Developing Shared Understanding of Family and Community Engagement

For more information about how to use this activity to support the development of a shared understanding of effective policy see the Action Overview: Effective Policies.

Learning Objective

This activity is designed to help education leaders develop a shared understanding of how they are engaging parents and family on instruction.

Time

30 minutes or more depending on the length of the discussion.

Preparation

1. Print copies of the standards engagement rubric for each person within the team.

Directions

1. Each person on the team should read and score the site on the stakeholder engagement on the standards based education system.

2. Discuss the current level of engagement at the site, including what is working well and possible changes that could be considered.

Engagement Rubric

 

Beginning

Developing

Excelling

Representation

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/A-lYsCxjFpOJwnY91Kx14aTQUN6Ir2vTmSs6ec4vtMqM8v8eyPaTvDj748YVFw1pmkkmBtKva70ZJPd-FB5tMS5rYq8Q4BQDBzwFUC6az01jBGxWLSOKrzPbjcoQh1gV4RqRjQ

· Leadership teams do not include stakeholders. 

· Stakeholders do not have an opportunity to voice their questions and concerns related instruction. 

· Leadership teams identify a stakeholder as someone from the education system who is also a stakeholder. 

· Stakeholders who are already aware of instruction have opportunities to voice their questions and concerns. 

· Leadership teams include stakeholders. 

· Stakeholders know who represents them in discussions about instruction and have multiple opportunities to voice their questions and concerns. 

Transparency

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/wL1fa7LE9FPBmhtqn--MQmDI379j5KpUS5a9peyNV6q9idqQ4spq94fUAFffp95C5A1T1164W-IEknWL_V25pk1sjXHaqPwOlFldvZrlzGLTVqiBAtC7LCjbnFC5QZcWL64ztg

· Stakeholders find out about instruction and plans after are complete. 

· Stakeholders have to go through a complex process to find out what is happening related to instruction. Agendas for meetings are rarely provided publicly. 

· Most stakeholders in the community do not know what standards are and how implementation decisions have been made. 

· Stakeholders find out what is happening related to curriculum and instruction planning via a variety of communication formats.

· Agendas for discussion are usually publicly provided. Decision-makers are made obvious to stakeholders, though accessing them is difficult for many families in the community.

· Implementation process and plans include multiple, explicit opportunities to engage stakeholders. 

· Stakeholders know how their input will be used to inform instruction.

· Decision-makers are made obvious to stakeholders and they ensure there are strong systems in place to respond to questions, suggestions and concerns related to instruction. 

· Most stakeholders in the community, regardless of socioeconomic status or language, know what standards means, and how and when to engage in the curriculum and instruction process. 

Equity

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/83ZqY5qo6zDneovTHB7nKlNTG4z1rIZyH7cgbYBBEYx84T9LPM6sIRbNbAOy1DYWTfPvwvmtU3il4h8oE4M3Dd18L78ra-j-H7hT2CjbUrhrm2tpHAeno0lpefmFX2RdztUbWQ

· No efforts are made to engage diverse members of the community in instruction plans. 

· Stakeholder groups are not represented in instruction planning discussions. 

· Some efforts are made to engage diverse members of the community in instruction plans. 

· Stakeholder groups are present in instruction planning discussions, although they are treated by others in the group more as “token” stakeholders for diversity than true advocates. 

· Significant efforts are made to engage diverse members of the community in planning for instruction.

· Inequities in stakeholders access and power are addressed openly and honestly.

· Education leaders help build a culture of trust and actively encourage stakeholders to voice their perspectives and challenge assumptions in conversations about instruction.

· Stakeholder groups are present, actively engaged in planning for instruction discussions and treated as true advocates by others in the group.

Information

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/ti-B1HtsoT_N0t9RvAmmwNcKaVNBLazRS9coccRpqBKVCpgikMT2gJ9k6o_yVApGgzPZCXb1boQKzAFEmtJN_fsRPxwElzS8HDfc5bl6kU2SsvHVLzYnuEPIPu1r8AFQOJdg9A

· Few or no stakeholders understand how instruction will affect children and school. 

· Documents shared with stakeholders are often multiple pages in length, complicated, filled with education jargon and only available in English. 

· Some stakeholders understand how instruction will affect children and school. 

· Documents shared with stakeholders are written with a stakeholder audience in mind. 

· If there are stakeholders in the community who speak a language other than English, these documents are translated into the next most spoken language. 

· Most stakeholders understand how instruction will affect  children and school, as well as what actions they can or should take with this information. 

· Information shared with stakeholders is presented in multiple formats, with a stakeholder audience in mind, and makes use of visuals.

·  If there are stakeholders in the community who speak a language other than English, these documents are translated into most or all of these other languages. 

Accessibility

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/tXf6vlQk9qRqK-7PFhCRaXDR4SHVOu5c69BNnXOJYOqLGEBSC2CUn3NnTNOtIBQ7fDbMUzkwKXyfJOawguEEibA13CVSSqwprlie7P91xn5pX5RhBRpvYL1EihVVN_D7KL8y1w

· Where opportunities for stakeholders to inform instruction plans exist, they happen during work hours, are only in English, and are held at locations convenient for education officials. 

· Opportunities for stakeholders to inform instruction happen at multiple locations and times of day; these opportunities are sometimes well-publicized. 

· Opportunities for stakeholders to inform instruction happen at multiple times of day and locations, as well as through well-publicized multimedia and survey opportunities.

· Planning for stakeholder input is done in partnership with community organizations and/or leaders who have deep relationships with the community.

· Accommodations for disability, transportation, interpretation and child care are addressed to remove barriers to stakeholder participation. 

Feedback

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/djQtKfy2lcCV95osoPDGT4Kf3nDL_cXTU2_ZD6DO5p-OJZPqOZTRMmz78ObFWgKIA5EKchKVSjSzAobI6dHHfAWH_9RXylim41TK8y-uUc2YapoKqOb2Yc8KFSznoTyRB5Eb-g

· Opportunities for stakeholder input into instruction are limited to a one-time meeting or survey. 

· There are up-front opportunities to inform instruction plans. 

· In addition to up-front input to inform planning, there are ongoing opportunities for stakeholders to give feedback on instruction after plans have been established.