Enhancing Family Engagement in Multi-Tiered Systems of Support

From Starting to Sustaining Strand 5: Family Engagement March 10, 2020

Strand 5 In this strand, participants will explore six essential components of meaningful family engagement in multi-tiered systems of supports that deepen family and school commitment to authentic partnership while increasing specific student and family outcomes across domains.

Group Norms Be Responsible Take care of your needs. Share your questions with the group. Be Respectful Turn volume/sounds off on cell phones. Listen to others attentively. Follow up and complete assigned tasks. Be Engaged Ask what you need to know to understand and contribute. Share your expertise, information and ideas.

Learning Intentions - Day 3 Participants will: share efforts to empower family members, strengthen communication/relationships, and facilitate strong school leadership set data targets for benchmarking progress identify specific action steps to address challenges and grow any remaining weaker family engagement elements clarify values foundational to equity and family engagement differentiate strategies for students and families by tiers identify components of specific research based models and approaches, i.e. home-school models Workbook pg. 3

Implementation Matrix Please see the VTSS Implementation Matrix on page 4 in your workbook. Workbook pg. 4

Division Showcase Tell us about your key takeaways from this morning during our Showcase.

Return to the Guiding Questions for Family Engagement To identify data needed to answer question(s), examine what is available, and list needed sources. Organized by the 6 elements of VTSS Family Engagement: Leadership Data-based Goals & Outcomes Positive Relationships Family Empowerment Multi-tiered Approach Collaborative Problem-Solving Workbook pgs. 5- 8

Action Planning Please see the Action Planning document on page 12 in your workbook. Workbook pg. 12

Lets Learn From Each Other! 1. Positive Relationships 2. Family Empowerment 3. Leadership 4. Multi-tiered Approach 5. Data-based Goals & Outcomes 6. Collaborative Problem-Solving Share one success and one area of growth! Workbook pg.9

Westmoreland Share out from this division.

Charlottesville Share out from this division.

Essex Share out from this division.

Family Engagement in VTSS Videos Video number three from Formed Families Forward.

Data We Have and Data We Need In what component areas do you have or are you currently collecting data (including those since October and December)? In what component areas do you still want to collect data? What commitments can you make to each other in the team to continue to collect data and address key questions?

Six Components of Family Engagement Leadership: Does school/division leadership understand, value and actively support family engagement and inclusion of family voice in VTSS efforts? Family Empowerment: Are families valued, encouraged and supported to be equal partners in their children s education? Are efforts to empower families ongoing, consistent and authentic? Positive Relationships: Do families have welcoming, respectful, genuine and positive experiences with the school and division? Workbook pg.9

Six Components of Family Engagement (cont.) Data-based Goals and Outcomes: Do families and educators collaboratively develop data based goals and evaluate their outcomes? Multi tiered Approach: Do families understand tier distinctions and their implications? Collaborative Problem Solving: Are families included (input obtained and utilized, participation encouraged and made accessible) in the practices and processes (including the problem solving process) for students receiving tier 2/3 services? Workbook pg.9

Challenges to Engagement Teams brainstorm or call out challenges to engagement, capture on chart paper

Challenges to Engagement (cont.) Resources (time, money) Attitude/perception Culture Communication History Policies/procedures Did challenges fall into these general categories? Others?

Cycle of Disengagement (Constantino, 2016) Please ask your VTSS State Coach for this graphic.

Cycle of Disengagement There are a number of circumstances that contribute to a cycle of disengagement. Consider the phases triggered by negative catalyst: Self Preservation, Isolation, Stress, Anxiety, Fear Read the scenario, the Science Project, and reflect on what happened.

The Science Project Questions The story depicts a school project that, for at least one family, went horribly wrong. 1. What was the purpose of the project? 2. Given what you read and discussed, could this situation happen in your school? 3. Why or why not? 4. What steps could you have taken to prevent what happened in this story? Workbook pgs. 10-11

Equity-Informed Relationships and Family Engagement Rejecting the deficit view is research- and equity-informed commitment-making. And it might just be the most essential ingredient in the effective relationship recipe between us and our most marginalized students. Gorski (2018)

Equity-Informed Relationships: Identity and Intersectionality Please ask your VTSS State Coach for this graphic.

