Tag: Family Engagement

Standard #1: Welcoming all families into the school community

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By Heather Ippolito, VP for Family Engagement

Earlier this month we introduced the PTA National Standards for Family-School Partnerships on the blog. You can view that article by clicking here.  Today we are going to dig a little deeper into the first standard:  

Welcoming All Families Into the School Community

As your local unit begins to think about your back to school events consider these five tips for being as inclusive as possible in welcoming ALL families:

  1. On forms and paperwork remember to be inclusive in your language.  Instead of asking for names of “moms and dads” you can ask for names of parents, caregivers, or guardians.  Asking parents for their preferred pronouns is also a great idea!
  2. Create a “Welcome Packet” for new families.  Include coupons for local businesses, maps of the community, a copy of the school newsletter, how to find the school and PTA on social media, and a list of ways parents can get involved at your school including but not limited to:  
    • School Site Council (SSC), 
    • English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC), 
    • Parent Teacher Association (PTA), 
    • Parent Advisory Council (PAC) and other school or district committees.  
  3. Don’t forget to include a way to join your PTA!   Every time a new family enrolls the school office staff can give them the welcome packet.
  4. PTA volunteers call new families to personally invite them to the back-to-school events, offering to help them find transportation if they need it.
  5. Survey families (in their home language if possible) to see what kinds of programs they are interested in and what kinds of support they need from the school.

We want to hear from you!  What activities have you done to welcome families?  Share them with us and we might feature them here on the blog or on our social media channels– simply fill out this quick form and let us know what you’ve done to welcome schools to your campus.

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Interview with Danni Kim, National PTA Family Engagement Whole Child Fellow

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Earlier this month National PTA announced the names of four Family Engagement Fellows from across the United States. California State PTA is proud to announce that Danni Kim from Franklin Magnet PTA in First District was selected for this prestigious program.

Our Vice President for Family Engagement, Heather Ippolito, sat down with Danni and asked her about the importance of family engagement, her favorite programs to connect families to campus, and for a sneak peek into what the Fellows will be doing. She described several amazing programs implemented at her school site this past year including “Culture of Kindness” and a virtual art assembly that focused on diversity.

Click below to watch the interview:

Additional resources:

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Introduction to the National Standards for Family-School Partnerships

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National PTA is focused on transformative family engagement which is defined as “a shared effort of families, schools, and community leaders to advance programs, practices, and policies that empower every parent to make their child’s potential a reality.” To that end, the National Standards for Family-School Partnerships will help your school evaluate where you are in your family engagement journey and give you ideas to be more inclusive in your practices.

There are six parts to the blueprint:

  1. Welcoming all families into the school community 
  2. Communicating effectively 
  3. Supporting student success 
  4. Speaking up for every child
  5. Sharing power 
  6. Collaborating with community

Throughout the year we will be sharing with you some examples and best practices in each of these areas, but we would also love to hear from you!  What are you doing to engage families in your school, council, or district PTA? Share your great ideas by completing this form or email familyengagement@capta.org. 

To learn more about National PTA’s Transformative Family Engagement work, visit the Center for Family Engagement and watch this video:  

Next steps: 

  • Download the complete Guide and begin to read through it or start with the briefer summary document as an introduction.
  • Select one area of focus for your PTA to discuss at your next meeting.  Brainstorm ideas and make a plan to put one of those ideas into action at the following meeting.
  • Show the Guide to your school principal and give it to your School Site Council President.

If you missed last week’s Family Engagement Friday blog post, you can check it out here.

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What is Family Engagement?

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By Heather Ippolito, Vice President for Family Engagement

In PTA we often talk about family engagement, but what does it really mean and why is it so very important?  

Family engagement with schools has many definitions:  

  • The US Department of Health and Human Services: Family engagement is the process used to build genuine relationships with families. Relationships with families support overall family well-being and children’s healthy development. When families are engaged, partnerships are created that have a common focus– helping children grow and thrive.
  • In 2010 the National Family, School and Community Engagement Working Group (now the NAFSCE Policy Council) defined family engagement like this: “Family engagement is a shared responsibility in which schools and other community agencies and organizations are committed to reaching out to engage families in meaningful ways and in which families are committed to actively supporting their children’s learning and development.”
  • National PTA defines transformative family engagement as a shared effort of families, schools and community leaders to advance programs, practices, and policies that empower every parent to make their child’s potential a reality.

