PLA Board of Directors

Spring 2017 Meeting

2017.65

TO: PLA Board of Directors

RE: Family Engagement

DATE: March 27, 2017

ACTION REQUESTED/INFORMATION/REPORT:

Action Requested

ACTION REQUESTED BY:

Clara Bohrer and Kathleen Reif, co-chairs, Family Engagement Task Force

DRAFTS OF MOTIONS:

1)  The PLA Board of Directors hereby extends the terms of the current PLA Family Engagment Task Force members for an additional two months, to expire on June 30, 2017 instead of April 30, 2017.

2)  The PLA Board of Directors hereby approves the PLA Family Engagment Task Force to continue for another two-year term, from July 2017 to June 2019, with reappointments and new appointments to occur in the spring of 2017 by incoming President Pam Sandlian Smith.

3)  The PLA Board of Directors directs PLA staff to create a new project account for Family Engagement, allocate PLA reserves to fund activity in this area, and develop a budget and spending plan for family engagement activity for FY18 in coordination with the Task Force co-chairs.

BACKGROUND

The PLA Family Engagement Task Force is co-chaired by Clara Bohrer, chair of the PLA advisory committee to our IMLS early literacy research grant, and Kathleen Reif, past chair of the Every Child Ready to Read (ECRR) committee. The Task Force met four times from 2015 to 2017.

RECENT ACTIVITY

Information on recent activity of the Task Force is included in its spring 2017 committee report, which is included under Consent Agenda on the Spring 2017 board meeting agenda. Over its two-year tenure, the Task Force has been very productive, conducting a library leader survey, holding 6 educational programs, expanding PLA leadership on family engagement by enlisting over a dozen members to participate in a learning community, and producing two publications with our partners at the Harvard-now-Global Family Research Project.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BOARD ACTION

At its January 2017 meeting, Task Force members agreed it is critically important for PLA to continue to be involved in family engagement work, and that working on family engagement can help turn PLA and its members into leaders on the issue, both nationally and in their communities. Members suggested the PLA board extend terms of the current Task Force members to June 30, 2017 to align better with other PLA committees and so that the 2017 Annual Conference meeting of the current task force can serve as its final meeting. They also agreed the Task Force should continue for at least another two years.

Furthermore, the Task Force recommended that PLA make family engagement a formal PLA project, not unlike DigitalLearn or Project Outcome, and find resources to fund staff support and product development. The work to date has been slow in part due to lack of staff time and financial resources. Dedicating staff to family engagement could advance development of products and educational programs in this area, which could in turn generate revenue. A motion has been drafted to this effect but we welcome the PLA board’s input and are happy to consider other options.

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