- Guidance
- Resources for Parents
- Models for Family and Community Engagement
- Research & Best Practices
- Assessments for Planning, Evaluation and Continuous Improvement
- Engaging Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Families
- Engagement Linked to Learning Models
Guidance
OSEP Expectations for Family Engagement in Discretionary Grants
The purpose of this document is to clarify the Office of Special Education Programs’ (OSEP) expectations for its grantees as they engage families of children and youth with disabilities (families) in project planning, implementation, and evaluation.
OSEP envisions relevant, sustained, and equitable engagement of family members informing the planning, implementation, and evaluation of all its discretionary grants. OSEP expects grants to actively plan and implement strategies that recruit and support families to be engaged with the grants in order to improve the quality, relevance, and usefulness of grants’ products and services and thereby improve outcomes for children with disabilities and their families.
South Dakota SPDG’s Evaluation Manual
The goal of the South Dakota State Personnel Development Grant (SD SPDG) is to develop a systematic, cohesive, collaborative, and sustainable evidence-based state literacy model that uses data, engages families, and can be implemented within any district needing support for struggling readers, especially students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) in grades K-5. The framework that will be used for this model is that of Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS). The development and implementation of a professional learning and development (PLD) system is sustained through building a community of practice (CoP) among the SD Department of Education (DOE), partner organizations, and selected school districts and schools and through instructional literacy coaching. Several schools from 6 districts will participate in the SPDG project.
It is with these goals in mind that this evaluation tool manual was created. SPDG project staff have developed or adapted a number of tools designed to assist educational stakeholders in evaluating which systemic factors contribute to and/or hinder implementation of the SD SPDG.
Resources for Parents
The OK SPDG has helped to support these free, publicly available resources for families. The Everyday Behaviors YouTube videos cover everything from behavior interventions to effective reinforcement and consequences.
Building Partnerships and Shared Leadership
The Role of Families in a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS)
A Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) offers an alternative approach to family engagement. A tiered approach to family engagement helps teachers and administrators adapt to the contexts, needs, and preferences of every family in the school so that ALL families are engaged in their children’s education. In this session, Georgia’s MTSS Communications and Family Engagement Specialist Carole Carr discusses the importance of helping families understand their role within the framework and how uplifting student voices strengthens engagement and improves student success.
The Idaho State Department of Education and the Idaho Commission for Libraries
The Idaho State Department of Education and the Idaho Commission for Libraries will tell their partnership story, including sharing about an exciting training they developed for school and public library staff.
Unified Champion Schools Presentation
Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools is a strategy to promote social inclusion, providing students, educators and families with the tools, skills and dispositions to create schools of acceptance and positive school climate. Evidence and evaluation shows that SOUCS is a contributing factor to student success, and positive academic and social emotional outcomes. This session explores how the impact can extend to family wellbeing.
Goals Together Partnership: Tenets and Results
The Iowa SPDG worked with administrators, teachers, and families from various elementary schools to 1) identify research-based tenets of optimal family-school partnerships, 2) develop a Goals Together Partnership (GTP) model for integrating tenets into school culture and practices, and 3) conduct a usability study to test the model in Iowa schools of diverse characteristics. This issue of the SPDG Spotlight summarizes the work of the GTP project and the outcomes of the usability study.
Carnegie Challenge Paper
WP and Carnegie Joining Together
Joining Together to Create a Bold Vision for Next Generation Family Engagement Global Family Research Project, 2018.
Leading by Convening: A Blueprint for Authentic Engagement
http://www.ideapartnership.org/documents/NovUploads/Blueprint USB/NASDSE Leading by Convening Book.pdf
This guide provides activities and templates for true engagement.
The Ohio State University’s FAMILY-SCHOOL-COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS SUPPORT includes focused discussion guides: Focused Discussions Facilitator Guide
Through a series of four focused discussions, regional staff work with the school to prime them for forming a P4L team, inventorying their practices, and developing action steps connected to their schoolwide reading plan.
Creating Collaborative Action Teams: Working Together for Student Success | SEDL http://www.sedl.org/pubs/fam18/
The Collaborative Action Team process is a set of concepts, activities, and resources that individuals, school districts and other organizations can use to develop a partnership between home, school, community, and students at the local level. These teams identify pressing issues in the school community and take action to address those issues with the purpose of promoting student success.
