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Engaging Families for Student Success

Family Engagement Forum May 19, 2012

1500 Highway 36 West Roseville, MN 55113

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Contents

Minnesota Department of Education Work Group ................................................................................................. 3

Community Partners ................................................................................................................................................... 3

Volunteers .................................................................................................................................................................... 4

Executive Summary: Engaging Families for Student Success Family Forum ................................................... 5

Letter to Schools ......................................................................................................................................................... 6

Agenda ......................................................................................................................................................................... 7

Listening Session ........................................................................................................................................................ 8

World Café Process ............................................................................................................................................... 8

Family Forum World Café Conversations Summary ......................................................................................... 9

Information Sessions ................................................................................................................................................ 14

Developing Next Steps ............................................................................................................................................. 15

Resource / Vendors .................................................................................................................................................. 17

Participants ................................................................................................................................................................ 18

Evaluation .................................................................................................................................................................. 20

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Minnesota Department of Education Work Group

Elia Bruggeman, Assistant Commissioner

Rose Chu, Assistant Commissioner

Steve Dibb, School Support

Andrea Danielson, School Support

Leigh Schleicher, Student Support

Debra Landvik, Student Support

Nancy Riestenberg, Safety, Health and Nutrition

Nancy Larson, Special Education

Dan Smith, Career Technical Education/Community Education/Service Learning

Jessica Espinosa, High School/Dual Credit/Alternative Learning/Online Learning

Karen Cadigan, Office of Early Learning

Mary Vanderwert, Head Start State Collaboration Director

Rosa Tock Quinonez, Special Education

Anne Parks, Equity and Innovation

Community Partners

Minnesota Humanities Center: David O’Fallon and Eden Bart

Chicano Latino Affairs Council: Hector Garcia

Indian Affairs Council: Annamarie Hill

Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans: Ilean Her

Council on Black Minnesotans: Donavan Baily

PACER: Paula Goldberg and Jesús Villaseñor

Minneapolis Public Schools: Heather Lindstrom

St. Paul Public Schools: Tyrize Cox

Northwest Suburban Integration School District: Mark Robertson and Gale Cannon

Parents United: Mary Cecconi

Minnesota Prevent Child Abuse: Roxy Foster

Somali American Parent Association: Mohamed Mohamud

Mid-continent Research for Ed. and Learning (McREL): Sue E. Mutchler

Hamline University: Roberto Rivera

Parents, (Minnesota Planning Committee): Kim Ellison and Jacquie Thomas

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Volunteers

Prevent Child Abuse Minnesota Volunteers:

Charles Dixon

Deb Diver

Donna LaDuke

Hannatu Green

Kathie Kinder-Goble

Iman Mohamund

Larene Randle

Lisa L. Deputie

Saciido Shaie

Jacquie Thomas

Roxy Foster

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Executive Summary: Engaging Families for Student Success Family Forum

The goals of this forum were to dialogue with families and equip families to be partners in the learning process of their children. Family, school and community engagement in education is an essential strategy in student achievement toward closing the achievement gap. Research supports family engagement as having direct relation to student achievement, yet many families, schools and school districts in Minnesota struggle to integrate this strategy effectively. Family engagement is often segmented in divisions within the educational system, creating a disconnect from instructional practice and improvement strategies, thus adding to the confusion and frustration for many of our families. The leadership of the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) led the way to model for families, schools and districts how to begin effective family and community engagement. This was done by bringing together an internal committee of division directors, supervisors and educational specialists with a charge of modeling effective collaboration with our community partners and volunteers to engage families in closing the achievement gap. Our community partners/agencies worked with school district personnel and families from across the state. With a shared responsibility the internal and external committee members worked together to ensure this was a successful event. Listening to families was one of the goals of the event. The World Café discussion model was conducted in the major languages spoken in Minnesota (English, Somali, Spanish, Hmong and Karen) to gather information while allowing participants to share. The themes coming out of that process will be used to further guide MDE’s family and committee engagement strategies at the state level. Information sessions were provided by representatives from the various MDE divisions represented in the internal committee to equip the participants with resources.