Research shows family engagement is a major factor in student success, with an encouraging home environment serving as a bigger factor in student achievement than a parent’s income, education level or cultural background. It also tells us that family engagement:

  • Promotes healthy development and wellness in children
  • Increases graduation rates for those students whose families are involved on campus
  • Decreases dropout rates and behavior issues in students whose families participate on campus
  • Increases a child’s academic and social skills

What does this all boil down to for our  PTA unit, council and district leaders? Family engagement is something you do daily. Your programs and events help bring families to your campus and better understand educational issues that impact their children. When you help create and foster relationships between families, the school and the greater community, the students at your school thrive.  

Our goal as the California State PTA Family Engagement Commission is to give you concrete ideas to make this task easier. Every Friday on the blog we will share family engagement tips, best practices, and resources that will help you as you plan activities on your campus. We are so excited to work alongside you this term! 

Next steps:

  • This year at your first executive board meeting set three family engagement goals. Some examples of family engagement goals are:
  • Increase involvement of fathers, grandfathers, and other male family members in PTA and school events
  • Increase parent and family participation in the Local Control Accountability Plan and Local Control Funding Formula meetings
  • Take at least three actions this year to make your existing programs more accessible for families of children with special needs. For example, open up your Fall Harvest Festival 30 minutes early for these families so they can enjoy the activities with smaller crowds and less sensory stimulation.

Share with us your goals and you might be recognized in our social media (or win a prize). Email them to familyengagement@capta.org 

  • We also want to hear about your best family engagement activities. Complete this simple form and your school may be featured here on the blog, in our social media or on our website. 

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College and Career Readiness Summer Activity

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Helping our students think about college and career readiness is a great thing to do during the summer months. The Family Engagement Commission has found a really fun resource for students in grades 5-12 to use this summer AND they could win a $1,000 scholarship!

Take a few moments to learn more about this program and check out all the resources that Families in Schools has on this important topic: https://www.familiesinschools.org/passport-to-success-college-and-career-edition/

         

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Addressing Microaggressions to Make PTAs More Welcoming

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We all want all families to feel welcome at our schools.

An active middle school PTSA was committed to including all voices in their PTSA planning. They worked with their school’s Spanish-bilingual and Chinese-bilingual family liaisons to engage the English-language learner communities at their school and to provide interpretation at their meetings. At every meeting, the Spanish-speaking and Cantonese-speaking families had interpretation and a familiar face to welcome them to the meetings. Before the meeting started, they felt included and welcome to their PTSA.

Yet, when it was time to discuss the budget and upcoming events, the PTSA Board described the events that they had planned and didn’t ask for feedback from all members at the meeting. The Spanish-speaking parents were confused. They had come with their ideas for community events and were excited to share their ideas, but, when they suggested new events or programs, the PTSA Officers asserted that they had already decided what the community events would be.

Do you think that the Spanish-speaking families returned to the next meeting?

“Welcoming All Families” is the first standard of Family Engagement in the National Standards for Family-School Partnerships. Our PTAs provide Welcome Back to School events, mentor families and many other terrific programs, strategies, and initiatives that are described in the National Standards Assessment Guide. We can make our schools even more welcoming by watching for micro-aggressions in your PTA meetings and activities.

Microaggressions are indirect, subtle or unintentional instances of discrimination against members of a marginalized group. Although they are thought of as small actions, microaggressions can have a tremendous impact. In a short PTA video, you can learn how to recognize microaggressions, respond to them and repair relationships in situations where we’ve committed them.

Continue your learning and reflection on micro-aggressions with these questions and resources.

