Senior centers
Grandparents and other senior citizens are another source of parental involvement. Research indicates that by 2020, the number of U.S. residents sixty-five or older will have increased by more than half—from 35 million today to an estimated 54 million. Active and alert seniors tend to be healthier, leading many health advocates to work with the schools to encourage seniors to help young adolescents set goals and gain the skills they need to be successful in high school, college, and careers.1
A recent study in Maryland showed that in schools where older adult volunteers worked 15 hours a week, reading scores went up, and students had fewer behavioral problems than their peers did at other schools. The adults had fewer falls, expanded their social circles, and performed better than their peers on a memory test.2
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Partnerships with Educational Institutions and Organizations
Footnotes
1" Grandparents Helping in the Classroom" (Outside Source), Christian Science Monitor.com (March 9, 2006).
2Maria Glod, "Wisdom, Knowledge of Elders Stream Into Area Classrooms; Students, Seniors Benefit From Volunteer Programs" (Outside Source), Washington Post.com (February 21, 2006), B01.