During the Developing Next Steps dialogue participants were asked two questions prior to the closing session with Commissioner of Education Dr. Brenda Cassellius. They were “What have you learned from today’s forum activities that you would like to see incorporated into your school’s/district’s family engagement forum/activities?” and “What are the action steps after you leave here today?” or “Who does what?”

Dr. Sue Mutchler from Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL) will synthesize the “Harvest” from the World Café, Listening Session. This will then inform the internal MDE committee and community partners how to plan for the coming year regarding how best to assist districts, schools and families as they support their students and close the achievement gap.

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Letter to Schools

April 4, 2012

Dear School Improvement Grant School Principal,

We would like to invite you to participate in a very special event designed to support families in ensuring a quality education for their child/children. On Saturday, May 19, the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), in collaboration with community partners, is sponsoring a forum entitled Engaging Families for Student Success.

The goal of this event is to strengthen the parent engagement component in our School Improvement Grant (SIG) schools by engaging families in a dialogue that will better equip them to support their child’s learning. Our hope is that participants will come away with the knowledge and resources to return to their schools and engage other families in the school’s efforts to improve student outcomes.

I am extending an invitation to you to attend the forum as the leader of your building. Please identify and bring a team of 5-10 parents from your district to be active participants at the event. Mark your calendars to join us on May 19, 2012 from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. The forum will be held at the MN Department of Education, Conference Center B. Attached to this letter is a “Save the Date” flyer with a link to registration that you may use to recruit parents/family members for this event.

It is our goal to have every SIG school represented at this forum, so, we hope you can join us for what promises to be a very powerful learning experience for you and your school.

Further information including logistical information will be communicated to you through the Division of School Support. Any questions can be directed to Steve Dibb, Director of Division of School Support, at steve.dibb@state.mn.us or 651-582-8693.

Sincerely,

Dr. Brenda Cassellius Commissioner

enc: Save the Date Flyer

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Agenda

Family Engagement

May 19, 2012

The

Goal:

The goals of this forum are to dialogue with families and equip families to be partners in the learning process of their children.

8:30 – 9:15 Registration Continental Breakfast

9:15 – 10:15 Welcome and Setting the Stage - Steve Dibb

Mixer Activity - Mary Vanderwert and Rose Chu

MDE Leadership Welcome - Elia Bruggeman

Northwest Suburban Integration District Introduction - Mark Robertson and Mai Blia

MDE Commissioner Welcome - Dr. Brenda Cassellius

Minnesota Humanities Center Welcome - David O’Fallon

10:30 – 11:30 Listening Sessions – facilitated by volunteers key questions

11:30 – 12:15 Lunch, Networking and Resource Tables

12:20 – 1:20 Information Sessions - variety of topics and presenters

1:30 – 2:15 Developing Next Steps Debrief and Planning – teams – small groups

2:25 – 2:45 Call to Action – Kevin Lindsey, Human Rights Commissioner and Dr. Cassellius

2:45-3:00 Door Prizes – Steve Dibb and Debra Landvik

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Listening Session

World Café Process

The World Café is a method through which strategic conversations can occur about “questions that matter” with a diverse group of people. Roxy Foster, from Prevent Child Abuse, provided training to committee members interested in being a Table Host or a Facilitator of the Café, in the major languages spoken in Minnesota. Parent leaders from across the state were provided by Prevent Child Abuse Minnesota who also participated as Table Hosts. There were several Cafés going simultaneously for the first hour of the event. Rooms were set up with tables that were inviting, with table clothes, large sheets of paper for doodling, markers, play dough and toys for participants. Each table had a Table Host assigned to it. Visit the World Café website.

Each table had either question 1 or 2; the Table Host facilitated the participants’

response to the question and took notes about what was being said, allowing about 15

minutes. The participants were then asked to move to a different table with different people

and respond to the other question.

Once participants were able to respond to both questions, the facilitator asked each Table

Host to report to the group the major themes that were shared. The note taker recorded all

the responses and returned them to the committee. A member of the committee will

synthesize the themes.

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Family Forum World Café Conversations Summary

Barriers to Family Involvement in the Schools: What gets in the way?

