Summation Report: Washington Family and Community Engagement Trust (WaFACET) presents:

2016 United for Student Success: Washington Family and Community Engagement Conference

Event Date: October 1, 2016 Location: Jackson High School Mill Creek, WA Attendee: Steph Klein

9am- 9:50 amConference Opening:

Dr. Gary Cohn – Everett Public School Superintendent – on how Family Engagement and actively making family engagement a priority in the District has affected life for Everett Schools

  1. 91% 4-year graduation rate; 94% 5-year graduation rate
  2. HOW?
  3. Starts planning for High School and College in the 5th grade
  4. Busses families in for evenings at the school to help them understand how Middle and High School work and how best to get there.
  5. Goes out into the community (churches, early learning centers) and partners with them to help reinforce the Community role in getting kids to college.
  6. Develops personal relationships
  7. Creates opportunities for volunteering
  8. Emphasizes that McCleary needs to be resolved or school district to lose upward of $10 million in next few years which will halt any of the engagement programs

Ted Wenta –Everett Public Schools Board President and YMCA President

  1. Spoke about the fact that the topic of education is the “issue of the time” especially amongst communities of color, disabilities and poverty.
  2. Discussed and promoted WaFACET for embracing ParentNet and Compass Advantage

Dr. Marilyn Price-Mitchell – Developmental Psychologist, co-founder of ParentNet

  1. Analyzes peoples life stories combines them with data…showing that education is more than just learning in a classroom, but rooted around 8 Core Abilities that Drive Success (The COMPASS Advantage)

i)Works on the POSITIVE Development of youth

b)Having a mentor believe in you and help develop your Curiosity, Sociability, Resilience, Self-Awareness, Integrity, Resourcefulness, Creativity and Empathy through their own personal stories is how we achieve best life learning

i)RootsofAction.com is her website that teaches and promotes aresearch-based framework for positive youth development

c)Uses Bainbridge Island High School as an example of a school with one of the highest rates of graduation, but under the surface also has the highest rates of drug abuse, depression, anxiety and suicide ideation.

i)Developed BIHealthyyouth.org with the “I Have a Dream….” with students to teach the Compass Advantage. All data and research driven

(1)Developmental Equity resides at the STUDENT level and NOT the demographic level…this is an affluent community that had the best education had to offer, but were missing the “whole” development of the child

OTHER morning SPEAKERS:

Trudi Inslee--- Early Learning Advocate and First Lady of WA

WA Representative Ruth Kagi– Chair of the House Early Learning and Human Service Community; child advocate

10 am – 11 am Morning Break-Out Session:

The Natural Leaders Program and Family STEM Nights Projectwith Yuri Jensen

  • Learned that “everyone has been the NEW person”, discussed those feelings compiled with other feelings of many immigrant, refugee, cultural or poverty families (I don’t belong, we don’t participate in country of origin, I’m worried that my English isn’t good enough to speak…all sorts of fears and unknowns to explore) Most don’t want to do it alone.
  • Both Programs run under Washington Alliance of Better Schools (

Natural Leaders….the what, who and why

What:

  • Grassroots org and empowerment effort where trained parents (adults) listen to the needs of families and students regarding their navigation of school and learning. Work to better the community by taking ideas and implementing them with the schools.
  • Based on model: Academic success = high quality instruction + social/emotional support + family engagement
  • Training program; free to Title One schools
  • Uses adult level training and education programs to serve as role model to children to stress importance of education

Who:

  • Multicultural individuals trained to serve as a “bridge” between schools, families, and community.
  • They help “isolated” families connect with the school and their own (cultural) communities

Why:

  • Schools can have difficulty creating relationships with people of color, English language learners, immigrants, and/or refugees. Natural Leaders are able to speak their “language”, understand culture and experiences and provide warm welcoming arms to school community

Goals:

  • Want ALL children to be successful in school (equity)

Other Education Opportunities:

  • The 7 Secretos Escolares (7 secrets to school success for Latino families)
  • Edmonds Community College Parent Mentor Certificate Program
  • Everett Community College Parent Leadership Institute **

STEM Nights(also under WABS umbrella with Natural Leaders)

  • Typically for grades 3-5 (not the whole school) : limited space/resources available
  • Free to Title 1 schools
  • Goals:
  • Expand Professional Development amongst Natural Leaders
  • Increase Education Opportunities for families
  • Increases family engagement with child and school
  • Families become more STEM aware
  • Student support for Next Generation Science Standards through learning together
  • Incorporates 5 sessions to reinforce and encourage continued learning

11:10 am – 12 pm Lunch and Program: A Tribute to Parent Leadership

WA State Representative Lillian Ortiz-Self– Vice Chair of the House of Education Committee and Co-Chair of the WA State Achievement and Opportunity Gap Oversight and Accountability Committee

  1. Spoke about “Sharing Your Story” to further the youth of today and was quite impressive at her dedication and history of youth and student mentoring jobs

Eric Snow– Executive Director and creator of WATCH D.O.G.S.

