Edvantia, Inc., a nonprofit educational research and development firm located in Charleston,  announced new                                    products and services                                 now available through                                   its West Virginia                                    Parent Connections                                  project. Supported by                                funding from a five-                                   year, $3.3 million grant                             from the United States                        Department of Education, these new resources focus on helping West Virginia families and schools work together to improve education for the state’s children.

Many of the resources can be obtained free from the just-completed Web site for West Virginia Parent Connections (http://wvpc.edvantia.org). In addition to maintaining the Web site, the center provides training and planning services directly to school districts that the state has identified as needing extra help to meet the federal parent involvement requirements.

The family resources on the Web site include activities for parents and children to do together; information on how parents can help with homework; links to Web sites with research-based information on learning disabilities, child development, and parent involvement in schools; contact information for family support programs; and much more.

Educator resources on the Web site include information from research and suggestions on ways to establish school-family connections, beginning at the activity level, progressing to strategies, and then to school-wide programs.

Additionally, the site provides easy-to-access information about No Child Left Behind and its provisions—particularly those related to parent involvement in education.

“By now, most people have heard about No Child Left Behind,” says project director Anita Deck, “but it’s such a comprehensive set of policies that few people know it well. The sections related to reading and testing are probably most well known because they’ve been in the news. The parent involvement sections are much less familiar, even to people in schools, and that’s where we come in.”

Other Services

The center also provides workshops to help parents understand such NCLB provisions as supplemental educational services, school choice, and school report cards. The law spells out parents’ rights and defines areas of education where schools, districts, and the state must invite parent participation. All of these are explained in easy-to-understand language on the Web site and in printed materials for parents.

West Virginia Parent Connections works with a network of regional resource partners and skilled consultants across the state. The program supports Parents as Teachers, a proven early childhood education program, by training parent educators and providing materials for use in homes with young children. Ultimately, West Virginia Parent Connections hopes to serve approximately 350,000 parents and educators across West Virginia.

Parents and educators who conducted an early review of the Web site described it as colorful, easy to read, and presenting “a tremendous amount of information in a way that looks inviting and is not overwhelming.” One reviewer said, “I really like that there is a place for parents to go and get resources. This is a wonderful Web site that really focuses on the needs of parents and children.”

About Edvantia: Edvantia is a nonprofit education research and development corporation founded in 1966 that partners with practitioners, education agencies, publishers, and service providers to improve learning and advance student success. Edvantia provides clients with a range of services, including research, evaluation, professional development, and consulting.