Oceanside Parent University podcast enhances education outreach

In an effort to bolster communication between educators and parents, the Oceanside School District has expanded the Parent University podcast series to provide parents with informative content, covering a range of educational topics pertinent to their children’s academic journey. The podcast was initially launched last year and after positive feedback was launched for a second run with an increase in episodes.

The series, consisting of five episodes, delves into various aspects of education, including successful learning strategies, standardized testing, and college preparation. Each episode features experts from within the Oceanside School District. The episode’s topics emanated from feedback received from parents.

The success of the Parent University podcast series lies not only in its informative content but also in its ability to foster collaboration between educators, students, and parents. Last year the podcasts featured parents and administrative staff but this year, the podcast added students to the mix. Julian Piedrahita, an Oceanside High School student who participated in one of the podcast episodes that went through preparing for the SAT, shared his perspective on the initiative. “The whole episode was dedicated to helping parents figure out how to support their children when it comes to applying for college and especially within standardized testing,” he said. “Our goal is to show parents that Oceanside offers a lot of opportunities for students to excel in this area so I felt like it was really beneficial for the parents and whoever listens to the podcast. I feel like we got a lot of work done.”

By bridging the gap between parents and students, the initiative strengthens the partnership essential for student success. As the educational landscape continues to evolve, initiatives like the Parent University podcast serve as beacons of progress, empowering parents to play an active role in their children’s education.

“Last year there were parents and administrative staff, this year was the student’s voice,” said Dianne Provvido, the assistant superintendent for curriculum at Oceanside Schools. “We were all so excited about it and if you listen to them, they are mature and wise beyond their years so having the students involved was a game changer for us to see them and have their voice.”

One of the defining features of the Parent University podcast series is its brevity. With episodes averaging around 20 minutes, the content is concise and engaging, catering to the busy schedules of parents. This intentional approach aims to deliver essential information efficiently while maintaining listener interest.

Looking ahead, Provvido expressed enthusiasm for the future of the podcast series.

“We do certainly want to send them out again, give parents more opportunity to listen and maybe get a little more feedback,” said Provvido. “We have found this to be a modality of giving information that was well received and because of that, we’re going to give it another shot. We’re already thinking about our next series.”