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Mass PIRC has forged partnerships with schools and districts across the Commonwealth to support their family engagement efforts. Following are examples of approaches currently being developed or implemented
Worcester Public Schools’Superintendent Melinda Boone expressed WPS’s commitment to parental involvement with these words: “We are going to be more customer-service focused.” WPS has partnered with Mass PIRC to conduct a series of professional development opportunities to support this effort. All 44 WPS principals participated in workshops on models of family engagement such as the Joyce Epstein model and Solid Foundation©. District-wide training on welcoming all families into the school community was conducted for 156 administrative support staff, including Central Office staff and Parent Liaisons.
WPS’s Citywide Parent Planning Advisory Council (CPPAC), comprised of parent representatives from district schools, advises the School Committee. Mass PIRC is supporting CPPAC’s efforts to build parent leadership and to ensure parental representation from each and every school in the district.
Springfield Public Schools’commitment to parental involvement led to establishing in each school a staff position for a Parent Facilitator to strengthen family-school partnerships. That SPS has maintained this commitment during a time of tight budgets is an outstanding testament to their belief in parents as partners. Mass PIRC works with SPS to train new and returning Parent Facilitators about cultural diversity and creating family-friendly schools.
Lawrence Public SchoolsJuana Espinosa, Mass PIRC Consultant Trainer, is a parent and counselor at the Francis Leahy School. According to Juana, at LPS, “. . . parents are nurtured and developed to become parent leaders and assume leadership roles within their respective schools.” LPS has provided several leadership training opportunities, and trained parents now serve on the School Leadership Team. LPS’s efforts have paid off with impressive progress. It was one of only four urban districts in the state to meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) goals in either English Language Arts or Mathematics for English language learners.
This year, LPS works with Mass PIRC to implement Solid Foundation©, an evidence-based strategy focusing on family and community engagement. Its core is a school team that includes the principal, teachers and parents. With Solid Foundation, the connection between parents and their children’s learning is clearly laid out and supported. Mass PIRC is an external partner, providing technical assistance and facilitating the Solid Foundation© process.
Holyoke Public Schools. Mass PIRC is collaborating with HPS’s English Language Learner Program to increase school-based efforts to reach out to families of ELL students. One initiative is to reorganize and strengthen HPS’s multilingual Parent Advisory Council; another is to develop and disseminate timely information for English language learners’ families. Mass PIRC is working with HPS to transform the Peck School into a Full Service Community School. Peck School Principal Paul Hryr explains his commitment to family involvement by stating that his goal “… is family engagement because the families are the most important people in the student’s life.”
Boston Public Schools’ Office of Family & Student Engagement’s (OFSE) vision guides its work: “Every school will welcome every family and every student, actively engaging them as partners in student learning and school improvement.” OFSE’s aim is to build capacity for parental involvement in schools district-wide. BPS launched its Parent University to help parents be effective advocates for their children and their schools. . Mass PIRC, a partner with BPS in this effort, has been involved in its design and planning and will continue to offer workshops and other training opportunities.
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