Rankin Independent School District

Rankin ISD will develop and implement a Family Engagement Plan to achieve and maintain high levels of family involvement and positive family attitudes toward education.

How will the District develop, implement, and evaluate the plan?

• 1.The District will conduct a needs assessment in an effort to understand and better meet parents’ needs,and

• 2.Shall use input from the needs assessment to develop, implement, and make available on the District website a family engagement plan.

• 3.The District will use evaluations for continuous improvement using strategies such as:

• a.Conducting goal-oriented home visits;

• b.Data collection systems and the use of data to ensure alignment between family engagement activities and teaching and learning goals,and

• c.Using the evaluation plan to guide action.

Components and Strategies of the Family Engagement Plan

• Creating a safe and respectful environment where families can learn from each other as individuals and in groups;and

• Ensuring opportunities for continuous participation in events designed for families by families such as training on family leadership.

• Establishing and maintaining partnerships with businesses, faith-based organizations, and community agencies;

• Identifying support from various agencies, including mental and physical health providers;

• Partnering with local community-based organizations to create a family-friendly transition plan for students arriving from early childhood settings;

• Communicating program goals to all stakeholders;and

• Identifying partners to provide translators and culturally relevant resources reflective of home language.

• Developing, adopting, and implementing identified goals within the annual campus improvement plan targeting family engagement;

• Developing and supporting leadership skills for families and providing opportunities for families to advocate for their children;

• Collaborating with families to develop strategies to solve problems and serve as problem solvers;

• Cultivating the expectation that information must flow in both directions to reflect two-way communications;

• Developing, in collaboration with families, clearly defined goals, outcomes, timelines, and strategies for assessing progress;and

• Providing each family with an opportunity to review and to gather family feedback on the plan.

• Designing or implementing existing home educational resources to support learning at home;

• Providing families with information and training on creating a home learning environment;

• Equipping families with resources and skills to support their children;

• Providing complementary home learning activities for families to engage in at home through information presented in newsletters, online technology, social media, parent/family – teacher conferences, or other school- or center-related events;

• Providing families with information, best practices, and training related to age-appropriate development expectations;and

• Collaborating with families to appropriately respond to children’s behavior in a non- punitive, positive, and supportive way.

• Providing staff development for educators in understanding communication and engagement with families, including training on communicating with families in crisis;

• Promoting and developing family engagement as a core strategy to improve teaching and learning among all educators and staff;and

• Developing staff skills to support and use culturally diverse, culturally relevant, and culturally responsive family engagement strategies.