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Parent and Family Engagement
Overview
The Utah State Board of Education envisions schools shifting from involving parents and families to engaging parents and families and to ultimately empowering parents families.
Parent and Family Engagement is a key factor in the success of students and schools. Family engagement is one of five predictors in school improvement (Organizing Schools for Improvement: Lessons from Chicago. Chicago: University of Chicago Press), and cannot be seen as an add on, but instead should be seen as a part of teaching and learning (Dr. Karen Mapp, 3 Prerequisites of Effective Family and Community Engagement). High-quality parent and family engagement should not be viewed as a program but as a strategy and a commitment to parent and family engagement for all.
Current Projects
Home Visit Resources
- Parent Teacher Home Visit Model - Organizing Engagement
- Concentric Home Visit Framework Infographic
- Designing a Home Visiting Framework for Families in Public and Mixed Income Communities
- Home Visit Conceptual Framework Report
- Home Visit Overview
- Home Visit Model Policy Framework
- National Home Visiting Resource Center Brief
- Parent Teacher Home Visits
- Student Outcomes and Parent Teacher Home Visits
- Home Visit Introduction
Home Visit Tools
Indicator 8 - Special Education Annual Performance Report Indicator
Parent Powered
Resources
- Parent Powered Communication Pilot (Youtube)
- Parent Powered Ready4K Building Protective Factors
- Ready4K - Research and Insights
- Trauma-Informed Kindergarten to Grade 5 Content Framework
- Trauma-Informed Middle School Content Framework
- Trauma-Informed Pre-Kindergarten Content Framework
Tools
Partnership for Middle School Success
The goals of this pilot initiative are to:
- Equip and inform families to help their children thrive in secondary school
- Build stronger connections between families, educators, and community partners
- Develop successful student transitions in the middle school years
- Build partnership capacity across the school community
Science of Reading - Community Engagement
Utah’s schools are shifting to literacy instruction rooted in the science of reading (SOR). The state has set an ambitious goal that 70% or more of Utah’s third-grade students will read on grade level by July 2027. This is an exciting time, and the state is marshaling its resources to ensure this shift is completed thoughtfully and comprehensively. Utah is taking a holistic approach to meet its literacy goals by engaging communities, families, and businesses – an important set of stakeholders in educational initiatives.
The state is providing significant training and resources to educators at every level in support of the implementation of the science of reading. To complement these efforts, Utah seeks to provide training and support for families and the local community. Research shows that parent and family engagement is key to student educational success. Schools that are supported by their surrounding systems are better positioned to achieve their goals compared to those that lack such support. Families and local communities have critical roles to play in tandem with that of formal educators in supporting Utah’s children reading at grade level by third grade.
To support these efforts, schools need a toolkit of engagement strategies that will lead to effective involvement of families and communities. This could include developing a well-functioning community school team, effectively organizing community partnerships to supplement existing resources for families, training tutors, staff, and volunteers in the science of reading, planning effective literacy-themed community events, and more as decided by the LEA. Overall, participants in SB 127 Community Engagement and Science of Reading will be trained to effectively engage their communities and create partnerships with families and community members that support a whole community effort to ensure students are reading on grade level.
Resources for Community Engagement
Resources for Families
- BBF At-Home Literacy Activities
- Families and Juvenile Justice
- Little Listeners in an Uncertain World: Coping Strategies During Deployment
- Preschool Path: Utah's Early Learning Online Library
- SpEd Quick Facts Handout
- Turning Three Essentials Handout
- Utah Parent Center Resources
Parent Rights
Resources: Compacts and Communication
- Elementary Sample Compact
- Parent Family Engagement Annual Meeting Tips and Topic
- School Parent Family Compact Guidelines
- Secondary Sample Compact
- Model Language Access Plan Guidelines
- Policy Statement on Family Engagement
- Sample Notification Letter - Unqualified Teacher
Resources: Legislation and Policy
- Family Engagement in Local Governance - Utah State Policy Database
- 53G-6-801 Parental Right to Academic Accommodations
- HB0249 Parental Right to Academic Accommodations
- HB0302 Educational Language Services Amendments
- SB0157 Parental Rights in Public Education
- R277-100 Parent Definition (Effective March 2023)
Resources for LEAs
- Career Day Guide
- Eight Ways to Keep Families Engaged!
- Increasing Student Success One Home Visit At a Time
Asset Mapping
- What Why Who Asset Mapping PPT
- FACE Collaborative Community Asset - Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (PSEL)
- National Center for Farmworker's Health Asset Mapping
Community Schools
Resources
- Care and Feeding of Community School Coordinators PPT
- Communities in Schools and the Five Basics
- Community Schools - A Whole Child Approach to School Improvement
- Community Schools - Outcome Indicators
- Community Schools - Theory of Action
- Engaging Students Through Community Schools
- Guidebook-2023 Community Schools in Wisconsin
- Institute for Educational Leadership - Youth Voice in Community Schools
- Moving from Survival to Fulfillment- A Planning Framework for Community Schools
Tools
Engagement and Strategy Planning Tools
Resources
- Connecticut Definition and Framework for Family Engagement
- Early Engagement 9-20-23 PPT
- Healthier Generation Referral Forms
- Family Engagement Plan Guidance - Texas Education Agency
Tools
- Chain Chart
- Community Interview Form
- Empowering Families Toolkit
- Engaging Families and Communities Toolkit - ULEAD
- United Community Schools - Access Action Planning Toolkit
- Logic Model Handout
Family School Partnership Compact and Groups
Resources
- Elementary Sample Compact
- Parent Family Engagement Annual Meeting Tips and Topics
- Sample School Parent Family Compact
- Secondary Sample Compact
General Recommendations
Resources
- Community Engagement Roadmap
- Guidelines for Engaging with Parents
- Parent-Teacher Conference Conversation Guide
- Structured Conversations
- Sample Youth Council Strategy
- Youth Voice Initiative Strategy
Tools
- Family Engagement Policy Builder Checklist
- Policy for Family Engagement Development
- Sample Notification Letter Regarding Unqualified Teacher
Grandparents
Resources
Newcomer Americans
Resources
Resources in Event Planning
FACE Event Planning Resources
Academic Parent Teacher Teams
- Academic Parent Teacher Teams (APTT) Overview
- Academic Parent Teacher Teams (APTT) School Readiness Tool
- Academic Parent Teacher Teams (APTT) Brochure)
Literacy Event
Career Day
Self-Reflection Tools
Resources
Tools
- Four Versions of Family-School Partnerships
- Afterschool Align For Success Rubric 2023
- Healthy Communication on Teams with Families Reflection
- Reflection Tool for Family-Facing Professionals
- The School Leader Tool
- Welcoming Schools
What is Family and Community Engagement?
Resources:
- Academic Partnering Companion Guide for School Leaders
- Academic Partnering Toolkit for Teachers
- Academic Partnering - Creating Meaningful Experiences with Families
- Strengthening Partnerships - A Family Engagement Framework
- FACE Specialist Sample Job Description
- Five Roles Families Play
- Head Start Parent, Family, and Community Engagement
- Space Launch - A Metaphor for FACE
- Partners IN Education
- ULEAD Strategies for Fostering Parent Engagement
- Introduction to Strengthening Families- A Protective Factors Framework
- Family Engagement with Students at the Center
- Universally Designed Family Engagement
Tools:
Contact
Susie Estrada
School Improvement Program and Special Education Parent Specialist
Phone: (385) 295-7891 | Email