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This blog encompasses our class's strategies for family engagement.


We  chose to use the six components of successful family engagement as adapted in the Family Engagement Action Plan - Draft produced by the Alaska Department of Education & Early Development as our core document.

Welcoming Every Family 
- Every family coming into the school or interacting with school personnel feels welcome.

Two-Way Communication 
- Families and school staff engage in regular, two-way, meaningful communication about student learning.


Sharing Power 
- Families and school staff are equal partners in decisions that affect children and work together to create policies, practices, and programs.


Supporting Student Success 
- Families and school staff continuously collaborate to support students’ learning and healthy development, both at home and at school.


Collaborating with Community 
- Families and school staff are connected to expanded learning opportunities, community services, and civic participation.


Speaking for Every Child 
- Families are empowered to be advocates for their own and other children, to ensure that students are treated fairly and have access to learning opportunities that will support their success.

Community Profile

Gathering information about school culture audit can be done by asking questions and observation.  School culture is different than school climate because school culture reflects deeper beliefs and attitudes which are associated with decision-making and institutional values which aren’t necessarily found in a survey of school climate.  Anchorage School District surveys its teachers, students, and families each year with their Climate and Connectedness Survey.  The results of this survey can be requested from the ASD Assessment department.  The template provided here is meant to help teachers and student-teachers collect information on school culture.

Community Profile Template

Articles

Bauer, S. C., & Mitchell, S. M. (1997). The Quality Audit: A Framework for Internal Analysis of the Capacity for Change.

Wagner, C. R., & O'Phelan, M. (1998). Improving Schools through the Administration and Analysis of School Culture Audits.

Werderich, D. E. (2008). Bringing Family and Community into the Writing Curriculum. Middle School Journal, 39(3), 34-39.