Hello Everyone,
Welcome to April's Family Engagement Newsletter. This month's newsletter is packed with great family engagement content. I hope you enjoy the resources that were shared and are able to find a way to apply them in your everyday practice.
P.S. Please feel free to reach out to me if there are additional resources you are looking for that are not covered in this newsletter. My contact information is located at the bottom of the newsletter.
Sincerely,
Alberto Quintero
Education Programs Professional | Family Engagement
Nevada Department of Education
albertoquintero@doe.nv.gov
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NEW! Nevada's Family Engagement Framework: Birth through Grade 12
The Nevada Department of Education (NDE) partnered with the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), the National Association for Family, School, and Community Engagement (NAFSCE), and 12 other states to form a State Consortium on Family Engagement (Consortium).
One of the goals of the Consortium was for each state to establish a coalition of diverse stakeholders with a vested interest in family engagement to help develop a statewide definition for family engagement and a framework customized to the needs of the state and its community. Nevada’s Family Engagement Framework: Birth through Grade 12 (Framework) will provide schools, districts, educators and school staff, and community members a shared approach and definition for family engagement and be a valuable resource in family engagement planning efforts. The Framework is based on research and evidence-based practices and strategies in family engagement and emphasizes the need for educators to build authentic relationships with families.
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The Foundational Principles are a set of values and beliefs that underscore the content in the Framework.
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The Framework provides Nevada's definition for family engagement and describes the difference between parental involvement and family engagement, the role everyone plays in family engagement, why family engagement matters, and the need for a change of mindset. Click below to download the Framework!
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Nevada Stakeholder Perceptions of Youth's Educational and Mental Health Needs Report
Concerned about the impact of the pandemic on Nevada’s youth, the University of Nevada, Reno Extension collaborated with the University’s College of Education and Human Development and the Nevada Department of Education to design a stakeholder survey to learn how the pandemic has impacted PreK-12 education in Nevada.
The survey was designed to get input from three distinct groups: parents/families, school personnel, and community members. The goal was to learn what is considered most important for ensuring the academic success and health and well-being of our youth, along with lessons learned on education delivery during the pandemic.
Survey findings and conclusions are outlined in the following report and will be shared with parents, families, agencies, and organizations across Nevada and beyond. The research team also plans to explore the survey data more thoroughly and develop additional publications to help guide decisions surrounding education, education delivery, and emotional and mental health. The team has also developed a digital Resource Guide based on identified needs from the survey. The guide can help educators and families find resources and programs to support youth learning, academics, health and well-being, including mental health, and more.
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School personnel responded more positively than parents/families to both questions. Trends toward greater satisfaction from school personnel in rural school districts, compared to urban school districts continued.
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Department and Office Updates
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To help mitigate the spread of COVID-19, most Department personnel are working from home. The family engagement office will still operate between the hours of 7:30 am – 4:00 pm (PDT) Monday – Friday. Please note that the family engagement office has full access to email and voicemail and will respond to you as soon as possible. Other offices within the Department may have slightly different operating hours but also still have full access to email (preferred) and voicemail.
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The Advisory Council for Family Engagement is currently not scheduled to meet until further notice.
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Family Engagement Tools and Resources
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Resources to Help Support Unaccompanied Minors
Immigrant Connections recently put together some basic information and resources to help support unaccompanied youth.
Sesame Workshop Releases Race Conversation Resource
Sesame Workshop has released the “ABCs of Racial Literacy,” a collection of free resources to support families in talking to their children about race and racism.
REL Tool: A Third Grade Teacher’s Guide to Supporting Family Involvement in Foundational Reading Skills
REL Southeast has developed a Teacher’s Guide to supplement the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) practice guide, Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade.
The Teacher’s Guide complements and extends the practice guide by providing step-by-step guidance for third-grade teachers to support families in practicing foundational reading skills at home. The Teacher’s Guide includes:
- Recommendation reminders that provide a snapshot of each recommendation and how-to steps from the WWC guide
- Teacher scaffolds that model the language teachers can use with families to describe a specific skill, why it is important in learning to read, and how to support that skill
- Family activities that contain evidence-based literacy activities with easy-to-follow plans and materials that teachers model and share with families
- Family literacy videos that show families engaging their child in activities related to the skills teachers modeled during family literacy nights or at parent-teacher conferences
Access the guide here.
How Parents Can Be Advocates for Their Children by Reading Rockets
Parents are often the best educational advocates for their children, especially children with a learning disability. Discover nine tips to help you be a strong champion for your child.
Making Sure Your Child Gets the Education They Deserve by the National Parent Teacher Association
En Español
Your child has a right to attend and succeed in an excellent public school. Irrespective of race, ethnicity, income, specific family circumstances, (dis)ability, or school readiness, all children are entitled to a high-quality education that will help them reach their full potential. Click here to learn.
Reading for Social Justice: A Guide for Families and Educators
Reading For Social Justice: A Guide for Families and Educators is designed to support a group of caretakers: parents, guardians, teachers, librarians, and others as they plan and lead an intergenerational social justice reading group. Along with models and resources, you’ll find practical recommendations for establishing a framework, inviting student input, and organizing a series of meetings during which children and adults in your community can read, talk, teach and learn together. Read the Guide here.
