Parent U Draws Record Turnout

A record crowd of parents, students, teachers and district staff members took part in the annual, half-day, conference-style program that was held recently at Spring Woods High School.

The Sept. 6 Parent U program was promoted with the tag line, “Helping you help your child get ready for, to and through higher education.” SBISD’s singular goal, known as T-2-4, aims to double the number of its graduates who earn either military certification or complete technical certification, a two-year or four-year college degree.

More than 300 pre-registered for the weekend morning programs, and many more walked up to register on the day of the event. The program was led by the SBISD Community Relations and Teaching and Learning Teams, which worked with the district’s educators, partners and higher education professional advisors.

 District and area experts led more than 50 learning sessions in English and Spanish on topics ranging from higher education finances – saving for college, scholarships and financial aid – to using Naviance, the district’s web-based platform for academic, higher education and career planning and applications.

Professional college advisors who partner with SBISD’s Collegiate Challenge program offered insights on everything from writing the perfect college essay and crafting the best college resume to how college admissions offices view the “gap year” in their admissions decisions. A standing room only crowd of parents learned the benefits of and strategies for earning high school credits while still in middle school.

Participant comments included: 

• We are so glad that the district offers this program to prepare parents for the college application process. Great resources and presentation. With the information we learned from the sessions, we already got our eldest son started on the PSAT preparation over the weekend.

• My daughter picked this one and I'm so glad we did. I had no idea how important volunteering was to a college resume and that starting early is so important. My daughter volunteers with a lot of organizations, but we've never kept track of the time. We'll start now thanks to the good advice of the teacher!

• Robert Stevenson’s paying for college tax strategies session was worth more than the price of admission! The packet is great and, as the parent of a middle schooler, I'm glad I have time to plan and work the plan, Martha Meyer and Donna Handlin's House Bill 5 session was very informative. I'm much less confused and can't wait for the rest of the information to be made available.

Based on immediate feedback and parent requests, the district will host a follow-up session, “Parent U – Back By Popular Demand,” through Naviance on Wednesday, Sept. 24, from 4:30-6 p.m. inside the Wayne F. Schaper Leadership Center, located at 955 Campbell Road. 

Additional learning opportunities around the FAFSA process and financial aid will be hosted early next spring For more information or to recommend topics for future Parent U events, please contact SBISD Community Relations at partner@springbranchisd.com, or call 713.251.2468.