Family & Community Engagement

A RESOURCE GUIDE FOR
UNDERSTANDING COMMUNITY SCHOOLS
Family and Community Engagement

October 2012

Prepared by:

Iris Hemmerich
Urban Strategies Council

Family and Community Engagement

Table of Contents
A Resource Guide for Understanding Community Schools .......................................................................... 2
Updating the Resource Guide ................................................................................................................... 4
Additional Community School Resources ................................................................................................. 4
Our Community School work with Oakland Unified School District ............................................................. 5
Family & Community Engagement: Literature Review ................................................................................. 6
Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 6
Review ....................................................................................................................................................... 6
1. Mobilizing Families and Community Members around Community Schools ................................ 6
2. Family and Community Engagement Operating at the Site-Level ................................................ 7
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................. 8
1. Challenges ..................................................................................................................................... 8
2. Promising Practices ....................................................................................................................... 8
3. Concluding Remarks ...................................................................................................................... 9
Family & Community Engagement: Annotated Bibliography ..................................................................... 10
1. Family and Youth Engagement Strategies ...................................................................................... 10
2. Broad Community, Family, and School Engagement Strategies ..................................................... 15

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©Urban Strategies Council, October 2012

A Resource Guide for Understanding Community Schools
INTRODUCTION

Urban Strategies Council has collected and reviewed more than 175 evaluations, case studies,
briefs and reports for use by those considering or planning a community school or community
school district. Our intention is to provide interested individuals and stakeholders the
resources they need to better understand the unique structure and core components of
community schools. The promising practices, recommendations, tools and information shared
in this document have been culled from documents representing the last 20 years of research
and documentation of community schools across the United States.

We highlighted 11 content areas that we believe to be the most foundational for understanding
community schools. Within each of the content areas, you will find:

1. A literature review: The literature reviews for each content area are organized
around core questions and provide a synthesis of the most commonly identified
solutions and responses to each question, as well as highlights, promising practices,
challenges and recommendations.

2. An annotated bibliography: We gathered and annotated literature in each of the
content areas to underscore key themes, some of which include: best practices,
exemplary sites, models and tools. The annotations vary by content area in order to
draw attention to the most pertinent information. For example, the Evaluations content
area includes annotations of the evaluation methodology and indicators of success.

The 11 content areas include the following:

1. Community School Characteristics
Provides a general overview of the structure, function, core elements, programs and
services of a community school.

2. Planning and Design
Explores the general planning and design structures for community schools, and
discusses the initial steps and central components of the planning and design process, as
well as strategies for scaling up community schools.

3. Equity Frameworks and Tools
Examines literature and tools that can be adapted to an equity framework for
community schools. We included equity frameworks and tools that explore
disproportionality and the monitoring of disparities and demographic shifts.

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4. Collaborative Leadership
Addresses how to build, strengthen and expand the collaborative leadership structure at
community schools. Collaborative leadership is a unique governance structure that
brings together community partners and stakeholders to coordinate a range of services
and opportunities for youth, families and the community.

5. Family and Community Engagement
Explores how community and family engagement operates as well as the challenges for
actualizing it at the site level. Family and community engagement is a unique
component of community schools in which the school, families, and community actively
work together to create networks of shared responsibility for student success.

6. Data Collection and Analysis
Addresses the outcomes measured at community schools, methods for collecting data
at community schools, and short and long term indicators.

7. Assessment Tools
Includes tools used to measure outcomes at community schools.

8. Community School Evaluations
Provides evaluations of community school initiatives with special attention paid to
methodology, indicators of success, findings and challenges.

9. Community School Funding
Explores how to leverage revenue streams and allocate resources at community schools.

10. Budget Tools
Includes tools that support the process of budgeting and fiscal mapping.

11. Community School Sustainability
Explores promising practices for creating sustainability plans, partnership development
and leveraging resources for the future.

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UPDATING THE RESOURCE GUIDE

Urban Strategies Council will continue its efforts to update the Resource Guide with the most
current information as it becomes available. If you know of topics or resources that are not
currently included in this guide, please contact Alison Feldman, Education Excellence Program,
at alisonf@urbanstrategies.org. We welcome your ideas and feedback for A Resource Guide for
Understanding Community Schools.

