Family Engagement Framework Vicki Myers, Ph.D. Special Assistant Family and Community Engagement Office of Elementary and Secondary Education Monique Toussaint Management and Program Analyst Parental Options and Information Office of Innovation and Improvement Professional Development Session for the Chesapeake Chapter of the National School Public Relations Association

“We recognize that as a country we have failed to put together the systems and support that allow us to actually achieve our goals for getting families and parents involved in their students’ academic lives and in our schools. And education—public education, in particular—has paid the price for that, which means our children have paid that price.” Jim Shelton, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Education National Policy Forum for Family, School, & Community Engagement November 9, 2010

CRITICAL SHIFT: FROM INVOLVEMENT TO ENGAGEMENT Theory of action -  If SEAs support districts and schools: – in engaging families and communities in the shared responsibility of setting goals for desired outcomes and then including them in strategizing to implement actions to achieve those results  Then, – Students will continue to earn better grades, enroll in higher-level programs, have higher graduation rates, and be more likely to enroll in postsecondary education. – Students will be supported in staying in school longer, and like school more. – Families and school staff can continue to work together to bridge the gap between children from diverse cultural backgrounds and school cultures. Henderson, A. T., Mapp, K., Johnson, V. R., & Davies, D. (2007). Beyond the bake sale: The essential guide to family- school partnerships. New York: The New Press. 3

INTENT Shared Responsibility in Partnership Individual Responsibility Strength-Based and Collaborative Deficit-Based / Adversarial Systemic Random Acts Integrated and Sustained with Purposeful Connections to Learning Add-on and one-time project Learning and Outcomes Driven Events Driven Ownership and Continuous Improvement Compliance

DEFINING ENGAGEMENT  Shared responsibility  Continuous across a child’s life  Reinforces learning in the multiple settings Harvard Family Research Project (2009): publications/redefining-family-engagement-in-education 6

FEDERAL RESOURCES FOR FAMILY ENGAGEMENT Impact Discretionary Grants Technical Assistance Formula Grants Partner- ships

DRAFT FAMILY ENGAGEMENT CAPACITY BUILDING FRAMEWORK 8

DUAL CAPACITY-BUILDING FRAMEWORK FOR FAMILY-SCHOOL PARTNERSHIPS  The Dual Capacity-Building framework provides one model that states, districts and schools can use to guide their efforts for incorporating the rich resources that engaged families and communities bring to influence the culture of a school and enhance student outcomes. 9

THE CHALLENGE 10

OPPORTUNITY CONDITIONS 11

OPPORTUNITY CONDITIONS - PROCESS  Linked to Learning – Initiatives are aligned with school and district achievement goals and connect families to teaching and learning goals. – Families and school staff are more interested in and motivated to participate in events and programs that are focused on enhancing their ability to work as partners to support student outcomes. 12

OPPORTUNITY CONDITIONS - PROCESS  Relational – A major focus of the initiative is on building respectful and trusting relationships between home and school. – The relationship between home and school serves as the foundation for shared learning and responsibility and also acts as an incentive and motivating agent for the continual participation of families and staff. 13

OPPORTUNITY CONDITIONS - ORGANIZATIONAL  Systemic – Family-school partnerships are seen as essential supports to school and district improvement and are elevated to a high priority across state, district, and school improvement plans. – Initiatives are purposefully designed as core components of educational goals such as school readiness, student achievement, and school turnaround. 14

POLICY AND PROGRAM GOALS 15

FAMILY AND STAFF CAPACITY OUTCOMES 16

AN EXAMPLE OF A CAPACITY BUILDING FAMILY ENGAGEMENT INITIATIVE Academic Parent Teacher Teams (APTT) at Stanton ES 17

18 QUESTIONS?

RESOURCES  U.S. Department of Education Website  A Toolkit For Title I Family Involvement  Handbook on Family and Community Engagement schools.org/downloads/FACEHandbook.pdf  School Turnaround Learning Community  Achieving Excellence and Innovation in Family, School and Community Engagement Webinar Series Archives of previous webinars and resources are available at: 19