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Family Engagement Webinars and Trainings
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Save the Date! Lessons from the Field: Family & Community Engagement and Returning to In-Person Instruction
Wednesday, April 28, 2021 | 3:00 - 4:00 PM ET
Attention: Education Agencies, Education Providers and Family & Community Engagement Staff. The U.S. Department of Education is hosting a webinar series to support educational settings in safely sustaining or returning to in-person instruction. The series features lessons learned and best practices from teachers, faculty, staff, schools, districts, institutions of higher education, early childhood education providers, other places of educational instruction, describing approaches to operating during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speakers/Panelists:
- Christian Rhodes: Chief of Staff, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S. Department of Education
- Jessica Cardichon: Deputy Assistant Secretary for K-12, Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development, U.S. Department of Education
- Representatives from Local Education Agencies
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From Voices to Action: A Conversation with AAPI Families
During COVID-19, hate crimes against Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities increased by nearly 150% (NBC). How can families navigate difficult conversations and situations with their children about anti-AAPI xenophobia? What strategies can help caregivers advocate for their families?
MAEC's second webinar in the AAPI series will bring together AAPI families to speak about their experiences navigating racism and bias during COVID-19. This webinar will:
- Elevate the voices of families impacted by anti-Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) discrimination.
- Develop a shared understanding of the relationship between historical trauma against AAPI communities and the current violence ignited during COVID-19.
- Identify strategies to help families navigate difficult conversations and situations with their children about anti-AAPI xenophobia.
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Remake Learning Educator Webinar Series
Join Learning Heroes, Edge Research, and Remake Learning Days Across America on April 27, 2021, at 12 pm PT for “Finding Passion, Purpose & Voice: Out-of-School-Time as a Child-Centered Experience, Parent, Teacher & Provider Perceptions.” Gain actionable insights from Learning Heroes’ latest research findings and hear from program leaders and experts about ways to support children’s social, emotional, and academic skills by connecting home, school, and out-of-school time settings.
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Helping Young English Learners at Home: Simple and Fun Activities to Strengthen Language Development
Learn about nine activity sheets designed for use by parents and caregivers to support learning at home, watch videos of grandparents using them with their grandchildren, and hear about ideas for partnering with families to bolster at-home learning. View webinar video.
Celebrating Libraries Serving Rural Families During COVID-19 Webinar
Libraries serve as invaluable yet often untapped community resources. Both now and in the future, how can libraries partner with schools and community-based organizations to further engage families in rural areas? Join the Statewide Family Engagement Center (SFEC) Network for a conversation with experts from across the country. After this session, participants will be able to:
- Inform schools and community-based organizations of ways to partner with libraries to engage families in rural areas
- Effectively communicate and connect with rural families to share services and events
- Understand innovative ways of engaging the surrounding community
CAFE Reframing Institute
In this interactive training institute, you will learn how to apply lessons learned from ground-breaking research designed to change the way we talk about family engagement and its importance. These framing strategies will help shift the conversation from family engagement being “nice to have” to being a “must-have.”
- Session 1: Tuesday, May 11, 2021, 10 am ET
- Session 2: Tuesday, May 18, 2021, 3 pm ET
- Session 3: Tuesday, May 25, 2021, 10 am ET
Attendance Works Webinars
- Webinar: Engaged: Using Summer to Connect with Students and Families, Wednesday, May 26, 2021: 11 am-12:30pm PT
- Webinar: Welcomed: Embracing Students, Families, and Educators in the New School Year, Wednesday, August 4, 2021: 11 am-12:30pm PT
- Webinar: Fully Present: Leveraging Attendance Data to Ensure Ongoing Success, Wednesday, September 29, 2021: 11 am-12:30pm PT
Register for all webinars here.
Recent Strengthening Families Webinar Recordings Available Now
If you missed any Strengthening Families' recent webinars, you can watch recordings, access the slides, and download any handouts they shared—all posted here by the Children’s Trust Fund Alliance. Recent topics have included:
The Intentional Relationships Workshop
Building strong developmental relationships with young people has benefits far beyond the relationship itself. We know that youth with strong developmental relationships benefit powerfully in their learning and development through:
- Increased academic motivation;
- Increased social-emotional growth and learning (self-management, relationship skills, responsible decision making, social awareness, and self-awareness)
- Increased sense of personal responsibility; and
- Reduced engagement in a variety of high-risk behaviors.
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Family Engagement Articles
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Insights: Preventing Summer Slide One moment at a Time
Instead of the traditional wrap-up, educators are talking about reconnecting with families, closing learning gaps, and preparing for the 2021-2022 school year.
This week, Ready4k decided to share these 6 tactics for supporting at-home learning all summer long. You'll also find a link to their Preventing Summer Slide webinar, which includes a downloadable resource.
Partnering With Families from a Distance
The COVID-19 crisis has given educators the opportunity to hit the reset button and think of parents and families as true partners in early learning. However, social distancing and virtual learning have also presented challenges to the way teachers and families typically interact and engage with one another. HighScope is sharing fresh ideas to help you build trusting relationships with parents and families.
Addressing Education Inequality with a Next Generation of Community Schools
When educators, communities, and families work together in a community school to support every student every day, attendance improves. Learn more about community schools from the Task Force on Next Generation Community Schools, sponsored by the Brookings Institution, in this new report.
How This Michigan Preschool Teacher Builds Strong Parent Connections in Her Hometown
In the early months of pandemic learning, Carmen Price was having trouble getting her preschool students to pay attention to virtual lessons. So she began experimenting. Keep reading...
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Ready4k Equity Grant
Ready4K is an evidence-based family engagement curriculum delivered via text messages that build on several years of research that includes multiple randomized controlled trials and several ongoing evaluations with researchers from Stanford, Brown, Notre Dame, and Texas A&M. Awards for School Districts and Heads Starts that serve 80%+ economically disadvantaged students will receive the following awards:
  
Learn more here or contact Kirk Maxfield at kirk.maxfield@parentpowered.com
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Alberto Quintero
Education Programs Professional | Family Engagement
Nevada Department of Education
Phone: 702-668-4334 | Email (preferred): albertoquintero@doe.nv.gov
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