Lisa Raffel’s Post

The Brookings Institution shares six powerful lessons on how family, school and community engagement can transform education: • Begin with beliefs • Position families as partners • Collectively break barriers • Build at the speed of trust • Make family, school, and community engagement a must • Disrupt power dynamics through community-driven research #backtoschool #familyengagement #schoolpartnership

🧠Late Night thoughts of a #ChildWelfare Director 📝 I have been a long time supporter of #CommunityPartnershipSchools because of the strong work of CHS Florida and Andry Sweet!! As we are thinking about upstream prevention, I wonder the business case and a case study where this model is implemented at a school that averages high number of abuse calls and/or removals and over time see if there is a reduction in intakes to truly building the momentum for moving from #MandatedReporters to #MandatedSupporters.

When a family selects a school for their children, it is a deeply personal and thoughtful decision. I’m working with a district that needs to think about school sizes and attendance zoning. When framing questions with constituents around school sizes, everyone defaults to “we prefer small schools.” I get it. I benefit from a small neighborhood school where this little guy gets to walk with big brother every day. But I’ve also seen well run large elementary schools that offer SO MANY more programs and services than my son’s school. The challenge is that if your experience in a large school has not been stellar, you’re going to defer to personal experience. These are complex discussions and decisions, which is why Education Elements front loads our strategy work with robust community engagement. Because when planning happens with people and not at people, it creates less friction and more support. #strategy #communityengagement #planning #schools

What role can a parent play in their child's education? How can strong school-community partnerships be built? How can parents be involved in the decision-making in schools? As we grapple with these questions, we take a closer look at one of the frameworks that inform Samarthya's Journey of Community participation

The process described below is crucial to proactively make system adjustments, rather than waiting until the end of the year. It can be difficult to pinpoint what drives your results, which is why we've made significant investments in technology such as “Real” to help our school system partners achieve this despite limited resources.

🎓 Calling all educators and school administrators! 🏫 Let's start a conversation: How do you foster a sense of community in your school? Share your best practices, events, and initiatives in the comments below! Together, let's inspire and support each other to create thriving, connected school communities. Your insights can make a real difference! 💬 #SchoolCommunity #Education #CommunityEngagement

We all understand the benefits of Powerful School-Family Partnerships. I found this article that shares how to enrich communities, aid underrepresented populations, and what happens when we create school-family teams. OUr Professional Learning team can support your district in every step of the way. https://lnkd.in/eJ5S9zKb

🎒 As a strong advocate for school involvement, I've seen firsthand the transformative impact a Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) can have on our schools and children. Here are 4 reasons why parents should get involved: 1️⃣ Community Building: Connect with other parents and build a supportive network. 2️⃣ Student Support: Create enriching opportunities that directly benefit our kids. 3️⃣ School Improvement: Influence positive changes and improvements in school policies and programs. 4️⃣ Voice in Education: Have a say in decisions that impact our children's education. Let's step up and make a difference! 💪 #PTO #ParentInvolvement #EducationMatters

Continuing the Conversation: How Can We Enhance Teacher-Parent Partnerships? Following our discussion on the importance of teacher-parent partnerships, let's dive deeper. What strategies have you found effective in fostering collaboration and mutual respect between teachers and parents? Consider these questions to spark discussion: 1. Communication Tools:What platforms or methods have you found most effective for maintaining open lines of communication? 2. Overcoming Challenges: What specific challenges have you faced in these partnerships, and how have you addressed them? 3. Building Trust: How do we build and sustain trust between educators and families? 4. Engagement Strategies: What creative ways have you used to engage parents who are less involved? For instance, according to Epstein’s Framework of Six Types of Involvement, strategies like parenting workshops, volunteer opportunities, and regular updates on student progress can significantly enhance parent engagement (Epstein, 2011). Sharing your experiences and insights can help us all improve these vital partnerships. Together, we can create a more supportive and collaborative environment for our students. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and stories! #Education #Collaboration #TeacherParentPartnership #CommunityEngagement References: 1. Epstein, J. L. (2011). School, Family, and Community Partnerships: Preparing Educators and Improving Schools.

Local School Councils (LSCs) are a defining and unique aspect of Chicago Public Schools, playing an important role in school governance and community engagement since 1988. With Chicago’s public schools experiencing significant change, including the transition to an elected school board and the end of federal COVID-19 funding, strong LSCs are more important than ever in ensuring that school-level decisions are grounded in the needs of each community. Our new report shares insights into the important role LSCs have in Chicago. Discover how LSCs can empower schools and improve student outcomes here: https://bit.ly/3VC3JqH #LocalSchoolCouncil #DecisionMakers