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How are other school districts in Oregon communicating resources to families?

Family engagement is important for student success, so why are courses about this topic not required for all educator programs?

What ways can schools and school districts improve the way they advocate for families? And, how do they know what exactly families need advocating for?

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I think that having courses and training in family engagement is something that should be required for all educator programs. Family engagement is important for students success. Also, I personally did not have any training in this area and I've just had to figure it out as I go.

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The area I think that my school and district need to embrace more is the area "Connect."

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I scored the lowest on my personal "Family-facing Professional Reflection" in the area titled "Connect."

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I scored the highest on my personal "Family-facing Professional Reflection" in the area titled "Reflect."

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I do my best to communicate with families. I have some knowledge about resources available to families. My knowledge of resources is strongest in the area of disability services.

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I think that the area "Connect" is an important area for my school and district to work on because I feel that the communication between the school and district and families is just now beginning to shift more positively. I also think that there needs to be a better way for schools, teachers, principals, other admin, counselors, and other school staff to know what resources are available to families. There is currently no central place to see all of the resources available. Multiple different people know about different resources within my school and the same goes for the district level, but there is not a way that these are communicated to everyone can have access to them.

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I listen to families and assist as I can. I try to follow families wishes and goals for their children. I am open to learning more about cultural and linguistic diversity that I don't know about or know little about. I do my best to see things from others perspectives/points of view, and am open to learning more from others. I encourage families to be a part of their child's education and use information they give me about their child to support their child.

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As a special education teacher I have multiple students with behavioral challenges/needs. I often communicate with the parents/families of these students. I usually ask similar questions to these parents that include, "what works at home," "are there any new changes outside of school," "is there anything that you need," and "do you have any suggestions for me." I have found that asking questions like these open the lines of communication with families, and helps to build trust. These questions also seem to make parents/families feel like I as a teacher take their recommendations seriously.

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I  will try not to make assumptions about families based on previous experiences. I will take opportunities to learn more about the community and families that I serve.

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I could use more modes of communication. Currently, I mostly use text or email when communicating with families. Sometimes I communicate with families in person if I happen to be around during drop off and pick up times. I also do in person communication during IEP meetings if parents choose to have the meeting in person. I also don't know of all the resources available to families. There are resources available in my school district and county, but I don't know all of them. There isn't a central place to go to look for all of the resources either. I need to learn more about the resources that families can access.

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If my school or the school district as a whole did a better job of communicating resources, or having a place on the website where you could access resources I think that families could get more support. I also feel like parents and families would feel more supported by the school and district if we could easily point them in the direction of resources that they need. I think if families feel more supported by the school and school district they will be more likely to support the school and school district. Families would also probably feel like they could trust the school and school district more, and may feel more open to/comfortable with communicating with school staff.