The first round of conversations centered on the question, “What gets in the way of families and schools working together to help students succeed?” As World Café participants discussed this question, barriers associated with school environment, resources, and knowledge and skills needed to function effectively in the schools emerged. In addition, participants identified individual and group actions they consider to be, at least in part, contributing to keeping these barriers in place. Unwelcoming School Environment. An overarching problem appears to be families’ experiences with the school environment itself. Four components of what might be called an “unwelcoming school environment” include lack of trust, lack of communication, lack of parent/family representation, and lack of collaboration. Café participants expressed concern regarding what they described as a lack of trust for parents in the schools. Some viewed this problem as due to teachers taking an oppositional stance toward families, discounting parents as “unintelligent” and unable to make worthwhile contributions to the schools. Other participants described the problem as a basic disconnection between families and educators. Another key component of the school environment was said to be lack of communication on the parts of both families and educators. Again, some participants viewed this problem as adversarial, while others suggested it is a matter of differing communication styles and infrequency of communication. The third component of the environment is lack of representation. A few participants asserted that educators and even “educated individuals” cannot represent the interests of parents/families and the community in their schools. Everyone in the school community needs to be represented if the school environment is to be welcoming. The fourth component is clearly a function of the first three: trusting relationships, productive communication, and representation are necessary if true collaboration is to take place. Participants viewed collaboration as an indicator of “togetherness” and real engagement of families in the schools. One person assessed the overall problem as, “Family and schools need to work together and don’t seem to know how.” Lack of Resources. Café participants also raised concerns about the lack of resources that create barriers to families and schools working together. Family resource needs centered primarily on literal resources, that is, economic barriers: joblessness, homelessness, lack of transportation and child care, and lack of technology which is increasingly important in accessing information from educators and schools. As one participant said, “More resources [are needed] for parents so they can keep up with their [children’s] progress in school, or lack of it.” Many participants directly associated family resources with school access. Time, job demands, limited transportation, single parenting, and school location all were cited as barriers to parents’ and guardians’ ability to literally get to the school house door for regular activities or special events. The need for certain school resources centered more on personnel, ranging from schools having the staff numbers to effectively serve the student community (e.g., smaller class sizes) to schools having educators on staff who possess certain necessary specialized knowledge and skills (e.g., bilingual staff, social workers, outreach workers, and intercultural specialists).

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A third resource is simply time. Participants said, “Time!” “Time [is] limited.” “Don’t take enough time.” “Teachers are in school all day and parents [must] work late.” Lack of Knowledge and Skill. Another barrier related to human resources is knowledge and skill. Café participants discussed this need in terms of both educators and parents/families. Regarding educators, the need is clearly for greater understanding and respect for student and family culture and language. The importance of this knowledge was articulated by one participant as directly related to student success in school: “The principal and teachers have to be able to connect their teaching with the children’s real world experience.” Various participants named the following needs for educator knowledge and skill: lack of knowledge of culture and religion, valuing of students’ skills in languages other than English, recognition of different cultures (e.g., “Our [Oromo] community is misidentified as the Somali community), and understanding of the strengths of families (e.g., “Uneducated families have togetherness, helpfulness, ideas, and visions”). Regarding parents/families, Café participants primarily centered on their needs for personal literacy, knowledge about education today, and skills in navigating the American educational system. For example, one participant said, “Education has changed. Parents did school work one way and now [it is] done another way.” This problem makes it difficult for parents to help their children with homework or school problems. Two people asserted that a cultural shift needs to take place for parents/families: “Some parents see the school as solely responsible to educate and discipline the children while at school.” Individual and Organizational Behaviors. It became evident that all school community members – parents, educators, and districts – play roles in erecting barriers to how families and schools work together to help students succeed. The major issue parents appear to bring to the table is an unwillingness to step forward and get involved. One Café participant asserted, “Parents rely too much on teachers to do the job without participation in PTOs and other meetings.” Another observed that parents don’t network with each other, so there are “not enough parents to bring awareness to the table.” Compared to the relatively few examples of unhelpful parent behaviors identified by participants, many school and district behaviors were discussed. At the school level, participants focused on teacher behaviors. The following problems were raised:

• “Teachers are not caring enough to communicate with parents sooner when [a] student is failing or not doing well.”