Minority Parent and Community Engagement: Best Practices and Policy Recommendations for Closing the Gaps in Student Achievement | MALDEF
http://www.maldef.org/assets/pdf/MCO_MALDEF%20Report_final.pdf
Improving Ethnic Minority Parent and Community Engagement for Closing Gaps in Student Achievement, provides best practices for engaging ethnic minority parents, identi es dynamics that hinder parental engagement and successful strate- gies that strengthen parental engagement, and provides recommendations for improving state and national parental engagement policies.
OSEP-funded Parent Centers Serving Families of Children with Disabilities | Parent Center Hub
www.parentcenterhub.org/find-your-center
The Center for Parent Information and Resources maintains a list of the OSEP-funded Parent Training and Information Centers and Community Parent Resources Centers serving families of children with disabilities in every state and U.S. territory.
Working Systemically in Action: Engaging Family & Community | SEDL
http://www.sedl.org/pubs/catalog/items/family126.html
SEDL’s Working Systemically approach is a process for school improvement—and, ultimately, increased student achievement—that focuses on key components and competencies at all levels of the local educational system.
Models for Family and Community EngagementTop
MiFamily: Michigan’s Family Engagement Framework
This guide provides programs and schools research and best practices to further improve and develop family engagement.
MiFamily: Michigan’s Family Engagement Framework
MiFamily: Michigan’s Family Engagement Framework Video
Michigan’s Parent Leadership in State Government
Parent Leadership in State Government (PLISG) connects parents and professionals to build stronger families and communities across the state of Michigan.
The PLISG initiative provides training and support to parents in using their voice to impact local, state, and federal program planning and policy development. Parents are given the knowledge and skills to participate on advisory boards, committees, and other decision-making bodies.
PLISG offers two training programs:
- Parents Partnering for Change: A two-day training where parents learn how to be leaders and active participants.
- Communities Leading Together: A one-day shared leadership training for parent/professional teams to attend together to address community issues and growth.
PLISG is a joint initiative between the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the Michigan Department of Education.
Dual Capacity-Building Framework | SEDL
https://www2.ed.gov/documents/family-community/partners-education.pdf
The Dual Capacity-Building Framework helps schools, districts and states to develop a comprehensive family engagement strategy that includes building the capacity of both school personnel and families to partner with one another to promote student success.
Enhancing Parent Engagement: Indicator 8 Training Module Series | PATTAN
The training module toolkit contains six, independent modules of study which are framed by the National Standards for Family-School Partnerships developed by the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA). The modules are based on research in the area of family engagement. Throughout each module, school staff will examine current practices and school procedures and reflect on ways to strengthen and enhance their family engagement efforts.
Working Systemically in Action: Engaging Family & Community | SEDL
http://www.sedl.org/pubs/catalog/items/family126.html
SEDL’s Working Systemically approach is a process for school improvement—and, ultimately, increased student achievement—that focuses on key components and competencies at all levels of the local educational system.
PTA National Standards for Family School Partnerships: Implementation Guide | PTA
This guide will help local school communities implement programs, practices, and policies that encourage partnerships between families, schools, and communities and promote student success. Use the guide and the supporting resources at PTA.org/partnerships to educate your community about the importance of family involvement, and to direct the development of effective partnerships.
Enhancing Parent Involvement: A Practical Guide for Pennsylvania’s Schools Supporting Students with Disabilities | PATTAN
This guide offers ideas on how schools and districts can address parent engagement as a means to ensure strong results for students. This publication was written for school and district personnel as a practical tool to advise and guide practices supporting effective parent involvement at the local level. (2015)
Research & Best PracticesTop
Legal and Research Considerations regarding the Importance of Developing and Nurturing Trusting Family-Professional Partnerships in Special Education Consultation.
This paper provides discussion of the legal implications of the family-professional partnership, historical documented challenges that lead to a lack of trust in these partnerships, the importance of developing and maintaining a trusting family-professional partnership in special education consultation, and recommendations for future family/parent consultation practice, research, and policy.
What does recent research and/or studies on strategies for family engagement say?
REL Mid-Atlantic provides a description of the research and the evidence-based family engagement strategies that are supported by the research.
https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/regions/midatlantic/askarel_30.asp
What Works Brief #9: Family Engagement
How can schools get families involved in their children’s education to achieve academic success? This What Works Brief, cowritten by WestEd’s Maria Paredes and Meagan O’Malley, provides research-based strategies for thoughtful planning, mentoring, encouraging open communication, modeling high expectations, and much more.
