RISD Family Engagement Plan
Family engagement is defined as, “The mutual responsibility of families, schools, and communities to build relationships that support student learning and achievement as well as support family well-being that encourages the continuous learning and development of children, families, and educators.” Family engagement is fully integrated in the child’s educational experience and supports the whole child as it recognizes and responds appropriately to both cultural and linguistic diversity. Family engagement has been recognized by both researchers and practitioners as a key component that plays a non-negotiable role in the educational process.
According to the Texas Education Agency, the goal of the High-Quality Pre-Kindergarten Program is to, “Provide districts with an opportunity to expand or enhance high-quality prekindergarten programs for qualifying students.” TEA has identified the following six family engagement components which must be incorporated into the local Family Engagement Plan:
1. Facilitate family-to-family support;
2. Establish a network of community resources;
3. Increase family participation in decision-making;
4. Equip families with tools to enhance and extend learning;
5. Develop staff skills in evidence-based practices that support families in meeting their children’s learning benchmarks;
6. Evaluate family engagement efforts and use evaluation for continuous improvement.
As mentioned above, a major component of expanding and enhancing any education program is a high-quality family engagement design.
Conclusion
Family engagement is a distinguished characteristic of a high-quality school system. An effective family engagement plan creates a foundation for mutual partners to collaborate, embraces the individuality and uniqueness of families, and promotes a child-centered, age appropriate, family-driven culture of learning. The purpose of this family engagement plan is to assist the district in achieving and maintaining high levels of family involvement and positive family attitudes toward education.
Should any of these documents need to be translated please contact Ms. Olga Martinez at omartinez@rankinisd.net (ESL Coordinator and Hispanic Community Liaison) for assistance.