FACE Symposium- 2013

Michele P Brooks M.EdAssistant Superintendent , Office of Family & Student Engagement Boston Public Schools

From program to practice Linked to core enterprise – student

achievement Shared Responsibility and

Accountability climate and culture alignment

Core beliefs and clearly articulated goals

Rituals and norms embedded in school culture

Expectations and accountability Time and resource allocation

Inventory – what is already in place? Capacity

who or what resources currently are in place?

What do we do well? What are the challenges? Where are the gaps?

Shared Vision aligned to district/school goals Grounded in a set of core beliefs

Clearly defined Mission supported by a framework or standards with measurable outcomes

Identify key stakeholders Define roles, responsibilities and outcomes

“Every school will welcome every family and every

student, actively engaging them as partners in

student learning and school improvement”

Capacity Buildingof Schoolsof Families of Students

of the District

Theory of Action - Strategic Planning Alignment with Policies,

Requirements and Protocols Federal, state and local mandates District Policies/Priorities

Organizational structures Stakeholder engagement Resource allocation

BPS Standards for Family & Student Engagement

5-Core Elements for Family & Student Engagement

Policy Alignment Engagement Needs Assessment

Capacity Building Model - Implementation Tools for Engagement:

Strategies, Supports, Resources and Tools designed to align and build on current practice

Identify exemplars of effective practice Review practice and promote continuous

improvement through evaluation

High Impact Strategies that link Engagement to Student Learning

1. The strategy focuses on a specific group of students (such as all 1st grade students or students struggling with a specific math concept)

2. It is organized around a specific learning task (such as learning 100 high frequency words)

3. It has a home learning activity that engages parents to help students with the learning task (such as flash cards or a game)

4. There is two-way communication between parent and teacher regarding student progress with the learning task and celebrating success

High Impact Strategiesfor linking

Family Engagement to Learning

Family Learning Guides Teachers Guide to Engaging

Families in the Classroom Grades K-5

Family Friendly Toolkit School Climate Surveys Student’s Rights &

Responsibilities Teacher/Principal Professional

Development aligned to Evaluation

Parents Are Teachers Child Development Parenting Strategies Supporting Learning

from Birth to Five Parents Are

Advocates Navigating the BPS Learning Standards Advocating for

Children with Disabilities and English Language Learners

Parents Are Leaders Leadership Skills School Parent

Council/ School Site Council

Organizing Skills Parents Are

Learners Areas requested by

parents Nutrition Money Management

Parents Are Powerful!

Preparing Parents to Preparing Parents to become Powerful become Powerful

Partners for Student Partners for Student Learning and School Learning and School

ImprovementImprovement