ADDITIONAL COMMUNITY SCHOOL RESOURCES

National:

The Coalition for Community Schools
http://www.communityschools.org/

The National Center for Community Schools (Children’s Aid Society)
http://nationalcenterforcommunityschools.childrensaidsociety.org/

Yale University Center in Child Development and Social Policy
http://www.yale.edu/21c/training.html

Regional:

The Center for Community School Partnerships, UC Davis
http://education.ucdavis.edu/community-school-partnerships

Center for Strategic Community Innovation
http://cscinnovation.org/community-schools-project/about-cscis-community-schools-
project/community-school-initiative-services-coaching-and-ta/’

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Our Community School work with
Oakland Unified School District
Urban Strategies Council has a long history of working with the Oakland Unified School District
(OUSD) to support planning for improved academic achievement. Most recently, we helped
develop and support the implementation of OUSD’s five-year strategic plan, Community
Schools, Thriving Students. Adopted by the Board of Education in June 2011, the plan calls for
building community schools across the district that ensure high-quality instruction; develop
social, emotional and physical health; and create equitable opportunities for learning. Urban
Strategies Council has worked with the school district, community members and other
stakeholders to support this system reform in several ways:

Community Schools Strategic Planning: Urban Strategies Council facilitated six School
Board retreats over a 14-month period to help develop the strategic plan. As part of that
process, the District created 14 task forces to produce recommendations for the plan, with
Urban Strategies Council facilitating one task force and sitting on several others.
Full Service Community Schools Task Force: Urban Strategies Council convened and co-
facilitated the Full Service Community Schools and District Task Force, which created a
structural framework and tools for planning and implementation, and produced a report
with a set of recommendations that formed the foundation of the strategic plan.
Community Engagement in Planning: Urban Strategies Council partnered with the district
to educate and engage more than 900 school and community stakeholders on how
community schools could best serve them.
Planning for Community Schools Leadership Council: Urban Strategies Council has been
working with OUSD’s Department of Family, School and Community Partnerships to lay the
groundwork for building an interagency, cross-sector partnership body that will provide
high-level system oversight and support, and ensure shared responsibility and coordination
of resources towards the vision of healthy, thriving children supported through community
schools.
Convening Workgroups: Urban Strategies Council continues to partner with the District to
convene and facilitate several workgroups developing specific structures, processes, and
practices supporting community school implementation, as well as informing the eventual
work of the Community Schools Leadership Council.
African American Male Achievement Initiative: Urban Strategies Council is a partner in
OUSD’s African American Male Achievement Initiative (AAMAI), a collaboration supporting
efforts to close the achievement gap and improve other key outcomes for African American
males in OUSD. Urban Strategies Council has developed data-based research; explored
promising practices, programs and policies inside and outside the school district; analyzed
the impact of existing system-wide policies; and developed policy recommendations to
improve outcomes in various areas identified by the AAMAI Task Force.
Boys and Men of Color: Urban Strategies Council is the Regional Convener for the Oakland
Boys and Men of Color site, which adopted community schools as a vehicle to improve
health, education and employment outcomes for boys and men of color.
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Family & Community Engagement: Literature Review

Introduction

Family and community engagement has been identified as a fundamental social innovation that
can be leveraged to improve student learning1. It is also being employed as part of the
community school strategy to improve student learning while building stronger families and
healthier communities. In community schools, family and community engagement consists of
reciprocal interactions in which the school, families, and the community actively work together
to create networks of shared responsibility for student success2. We used three central
research questions to guide the literature review of community and family engagement:

1. How are families and community members mobilized around community schools?
2. How does family and community engagement operate at the site level?
3. What are the challenges of engaging families and the community?

Published research on family and community engagement from 1994 to 2011 has been
included as part of this literature review. The research varies widely in its scope and depth of
strategies, tools and examples around family and community engagement. While there is some
existing research on the importance of communication and accountability, what seems to be
lacking in research and scholarship is a focus on how to operationalize accountability between
the school and community.

