Model Component: Family Engagement

We aim to improve parent and family involvement by creating pathways for community, school, and university partnerships. 

We view parents and families as active agents in their child’s education, not as individuals to be acted upon. Guided by this value, we included a component focused on coaching and supporting participating teachers and administrators to work effectively with parents and families, and supporting parents in their efforts to facilitate their children’s language, literacy, and academic success.

This component coincides with the leadership and teacher components and includes:

• A “School-Family Liaison” on all leadership teams
• Dedicated workshops/course units on communication strategies and evaluation techniques
• Data collection and analysis of the implementation and effectiveness of school-home communication and engagement
• Establishing a school based English language program for parents and families led by a community-based English language teaching organization

In our effort to provide sustainable adult English language classes at each school site, we have partnered with Providence Center, a well-established community organization located in one of our target neighborhoods. Providence Center has been providing educational programs for children, teens, and adults in the Latinx community for more than 20 years. To build on this existing resource, and to support the expansion of their school-based classes, we assist the schools as they collaborate with Providence Center to recruit parents, schedule classes, and revise curricula to address parents’ particular English language needs and wants. In addition, we assist Providence Center as they hire and train graduate students enrolled in Temple’s TESOL Master’s Program to co-teach courses at these schools. This work for Providence Center allows pre-service teachers to continue developing their teaching skills as they provide a much-needed service.

Click here to go to Providence Center Web Page