  1. Arkansas-based National Center for Fathering
  2. Showed this EXCELLENT video

Elaine Zimmerman – Executive Director, State of CT’s Commission on Children; creator of the Parent Leadership Training Institute** (PLTI)

  • Always realized that during speeches, every time she asked the audience or room “Do you know how change happens for children in our country?” – always met with…”but I’m JUST a parent”
  • Wanted to change this and educate families on how change occurs
  • Realized that families really need to learn leadership skills to evoke “change” and find their voice.
  • Created the PLTI
  • NEWS for WA….Maria Pena, Chief Diversity and Equity Manager at Everett Community College announces that for the first time in WA State, ECC will be offering PLTI…5 open spots, but has current Parent Leaders stand.

12:10 pm – 2:00 pm Dr. Ann Ishimaru UW professor, researcher, and nationally recognized expert on Equity and Family Engagement: Redesigning School and District Family Engagement towards Racial Equity

  • Explains that assumptions made regarding family engagement (by teachers, admin) can lead to lower teaching standards for those students
  • Example: Jose’s family never attends anything and his parents do not respond to the teacher. Jose is quiet and unassuming, but not keeping up in school. Teacher assumes that Jose’s family doesn’t care and therefore why should they—lowering quality of teaching to Jose? Or feel sorry for Jose that his family does not participate in school and doesn’t hold Jose at the same standards as other kids.

Exercise: Write down “who’s at my table?” (regarding place of employment or circle you are representing – I chose PTA)

  1. A bunch of white people (mainly women) from Thoreau PTA Board, staff, and volunteers all the way up to LWSD Board…LWPTSA and Wa State PTSA
  2. What can I do to change this?

a)Ask people of color or other gender to be involved and be transparent in reason why

  1. What goals can I set to do this?

a)Ask 3 people of different cultures to do something specific for the PTA at Thoreau (ie…translator platform or parent platform)

Exercise 2:Group Exercise: with 3 black, female principals from Everett and 2 white ELL teachers (very funny and fun group of women!)

  1. Room discussion of Meet and Greet and Curriculum Night….how is that working for your school?
  2. Dream up the best possible way to change these evenings to create increased attendence from (primarily) poc/poverty/ell families.

a)Lots of great ideas, must draw a poster of it…very creative and thoughtful process of how rushed we and unaccommodating schools can be during these precious opportunities to engage all families.

2:10-3:10 Afternoon Break-out session

Ten Best Practices for Culturally Responsive Family Engagement – from Preschool to High School with Adie Simmons and Cathy Liu Scott

“For some parents in all cultures, sending children to school is a leap of faith and they are entrusting child’s care to virtual strangers” Need to establish community of engaged and interactive families of all backgrounds to reach everyone.

  1. Early Learning Best ENGAGEMENT Practices
  2. Home visits (or a neutral location)
  1. Elementary Engagement and Communication Best practices
  2. Parent Volunteers (= Cultural Brokers…know school system and culture)
  3. Transparency and honest information from school
  4. Adequate time to prepare (letting families know with enough advance notice of event/conference…)
  5. Parent Advisory Boards
  6. Middle and High School Communication/Engagement
  7. Personal invite from teacher to family
  8. Parent to parent information
  9. Video Message from teachers (include the kids!!)
  10. Educational Activities that get families to interact and engage
  11. Start EARLY!! Have high schools go to Elementary and Middle Schools to prepare famiies
  1. SCHOOL needs to promote engagement:
  2. Welcoming Environment
  3. Positive leadership
  4. Trust Building
  5. Available parking
  6. “Hello/Welcome” in Different languages
  7. SMILE!
  8. Teacher lead parent education … ParentNet.com**
  1. PARENT responsibilities:
  2. Know district policies
  3. Speak up
  4. SMILE
  5. Meet the teacher (email, in person…just reach out)

**ParentNet.com is a parent leadership program that trains parents to become grade level meeting facilitators.

Parent participants sign a contract agreeing to training reqs (6 hours total). School provides a liaison (counselor/teacher) that can be at meetings to advise on school policy. Trained Parent Facilitator builds trust in community and role model for communication, sets meeting agenda…gets group to discuss issues at school about the school.

  1. It’s a GROUP process
  2. Learn how to communicate within a group of people with different backgrounds, but same goals (child’s education)
  3. Notes taken at meeting are posted for everyone to read
  4. School’s responsibility is to follow-up with requests or concerns of parents (otherwise, no trust in school…so why communicate at all?)

3:20-4:00 pmClosing the Opportunity/Achievement Gap in Our State (PANEL session)

Moderator: Adie Simmons, WAFCET President

Panelists:

  • Chris Reykdal (Candidate for State Superintendent of Public Instruction)
  • Erin Jones (Candidate for State Superintendent of Public Instruction)
  • LaKesha Kimbrough Parent and Early Learning Professional
  • Catalina Angel Edmonds School District parent
  • Camilla Mejia WWU student and Jackson High School Graduate
  • Carrie Basas Director of Governor’s Office of the Education Omsbuds
  • Dr. Betty J Cobbs Principal of Woodside El, Everett
  • Rebekah Kim Principal of Midway El, Highline

Washington Public schools:

  • Over 1 million kids across state
  • 46% qualify for free and reduced lunch
  • 20%+ come from a home where first language is not English
  • Nearly 16% have a disability
  • 41% were children of color and 23% did not graduate from High School
  • Race, ethnicity, socio-economic and disability status’ are predictors of whether students will drop out of High School or graduate

Several questions regarding achievement/opportunity gap asked and all panelists able to answer. Very well done. Lots of discussion on McCleary, Equity and Funding.

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