Equity-Informed Relationships: Strengths-based Relationships which focus not just on student strengths, but on parent and community strengths, to celebrate what they bring to the table in spite of the barriers they face. Gorski (2018)

Equity-Informed Relationships: Accessible Opportunities Broaden our notions of family engagement - identify the barriers families experience and reshape family engagement around those challenges Ensure at-school opportunities are accessible Gorski (2018)

Reframing Family, School, and Community Engagement NAFSCE (National Association for Family, School and Community Engagement) Communications Toolkit Recommendation #3 Focus on Opportunity for All to promote engagement as an equity issue and a policy matter Recommendation #4 Provide concrete examples of equitable family engagement practices that illustrate the barriers families may face and how to solve them

Family Engagement and Equity What supports are available to foster an inviting approach in all family engagement opportunities, ensuring equity and a strengths- based (rather than deficit-based) focus?

Equity-Informed Relationships: A Final Thought Lose the deficit view, respect what families bring, have compassion for the inequities and biases they face, and be willing to fight those inequities and biases in your sphere of influence. This is the recipe for productive relationships with families . Gorski (2018)

How do we find out whats really going on? We have to ask! Please ask your VTSS State Coach for this video.

Engaging ALL Families- Across ALL Domains Our academic, behavioral and social-emotional focus applies to families too! We need differentiated approaches to engaging families of students who have different levels of needs. Families may face chronic and systemic trauma and bring those experiences as they support their children and work with school staff. Trauma-sensitive practice is a universal approach (good for all, but critical to those who have been impacted).

Multi-Dimensional, Multi-Tiered Approach to Family Engagement Intensive support provided to a few students and families Empowers families Support provided to some students and families Networking & leadership opportunities Welcoming, inviting school culture Families preferences are basis of communication methods Positive relationships, awareness, and two-way communication Opportunities for data-driven, shared decision making Source: Adapted from D. Minch, FL PBIS project Responsive to Family and Student Needs

Collaborative Problem Solving Family voice and perspective is considered Families have skills and supports to meaningfully engage in individual teams. Teaming roles and responsibilities that ensure family perspectives are obtained and considered during meetings, for example: Creative use of technology to connect with families during meeting times. Itinerant staff to connect with families during alternative times or at alternative locations

Collaborative Problem Solving (cont.) Problem-Solving Modeling inclusion of family voice and perspective in all steps: Goal setting, analyzing the why, developing/implementing the plan, determining how it went Division encourages this through policies, expectations, support and resource allocation

Family Engagement at Advanced Tiers Family voice involved in matching intervention to need Families receive ongoing (at least weekly) communication on progress Family voice and choice in goal setting and problem solving process Provide insight regarding targeted data points Participate in progress monitoring Family members can serve as peer mentors and advocates for other parents

Relationship Building: Home Visits Understand why home visits are effective. Be able to make an informed choice about participating in home visits. Consider what data and information from schools is needed to make an informed decision about establishing a home visiting program. Make a plan that includes a date and next steps. Introduction to Home Visits Training Workbook Pg. 16

Differentiating Strategies to Engage Families by Tier I How well are the strategies working? How do you know? Tier I Supports Family surveys request communication preferences and needs Open door policy- teachers request permission to live steam classroom to a portal only families can access Coffee talks (based on family preference data) VTSS or PBIS Tips School Newsletter (based on family preference data) Home Expectations

Differentiating Strategies to Engage Families by Tier I, cont d How well are the strategies working? How do you know? Tier I Supports Online videos demonstrating effective behavior management, academic strategy instruction, etc. Title 1 rep on PBIS or Tier 1 team to include PBIS content in regular parent communications and workshops; Title 1 rep works with teachers to create bidirectional communication tools and resources aligned with PBIS data

Differentiating Strategies to Engage Families by Tier II and III, How well are the strategies working? How do you know? Tier II Supports Bidirectional communication log about CICO Skillstreaming Cards at Home Giving families specific prompts, and verbiage to use when dealing with behavior

Differentiating Strategies to Engage Families by Tier II and III, cont d How well are the strategies working? How do you know? Tier III Supports Daily Progress Reports that allow for bidirectional communication; Personal monthly parent contacts with updates on progress; Point System at Home Providing families with resources to supplement target skills at home (e.g., behavior tips and training)

How do you currently support students and engage families throughout the Tiered Model? Please ask your VTSS State Coach for this graphic. Workbook pg. 13

Virtual Community of Practice April 14th, 3:30 - 4:30 Family Engagement and the Administrators' Role