families and Work Institute:

Flextime, allowing employee parents to tailor their on- the-job hours to fit the needs of their children and their school activities;
Lunchtime flex so that parents can visit their children during the noon hour;
Time off for volunteering in schools, attending teacher conferences and participating in other education activities;
Job sharing, compressed work weeks, and work-at-home arrangements;
Lunchtime parenting seminars;
Parent hotlines, support groups and newsletters;
On-site or consortium child care facilities;
School-employee partnerships and volunteer programs;
Child care resource and referral services;
Child care vouchers and discounts;
Donations or consulting to schools and child care centers.

Riley cited the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's new booklet, On Target: Effective Parent Involvement Programs, as an excellent resource on techniques that businesses are using to support family involvement in education.

For example, Toyota Motor Corp.'s "Families for Learning Program" in Louisville, Ky., improves parents' literacy skills and prepares pre-schoolers for the world of learning. Parents and their children attend full-day sessions three days at a local elementary school. While parents work on basic skills and English, children go to a pre-school program.

The Pillsbury Co., Lockheed Corp., and Corning Inc., all permit at least two hours of flexible arrival and departure time for their employees. This can enable workers to get more involved in school activities, such as volunteering in a classroom early in the morning.

John Hancock Financial Services in Boston supports education through financial and in-kind contributions, local public school programs and executive involvement. Its employees receive a magazine for parents on education, and the 16,500-worker company sponsors seminars on such topics as partnering with a child's school.

At Hemmings Motor News in Bennington, Vt., employees receive two full days of paid leave during which they may volunteer at or observe their local schools.

Riley noted that businesses can also help families by providing information to parents. For example, five organizations -- John Hancock, the Merck Institute for Science Education, J.C. Penney, Southern California Edison and TRW -- have given support to help produce the Parent Involvement Handbook. The guide, written by Education Today magazine, offers numerous tips on how parents can meet the learning needs of children birth through college.

To help spotlight what businesses can do for education, Deputy Secretary of Education Madeleine M. Kunin will meet in Rosemead, Calif., Friday with executives of Southern California Edison to discuss the company's efforts to promote learning.