• Teachers do not exert the necessary time and effort to effectively reach parents.

• Teachers do not use a range of teaching approaches so as to meet students’ learning styles.

• Teachers don’t demonstrate accountability to follow through with parents; “Teachers have a job … [I] understand they must go home, but they are teachers.”

As was the case with teachers, districts and the broader education system were viewed as unhelpful in a number of particular ways. Participants seemed to give greatest weight to the failure of the district/education system to simply make the family/school relationship a priority. One individual said, “Honestly, the system is not broken; it’s designed that way.” Other participants asserted that testing and other federal requirements were of primary importance to

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districts and teacher training and continuing education do not address partnerships with parents. As one person put it, the bottom line is that the system is “frozen” and creative people are needed to “break out of [the] barriers.” A Vision of Family/School Partnership: What would it look like? The second round of conversations centered on the question, “What would it look like when schools and families creatively work together to help students achieve in school?” As World Café participants discussed this question, they painted a picture of trust, communication, representation, collaboration, access, and respect. Most interestingly, perhaps, is the emergence of a vision of student success that would become a reality in such a positive school environment. Welcoming School Environment. In contrast to the closed system that Café participants described in the previous discussion, they envisioned an open system under partnership conditions. A welcoming school environment would be the antithesis of the environment many people seem to currently experience: parents would feel comfortable going to school (it would be “OK to be who we are as parents and students”), there would be mutual respect, and “pride of culture will come out” as families feel valued. In sum, one participant said there would be a “focus on positives of all.” Another predicted the school would become a “harmonious community.”

In addition to the presence of a culture of trust among adults in the schools, participants said communication would be honest and open. At the most fundamental level, communication in the schools would “involve the families by listening to their voices.” Parents/families would finally feel represented: they would be equal and empowered, and they would understand “the importance of getting involved … early in the decision making.” Finally, people in a school environment marked by these levels of trust, communication, and representation would be capable of collaboration. Café participants envisioned the presence of shared leadership, with parents involved in advisory councils and all adults working toward solutions that meet the unique needs of students and families. As one person said, “Working together will strengthen the relationships between family and school. It will [help] our children to stay out of trouble or [experience] negative issues.” Resources. In discussing this second question, “What would it look like?” Café participants expressed a number of more specific examples than they did in the first discussion. Most importantly, the resources they mentioned clearly would bring down the barriers to parent/family access to the schools, which is the clear outcome of resource problems reported to be significant in schools today. The following ideas represent the diversity of participants’ thoughts:

• Translation, transportation, and day care are provided.

• [There is] access to technology for all students that really need help from technology.

• Parents [have] support classes or parent classes.

• A space [is created] to talk and share.

• An early intervention case manager assists families and provides access to support.

• A parent liaison is visible and readily accessible.

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Equally important to participants, all people in the school would have new knowledge and respect for their own and each other’s cultures; “we will respect all cultures, all day, every day.” Individual and Organizational Behaviors. As was the case with the elimination of resource barriers, Café participants envisioned schools that have strong family/school partnerships as being characterized by a wide array of positive behaviors from parents and families. For example, “schools [would] look more like Head Start with parent volunteers and parent involvement in governing bodies.” One participant predicted parent support groups might emerge and meet regularly. Another suggested that parent involvement would continue into secondary school, where it presently is a rarity. Parents would be comfortable in seeking out the resources they need. They also would contribute their own resources to the school, for example, by helping teachers apply curriculum to “real world situations” by bringing family stories to the classroom and providing information about their careers and jobs. Most importantly, perhaps, there would exist a new valuing of school when parents see they can contribute and help “mold” schools. One participant said, “More involved parents say what they want for their children. [Now other] parents will understand [how to do this].” Participants offered the following observations:

• Parents will “make sure [their] kids are there.”

• Parents will “take it more seriously.”

• “Education [will be] valued more [by] students and parents.”

• “[I will] set an example for all kids as well as my own.”