Review

1. Mobilizing Families and Community Members around Community Schools

The bulk of research suggests that in order to mobilize families and community members
around community schools, the school must first establish a communications plan. This initial
plan should address who needs to be informed, how frequently, the type of information they
will need to know and who is responsible for various communications tasks. A crucial part of
initiating a communication plan is to research the appropriate communication venues and
outlets (i.e. language and cultural venues) and invite families and community members to
participate in focus groups, surveys and the design of the plan. The literature suggests that their

1
National Family, School, and Community Engagement Working Group. “Taking Leadership, Innovating Change:
Profiles in Family, School, and Community Engagement.” National Family, School, and Community Engagement
Working Group, March 2010. Web. 20 March 2012.
<http://www.hfrp.org/publications-resources/browse-our-publications/taking-leadership-innovating-change-
profiles-in-family-school-and-community-engagement>.
2
Berg, Amy C., Atelia Melaville, and Martin J. Blank. “Community and Family Engagement: Principals Share What
Works.” Coalition for Community Schools, October 2006. Web. 19 December 2011.
<http://www.communityschools.org/assets/1/AssetManager/CommunityAndFamilyEngagement.pdf>.
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input creates broad ownership of the school’s vision and objectives and subsequently keeps
them more engaged in the effort3.

Another frequently discussed method for mobilizing and engaging the community is involving
the use of data. The use of shared data helps demonstrate the impact of the school’s efforts
and makes the case for why families and communities should stay engaged and how they can
help. More specifically, sharing student data with parents was underscored in many literature
pieces as an effective way to keep parents engaged in their student’s learning.

2. Family and Community Engagement Operating at the Site Level

At the site level, profiles of effective family and community engagement efforts shared similar
operational elements. Effective partnerships were generally those that created mutual
accountability through a participatory decision-making process that was inclusive of all
stakeholders, although the steps for this process were not detailed. The creation of a logic
model defining goals, identifying and specifying roles, desired outcomes, and determining
measures to track progress appeared to be a core foundational component. Qualitative
worksheets consisting of targeted questions were the most commonly used tool to assess
family and community engagement efforts.

The literature suggests that in order to build healthy adult-youth partnerships, adults and youth
should be involved in the joint creation of ground rules, goals, roles and a plan for mutual
accountability. In many cases, students were given the opportunity to actively participate in
decision-making processes. If youth did not possess the practical skills or background
knowledge needed to be active participants, they were often given scaffolded opportunities
and paired with mentors or adults to help them4.

Professional development trainings were underscored as one of the most important
operational elements of family and community engagement. In many profiles and case studies,
adults and staff members underwent professional development trainings around topics such as
cultural competency and mutual respect in order to build trusting relationships with students.
Adults also formed peer support networks and often participated in collective reflection.

3
National Association of Elementary School Principals. “Principals in the Public: Engaging Community Support”.
National Association of Elementary School Principals, 2000. Web. 23 February 2012.
<http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED451609.pdf>.
4
U.S. Department of Education. “Strong Families, Strong Schools: Building Community Partnerships for Learning.”
U.S. Department of Education, September 1994. Web. 19 December 2011.
<http://www.communityschools.org/assets/1/AssetManager/Strongfam_StrongSch_bUILDING.pdf>.
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Conclusion

1. Challenges

The barriers inhibiting family and community engagement in education seem to be variables
such as time, parent uncertainty about their role, prior negative experiences, lack of a
supportive environment and cultural barriers. Schools can use research along with the
community needs assessment to determine the best ways to address these barriers, but the
solutions must be contextualized. In some profiles, schools provided services and held
engagements at hours and locations that were more supportive for families. These factors need
to be considered when creating an initial communications plan.

2. Promising Practices

The use of a logic model to specify roles, desired outcomes, and determine measures to track
progress was identified as a promising practice5. In terms of communication, the following
promising practices were identified by the U.S. Department of Education: (1) establish a liaison
for each population; (2) frequently communicate small accomplishments for good public
relations; (3) expand opportunities for contact, meetings and activities; (4) get rid of jargon to
clarify communication; (5) address language barriers with interpreters, translated materials,
and bilingual staff; (6) reduce cultural barriers through parent resource centers, home visits,
and workshops; and (7) utilize new technology to communicate and track engagement6.

Professional development training for school staff and community members around
interpersonal skills, cultural competency, and other topics supporting community engagement
was frequently identified as a promising practice. Furthermore, providing on-going training in
parenting and early childhood, literacy, career training and other helpful programs was
identified as a promising practice to encourage engagement. Another promising practice was
initiating peer support and youth-adult mentoring programs to increase community
engagement7.

