Parental and community involvement is key to a successful multiage program; parents need to not only accept and understand the approach, but to be part of the program; whether this is through their ideas and suggestion, volunteering in the classroom, or through their support with their children's long-going learning and development.

At Thomas L. Reeves Elementary in Mississippi, two teachers completed an exhibit "The Magic of Multiage" on their multiage classroom and have included a section on parent/community support and involvement. Visit their site to view the videos including parents'reflections on the success of the program: The Magic of Multiage

In the article "Building Support for Multiage Education" it states "multiage practices are vulnerable to misunderstanding and can stimulate violent opposition if efforts are not made to explain and build support among parents, the local education community, and the general public" (pg 1). It is suggested to communicate information in as many ways as possible including; newsletters, open houses, classroom observation, copies of published articles, websites, presentations and parent surveys and questionnaires. This way information can reach a wider audience and communicate important information regarding multiage classrooms.


The Government of Manitoba's Education websitewebsite(see additional information page for address) has somegiven excellentthese suggestions on parents role in multiage education:

How parents can benefit and contribute to the multiage learning community?

In a multiage classroom:

• trusting relationships develop with the same teacher over two or more years
• fewer demands are placed on parents for attending classroom events, volunteering, and communicating with the school when siblings are in the same classroom
• comfort levels increase for both you and your child at the beginning of the school year when you know the teacher, the expectations, and the classroom routines

How can parents support the multiage community?

Parents have opportunities to:

• volunteer and observe in the multilevel classroom, based on your own time, interest, and comfort level
• share your expertise related to a project or inquiry
• help with scheduled activities such as book groups
• supervise or drive students on field trips
• collect and donate materials (such as buttons, bottle caps, jar lids, keys, and so on) to be used as math manipulatives, in learning centres, or for projects