Discussion of school behaviors was so extensive that it is useful to discuss them separately. First, participants envisioned a “beautiful” school environment that is “enthusiastic about learning.” Examples of activities in such an environment included the celebration of grandparents’ contributions and a parent of the month tradition to celebrate parents. Second, an array of communication strategies would share “positives, not just negatives” between parents and educators. Group texts, instant messaging, “robocalls,” email, newsletters, phone calls, and personal visits would all be used, as appropriate. Communications would be regular and proactive. Importantly, although participants talked about communication as largely initiated by the schools, they also said it would be two-way—with parents taking responsibility as well. Indeed, earlier in the discussion, participants had predicted that more parents and family members would go to the school during the day, providing one-on-one opportunities for communication. With stronger avenues for communication between families and educators, participants saw collaboration become a reality. One person said, “[Everyone would be on the] same team. All parents, not just active parents, [are involved].” The end result would be that school actions will make parent and family access a reality, as well. Participants imagined a particularly numerous and diverse set of events taking place in schools that would bring families and educators together throughout the school year. Such ideas include:

• “Parent nights” – for parents only – to go bowling; enjoy a meal together, etc.

• A Star Search talent show.

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• A monthly family night with dinner.

• A quarterly Opening Ceremony.

• A Math Carnival for parents and students.

• An Ice Breaker Carnival run by students in content/subject based clubs.

• Evening educational activities for children and families.

• An all-day Open House where community service providers attend and various information topics are presented.

The bottom line: Student performance. Unlike the first discussion, this second discussion prompted participants to envision the effects of family/school partnership on student performance. Café participants declared there would be no achievement gap: all students would be successful. As a matter of fact “Our students will succeed academically and will pursue college. … Our students will graduate from school and join higher education.” In part, these outcomes will be due to changes in the school; one person said “schedules of schools would change to adjust [to] student learning” and “higher achieving students [will] mentor some students having challenges.” In addition, changes in family attitudes and behaviors will contribute significantly. For example, parents will know how to read test scores, students will be absent less often, and there will be fewer (or no) suspensions. Summary World Café participants at the Family Forum drew on their personal knowledge, spoke honestly with each other, and opened their minds to consider the experiences and opinions of others. In so doing, it became evident that a deeper and broader involvement of families in their children’s schools will take the effort of the entire school community – family members, educators, and the greater education system itself. If the barriers participants discussed were to be targeted, a real partnership might be built. It would be characterized by:

1. A district priority to support family involvement.

2. A welcoming school environment that offers trust, communication, representation, and collaboration.

3. Sufficient resources to ensure family access to educators, school events, and assistance.

4. New organizational structures (e.g., parent support groups, multiple communication strategies).

5. New opportunities for information and celebration (e.g., parent nights for parents, carnivals, parent talent shows, open houses).

6. Improved student performance.

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Information Sessions

Family Resources on the Minnesota Department of Education’s Website, Presenter: Anne Sheridan This session will show how to navigate the new Minnesota Department of Education’s Website resources for parents. Discover the new resources for you and your child at your fingertips. Understanding the Developing Brains of Boys, Presenter, Mary Vanderwert Exciting and ongoing research into the brains of boys and girls is showing us that boys and girls are different from the day they are born. This workshop will explore boys and how their brains develop and ways that parents and teachers can understand their needs and be able to support them as they prepare for and enter school. Special Education: What Parents Need to Know, Presenters Bonnie Smith, Jesús Villaseñor This presentation helps parents understand special education, learn how to resolve disagreements, and discover the role of parents in the process. Family Engagement, Presenter, Debra Landvik This session will inform the participants what the requirements for family engagement/parent involvement when a state, district and school receive Title I funds. Resources and networking opportunities will be shared on what is working at the state and local level to engage families and community agencies. Career Development – A Systematic Approach, Presenter Al Hauge Career Development is a process. It needs to be implement at an early age and driven by a step by step process. This session will provide some needed baseline information that will assist a parent/guardian with their child’s career and academic advancement. Prepare for College During High School and Use Resources Available, Presenter, Deborah Malaga This presentation will review how to prepare for college during high school and how to best use the resources available to high school students. Preparing for College in High School and Dual Credit Options, Presenter, Jessica Espinosa In this session, you will learn about programs that allow students to earn college credits while they are still in high school. All of these programs can save your family time and money and prepare your children for success in college and career. Learn about strategies to support your students throughout high school. Benefits of Bilingualism, Presenter, Ruslana Westerlund This presentation will focus on the benefits of raising bilingual children and give practical suggestions as well as research to equip parents to raise children bilingually. Family Focus on Bullying Prevention, Presenter, Nancy Riestenberg Family and schools can work together to prevent bullying and to help children learn positive behavior if they hurt someone. This session will outline family actions to help their child to get along and be prepared to learn. It will also outline steps schools can take to make all children safe. Bring your questions, concerns and own recommendations to prevent bullying.