Parent access to student data was also identified as a catalyst for meaningful family
engagement in school. Involving parents in the design-process to ensure the data is user-

5
Westmoreland, Helen, M. Elena Lopez and Heidi Rosenberg. “How to Develop a Logic Model for Districtwide
Family Engagement Strategies.” Harvard Family Research Project, November 2009. Web. 20 March 2012.
<http://www.hfrp.org/family-involvement/publications-resources/how-to-develop-a-logic-model-for-districtwide-
family-engagement-strategies>.
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U.S. Department of Education. “Strong Families, Strong Schools: Building Community Partnerships for Learning.”
U.S. Department of Education, September 1994. Web. 19 December 2011.
<http://www.communityschools.org/assets/1/AssetManager/Strongfam_StrongSch_bUILDING.pdf>.
7
Berg, Amy C., Atelia Melaville, and Martin J. Blank. “Community and Family Engagement: Principals Share What
Works.” Coalition for Community Schools, October 2006. Web. 19 December 2011.
<http://www.communityschools.org/assets/1/AssetManager/CommunityAndFamilyEngagement.pdf>.
8

friendly, customizing outreach to promote parent awareness and access, and supporting
parents to use technology effectively were identified as promising practices to engage parents8.

3. Concluding Remarks

Community and family engagement can help create shared accountability among students,
school staff, families and the community at large. Emphasized practices, such as developing a
culturally and linguistically appropriate communications plan, sharing out data and collectively
developing a family and community engagement logic model, are all centered on mutual
responsibility and shared ownership. If fully developed as a program area at community
schools, family and community engagement has the potential to not only improve outcomes for
students, but to shift the power dynamic within schools and the community to one that is more
participatory and democratic.

8
Polakow-Suransky, Shael. “ARIS Parent Link: Five Lessons in Linking Families to Student Data Systems.” FINE
Newsletter, Volume II, Issue 3, Issue Topic: Using Student Data to Engage Families, October 2010. 20 March 2012.
<http://www.hfrp.org/publications-resources/browse-our-publications/aris-parent-link-five-lessons-in-linking-
families-to-student-data-systems>.
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Family & Community Engagement: Annotated Bibliography

1. Family and Youth Engagement Strategies

How to Develop a Logic Model for District-wide Family Engagement Strategies
Westmoreland, Helen, M. Elena Lopez and Heidi Rosenberg. Harvard Family Research Project,
November 2009. Web. 20 March 2012.
<http://www.hfrp.org/family-involvement/publications-resources/how-to-develop-a-logic-
model-for-districtwide-family-engagement-strategies>.

The guide maps out the process of developing a logic model for district-wide family
engagement efforts. It is designed to help the reader understand how family engagement
efforts lead to better learning outcomes for children and youth. The tool is intended for
program planning, implementation, and evaluation to communicate accomplishments and
identify areas that need improvement. Five steps are identified as essential to developing a
family engagement logic model and include:

1. Define the goals that will shape your strategy;
2. Identify your district’s inputs;
3. Specify which activities your district will implement;
4. Define the desired outcomes of your district’s activities; and
5. Select performance measures to track progress.

Furthermore, it offers a sample logic model based on promising practices along with lessons
learned from family engagement research and evaluation studies.

Best practices: See five steps above
Models: Sample Logic Model for a District-wide Family Engagement Strategy (pg. 9)

Seeing is Believing: Promising Practices for How School Districts Promote Family Engagement
Westmoreland, Helen, Heidi M. Rosenberg, M. Elena Lopez and Heather Weiss. Harvard Family
Research Project and PTA, July 2009. Web. 19 July 2012.
<http://www.sfbeacon.org/practitionerResources/SeeingIsBelieving.pdf>.

The brief explores how school districts build systemic family engagement from cradle to career
as a core education reform strategy to ensure student success. It discusses promising practices,
policy implications, provides school district profiles and identifies core district-level
components necessary for systemic family engagement. The core district-level components
include:

1. Fostering district-wide strategies;

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2. Building school capacity; and
3. Reaching out to and engaging families.

Promising practices:
1. a shared vision of family engagement
2. Purposeful connections to learning
3. Investments in high quality programming and staff
4. Robust communication systems
5. Evaluation for accountability and continuous learning
Exemplary sites:
1. Federal Way Public Schools, WA
2. Prince George’s County Public Schools, MD
3. Wichita Public Schools, KA
4. Boston Public Schools, MA
5. Oakland Unified School District, CA
6. St. Paul Public Schools, MN

The Family Engagement for High School Success Toolkit: Planning and implementing an
initiative to support the pathway to graduation for at-risk students
United Way Worldwide, Harvard Family Research Project, November 2011. Web. 23 March
2012.
<http://www.hfrp.org/family-involvement/publications-resources/the-family-engagement-for-
high-school-success-toolkit-planning-and-implementing-an-initiative-to-support-the-pathway-
to-graduation-for-at-risk-students>.