For self-reflection:

  • Are you more often an observer, perpetrator or victim of microaggressions? What does it feel like for you in each of these roles?
  • Which of your identities (i.e., race, immigration status, language, religion, gender, sexuality, ability, household status, etc.) tend to have more “power” and could lead you to unintentionally commit a microaggression? What would it look like in those instances?
  • How does intent and impact show up in how you respond to microaggressions?
  • What has worked and has not worked when you have responded to a microaggression?

For your PTA to discuss:

  • Where have you seen microaggressions play out in your PTA? In your school community?
  • Who is affected by these microaggressions? What is the impact for these people?
  • How can you recognize, respond and repair microaggressions when they occur within your PTA?

Come to the Family Engagement Meet-up during Convention 2021 on May 14 at 4:00 p.m. to reflect on how you and your PTA may become more aware of and address microaggressions at your school.

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Family Engagement: It’s the Law

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As PTA members, we know how important family engagement is for student and school success. 

Did you know that family engagement is not just good practice? In California it’s the law! 

The California Department of Education’s Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) gives local school districts a lot of substantial power to make local decisions that affect their communities. Every local education authority (school district) in California has to submit a plan for how it will use the LCFF funding. 

Learn more about the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) and the state’s required Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) here.

Part of your district’s LCAP includes a description of how the district engages families in decision-making and planning. In 2018, California PTA worked with other state Family Engagement partners to pass AB 2828, which requires school districts and charter schools to describe their family engagement strategies and outcomes in specific ways in their annual Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAP).

What does this look like in your school district?

  • Does your district make every effort to seek parent input in making decisions for your school district and your school site? 
  • How does your district plan to increase participation for students with exceptional needs?
  • What is working and not working for your district?

Learn more about measuring and reporting family engagement at “Family Engagement: It’s the Law,” a Convention 2021 presentation, live Q&A and meet-up on May 12.

Next steps:

  1. Use the National PTA checklist to measure family engagement at your own school site;
  2. Check out the National Standards for family school partnerships to get ideas; 
  3. Attend your school site or district Local Control and Accountability Plan planning meetings;
  4. Find out if your district is using the California State Self-Reflection tool; and
  5. Ask your school and your district how they will engage all families in your community.

 

About Kari Gray: A San Francisco resident, public school parent, arts advocate and community engagement specialist, Kari Gray currently works as the Special Projects Manager at ODC/Dance and serves on the Boards of Youth Arts Exchange, the Second District of the California State PTA, and on the Family Engagement Commission and Art Committee for the California State PTA.

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Staying Connected with PTA Families in a Virtual World

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How do we keep everyone connected when we can’t meet in person? The same way we did before: by communicating clearly and frequently, by hosting a variety of social and learning activities, and by building authentic relationships.

Clear and frequent communication

Every year, PTA works with school staff to establish communication processes and tools. This year, with all the changes and updates, it is even more important to reach every single person in our communities.

We need to ask:

  • How are people coping?
  • What do they need?
  • What is the best way to connect?

Effective family engagement includes all families and caregivers. To reach all families, it is vital to share information in a variety of ways: PTA and school district websites and newsletters, email, text, social media posts, and even with paper flyers and newsletters sent by mail.

Recognizing the need for a whole new way to create engagement and community, the PTA in San Francisco started “4-1-1 Wednesday” virtual gatherings for all San Francisco families. They could join by phone or computer. Topics centered on how to support families and parent groups: fundraising brainstorming, mental health and wellness strategies, and tips on creating an inclusive community. 4-1-1 Wednesdays also feature Town Halls with the District Superintendent and Department of Public Health.

These citywide meetings give parents and caregivers the opportunity to learn from each other and strengthen the entire school district community.

Share your own strategies for communicating with your community during Convention 2021 at our Family Engagement Meet-up on Tuesday, May 11 at 4:00 p.m.

About Kari Gray: A San Francisco resident, public school parent, arts advocate and community engagement specialist, Kari Gray currently works as the Special Projects Manager at ODC/Dance and serves on the Boards of Youth Arts Exchange, the Second District of the California State PTA, and on the Family Engagement Commission and Art Committee for the California State PTA.