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Developing Next Steps

Possible Action Steps:

1. A district and school give priority to support family engagement

• Implement an action team to plan and carry out family engagement activities; team made up of administration, staff, parents, community members and students when applicable.

• Develop a family engagement plan

• Allocate funds for family engagement activities. Possible funding sources could be Title I, special education, desegregation/integration and English Learners.

2. A welcoming school environment that offers trust, communication, representation, and collaboration.

• Locate bilingual staff at the front office.

• Bilingual parents share their stories and skills, in the classroom or staff development activity.

• Pictures posted around the school represent the student/family population.

• Parents are represented in the site council with a share in decision-making.

3. Sufficient resources to ensure family access to educators, school events, and assistance.

• Collaborate with special education, Title I, English Learners, and other divisions to offer family engagement activities.

• Collaborate with community agencies to offer family engagement activities.

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Possible Action Steps:

4. New organizational structures such as parent support groups and multiple communication strategies.

• Implement culturally specific parent groups.

• Collaborate with community agencies to implement parent groups.

5. New opportunities for information and celebration

• Offer regular family activities, monthly, same day of the week.

• School implements parent/teacher home visits.

• Provide school information in multiple languages and post information in community areas where families congregate.

• Utilize the Title I compact to establish two-way communication between the teacher/school and the family.

Read Minnesota Statutes, section 124D.8955 - Parent and Family Involvement Policy

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Resource / Vendors

1. Circle of Parents: Roxy Foster

2. Minnesota Reading Corps: Anne Knier

3. PACER: Jesús Villaseñor

4. Library Resources: Nancy Walton

5. Connecting Parents to Education Opportunities (CPEO) Minneapolis Public Schools: Damon Guy

6. Minnesota Humanities Center, Eden Bart

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Participants

District School Global Academy -1 Global Academy -1 Anoka - 2 McKinley Elementary - 2 Aurora Charter School -8 Aurora Charter School - 8 Braham - 7 Braham Area High School -7 Brainerd Area Schools -1 Forestville Middle School - 1 Brooklyn Center -9 Brooklyn Center High School -7

Earle Brown - 2 Eastern Carver County -2 Chanhassen High School -2 Cass Lake-Bena ISD #115 - 5 Cass Lake High School -5 Dugsi Academy Charter School -1 Dugsi Academy Charter School -1 Duluth Public Schools -1 Laura MacArthur School -1 East Central School District -3 East Central Elementary school -1

East Central Secondary School -2 Edina -1 Edina ECFE -1 Hmong College Prep Academy -1 Hmong College Prep Academy -1 Minneapolis Public Schools -35

Edison – 7 Hmong Academy -4 De La Salle High School -1 Loring -1 South High School -1 Bethune – 3 Broadway High School -2 Wellstone -9 Andersen Community School-1 Sanford – 1 Lucy Craft Laney -1 District – 2 Not specified -3

Friendship Academy - 1 Friendship Academy – 1 New Visions Charter School -1 New Visions Charter School -1 Orono -1 Orono High School -1 Osseo – 13 Birch Grove – 1

Crestview – 1 North View Junior High School -11

Pine City – 1 Pine City District -1 Red Lake -4 Red Lake High School –4 Robbinsdale – 1 Meadow Lake Elementary -1 Roseville Area Schools - 1 Roseville Area High School -1 St. Paul – 21

Humboldt – 4 Adams – 1 Farnsworth - 1 Capitol Hill -1 Horace Mann -1 Murray -1 Battle Creek Elementary – 2 Como Senior High -1

