Volume 1, Issue 1

Welcome to the first issue of the Family-Community Liaison newsletter. Each issue will include ways we can support your challenging work as the binding agent that bonds families to their school and community. 

We know that students whose families are actively engaged in their education and connected to their school community perform better academically, feel more comfortable at school, and attend school consistently. Yet, as Dr. Karen L. Mapp explains, “Although many districts have started to offer parent workshops or parent academies, they’re not providing that same type of development and support for their staff.” 

Effective family engagement isn’t possible without equipping both families and school staff with the skills, knowledge, and abilities to build lasting bonds or school-family-community partnerships. How will your liaison work be structured to bind your school, families, and community together this year? What support do you need to make that happen?

Featured Topic: Settling Back into School 

This topic at a glance, Back to School: How parent involvement affects student achievement, splits parent involvement into six categories and discusses the ins and outs of which types work best across cultural, socio-economic and student age groups. Which types of parent involvement should your school focus on to best support your school improvement plan this year?

This in-depth research article poses and answers the question “Why do parents become involved?” The researchers share what they discovered through interviews and studies of parental involvement and motivation. But they don’t stop there. They also give strategies for increasing schools' capacities for inviting parental involvement and enhancing parents' capacities for effective involvement. If you’re short on time, you can skim the article, print off the tables and keep them handy throughout the school year. Table 1 has solid suggestions for you to share with teachers and school leaders and table 2 will help you in your work of supporting and encouraging parents.

Featured Minnesota Department of Education Staff and Division

October is National Bullying Prevention Month. Do students and families in your school community have concerns about bullying? The School Safety and Technical Assistance division has bullying prevention resources in English, Somali, Spanish and Hmong for you to share with families. The resources include advice on how to help someone who has experienced bullying as well as information on how to prevent bullying and how to intervene when it happens. 

The School Safety and Technical Assistance Center can support any school that reaches out for assistance. Whether there has been a recent traumatic event or bullying incident at your school, you want to update school policies, or you have questions about school climate, we encourage you to reach out to the School Safety and Technical Assistance Center for guidance. Nancy Riestenberg is one of the school safety specialists on staff. She is an expert in Restorative Practices and Peace Circles, the author of Circle in the Square, and provides technical assistance to Minnesota schools in the areas of bullying prevention, recovery and restorative practices, dropout prevention, and cultural relevance of prevention education. Email Nancy or call 651-582-8433.

Jackie's Corner: Community of Practice

In my visits to Minnesota schools this past year, I’ve learned something new from each family-community liaison I’ve met. From boardgame lending libraries to family resource rooms and academic parent teacher teams, I have seen new and creative practices and the unique challenges you work to address every day. I also heard that it’s a challenge to find the right parent engagement practices. Since 2008, the National Network of Partnership Schools has published an annual list of Promising Partnership Practices. The practices are organized into categories such as reading and literacy, math, science, behavior, health and safety, multicultural awareness, climate of partnership, and district and organization leadership. I encourage you to glance at the resources and see if there is a practice that you think could be promising for your school.

Please continue to share your successes and challenges with me so that I can share your stories and connect you with each other. Let’s start the conversation with a fun topic, what are your favorite back-to-school inspirational quotes or sayings? I would be honored to know what inspires you and also to broaden my list with some your favorites. Email me with your inspiration, questions or let me know I can support you.