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Are you feeling engaged with your school site?

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Family Engagement is at the heart of what we do in PTA — but do you feel like you are running out of ideas for good programming? The Family Engagement Commission is hosting a workshop that will help you with just that at our 122nd Annual Convention. This is a great chance to hear about great practices from across the state and to share what you have done at your school with others.

Title of Presentation: Are you feeling engaged with your school site?

Brief Description: An opportunity to hear from Lisa Borrego, who works for the California Department of Education about various Family Engagement programs from different school districts across California. It will be an interactive workshop with lots of discussion and idea-sharing in the Q & As.

Three Takeaways:

  • Will have a better understanding of Family Engagement across California
  • To have insight of what is Authentic Family Engagement.
  • How to implement best practices at your school site.

Presenters: Lisa Borrego, CDE; Deborah Johnson, California State PTA Family Engagement Commission Vice-President; Nha-Nghi Nguyen, California State PTA Family Engagement Commission Vice-Chair

If you haven’t already, click here to register for Convention 2021.

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Being an Involved Parent

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We’ve been hearing a bunch lately that parental involvement matters more for educational performance of our kids than even the lessons in school.  Study after study tells us that parents matter.  But what does this really mean and how can I do that and still keep up with my house, my job and myself?  As a full-time working mom I struggle daily, like so many of us, to find that balance and fear that my kid’s future is getting worse because I can’t be in the classroom (or even want to be) 24/7.

It took me awhile to learn that I was not failing my kids if I couldn’t sign up for every in-class opportunity made available. I couldn’t sleep for days as I pondered the effects on my kids but then I thought about how much time my kids actually spend at school versus the rest of the week with me.  On average my kids surprisingly spend less than 20 percent of their time in school.  It’s not to say that school isn’t important, but it does highlight how important parents are in their kids learning since 80 percent of the time parents are their teacher.

But now comes the tougher question. How do I stay involved so they can learn more and be smarter?

For me parent involvement has become far more than just going to a PTA meeting or paying my yearly dues.  (Of course those are both important but not directly helping kids in the ways all the studies talk about.)  What I think it really means to be an involved parent is listening to my kid’s stories as soon as they open their mouths.  I strive each day to look at their homework and discuss what they did at school that day. I also always give them one unexpected question about their school day like “who had the silliest socks” or “if you could have traded lunches with anyone today who would it have been?”  These types of questions have allowed me to get my kids to talk more about their day without becoming a total interrogation.  It also shows them that I truly am interested in what they did and it’s not just about me checking in on them.

Although I don’t have the schedule that allows me to volunteer in the classroom each week, I do strongly believe being included in different parts of the education process at my kid’s schools has been critical.  I have been a member of some strong PTAs that have thankfully found ways to invite parents into the classroom setting without disrupting the school day or forcing me to choose between a paycheck and being at the school.  These PTAs have hosted various events or activities that brought parents and families into the school and encouraged parents to establish good educational routines with their kids.

This is where PTAs can really make effective change.  Some examples that I have been part of include:

  1. Educational family nights with themes like “Science Blast” or “Family Spelling Bee.”
  2. Family Reading Night” or “Family Reading Month” where parents are asked to bring a book to read to the class. It can take as little as five minutes to read a book.
  3. “Three For Me” Project where parents pledge on “Back To School Night” to volunteer three hours to help their child’s class. This can mean cutting out art projects at home, washing desks or being a “Junior Achievement” mentor. Regardless of the task, it encourages ALL parents to volunteer so each child can see their parent helping.  (This is also one of my favorites because too many times, three moms hog all the volunteer spots and although great helpers they take away from other kids in the class seeing their parents help.)
  4. “Family Performance Night” where parents and students receive roles for the school play and are part of the drama club or talent show.
  5. “Show & Tell Moments” but instead of material items students bring in a parent or guardian to show off.

Each day, I learn with my kids but honestly the more I talk with my kids and listen, the more I learn about CA curriculum and where they may need my help to fill in the voids.

Studies on Benefits of Parent Involvement: