MICHELE P. BROOKS ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT

OFFICE OF FAMILY & STUDENT ENGAGEMENT

BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Building Systemic

Engagement

Overview

Reform or Transform? Why Engage Families and

Communities? Transforming Engagement Leadership Matters

IntroductionsWho is in the room?

Reform or Transform

What is the difference?Reform indicates a fix Transform indicates a shift

Why Engage Families?

What is the core enterprise of school districts and schools?

Why Engage Families?

Instructional Core – Dr. Richard Elmore, HGSE

Student

Teacher

Content

Influencing Factors:

~Family/Home Culture

~Community Culture~School Culture

Why Engage Families & Communities?

5 Essential Supports

1. Leadership2. Parent-Community

Ties3. Professional Capacity4. Student-centered

learning climate5. Instructional

Guidance

Why Engage Families?

The impact of school, family and community connections on student achievement

www.sedl.org/connections

Why Engage Families?

When parents and school staff work together to support learning, students:Earn higher grades and test scores

Enroll in higher level programsAre promoted more and earn more credits

Why Engage Families?

When parents and school staff work together to support learning, students:Adapt better to school and attend more

regularly

Have better social skills and behavior

Graduate and go on to higher education

A New Wave of Evidence – Key Findings

Why Engage Families & Communities?

What does effective engagement look like?

Why Engage Families & Communities?

Family engagement in student learning…Is a shared responsibility. Is continuous across a child’s life.Occurs in multiple settings in which children learn.

National Working Group for Family and Community Engagement

FROM TOIndividual Responsibility Shared Responsibility in

Partnership

Deficit-Based/Adversarial Strength-Based and Collaborative

Random Acts Systemic

Add-On Integrated

Events Driven Learning and Outcomes Driven

Compliance Ownership and Continuous Improvement

One-Time Project Sustained

Service and Advocacy Capacity-building

Family Engagement: Reframing the Work

Transforming Engagement

Requires a paradigm shiftFrom seeing families/communities as a

part of the problem to seeing them as a part of the solution.

From seeing families/communities as by-standers to seeing them as c0-producers.

From seeing families/communities as passive participants or adversaries to seeing them as partners.

Transforming Engagement

District-Level Context Leadership Matters – A commitment to

family/community engagement that is clearly articulated and supported at the highest levels

Shared Vision – A collective vision for what success looks like

Structures and Resources – Alignment of structures, staffing and resources to support the work

Transforming Engagement

Defining the WorkVision, Core Values/Beliefs & Goals

Organizing the WorkStandards, Expectations & Outcomes

Facilitating the WorkTools, Strategies & Evaluating for Continuous Improvement

BPS Context: Defining the Work

BPS Vision for Family & Student Engagement

“Every school will welcome every family and every student, actively

engaging them as partners in student learning and school

improvement”

BPS Context: Defining the Work

CORE BELIEFSThe Boston Public Schools is committed to the authentic engagement of families/parents and students that reflects the following core values;• Every parent* has dreams for their children and

want the best for them • Every parent* has the capacity to support their

children’s learning • Parents and school staff should be equal partners

in the education of children • The primary responsibility for building

partnerships between home and school rests primarily with school leaders and staff

*regardless to race, class, culture, socioeconomic status, language limitations, sexual orientation or disability Adapted from “Beyond the Bake Sale”, Henderson, Mapp, Johnson and Davies, 2006.

BPS Context: Defining the Work

CORE BELIEFS• Every student* wants to excel and achieve – it is

the role of the adults to listen, engage, support and encourage them in ways that impact their achievement

• When students are at the center of the decision-making process they are more engaged and take “ownership” of their education; enhancing school climate, improving student/adult relationships and increasing overall student achievement

* regardless to race, class, culture, socioeconomic status, language limitations, sexual orientation or disability

BPS Context: Defining the Work

Defining the Work:CAPACITY BUILDING

of Schoolsof Familiesof Students

of Communitiesof The District

Boston Context: Organizing the Work

Establishing Standards• Provide a guide for

establishing authentic family and student engagement in schools

• Provide a guide for the district for aligning professional development and support

• Provide measures for accountability

• Provides clear engagement opportunities for families, students and the community

Boston Context: Organizing the Work

Boston Context: Organizing the Work

Policy ImplicationsBPS Acceleration Agenda

Strategy #3 – Deepening partnerships with families, students and community.

Title 1: Section 118 Parental InvolvementSeven Essentials of Whole School Improvement

Essential 6: Partner with families and community to support student learning and engagement.

