Ashoka’s Post

Why are families and communities central to education system transformation? Partnerships between family, schools, and communities are pivotal to achieve sustainable transformation in education and to a healthy civic life in society. There are many ways in which families, educators, and community groups work together to promote learning and child development and to support schools to thrive. Community involvement contributes to creating a collaborative environment that can support the best possible outcomes for children and young people, both academically and personally. As one teacher notes: “Fulfilling the necessity of education and achieving holistic change with proper engagement involves four pillars/sides: students, teachers, parents, and the broader community. If one of these is weak or broken, the entire system will be affected or collapse. If these sides do not support each other, if there is a lack of interaction, the achievement rate drops. Ultimately, schools and the entire education system cannot reach their expected goals.” EducAid, in collaboration with Brookings, has been furthering research on family, school, and community engagement, sharing strategies, and creating tools to inform practice and policy. This has led to the creation of  resources that shed light on the critical role that families and communities play in supporting students and schools to thrive and offer actionable guidance for how to build stronger partnerships. Last month the Conversation Starter Tools were published to help promote family, school, and community engagement leading from EducAid’s participation in this collaborative research. Read more about it here https://lnkd.in/en7ziCxw #educaid #educationtransformation #communityengagement #education #conversationstartertools #research #community #education #participation

I see that it was reported in Schools Week on 8 January 2024 and many other news platforms that Gillian Keegan, secretary of State for education at the time, is worried about low school attendance and has announced a 'major expansion' of school attendance hub schemes. There is much to ponder on here. 1. I notice that for a while now the formation of a 'hub' is very much the 'go to' strategy. I guess the idea is that a 'hub' is a focal point and I would imagine is a kind of rebranding of the old 'beacon schools'? Have previous hubs been successful? 2. Keegan has also announced that there will be £15 million spent on attendance monitoring. 3. I can't help wondering if the focus on attendance is something of a distraction and that Keegan is looking in the wrong place for solutions? In human geography they talk about 'push' and 'pull' factors in immigration. I am wondering if Keegan, through her focus on attendance hubs, monitoring and fining parents whose children miss too much school are all push factors. What if we had a discussion about what education in 2024 is for? What do teachers feel is the point? Is it about 'education' or 'schooling'. What is the point of education anyway? Then maybe we could focus on pull factors. Schools where the experienced teachers are not desperate to leave; schools where teachers have time to plan and mark as part of their school day; teachers able to do further study in 'daylight hours', SEND departments well resourced in all ways; smaller class sizes so children can get teacher attention more easily. Maybe we could even have a middle layer of governance in the manner of the LEA where there is expertise that schools can call on to help them. Staff from this middle layer could work alongside teachers to help them. Even act as an advocate to teachers management if necessary. Is it possible that in time we might get to a situation where there was no need for 'push factors' because a critical mass of children would be 'pulled' by the allure of going to school. I would urge Keegan to eschew what I would see as 'easy' headline grabbing 'quick wins' and set up something for the long term. As John Lennon nearly said, "You may say I'm a dreamer ......am I the only one?"

As a Black parent in Broward County, the recent school closure discussions have left me disheartened. The move to engage parents through an AI-driven platform, despite its innovative intent, felt disconnected from our community’s needs. The essence of true engagement is lost when we shift from meaningful dialogues to digitized interactions. Seeing my community potentially lose schools without what feels like genuine consideration of our voices adds to a growing concern for my boys’ education. The approach risks ignoring the diverse, vibrant fabric of our community and the rich, unstructured input that face-to-face conversations offer. The solution? Broward County Public Schools should integrate traditional engagement methods with their digital tools. Let’s create hybrid forums where technology aids but doesn’t replace human interaction. This approach can ensure all voices are heard and valued, bridging the gap between efficiency and meaningful community involvement. Our children’s education, culture, and potential deserve nothing less. #CommunityEngagement #PublicEducation #DigitalDivide #EducationalEquity #ParentVoicesMatter #BrowardCountySchools #InclusiveEducation #TechForGood #FutureOfSchools #TransformDataIntoMeaningfulAction

District and school leaders can work more directly with community organizations and provide clear communication on commitments and goals to advance equity in #OST, a new research brief finds: https://bit.ly/3AhiGTi

District and school leaders can work more directly with community organizations and provide clear communication on commitments and goals to advance equity in #OST, a new research brief finds: https://bit.ly/3AhiGTi

In the news 📣 📰 Read about Trails to Literacy, the exciting bilingual initiative in Adams County School District 14 to enhance literacy among families and the community. Key components of the initiative from Superintendent Dr. Karla Loría include: 1. Community Partnerships: Dr. Loría is forging partnerships with local organizations, businesses, schools, and libraries to maximize the impact of the program. 2. Parental Engagement: The initiative places a strong emphasis on parental engagement in early childhood education. Dr. Loría believes that engaged parents are essential to a child's academic success. 3. Digital Access: Recognizing the importance of scaling literacy community-wide, Dr. Loría's model also addresses issues of digital access by leveraging the smartphones and tablets that parents already own, with or without an internet connection. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eRmeAdf6 #earlyliteracy #bilingualliteracy #edtech

District and school leaders can work more directly with community organizations and provide clear communication on commitments and goals to advance equity in #OST, a new research brief finds: https://bit.ly/3AhiGTi

An interesting read that highlights the importance, and struggles within Virtual Schools. With increasing pressures within education at present, Virtual Schools unfortunately aren't immune. With 7%-21% of children in care regularly missing education, this report goes into detail around the importance of place planning, funding and low-levels of specialist professionals in the industry. I'm eager to hear the thoughts of my Virtual School network. #virtualschool #midlandseducation #education

This past school year, our nation’s schools welcomed tens of thousands of recent immigrants. Many of our schools have begun to create a smooth transition for these students and their families. As Bliss Broyard wrote a few days ago in The New York Times: “Schools are an essential lifeline for migrant children: They clothe them, feed them twice a day and keep them safe, in addition to educating them. They’re also a way of grounding the children and their families in the community when everything else – the language, the city, the culture, the people – is brand new.” Moving into this new school year, I believe it’s vital that our schools learn how to forge stronger connections with immigrant families.To build these bridges more effectively, we have to be intentional. My award-winning book, On The Same Team, showcases Families and Educators Together (FET) teams, which propel the implementation of strong school-family partnership practices that spark mutual learning between immigrant families and school staff. Families and Educators Together is centered around a team comprised of underrepresented family members, educators, and school leaders that meet monthly to engage in candid dialogue and team-building activities that forge trust, spark mutual learning, and lead to collaborative action. It’s a family-centered and low-cost approach to creating more equitable and inclusive schools. #students #Newcomers #teachers #family #familia #schools Solution Tree Edutopia - George Lucas Educational Foundation Welcoming America TalkingPoints National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) AASA, The School Superintendents Association Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning NAFSCE (National Association for Family, School, and Community Engagement) Institute For Educational Leadership Parent Institute for Quality Education (PIQE) Communities In Schools of New Mexico ASCD https://lnkd.in/gANbM-sw