SPAN Parent Advocacy Network’s Post

To develop a shared vision, secondary school leaders should engage stakeholders from diverse groups like teachers, staff, parents, & community members. Guiding questions like these can then be used to elicit the stakeholders’ ideas. 💡 🔗: https://bit.ly/4bOc3sp #CBE #CompetencyBased #SecondaryEd

In a world where education is constantly evolving, having a seat at the table can make all the difference. Are you a partner in your child's school? We talk about outstanding schools all the time, but here’s the truth: No school truly thrives without the voices of its parents. When schools actively listen and value parent input, it’s not just about involvement—it’s about partnership. Today, I received my VIP (Very Involved Parent) uniform, and it made me reflect on the importance of genuine parent engagement in education. Schools that engage parents and seek their input are the ones creating lasting change for their students. It’s not just about policies or procedures—it's about building a community where everyone has a stake in success. Proud to be part of a school that gets it. 💪 #ParentEngagement #SchoolCommunity #VIPParent #EducationalExcellence

Why settle for mediocrity when we can strive for greatness together? At our organization, we see family engagement as the key to unlocking student potential. When parents are involved, students thrive. 🚀Let's work hand in hand to improve attendance, boost academic performance, and foster stronger relationships between families and schools. Together, we can create a supportive community where every child feels valued and empowered to succeed. Will you join us in shaping a brighter future? 🌱 . Visit our website to learn more 👉 https://buff.ly/3WIRW84 . #SupportingEducation #redappleseeds #school #parent #education #leadership #teacher #development #SchoolImprovement #EducationMatters #VolunteerInSchools #CommunityInvolvement #EducationSupport #HelpingHand #SchoolResources #InvestInEducation #BuildingBetterSchools #EmpoweringTeachers #EducationAdvocacy #SchoolPartnerships #QualityEducation #MakingADifference #SupportingTeachers #EducationReform #EducationalEquity #StudentAchievement #StrongSchools #EducationForAll #EducationFunding #PromotingLearning

“Schools tend to plan everything unilaterally, even events for families. When I take an unvarnished look back at my six years as a school principal, I feel both embarrassment and regret that we rarely brought families to the decision-making table. We did not even include their expert voices when we planned events such as back-to-school nights or parent-teacher conferences. By failing to include family perspectives, we consistently missed out on the opportunity to improve these events for all stakeholders… Through their participation on FET teams, family members and educators grow steadily more confident and vocal in pursuing needed changes. In essence, they each acknowledge their independence and use it to inspire shared action. Their collaboration creates tangible change and disperses the responsibility for creating a just school.” In honor of the launch of my book On The Same Team: Bringing Educators and Underrepresented Families Together, this is one of a few quotes I’m sharing. My book highlights many of the learnings from hundreds of collaborative gatherings that center family voices and offer a proven structure for creating more equitable schools. #k12education, #teachers, #education, #teachingandlearning, #educationalleadership #familyengagement #parents #schoolleadership Solution Tree NAFSCE (National Association for Family, School, and Community Engagement) Parent Institute for Quality Education (PIQE)

As the dynamics between parents and schools continue to evolve, fostering strong partnerships has become more essential than ever. According to a recent article by NAIS (https://lnkd.in/eebZMekt), parents today are seeking deeper involvement and transparency in their children's educational experiences, while schools are finding new ways to navigate these expectations and foster collaborative relationships. At Jewish Academy, we recognize the importance of moving from an “us-them” mindset to a true partnership with parents. By focusing on shared goals, we are creating opportunities for parents to engage meaningfully in their child's education, while also respecting the professional expertise of our teachers. Here are a few takeaways from the article that resonated with me: 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐭: Schools should approach parent concerns as opportunities to strengthen relationships, ensuring that both parties are aligned in supporting the student. 𝐄𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Teachers need to develop strong communication skills that build trust with parents, and leaders should provide ongoing training and support to ensure this happens. 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬: Both parents and teachers play pivotal roles in a child’s development. Creating a culture where both parties feel empowered to collaborate sets the stage for greater student success. As educational leaders, it’s up to us to continually nurture this partnership, fostering a culture of transparency, trust, and mutual respect. https://lnkd.in/eebZMekt #EducationalLeadership #ParentSchoolPartnership #NAIS #GotlibJewishAcademy #BuildingBridges

