SCHOOL AUDIT - FAMILY & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT to support student learning and development FAMILY ENGAGEMENT LEVEL 1 LEVEL 2 LEVEL 3 LEVEL 4 Cite evidence for each item checked. Put a star beside any item that is required by your district’s strategic plan. 1. Welcoming School Environment Parents, other visitors sometimes feel welcome Unclear to new visitors how to get into building You wouldn’t discern much about the cultures students come from when walking around the school Parents and other visitors feel welcome When visitors walk in the door, there is clear friendly signage directing them to office Some artwork, student work visible in hallways Translators available to help speaking parents Signs of student learning and diverse cultures are visible throughout school When visitors walk in the door, there is someone to greet them Parents are welcome to visit school at any time Parent liaison on staff School has a designated parent meeting space 2a. Basic information sharing: School expectations, academic offerings, data, policies, activities/events, etc. Basic information difficult to find, e.g. kept in office, sent home at beginning of year only No systematic information available on how family members can be involved in school or support learning at home No systematic info on supports and resources available to families Basic information available on website Some teachers share information with families to encourage involvement in school and in home learning Guidance counselors or special needs staff are the only ones with information on supports and outside resources Website includes comprehensive information, is kept uses language Information is accessed regularly by parents Information available in multiple formats and languages needed to reach all parents Multiple forms of communication with families are ongoing throughout year Regular assessment and revision of communication systems with broad parent input ensures all families are being reached 2b. Two-way communication, shared responsibility and problem-solving about individual student performance Teachers generally meet with parents only at required open houses Two-way Teachers meet with parents on a regular basis throughout year when necessary Teachers get parent input on students’ strengths, interests, how they learn best Teachers School provides strategic, systematic opportunities to discuss student achievement with parents build
communication is mostly one-way Minimal attempt to promote conversation, mainly with involved parents interact with parents regularly throughout year, not just when there’s a problem Translators available for speaking parents relationships with families at home, in community, e.g. through home visit program School regularly surveys parents about ways to improve student learning FAMILY ENGAGEMENT Continued LEVEL 1 LEVEL 2 LEVEL 3 LEVEL 4 Cite evidence for each item checked. Put a star beside any item that is required by your district’s strategic plan. 2b. continued Parents know which staff to contact about matters concerning their children Explicit plan and practices successfully engage parents of under- performing students 3. Parent participation in classroom and school activities Minimal involvement of parents in school Low turnout for open houses, report card nights, concerts, school-wide events Volunteer opportunities available to parents Classroom parents Good percentage of parents show up for school events Multiple, regular volunteer opportunities available to parents School and classrooms hold events throughout year to share student work with families Parents active throughout school on regular basis and in various capacities A majority of parents show up for events held throughout year 4. Capacity-building No regularly scheduled education or training programs for parents No training for school staff on how and why to support parent engagement in school Workshops for parents to support student learning at home Parenting workshops Parent training on school expectations and requirements for student learning Lending library of parenting and education resources for families Cultural proficiency training for all staff Family engagement training for all staff Training or orientation for parent volunteers Parent peer discussion groups Parents attend school-sponsored leadership training Family involvement plan developed with parents, resources committed to its’ implementation Specific strategies in place for engaging hard-to-reach parents available in languages spoken at home