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The administration, faculty, and
staff of Northeast Elementary School share a strong commitment to the
effective and successful education of children in our community. At
the same time, we understand that effectiveness and success in education is
incomplete without the wholehearted support of families and concerned
community members. Both practical experience and educational research
strongly indicate the importance of family and community support outside the
classroom. In simple terms, family support is an essential ingredient
in the ongoing growth and development of children.
In an effort to address this vital concern and in compliance with the No
Child Left Behind Act of 2001, the administration, faculty, and staff of
Northeast Elementary School have formed a Family Engagement Committee,
comprised of a Building Facilitator, an administrator, two parent
representatives, and four teacher representatives. The purpose of this
committee is to formulate an effective Family Involvement Plan that is based
upon scientific research, best practices, identified school and family needs
and practical concerns. This Family Engagement Plan will then be
submitted to both the faculty and school parents for adoption and
implementation.
The goal of this plan is to effectively engage parents, family members, and
community supporters in ways that will enhance the formal educational
enterprise. Through a combination of research, interest surveys, and
needs assessments, we want to develop an ongoing program of activities and
services which will serve the families of our community and improve the
educational opportunities of our students.
In an effort to develop and implement this Family Engagement Plan, we will
address the following six standards:
1. Volunteering
2. Parenting
3. Communicating
4. Learning at Home
5. Decision Making
6. Collaborating with Community
Under each of these six standards, we will establish a specific Goal, a list
of Current Practices, notes regarding Challenges to be met in the
implementation of that standard, and the expected Results for students,
parents, and teachers.
STANDARD 1 – VOLUNTEERING
Goal: To recruit and
organize family help and support.
CURRENT PRACTICES:
• Distribute a Family
Involvement Pledge to recruit and organize family volunteers.
• Distribute a Family
Involvement Report Card to help evaluate family contributions to their
child’s success at school.
• Create and maintain a
central database of family and community volunteers. This database
would include talents, interests, availability, and contact information.
• Form parent support teams
to aid the school in safety and operational areas.
CHALLENGES:
• See that the Family
Involvement Pledge is widely distributed so that all families are
represented equally and know that their time and talents are welcome.
• Create flexible schedules
for events and activities so that volunteers will find it convenient to
participate.
• Organize volunteers,
provide training, match time and talents with school needs, and recognize
participation in ways that encourage people to participate and be
productive.
RESULTS:
For Students
• Better interaction and
communication with adults
• Improved academic skills
through tutoring and targeted attention from volunteers
• Awareness of many skills,
occupations, and contributions of adult volunteers
• Appreciation of adults who
contribute their time and talents to the school
For Families
• Better understanding of
teacher’s job
• Increased comfort within
the school environment and transfer of that environment to educational
activities at home
• Increased awareness that
ALL families and workers are welcomed and valued at school
• Increased skills in areas
where volunteer work is done
For Teachers
• Willingness to involve
volunteers in new ways, including those who may not be able to work at
school
• Increased awareness of
volunteer talents and interest in school and children
• Greater attention to
individual student needs by using volunteer help to support the educational
program
STANDARD 2 – PARENTING
Goal: To help all
families develop home environments that support children as students.
CURRENT PRACTICES:
• Provide every family with
suggestions and materials that discuss home conditions that support learning
at each grade level.
• Develop a Family Support
Center which offers lectures, videotapes, books, written materials, and
other resources to encourage effective parenting and educational support at
home.
• Investigate after-school
programs to assist stressed families with health, nutrition, and educational
support services.
CHALLENGES:
• Provide information and
support to all families who want or need it, not just to those who are
visible and active in school activities.
• Encourage families to share
information about culture, background, children’s talents and needs, and
concerns related to school.
• Assure that all information
to and from families is clear, understandable, and usable.
RESULTS:
For Students
• Awareness of the importance
of family and respect for parental authority
• Improved personal
character, habits, beliefs, and values
• Balance in time between
chores, family activities, and school work
• Awareness of the importance
of school
For Families
• Improved understanding and
confidence about parenting, child development, and home conditions that
improve the learning environment at school
• Awareness of the challenges
and responsibilities involved in effective parenting
• Feeling of support from the
school and other parents
For Teachers
• Improved understanding of
family backgrounds, cultures, concerns, goals, and needs
• Respect for families’
strengths and efforts at parenting
• Understanding of family
diversity and willingness to work within that diversity
• Improved skills in
communicating with families and addressing their needs
STANDARD 3 – COMMUNICATING
Goal: To design more
effective forms of school-to-home and home-to-school communications with all
families regarding school programs and
student needs and progress.
CURRENT PRACTICES:
• Parent-teacher conferences
at least twice each year, with follow-ups as needed.
• Interpreters/translations
and materials to assist families, as needed.
• Weekly folders of student
work sent home and reviewed by parents.
• Distribution of mid-term
Progress Reports and end-of-term Report Cards, with follow-up conferences as
need to discuss improving student performance.
• Regular use of notes, phone
calls, memos, newsletters, and other communications.
• Clear information on all
school policies, programs, and changes.
CHALLENGES:
• Review the readability,
clarity, form, and quality of all memos, notices, and other communications.