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District School Harding – 3 Maxfield Elementary – 2 Not specified - 4

Warroad Public School -1 Warroad Public School -1 Inver Grove Heights -1 Inver Hills 1 Non-Profits -20

Chicano/Latino Affairs – 1 Circle of Parents -1 Council of Black Minnesotans-1 Council on Asian Pacific-1 Council on Disabilities-1 Humanities Ctr-2 Indian Affairs Council-1 MN Minority Ed Partnership-2 McREL-2 NDCAD-1 PACER-1 Parents United-1 Prevent Child Abuse MN -5

170 Lunches served 20 MDE staff 6 Interpreters 146 Participants

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Evaluation

General: (Disagree = 1, Agree = 5)

1 2 3 4 5

I felt listened to 1 3 4 7 30

I learned new things 1 1 8 12 21

I’m inspired to be more engaged as a parent. 0 2 4 9 24

I’m glad I attended the forum 0 2 4 9 28

Listening Session: Comments are quoted from the evaluations.

The most important thing I heard at the listening session was:

Family and staff need to build a relationship in order for the child to be

successful.

More communication between parents and school is needed.

A would like to see a family forum in the community to make sure parents

are heard.

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Every culture and community has voice within the system if they speak

up. I am talking about my Oromo community.

To not only be concerned with your student but to all.

I was impressed with the immediate sharing of ideas.

Hearing parents and educators from across the state had to say about moving their

student forward and making connections to work together.

I liked the idea of having a parent night on the same day every month to keep

consistency in hopes to raise attendance.

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Information Session Comments are quoted from the evaluations.

The most important thing I heard at the information session was:

I was hoping that recommendation would be taken out of this workshop and posted to the

department.

The brain of the boys and girls works differently.

Family engagement communicating school, and parents are very important and my child will

succeed.

Got a lot of resources my family and community can use.

It was very interesting to learn about the anatomical and physiological brain differences

between male and female brains.

Start working with your child early to prepare them for postsecondary education.

This was my first conference, and I feel that I’m leaving here with a lot of information

and a go to person at my child school that I didn’t have before.

School should provide different culturally learning at the school for bilingual children.

Title I information.

The statement about Dayton the Governor not wanting to hear the politicians

suggestions but to hear the peoples suggestions and to follow out different

suggestions.

Was very helpful cause I learned what programs my kids have to take for be succeed.

The presentation about bullying was EXCELLENT!!

The need to be more creative in how we educate our students.

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Developing Next Steps Comments are quoted from the evaluations.

The first thing I’m going to do for family engagement when I get back home is:

I will recommend a family program for African American and low income parents, look at dealing

with the social problems that get in the way of learning and supporting our student.

Get a list of services: community resources for parents/action plan.

To tell my friends and neighbors that we need to engage.

Be more active in school and be more involved. Bring the café model to the parent engagement at

my district and to my specific school.

Sit down with a team of parents and staff on how we RECRUIT more parents and

engage more parents and move our mission forward to have all student succeed and achieve contribute to

community and engage in a lifetime of learning.

Additional Comments and Suggestions for Future Conference

I think parents should and must be involved in the planning,

implementation, and evaluation of the next Family Engagement Forum.

What mean by “parents” is; parents of various economic and cultural

backgrounds.

All students should be represented at the table, if not by parents by a

community representative.

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Educate immigrant families the

education system to participate actively family engagement.

Parents need to play a big part in the decisions made

concerning our children,

An opportunity for parents to share what they want with

parent engagement would be helpful. Also sharing best

practices to encourage parent engagement would be beneficial

too.

This conference was an outstanding example of multiple-group collaboration.

I found the conference to be very informative and an excellent source of information to bring back to my school.

Key takes ways thoughts to consider: embed community/parents engagement, understanding what family’s view as “student achievement”.

Absent narratives: what are the absent narratives at our school?

Multi- tier family engagement plan. 1. Family’s that are engaged. 2. Family’s that would be engaged if offered in right way – use absent narratives. 3. Family’s that will never be engaged.

Ran out of creamer and coffee 1st thing in the morning.