Family and Community Engagement

 As a community of equity-focused educators, MSAN districts commit to engage and assist families of underserved populations in the following ways: navigate school/district systems and processes, advocate in a language that is meaningful to them for their student(s) to appropriate school/district staff, and provide a mechanism for parents to voice concerns, ask questions, and share suggestions.

Look over the RESOURCES we have found helpful in fulfilling our commitment to families, FRAMEWORKS of equity-focused engagement practices, and ACTIONS you can take to engage and assist families of underserved students in your school district.

 

• RESOURCES

  • Partners in Education: A Dual Capacity-Building Framework for Family-School Partnerships (A publication of SEDL in collaboration with the U. S. Department of Education)
  • Discovering Unconscious Bias: Engaging All Families by Cheryl Robinson
  • Partnering with Families and Communities by Joyce Epstein and Karen Clark Salinas
  •  Epstein’s Framework of Six Types of Involvement

  Other RESOURCES

  • Collaborating for Success: Parent Engagement Toolkit by the Michigan Department of Education
  • National Network of Partnership Schools, Johns Hopkins University
  • Ground Control Parenting is a website for parents of children of color, with a focus on young men.
  • National Association for Family, School, and Community Engagement (NAFSCE) is committed to shining light on high-impact practices that build the capacity of educators and families together to promote children’s learning and development.

  • Teaching Tolerance outlines five critical practices for family and community engagement.

  MSAN District Examples

  • Alexandria City Public Schools: Family and Community Engagement Center (FACE). The goal of the FACE Center is to provide opportunities and resources for students, families and community members to participate in activities relevant to the academic achievement.
  • Arlington Public Schools values “families, schools, and communities linked in learning.” Their Family And Community Engagement (FACE) work includes the evolution of their school board policy development and implementation as well as resources for families, educators, and community members.
  • Columbia Public Schools- Virtual Backpack
  • Federal Way Public Schools: The Family & Community Partnership Office. The Federal Way Public Schools Family and Community Partnership Office exists to support students’ success by supporting parents.
    - Partnership 101 workshop was designed to assist in the creation of authentic, meaningful, and effective partnerships between families and school staff members to support the success of their children.  It is offered in multiple languages.
    - The Parent Leadership Institute helps parents develop a customized partnership process for their student’s academic success. It is designed to make parents more aware of opportunities to support their child’s academic success through home and school partnerships. It’s available for every parent, guardian or family member connected to the students served in our school district.
    - 10 Simple Ways to Help Your Child Succeed in School

   

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  National FRAMEWORKS of Family-Community Engagement Practices

• • U.S. Department of Education: Family and Community Engagement. Look over the resources supporting the framework for building greater support and capacity in schools, homes and communities, so ALL students have the chance to succeed.

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• DISTRICT ACTIONS you can take

• Make the information your district provides to families accessible to all.
• Investigate your district’s website.  Act as if you are a parent seeking information and opportunities to get involved. How easy (or difficult) is it to find the information you are looking for?  How welcoming or inclusive is the website?
• Make sure family engagement is in your district’s strategic plan and board policies.
• Try reverse interpretation and supply headsets for the English speakers.