THE IMPACT OF FAMILY INVOLVEMENT ON THE EDUCATION OF CHILDREN AGES 3 TO 8 | Frances L. Van Voorhis, Michelle F. Maier, Joyce L. Epstein, Chrishana M. Lloyd
October 2013 https://www.mdrc.org/sites/default/files/The_Impact_of_Family_Involvement_FR.pdf
The studies reviewed in this report represent the most rigorous work conducted over the past decade on the nature and effects of family involvement on young children’s literacy, math, and social-emotional skills. (2013)
Seven Research-Based Ways That Families Promote Early Literacy | Margaret Caspe and M. Elena Lopez | September 2017
https://globalfrp.org/Articles/Seven-Research-Based-Ways-Families-Promote-Early-Literacy
This infographic from the Global Family Research Project depicts the ways that families engage in supporting early literacy.
Top Five Reasons Schools Need to Engage Parents | PATTAN
This fact sheet offers ideas on how schools and districts can address parent engagement as a means to ensure strong results for students.
A New Wave of Evidence | SEDL
http://www.sedl.org/pubs/catalog/items/fam33.html
This research synthesis is the second in a series that will examine key issues in the field of family and community connections with schools. It is a synthesis of 51 studies about the impact of family and community involvement on student achievement and effective strategies to connect schools, families and community. (2002)
Research on Parent Involvement with Diverse Families | PACER Center
http://www.pacer.org/cultural-diversity/research-literature.asp
This page includes a representative list of recent research literature on multicultural parent involvement and engagement, particularly those which address the interests and needs of educators.
Enhancing Parent Engagement: Indicator 8 Training Module Series | PATTAN
The training module toolkit contains six, independent modules of study which are framed by the National Standards for Family-School Partnerships developed by the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA). The modules are based on research in the area of family engagement. Throughout each module, school staff will examine current practices and school procedures and reflect on ways to strengthen and enhance their family engagement efforts.
School Resource Network | Resources for Schools | Academic Development Institute
http://www.schoolcommunitynetwork.org/RFS.aspx
Resources for Schools to help in their work with families. Search the databases by age group, topic or key word for activities, articles and resources on: parent education, communication, professional development, early childhood, special education and English language learners.
Assessments for Planning, Evaluation and Continuous ImprovementTop
Regional State Support Team (SST) Family and Community Engagement Self Assessment Planning Tool. | Boone, B., (2014)
https://u.osu.edu/familyschoolpartnerships/ohiofce/
This self-assessment tool is designed to provide regional support systems for family engagement with a means of reflecting on their work for supporting family and community engagement and to set priorities for strengthening and expanding this work in the future.
Beyond the Bake Sale | Checklist | How Well Does Your School Support Parents as Advocates | Henderson, Mapp, Johnson, Davies
http://www.sfusd.edu/en/assets/sfusd-staff/Supporting%20Families%20as%20Advocates.pdf
As a leadership team, review and rate your school/district programs and practices, then complete the reflection questions at the end of the survey to help you design a plan for improving ways to support families as advocates.
Beyond the Bake Sale | Checklist | How Well is Your School Bridging Racial, Class and Cultural Differences | Henderson, Mapp, Johnson, Davies
http://www.sfusd.edu/en/assets/sfusd-staff/Racial%20Class%20&%20Cultural%20Differences.pdf
Use this checklist to review and rate school policies and practices, then complete the reflection questions at the end of the survey to help you design a plan for bridging racial, class and cultural differences.
Family Engagement with PBIS | OSU, Center for Education and Training For Employment
http://u.osu.edu/familyschoolpartnerships/pbis/
The tools featured on this website of The Ohio State University include rubrics for school PBIS teams to assess their level of famiy engagement through PBIS at Tiers I, II and III. Additional tools for communicating about PBIS to families are also available.
Enhancing Parent Engagement: Indicator 8 Training Module Series | PATTAN
The training module toolkit contains six, independent modules of study which are framed by the National Standards for Family-School Partnerships developed by the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA). The modules are based on research in the area of family engagement. Throughout each module, school staff will examine current practices and school procedures and reflect on ways to strengthen and enhance their family engagement efforts.
PTA National Standards for Family School Partnerships: Implementation Guide | PTA
This guide will help local school communities implement programs, practices, and policies that encourage partnerships between families, schools, and communities and promote student success. Use the guide and the supporting resources at PTA.org/partnerships to educate your community about the importance of family involvement, and to direct the development of effective partnerships.
