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Family Engagement & Communications Advisory Committee
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The Family Engagement & Communications Advisory Committee is chaired by a member of the GO Team designated by the GO Team Chair. The Family Engagement & Communications Advisory Committee will be composed of the Committee Chair, the Principal (or his/her designee) and at least one (1) additional member of the GO Team. The GO Team may add additional non-GO Team members to serve on the Family Engagement & Communications Advisory Committee.
When: Meeting locations and agendas will be posted at least one week before meetings.
Authority (reprinted from Go Team Handbook):
Section 5.2. Standing Committees. Every GO Team will have a standing Family Engagement & Communications Advisory Committee and may create other standing advisory committees by resolution adopted by a majority of the voting GO Team members and with the advice of the GO Team Office. Standing committees act in an advisory capacity, offering assistance and making recommendations to the GO Team for action.
Section 5.2.1. The Family Engagement & Communications Advisory Committee keeps the community informed of matters within the GO Team’s area of responsibility, including progress on the school’s strategic plan, budget, and School-Based Solution proposals. The Family Engagement & Communications Committee will participate in an annual meeting for the school community, led by the principal, to provide a report on the school’s performance. This committee will also be responsible for gathering input from the school community about School-Based Solution proposals to be submitted by the GO Team, or any major school initiatives or changes that would require public comment.
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Epstein’s Six Types of Involvement
Type 1 – Parenting
Help all families establish home environments to support children as students.
Type 2 – Communicating
Design effective forms of school-to-home and home-to-school communications about school programs and children’s progress.
Type 3 – Volunteering
Recruit and organize parent help and support.
Type 4 – Learning at Home
Provide information and ideas to families about how to help students at home with homework and other curriculum-related activities, decisions, and planning.
Type 5 – Decision Making
Include parents in school decisions, developing parent leaders and representatives.
Type 6 – Collaborating with Community
Identify and integrate resources and services from the community to strengthen school program, family practices, and student learning and development.
Family Engagement (FE) is defined as:
Families of all students including English Language Learners, students with disabilities and Gifted and Talented communicating and taking action with students, their teachers and schools to support learning needs for success.2
(“Families” and “parents” are used interchangeably to refer to all the adults responsible for a student. “Families from all backgrounds and neighborhoods” and “diverse families” include families from all races, ethnicities, cultures, religions, family structures, and economic levels, as well as those with physical or mental exceptionalities.)
Promising School Partnerships Practices
Core Principles with Family Engagement Focus
- Equity – commitment to providing families with the resources needed
- Engagement – effectively and consistently communicate with families
- Excellence – commitment to build stakeholder capacity and mindsets through demonstration and empowerment
- Ethics – ensure equitable access, transparency, and evaluation of family engagement policies, practices, and progress
GO Team Family Engagement Framework and Toolkit
The toolkit is intended for use by the Go Team to support school administration, teachers, and parents with access to simple, straight-forward, and easily accessible forms of support and information. It has suggested engagement initiatives.
The assessment the Go Team chose was the Johns Hopkins Guide below.
Family Engagement Toolkits, Rubrics, and Self-Assessments