The toolkit highlights the lessons learned from a planning process that tasked 15 local United
Way pilot sites with bringing together schools, community organizations, families and other
stakeholders to develop a comprehensive family engagement initiative. The pilot sites adopted
outcome-focused approaches with the aim of designing family engagement strategies to
remove obstacles to engagement and build stronger connections between families and schools.
All of the principles contained in the toolkit are applicable to a wide array of K–12 family
engagement initiatives, but the toolkit is based on an initiative focused on improving academic
outcomes for students at high risk of not graduating from high school.

By using the toolkit, nonprofits, schools and other community organizations will be able to: (1)
identify how to spot ninth graders who are at risk of dropping out, considering factors such as
attendance, behavior, and academic performance; (2) enlist and enroll the right partners and
work creatively to reach parents of at-risk kids; and (3) work with parents, schools, and partners
to apply research-based strategies and promising practices to get at-risk students back on track
to graduate from high school.

Best practices: Planning a Family Engagement to High School Success Initiative
1. Base decisions on facts
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2. Engage the right people for the purpose at hand
3. Be specific about desired outcomes
4. Uncover underlying issues
5. Aim for lasting community change
6. Measure, learn, improve, communicate
Exemplary sites:
1. United Way and Education Alliance of Washoe County, Reno, NV
2. United Way of Lake County, Gurnee, IL
3. United Way of the Bay Area, San Francisco, CA
4. United Way of York County, York, PA
5. United Way of North Central Florida, Gainesville, FL
Tools:
1. Appendix B: Checklists for Planning and Implementing Family Engagement Initiatives
(pgs. 78-81)
2. Appendix C: Tables and Workbooks (pgs. 82-105)
3. Appendix D: Developing a Logic Model (pgs. 106-109)

Strong Families, Strong Schools: Building Community Partnerships for Learning
U.S. Department of Education. U.S. Department of Education, September 1994. Web. 19
December 2011.
<http://www.communityschools.org/assets/1/AssetManager/Strongfam_StrongSch_bUILDING.
pdf>.

The report begins by describing the factors inhibiting parental involvement in education, which
include: (1) time; (2) uncertainty about what to do and their own importance; (3) cultural
barriers; and (4) lack of a supportive environment. Moreover, the report addresses how schools
and families can develop partnerships and how local communities can connect with families
and schools. Recommendations for family engagement to improve student learning in school
include:

1. Expanding opportunities for contact using evening and weekend hours for meetings and
activities;
2. Providing teachers with a telephone in the classroom;
3. Getting rid of jargon to clarify communication ;
4. Making the school grounds and environment more friendly-including student-parent-
teacher days throughout the year;
5. Addressing language barriers with interpreters, translated materials, and bilingual staff;
6. Reducing mistrust and cultural barriers through parent resource centers, home visits,
and workshops;
7. Encouraging family learning in homework assignments;
8. Encouraging parental input in school decisions; and
9. Utilizing new technology to communicate.

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Additionally, schools can connect with communities and families by:

1. Providing training in parenting and early childhood, literacy and career training, referrals
for services and other helpful programs;
2. Providing youth-adult mentoring programs;
3. Enlisting community volunteers, including retired and older citizens; and
4. Making health, library and other cultural services easily accessible to the schools
neighborhood.

Legislation and federal programs to support family involvement are also discussed.

Best practices: See 13 recommendations above

Youth Engagement in Out-of-School Time Programs
Schools Uniting Neighborhoods (SUN) Service System. Department of County Human Services,
Multnomah County, Oregon, 2011. Web. 19 December 2011.
<http://web.multco.us/sites/default/files/sun/documents/youth_engagment_in_outofschoolti
me.pdf>.

The worksheets provide guidance for youth engagement in out-of-school time (OST) programs
and youth-adult partnership strategies. Central youth-adult partnership strategies include:

1. Clarify Expectations, Goals & Roles;
2. Provide Adequate Resources, Training & Support; and
3. Cultivate a Program Culture of Partnership.

