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Parent & Family Engagement Plan
Parent & Family Engagement Plan
Parent & Family Engagement Plan
10 Step Family Engagement Plan
Federal policies, such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the Every Student Succeeds Act, require schools to communicate and engage with families. School districts receiving Title I, Part A funds must have a written parent engagement plan and involve parents in the development of their Title I programs. The 10 Step Family Engagement Plan is a framework for schools to use in order to increase and improve high-impact parent involvement in their student's education.
The plan includes a variety of strategies and tactics that schools can use to connect with, engage, and sustain partnerships with families. This includes distributing the Parent Engagement Pledge and Parent Engagement Report Card, welcoming families with the Red Carpet Treatment, surveying teachers and staff to assess the use of volunteers, involving families in decision-making, and participating in National Parental Involvement Day and Public School Volunteer Week. By following these steps and using the tools provided, schools can create a more inclusive, supportive, and equitable educational environment for all students.
Form A Committee
A Family Engagement Plan should be developed and implemented with the input and participation of a diverse group of stakeholders, including:
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Parents: Parents should be central to the development and implementation of a high-impact family engagement, as they are the primary stakeholders in their children's education.
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Teachers and school staff: Teachers and school staff should be involved in the development of the plan, as they have valuable insights and expertise about the needs and challenges of the school community.
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School administration: School administrators should be involved in the development and implementation of the plan, as they have the authority and responsibility to implement policies and practices that support high-impact family engagement.
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School board members: School board members should be involved in the development and implementation of the plan, as they have a role in shaping the overall direction and policies of the school district.
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Community members: Community members, including local businesses, faith-based organizations, and other non-profit organizations, should be involved in the development and implementation of the plan, as they can provide valuable resources and support for families and schools.
It is important for a family engagement plan to be developed and implemented with the input and participation of a diverse group of stakeholders, as this can help to ensure that the plan is responsive to the needs and priorities of the school community and has broad support.
What are three essential aspects of parent engagement?
Connect, engage and sustain.
Project Appleseed is a program that provides tools and resources to support the development of high-impact family engagement plans in schools. To create a parent engagement plan using Project Appleseed as a framework, you can follow these steps:
1. Review the resources provided by Project Appleseed: Familiarize yourself with the resources provided by Project Appleseed, including the Parent Engagement Pledge, Parent Engagement Report Card, Red Carpet Treatment tool, and Faculty and Staff Survey. These resources can help you to understand the principles and practices of effective family engagement and identify strategies and tactics to use in your plan.
Create A Step-by-Step Plan
2. Define the purpose of the plan: Determine the goals and objectives of the family engagement plan, such as increasing parent participation in school activities, improving communication between school and home, or strengthening the relationship between school and families.
3. Involve stakeholders: Engage a diverse group of stakeholders in the planning process, including parents, teachers, school staff, school administration, school board members, and community members. This will help to ensure that the plan is responsive to the needs and priorities of the school community and has broad support.
4. Conduct a needs assessment: Conduct a needs assessment to gather data and information about the current state of family engagement at your school. This might include surveying parents, teachers, and school staff, holding focus groups with different stakeholder groups, and reviewing existing data on family engagement.
5. Identify strategies and tactics: Identify specific strategies and tactics that will be used to achieve the goals and objectives of the plan, drawing on the resources and principles of Project Appleseed. These might include distributing the Parent Engagement Pledge and Parent Engagement Report Card, welcoming families with the Red Carpet Treatment, involving families in decision-making, and developing a school-family compact.
6. Create a timeline and action plan: Develop a timeline and action plan that outlines the steps and resources needed to implement the strategies and tactics of the plan.
7. Allocate resources: Identify and allocate the resources needed to implement the plan, including financial resources, staff resources, and community resources.
8. Implement and monitor the plan: Implement the plan and monitor progress towards achieving the goals and objectives of the plan. This might include collecting data, holding regular meetings with stakeholder groups, and making adjustments to the plan as needed.
9. Evaluate and revise the plan: Regularly evaluate the effectiveness of the plan and make revisions as needed to ensure that it is meeting the needs of the school community and achieving the desired outcomes.
10. Consider our professional development: The first step in preparing schools to overcome barriers and reap the benefits of high-impact family engagement to the community. Project Appleseed's professional development comes in two forms - our Traveling Workshop or Family Engagement Toolbox Training. There are several reasons why the Traveling Workshop and Family Engagement Toolbox Training are an important professional development opportunities.
By following these steps and using the resources provided by Project Appleseed, you can create a comprehensive and effective family engagement plan that supports the success of all students in your school.
Engage with Project Appleseed’s family engagement tools
The most effective way to get the word out about Project Appleseed's Parent Engagement Pledge is to use it in all parts of your school outreach. Make the Parent Engagement Pledge an integral point of reference for all that you do in your schools. In this way, all partners will understand how their commitments and their actions contribute to improved student learning with high-impact family engagement. Passing out the Parent Engagement Pledge to parents once and hoping for the best -- seldom works!
There are three essential aspects of parent engagement — connect, engage and sustain. Using your Pledge is the critical step that moves the compact from planning to action, from paper to partnership with parents. First, people need to know about the Parent Engagement Pledge--what it is and how they can get involved. Launching the Parent Engagement Pledge is a great opportunity to create new partnerships and to reach out to families and community members who have not been involved at the school before. When it comes to "Get-Out-The-Pledge" or "GOTP" efforts, there are a number of popular tactics schools use to get families engaged with the Pledge. Some steps may not apply to your school or district.
Successful school-family partnerships require the sustained mutual collaboration, support, and participation of school staffs and families. If families are to work with schools as full partners in the education of their children, schools must provide them with the opportunities and support they need for success.
Schools can start by distributing the Parent Engagement Pledge and Parent Engagement Report Card to all families by ordering Project Appleseed's Family Engagement Toolbox.
1. The Parent Engagement Pledge
Almost every day, citizens are urged to lend a hand at schools. Educators welcome volunteers, but we all know that good volunteer programs don't happen by accident. Schools that are most successful in engaging parents and other family members in support of their children's learning look beyond traditional definitions of parent involvement-participating in a parent teacher organization or signing quarterly report cards-to a broader conception of parents as full partners in the education of their children.
2. Parent Engagement Report Card
The Parent Engagement Report Card is a self-diagnostic tool complementary tool to the Parental Involvement Pledge. It is intended to help parents rate their contributions to their child's success at school. Use these 31 questions as a guide to discover some of the ways that you can help your child at home and at school. The results will be emailed to you and will never be shared or sold.
3. Welcome families with the Red Carpet Treatment
The Red Carpet Treatment tool is our family friendly walk through process and it is part of the Family Engagement Toolbox. The Red Carpet Treatment is an opportunity to meet as a team in order to identify ways in which the school can create a more welcoming environment for families. Parents, including parents of children with disabilities, community members, school board members, educators, and administrators are asked to consider looking at the school through the lenses of all of the families who attend that school.