Engaging Culturally and Linguistically Diverse FamiliesTop
SIGnetwork Webinar on working with families from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds | Rose Quintero, PACER &Loraine Jensen, MN Department of Education
http://signetwork.org/event_calendar/events/1445
Families from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds face unique circumstances which may make it difficult for them to effectively engage in their child’s education. This session will focus on the resources and tools that PACER staff developed, with MN school district partners, under our SPDG grant, to help promote meaningful parent engagement with these families. We will highlight the resources available on our webpage for school professionals and parents. We will also talk about the lessons learned, efforts to disseminate this information, and our new SPDG grant, which focuses on family engagement for African American and American Indian transition age youth.
Beyond the Bake Sale | Checklist | How Well is Your School Bridging Racial, Class and Cultural Differences | Henderson, Mapp, Johnson, Davies
http://www.sfusd.edu/en/assets/sfusd-staff/Racial%20Class%20&%20Cultural%20Differences.pdf
Use this checklist to review and rate school policies and practices, then complete the reflection questions at the end of the survey to help you design a plan for bridging racial, class and cultural differences.
Minority Parent and Community Engagement: Best Practices and Policy Recommendations for Closing the Gaps in Student Achievement | MALDEF
http://www.maldef.org/assets/pdf/MCO_MALDEF%20Report_final.pdf
Improving Ethnic Minority Parent and Community Engagement for Closing Gaps in Student Achievement, provides best practices for engaging ethnic minority parents, identi es dynamics that hinder parental engagement and successful strate- gies that strengthen parental engagement, and provides recommendations for improving state and national parental engagement policies.
Research on Parent Involvement with Diverse Families | PACER Center
http://www.pacer.org/cultural-diversity/research-literature.asp
This page includes a representative list of recent research literature on multicultural parent involvement and engagement, particularly those which address the interests and needs of educators.
Enhancing Parent Involvement: A Practical Guide for Pennsylvania’s Schools Supporting Students with Disabilities | PATTAN
This guide offers ideas on how schools and districts can address parent engagement as a means to ensure strong results for students. This publication was written for school and district personnel as a practical tool to advise and guide practices supporting effective parent involvement at the local level. (2015)
Engagement Linked to Learning ModelsTop
Family Engagement with PBIS | OSU, Center for Education and Training For Employment
http://u.osu.edu/familyschoolpartnerships/pbis/
The tools featured on this website of The Ohio State University include rubrics for school PBIS teams to assess their level of famiy engagement through PBIS at Tiers I, II and III. Additional tools for communicating about PBIS to families are also available.
Enhancing Parent Involvement: A Practical Guide for Pennsylvania’s Schools Supporting Students with Disabilities | PATTAN
This guide offers ideas on how schools and districts can address parent engagement as a means to ensure strong results for students. This publication was written for school and district personnel as a practical tool to advise and guide practices supporting effective parent involvement at the local level. (2015)
“Partnering with Families for Early Language and Literacy Development: Research-based Strategies for Early Childhood Teachers” | Boone, B.J., Wellman, M.E., & Schenker, V. (2017).
This document was created for teachers, pre-K through 3rd grade, looking to improve their strategies for partnering with families for children’s language and literacy development. Research demonstrates that family support for language
and literacy activities at school and at home is positively related to children’s outcomes, including reading acquisition, language, vocabulary learning, conceptual development, and literacy achievement (Dearing, Kreider, Simpkins, & Weiss, 2006; Rowe & Fain, 2013; Senechal, 2006). The following eight strategies drawn from the research literature offer opportunities for teachers to build stronger partnerships with families to support children’s language and literacy development.
Tips for Administrators, Teachers, and Families: How to Share Data Effectively | Global Family Research Project
Parents not only need access to data, but they need to know how to act on what the data might be telling them. These Parent–Teacher Conference Tip Sheets provide key strategies that both parents and teachers can use to support students both in and out of the classroom. A tip sheet aimed at school principals also outlines how school administrators can support parents and teachers to that end. (English and Spanish)
Ohio Parent Teacher Partnership Model | Ohio SPDG
https://u.osu.edu/familyschoolpartnerships/ptp/
The Parent-Teacher Partnership Model brings together a small group of family members and school staff a few times per year to discuss such topics as respect, communication, equality, and supporting student learning using a set of 8 suggested modules. Families and schools implement this model for an opportunity for honest and open, two-way communication towards school improvement and family well-being. Parents and teachers co-facilitate meetings, to model to the group that families are equal partners. While the modules are designed to go in order, they can be adapted and used to meet your local needs. The modules are available in English and Spanish. Within each module you will find everything you need to facilitate the session, such as slides, handouts, video clips, and feedback forms.
Categories: Resource Library