Best practices: See three strategies above (detailed on pg. 3)
Tools: Sample template for engaging youth in OST programs (pg. 2)

ARIS Parent Link: Five Lessons in Linking Families to Student Data Systems
Polakow-Suransky, Shael. FINE Newsletter, Volume II, Issue 3, Issue Topic: Using Student Data
to Engage Families, October 2010. 20 March 2012.
<http://www.hfrp.org/publications-resources/browse-our-publications/aris-parent-link-five-
lessons-in-linking-families-to-student-data-systems>.

ARIS Parent Link connects parents to New York City’s Achievement Reporting and Innovation
System (ARIS), a secure online platform where educators can access and explore important
information about student learning. By using ARIS Parent Link, parents have access to the same
student data as teachers and school leaders. The longitudinal data system empowers parents to
monitor their children’s learning and engage in more informed conversations with teachers.
Allowing parents access to student data is identified as a catalyst and foundation for meaningful

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family involvement in school and helps parents use the information to advocate for their child.
The following lessons were identified from New York City’s experience with ARIS:

1. Involve parents in the design process to ensure the data is user-friendly;
2. Customize outreach to promote parent awareness and access;
3. Support parents to use technology effectively;
4. Track usage to measure impact; and
5. Keep improving the system.

Best practices: See five lessons above

Data Collection Instruments for Evaluating Family Involvement
Westmoreland, Helen, Suzanne Bouffard, Kelley O’Carroll and Heidi Rosenberg. Harvard Family
Research Project, May 2009. Web. 20 March 2012.
<http://www.hfrp.org/family-involvement/publications-resources/data-collection-instruments-
for-evaluating-family-involvement>.

The instrument guide serves as a resource to help practitioners and researchers collect and use
data for continuous improvement in the field of family involvement. It provides stakeholders
with commonly used and standardized data collection instruments on family involvement and
helps them choose which instruments they need to assess impact and quality. By providing an
inventory of instruments, program and policy leaders can examine which measures are most
appropriate for their work and how to adapt or develop tools to assess it.

Tools: See Family Involvement Instruments with School Staff as Respondents (pgs. 6-16)

Connecting Families and Schools Assessment
Schools Uniting Neighborhoods (SUN) Service System. Department of County Human Services,
Multnomah County, Oregon, 2011. Web. 19 December 2011.
<http://web.multco.us/sites/default/files/sun/documents/connecting_families_and_schools_a
ssessment.pdf>.

The SUN assessment tool is intended to be used as an evaluative measure, a guide to improving
family involvement, and a tool to promote discussion among staff members that are working
with culturally and linguistically diverse students. It is intended for families whose home
language is not English, as they face larger obstacles than most in order to become involved in
their child’s education. The tool is based on researched best practices on the importance of
family involvement for students who do not speak English at home. It includes worksheets for
improving family involvement and partnership in education.

Tools: Worksheets on:
1. Preconditions for Family Involvement: School Staff and School Environment
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2. Familiarizing Families with the System: How Do Schools Work?
3. Families as Partners: Involving Families in Student Learning
4. Parents as Leaders in Education: Developing Leadership Skills in Family Members

2. Broad Community, Family, and School Engagement Strategies

Community and Family Engagement: Principals Share What Works
Berg, Amy C., Atelia Melaville, and Martin J. Blank. Coalition for Community Schools, October
2006. Web. 19 December 2011.
<http://www.communityschools.org/assets/1/AssetManager/CommunityAndFamilyEngageme
nt.pdf>.

The report uses the experiences of principals to inform best practices and strategies for
community engagement. Six key strategies for community engagement were highlighted and
include:

1. Know Where You’re Going;
2. Share Leadership;
3. Reach out;
4. Don’t ignore the elephant in the room;
5. Tell your school’s story; and
6. Stay on course.

Part II explores how these six key strategies relate to engaging families, school staff, partners,
and the broader public. The postscript discusses ways higher education institutions can provide
training for principals who want to do this work. It also addresses the role that the central office
plays in community engagement.

Best practices: See six strategies above and the following suggested practices:
1. Provide training in interpersonal skills
2. Provide training in culturally competent leadership
3. Provide training about community, collaborative strategies, and community
engagement
4. Provide policy flexibility
5. Provide professional development opportunities that support community
engagement
6. Encourage peer-to-peer support and mentoring
Models: Figure 1: Using The Six Keys To Engage Stakeholders (ES-5)

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Developing Effective Partnerships to Support Local Education
School Communities that Work. Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University,
June 2002. Web. 19 December 2011.
<http://www.communityschools.org/assets/1/AssetManager/Partnerships_LocalEd.pdf>.