• Accommodate special needs
situations, such as non-English speaking parents, those with poor reading
skills, and those who are vision impaired.
• Regularly review the
quality of all publications, such as Report Cards, Student Handbook,
newsletters, and web site, to guarantee accuracy of content.
• Establish clear two-way
channels for communications between school and home.
RESULTS:
For Students
• Awareness of own school
progress and actions needed to improve performance
• Understanding of school
rules and procedures for behavior, attendance, etc.
• Awareness of own role in
carrying information between home and school
For Families
• Clear Understanding of
school programs and policies
• Monitoring and awareness of
child’s progress and academic needs
• Willingness to respond to
address student’s problems as needed
• Ease of communication
between parents, teachers, and administrators
For Teachers
• Increased ability to
communicate effectively with diverse families
• Appreciation of effective
communications with parents and other care givers
• Increased ability to effect
two-way communications regarding student’s needs and family’s concerns
STANDARD 4 – LEARNING AT
HOME
Goal: To provide
information and ideas to families about how to help students at home with
homework, time management, and organization.
CURRENT PRACTICES:
• Provide information for
families on social, organizational, and academic skills needed by students
in each grade level.
• Provide information on
homework policies and how to monitor and discuss schoolwork at home.
• Provide information on ways
to encourage academic success.
• Provide calendars and other
resources for activities with parents and students at home.
CHALLENGES:
• Develop a clear and
effective method for communicating homework assignments to both students and
parents. The goals are to hold the student accountable for the work
and to engage the parent as an effective partner in monitoring the
completion of that work.
• Coordinate effective
communication, especially in cases where students have multiple teachers.
• Involve families with their
children and teachers in all important academic decisions.
RESULTS:
For Students
• Improved skills and
organization related to class work and homework
• Timely completion of all
homework assignments
• Positive attitudes toward
schoolwork
• Self-confidence and
independence as a learner
• View of parent as a
supplemental teacher and home as an educational site
• Awareness of importance of
own role as messenger between teacher and parents
For Families
• Improved knowledge of ways
to support, encourage, and assist student at home
• Effective parent-teacher
communications regarding class work and homework
• Understanding of the
academic program and what child is learning each year
• Appreciation of teachers
and teaching skills
• Awareness of child as
learner and parent as teacher
For Teachers
• Better design and
communication of homework assignments
• Respect for family times
and activities
• Sensitivity to family
diversity and the unique problems and issue of each family
STANDARD 5 – DECISION
MAKING
Goal: To include
family members in school decisions and develop family leaders and
representatives.
CURRENT PRACTICES:
• Active PTO and
participation on various school policy and improvement committees.
• Independent advisory groups
to assist the school in evaluation and improvement.
• Periodic family surveys
designed to provide information useful to school growth and improvement.
• Effective communication of
school policies and practices in a way that encourages family response and
input.
CHALLENGES:
• Encourage parent leaders
who come from diversity of ethnic, racial, socioeconomic and other
backgrounds.
• Offer training that will
enable leaders to fairly and effectively represent other parents by seeking
input and return of information from all parents.
• Include students (along
with parents) in decision-making groups whenever possible.
RESULTS:
For Students
• Awareness that parents are
involved in school decisions
• Understanding that student
rights are important and protected
• Specific benefits deriving
from policies and practices formulated as a result of direct family
involvement in the decision making process
For Families
• Direct input into policies
and practices that affect child’s education
• Feelings of ownership
toward the school
• All-family awareness of
family voices in school decisions
• Shared experiences and
connections with other families
• Increased awareness of
classroom, school, district, and state policies and programs
For Teachers
• Awareness of family
perspectives in developing policies and programs
• Ability to view family
representatives as equals in the decision making process
STANDARD 6 – COLLABORATING
WITH COMMUNITY
Goal: To identify and
engage community resources and services to strengthen school programs,
family practices, and student learning and
development.
CURRENT PRACTICES:
• Information for students
and families on community health, cultural, recreational, social support,
and other programs and services.
• Information on community
activities that specifically support learning skills and talents, including
summer programs for students.
• Deliberate encouragement of
partnerships with business, civic, counseling, cultural, educational,
health, recreation, and other agencies and organizations.
• Community service projects
aimed at involving students and their families in activities involving art,
music, athletics, drama, and public service.
CHALLENGES:
• Solve problems related to
responsibilities, funds, staff, and locations for shared and supported
activities.
• Inform families of
community programs that support learning, such as mentoring, tutoring,
business partnerships, and other programs.
• Assure fair and equitable
opportunities for all students and families to participate in community
programs and services.
• Match community
contributions with school goals; integrate child and family services with
educational goals.
RESULTS:
For Students
• Increased skills and
talents through participation in enrichment activities
• Awareness of career
possibilities and options for future work and education
• Pride in community and
one’s own membership in that community
For Families
• Awareness and use of
community resources to improve child’s education and abilities or to obtain
needed services
• Family pride in and
contributions to the community
• Interactions with other
family in community activities
• Awareness of school’s role
in the community and community’s role in the school
For Teachers
• Awareness of community
resources that enrich curriculum and instruction
• Openness to and skill in
using mentors, business partners, and community volunteers for curriculum
enrichment and student support
• Skill in referring students
and families to appropriate community support services
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