Dimensions of Effective Teaching and Principalship

Both include: Partnerships with Families and Community

BPS Achievement Gap PolicyPartnerships in Family and Community Engagement

Acceleration Agenda Key Strategy

OFSE Key Strategy/Initiatives

Strengthen teaching and school leadership

Family Engagement Professional Development for Principals

Centralized Family and Student Engagement Training for School Staff

School Site Council Support & Training

Family engagement Component of WSIP

AVID family engagement component

Student Benchmark Guides (gr. 4-8)

Replicate success and turn around low-performing schools

Family Friendly Schools Certification

FCOC Initiative

Cultural Proficiency Professional Development

Student Engagement Guidebook

Student Leadership/Peer Culture Initiative (HS & MS)

Community Mapping

Outreach to and Communication with Families

Acceleration Agenda Key Strategy

OFSE Key Strategy/Initiative

Deepen partnerships with parents, students, and the community

Family Friendly Schools Certification (Rubric & Implementation guide) 5 – Core Elements of Family/Student EngagementFamily Standards Guides (PK – 12)FCOC InitiativeParent UniversityStudent Engagement GuidebookStudent Leadership/Peer Culture Initiative (HS & MS)Community Mapping for Community ResourcesOutreach to and Communication with FamiliesCommunity Dialogues/Focus Groups

Redesign district services for effectiveness, efficiency, and equity

High Impact Strategy ToolkitsCommunications ToolsCollaborations with internal departments and external partners

Boston Context: Facilitating the Work

High Impact Strategies that link Engagement to Student Learning

1. The strategy focuses on a specific group of students (such as all 1stgrade 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

Facilitating the Work: Tools of Engagement

• Tool kit includes:– Description of the strategy

– Connection to the research

– Alignment to Academic targets

– Implementation plan (structured for WSIP)

– Electronic copies of all materials needed

– List of resources for implementation

High Impact Strategiesfor linking Family Engagement

to Learning

Facilitating the Work: Tools of Engagement

Family Learning Guides Learning Goals for

each grade based on the BPS standards; Math, ELA, Science & Social Studies

Tips for talking with your child

Tips about talking with teachers

Facilitating the Work: Tools of Engagement

Multi-Tiered System of Supports Focused differentiated

instructional strategies and support

Based on BPS Academic Achievement Framework

OFSE adapted the model to create a framework for supporting the engagement work in schools

Family Friendly Schools

Certification and Engagement AwardSchools with engagement practice

that meets the designations of “progressing” or “excelling” based on the Standards Assessment Tool

Grounded in the BPS Family & Student Engagement Standards and existing BPS best practice

Parents Are Powerful!

Preparing Parents to become Powerful

Partners for Student Learning and School

Improvement

PARENT UNIVERSITY

Parents Are Teachers Child Development Parenting Strategies Supporting Learning

from Birth to FiveParents 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

PARENT UNIVERSITY

Format 3 full day Saturday

Learning Sessions (October, January & May)

Intersession offerings at schools and community based organizations

Year-long ESL classes Strand of classes in

Spanish, Haitian Creole and Chinese

PARENT UNIVERSITY

Indicators of Success

Quantitative # parents attending # parents attending

more than once # parents completing

5+ PUPs # parents completing

10 + PUPs # non-English speaking

parents # schools represented

Indicators of Success

Qualitative Parents report positive behavioral

changes Parents report increased

engagement their child’s learning at home

Parents report increased engagement with school and teachers

Parents report more confidence in advocating for their child

Schools report increased engagement

PARENT UNIVERSITY

1500 Parent University Participants 2010-11153 parents completing 10 + PUPs

60% non-English speaking parents

94 schools represented

PARENT UNIVERSITY : THE DATA

95.6% of participants ranked their experience as Good or Excellent

89% say that they are better able to help their children with homework

94% say they have a better understanding of what their child should be learning

72% say they communicate more with their child’s school or teacher as a result of Parent University

98% say they have been able to use what they learned in Parent University

Conclusion

Student Achievement is the goal of any engagement effort and it must be a district wide endeavor

Structures must promote collaboration and connections in ways that impact the work from the executive level down into the classroom

There must be an awareness and an intentionality to reduce the impact the role that privilege, race and class have in the level of engagement of families and the practice of educators

Families and community must be viewed as an asset; respected and valued as partners in student success

Conclusion

Our practice must reflect our beliefs and the leader is the role model.

Engagement of families must become more than what we do … It must be part of who we are