We serve youth from teen to early-career young adults, as well as their caregivers, educators and leadership. #hilite #youngadults #teencoaching #levelup #careercoaching #futuregoals

The best I have heard on 'family engagements at schools' so far. Dr Karen points to an important piece of the puzzle - while the 'school' as an institution is trying to build capacity amongst families, is school leadership and staff equipped to facilitate this process authentically and meaningfully? Where does the school see itself in the equation - service provider or co-creator or the expert? If schools have culturally and historically been perceived as 'knowledge experts or conduits of information - how does one step down from that position and facilitate collaboration Family engagement pivots on the idea of 'building a relationship' and relationship building is a slow-brewing process. If I were to push the thought further, it would be a micro-brewing process. Relationships cannot be created en masse. And like in any relationship, one can smell the power play easily, family engagement is no different. That is the reason why when called, families do not turn up. There are no 'hard-to-reach' parents, only 'hard-to-reach-institutions' she says. My understanding from not just research on family engagement but on the idea of 'learning' in general is that learning does not happen with a push-down approach - it only creates a resistance to learning. Learning has to be based on trust/curiosity - practice - fulfilment - more curiosity and trust and repeat and that is when it becomes self-sustaining. #familyengagementineducation #parentengagement

Charter School Educators (leaders, board members, teachers, parents) check in…. What makes a charter school a better choice than City public schools? Should charter schools operate like a private school? #discussion #chimein #charterschools #publiceducation

The California Public Schools are mandated to have a Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) tasked with reviewing and commenting on the Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP). In San Francisco Parents for Public Schools of San Francisco is attending a meeting being held by San Francisco Unified School District on February 16 at 12:45 pm, focused on families who identify as Latino/e/x and thier ideas about launching the Latino/e/x PAC. The 2023 #CASchoolDashboard shares 31%, that's 15,105 students are Latino/e/x. With such a large representation of students, our organization's advocacy and engagement in school board-level meetings, and with parent/community advisory groups are critical to supporting parents to develop the skills necessary for #building, #accessing, and #navigating community support systems. Our 2022, Impact shared that 91% of parents felt stress was #mitigated and relationships with the School District and System were #responsive. If you are a family that attends SFUSD and you identify or want to support Latino/e/x students come to this important meeting! Read our blog: Parent Advisory Committees are Critical to the Local Control Accountability Plan, about what the LCAP and the PAC are and who they are intended to engage and serve. https://lnkd.in/g5vRpmpE Leg Source: EC Sec 42238.01

What if we told you that your involvement could shape the future of education? At our organization, we believe that family engagement is the cornerstone of student success. By working together, we can create a nurturing environment where students thrive. Let's collaborate to improve attendance, enhance academic outcomes, and foster stronger connections between families and schools. Together, we can make a lasting impact on the lives of our children. Will you join us in this mission? 🌟 . Visit our website to learn more 👉 https://buff.ly/3WIRW84 . #SupportingEducation #redappleseeds #school #parent #education #leadership #teacher #development #SchoolImprovement #EducationMatters #VolunteerInSchools #CommunityInvolvement #EducationSupport #HelpingHand #SchoolResources #InvestInEducation #BuildingBetterSchools #EmpoweringTeachers #EducationAdvocacy #SchoolPartnerships #QualityEducation #MakingADifference #SupportingTeachers #EducationReform #EducationalEquity #StudentAchievement #StrongSchools #EducationForAll #EducationFunding #PromotingLearning