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Opener 5 Minutes

(Name, Grade) Choose one of the questions and rephrase to show you interpret it.

Ex. What is working well in this area? → "When do students thrive as readers as writers."

Input 5-8 Minutes

Write Responses to any of the questions

Review 5-8 Minutes

Read the Responses. Click the {Heart} to like a responses that resonates with you.

Discussion 20 Minutes

Add additional ideas that emerge from discussion

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It seems that students/families are getting food if they need it

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This strategy has been very helpful when supported is needed immediately

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There seems to be more avenues of access for students who are struggling with mental issues. We are also more sensitive to the subject when students display behaviors or come forward to get them the support they need

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Allowing more time for meetings if translation is needed. Helping parents logging in via their phone versus a computer

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Create Screencastify videos to parents and students to explain the purpose of the class or teach a lesson.

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Agency partnerships has supported many learning hubs across the district this year

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Agency partnerships has supported many learning hubs across the district this year

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Morning meetings and class group time has been effective in supporting students emotionally.

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Morning meetings and class group time has been effective in supporting students emotionally.

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Counselor organization of topics and lessons is extremely valuable

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Counselor organization of topics and lessons is extremely valuable

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This change in our district I believe has kept more students/families engaged.

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Being that technology has been the driving force behind our academic delivery, many students who struggled in "normal school settings" have flourished. We should be even more open to diversifying our instructional approach when delivering material to the students

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1 to 1 access as technology ages is important to keep students/family informed and I believe contributes to Mental Wellness, as it gives students access to tools and information.

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Continued mental health support in-district and with community partners

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Continued mental health support in-district and with community partners

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Chromebooks, noise cancelling headphones, and working wifi

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Chromebooks, noise cancelling headphones, and working wifi

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Use different online tools in order to make the lesson plan more engaging to everyone.

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Using Dr. Mapp's (Harvard) guidance on family engagement we need to learn and share site wide how to be effective in connecting with families.  Her point number 5 is linking to learning.  She gives a powerful example about back-to-school night:  “This is one of the pieces that’s easy to fix, but we don’t get it right,” Mapp says, asking the audience to think about a typical school open house, where parents are shunted from the auditorium or cafeteria — where they hear from the principal about rules and requirements — to the classroom, where they hear from the teacher about more rules and requirements. “Do I get to learn, as a parent, a new tip or tool, or [do I get to] practice something that helps support my kids’ learning? Not usually,” says Mapp. “Do the teachers get to hear from me about what I know about my kid that might help them be a better teacher to my child? No.” By not linking school events like open houses to real learning opportunities, Mapp says, we’re missing a key opportunity to build lasting family engagement. 

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Using Dr. Mapp's (Harvard) guidance on family engagement we need to learn and share site wide how to be effective in connecting with families.  Her point number 5 is linking to learning.  She gives a powerful example about back-to-school night:  “This is one of the pieces that’s easy to fix, but we don’t get it right,” Mapp says, asking the audience to think about a typical school open house, where parents are shunted from the auditorium or cafeteria — where they hear from the principal about rules and requirements — to the classroom, where they hear from the teacher about more rules and requirements. “Do I get to learn, as a parent, a new tip or tool, or [do I get to] practice something that helps support my kids’ learning? Not usually,” says Mapp. “Do the teachers get to hear from me about what I know about my kid that might help them be a better teacher to my child? No.” By not linking school events like open houses to real learning opportunities, Mapp says, we’re missing a key opportunity to build lasting family engagement. 

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Educational leaders know a lot about family engagement, says Senior Lecturer Karen Mapp, speaking at the Harvard Graduate School of Education's Bold Ideas & Critical Conversations event on September 19, and they know a lot about its impact on student outcomes.

Students with engaged families:

earn higher grades and test scores;

enroll in higher-level academic programs;

are promoted on time and earn more credits;

adapt better to school and attend more regularly;

have better social skills and behaviors; and

graduate and go on to postsecondary opportunities.

So if we know all of this, Mapp asks, why are schools still struggling to increase family engagement? What really works when it comes to cultivating partnerships between home and school?

Mapp has assembled a list of best practices, based on her work with districts, schools, and parents. Effective family engagement, she says, must be:

Relational. "Relationships matter," she says. "A lot of times we jump straight to the program - do this - but we haven't gotten to know each other as people, and that's really important in districts where there's been a lot of distrust between home and school."

Interactive. "We learn more when we get some dirt under our fingernails and do it together," Mapp says.

Collaborative. "Families and communities have funds of knowledge that we need [in order] to be better educators."

Developmental. "If we're only going to provide services to families, and not build their capacities, then nobody learns, nobody grows."

Linked to learning. "This is one of the pieces that's easy to fix, but we don't get it right," Mapp says, asking the audience to think about a typical school open house, where parents are shunted from the auditorium or cafeteria - where they hear from the principal about rules and requirements - to the classroom, where they hear from the teacher about more rules and requirements. "Do I get to learn, as a parent, a new tip or tool, or [do I get to] practice something that helps support my kids' learning? Not usually," says Mapp. "Do the teachers get to hear from me about what I know about my kid that might help them be a better teacher to my child? No." By not linking school events like open houses to real learning opportunities, Mapp says, we're missing a key opportunity to build lasting family engagement.

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Educational leaders know a lot about family engagement, says Senior Lecturer Karen Mapp, speaking at the Harvard Graduate School of Education's Bold Ideas & Critical Conversations event on September 19, and they know a lot about its impact on student outcomes.

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Teaching the skills we have given students this year could be a regular part of the school week.

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Integrate more technology/online resources into the curriculum

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Integrate more technology/online resources into the curriculum

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School nurse support for medical/family COVID concerns.

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School nurse support for medical/family COVID concerns.

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found more success when arranging 1:1 or bringing kids in for ELPAK testing; text helps; having multiple time options and offering multiple ways to connect

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found more success when arranging 1:1 or bringing kids in for ELPAK testing; text helps; having multiple time options and offering multiple ways to connect

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More integration of SEL into curriculum content areas

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More integration of SEL into curriculum content areas