The article focuses on new ways of thinking about district-community partnerships and
provides design principles for building effective partnerships as well as operating principles for
sustaining effective partnerships. New ways of thinking about district-community partnerships
are identified as:

1. Assessing and aligning their services to promote not only results, but equity as well; and
2. Considering all their current activities and future plans from a youth engagement and
development perspective.

Additionally, the nine design principles for building effective partnerships include:

1. Effective partnerships have champions;
2. Effective partnerships begin with the ends in mind;
3. Effective partnerships build civic capacity;
4. Effective partnerships distribute accountability among partners;
5. Effective partnerships make good use of data;
6. Effective partnerships are honest about partners’ individual needs and resources;
7. Effective partnerships seek out and listen to students;
8. Effective partnerships seek out meaningful relationships with parents; and
9. Effective partnerships pool resources.

Furthermore, the operating principles for sustaining community partnerships are:

1. Partners reach out to new members;
2. Partners develop long-term structural and institutional supports; and
3. Partners are realistic about progress and celebrate “small wins.”

Best practices: See 12 elements above (nine design principles and three operating
principles)

Principals in the Public: Engaging Community Support
National Association of Elementary School Principals. National Association of Elementary School
Principals, 2000. Web. 23 February 2012.
<http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED451609.pdf>.

The guide is intended to help public school principals refine their approaches to
communication, marketing, public affairs and public relations. It provides instructions for
principals on how to look at public support and on how to clearly understand their school’s
16

perception by the public. Furthermore, it provides instructions on how to create and implement
a communication plan, communicate with and engage parents, school staff and particular
audiences. Practical tips on specific issues such as creating a press release or designing an
effective welcome packet are provided. The guide also outlines strategies for special projects
and practical ways to involve people in the school. Additional resources to help principals
enhance their school’s image are provided in the final section of the guide.

Best practices: See “Ideas That Work” (pgs. 205-221)
Tools: See “Effective Communication: Tools & Techniques” (pg.61-131)

The Head Start Parent, Family, and Community Engagement Framework: Promoting Family
Engagement and School Readiness, From Prenatal to Age 8
Office of Head Start. Office of Head Start, August 2011. Web. 20 March 2012.
<http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/standards/IMs/2011/pfce-framework.pdf>.

The Parent, Family, and Community Engagement Framework is a research-based approach that
shows leaders across systems and service areas how to work together to promote parent and
family engagement alongside children’s learning and development from pre-k to age eight.

Models:
1. Parent, Family, and Community Engagement Framework (pg. 1)
2. Head Start Parent and Family Engagement Outcomes (pg. 5)
3. Family Well-Being (pg. 7)
4. Positive Parent-Child Relationships (pg. 8)
5. Families as Life-Long Educators (pg. 10)
6. Families as Learners (pg. 11)
7. Family Engagement in Transition (pg. 13)
8. Family Connections to Peers and Community (pg. 14)
9. Families as Advocates and Leaders (pg. 16)

Using the Head Start Parent, Family, and Community Engagement Framework in your
Program: Markers of Success
Office of Head Start and the National Center on Parent, Family and Community Engagement.
Web. 20 March 2012.
<http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/family/docs/ncpfce-markers-of-progress.pdf>.

The comprehensive guide details how to build a parent, family, community engagement (PFCE)
assessment team, how to use the Head Start PFCE assessment tool and how to create a PFCE
action plan. The guide also offers ideas for innovative ways to enhance efforts through best
practices informed by the input of hundreds of program directors and staff, training and
technical assistance specialists, regional office staff and Head Start leadership. Effective parent,
family and community engagement are identified as:
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1. Shaped by families, programs, and communities working together to co-construct
opportunities for engagement that are most appropriate for families in their
community;
2. Built upon a foundation of mutual respect and trust among families and staff;
3. Individualized for each family and developed over time to deepen and broaden their
engagement in the program and the early learning of their children;
4. Focused on the strengths of children and families and built on those strengths to create
a growth-oriented path toward enhanced family well-being and optimal educational
outcomes for children;
5. Based upon a strong understanding of how children’s behavior and development
present predictable challenges to family functioning as well as to family-program
relationships;
6. Shaped by genuine respect for the culture and linguistic diversity of the families enrolled
and the importance of actively valuing and incorporating the richness of this diversity
into the program’s institutional culture, physical surroundings, learning environment,
and social interactions between and among children, families, and staff;
7. Supportive of children and families with disabilities so that they can fully participate in
the program and benefit from family and community engagement opportunities;
8. Aware and respectful of families as capable, competent partners in their children’s
development even when they are struggling with adversity; and
9. Achieved through effective leadership and management, ongoing training, support and
self-reflection of program staff, an established protocol that reflects a commitment to
engagement, as well as organizational culture that prioritizes families.

Best practices: See nine principles above
Models: Parent, Family and Community Engagement Framework (pg. 6)
Tools:
1. Assessment Grid Key (pg. 23)
2. Starting Point, Progressing and Innovating Standards Self-Assessment Tools (pgs. 30-
67)
3. Sample Template of PFCE Action Plan (pgs. 73-78)

Handbook on Family and Community Engagement
Redding, Sam, Marilyn Murphy and Pam Sheley. Academic Development Institute, 2011. Web.
20 March 2012.
<http://www.families-schools.org/downloads/FACEHandbook.pdf>.

The handbook explores the definition of family and community engagement informed by
scholars and practitioners. It also explores the components of a theory of change for the family
and community engagement field, the home and community outcomes which need to be
addressed in family and community engagement efforts, and how to implement family and
community engagement at school. Additionally, promising practices and strategies are
18

discussed in depth alongside individual student stories. There are 11 strategies for effective
family and community engagement and they include:

1. Importance of a federal role;
2. Collective action and organizing by families with a shared vision toward demanding
quality education for all children;
3. Promoting school capacity building and redesign of the “factory model school”;
4. Local parent information and resource centers;
5. Promoting school turnaround over parental choice;
6. Strengthening of the school–parent compacts;
7. Fully prepared school staff in working with parents;
8. Ongoing personal communication;
9. Home learning to build a culture of learning;
10. Community coordination and support; and
11. Research for program improvement.

A comprehensive checklist of best practices is provided at the end of the document.

Best practices: See 11 strategies above and “Checklist of Suggested Practices” (pgs. 165-
178)
Models:
1. Figure 1: A Collaborative Leadership Structure for Community Schools (pg. 50)
2. Figure 2: A Process for Building a 6-Stage Scaled-up System (pg. 51)
3. Figure 3: Building a Scaled-up System (pg. 52)
4. Figure 4: Community Schools Results and Indicators (pg. 53)
5. Appendix 16.1: Logic Model for a Parents as Teachers Early Childhood System (pg.
140)
Tools:
1. Appendix 3.1: An example of online tools to help parents understand their child’s
assessments and ask teachers questions to support a child’s progress (pg. 27)
2. Appendix 3.2: An example of disaggregated data used in training parent leaders (pg.
28)

Taking Leadership, Innovating Change: Profiles in Family, School, and Community
Engagement
National Family, School, and Community Engagement Working Group. National Family, School,
and Community Engagement Working Group, March 2010. Web. 20 March 2012.
<http://www.hfrp.org/publications-resources/browse-our-publications/taking-leadership-
innovating-change-profiles-in-family-school-and-community-engagement>.

The National Family, School, and Community Engagement Working Group have compiled 12
profiles of leading innovations in family involvement for student learning. Profiles of the 12
family-school approaches are provided and are intended to engage policymakers and
19

practitioners in a “design thinking” process. Each initiative’s outcomes, evidence, learning,
sustainability and scalability are detailed in the report. The purpose of the National Family,
School, and Community Engagement Working Group is to inform educational policy on family
engagement and improve educational opportunities for children from cradle to career.

Exemplary sites:
1. Families and Schools Working Together
2. Math and Parent Partners
3. Parent Institute for Quality Education
4. Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership, KT
5. Grow Your Own Teachers, IL
6. New Visions for Public Schools, New York, NY
7. Parent Teacher Home Visiting Program, Sacramento, CA
8. Parent Information & Resource Center (PIRC), IA
9. Tellin’ Stories, Washington D.C.
10. The Parent Academy, Miami, FL
11. Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors, Los Angeles, CA
12. Project Eagle, Kansas City, MO

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