Posts tagged ‘Family Engagement’

Family Involvement vs. Family Engagement: What’s the Difference?

"Family involvement" and "family engagement" are not one in the same. These are two very distinct concepts that look different in practice and yield different outcomes and results. Take our Quick Quiz to start off, and then read below to learn more about how "involvement" and "engagement" are two very different ideas, and why it's...

September 2020 SAC Tip of the Month: Ways to Regather Virtually as a SAC

Can you believe that summer has already come to a close, and a new school year has begun? Not only are instruction, learning, and traditional classroom practices now all different in a virtual realm, but even family engagement in schools has also shifted onto a virtual platform. Just because the means of connecting has altered,...

The Heart Goes a Long Way at Dunbar!

Just ten minutes of talking with Principal Dawn Moore, principal of Paul L. Dunbar School and Ms. Haydee Delgado, School Improvement Support Liaison at Dunbar School, shows how much heart goes behind connecting with families at Dunbar. Oftentimes people think that all it requires to have family engagement at schools is monetary resources, but Principal...

From the Principal’s Desk: The Importance of the Parent Volunteer Program

We asked Crystal Edwards, principal of William D. Kelley in North Philadelphia, to say a few words about the value of volunteers in the overall family engagement programming of the school. Check out her energizing thoughts below! The educational journey of a child begins with their first educators, their parents. Parents bear the first responsibility...

5 Tips for Enhancing Your School’s Literacy Events

Families practicing with their children at a Literacy Night at Mayfair Elementary School in 2018. Many schools in Philadelphia are catching wind of hosting literacy events as a way of underscoring the importance of literacy, sharing literacy skills, and bonding the school community together around such an important academic topic. Have you been wondering how...

Getting More Families Engaged in Middle and High Schools

A full-house for a SAC Meeting at Furness High School in South Philadelphia. (Photo credit: @FurnessHigh on Twitter) The FACE Office receives many questions about boosting family engagement but getting more middle and high school families involved tops the list. It’s a tough one; family engagement at ALL grade levels can be challenging work, but family...

Family Leadership Award Winner Glenda White Shows Us the Power of Presence at James J. Sullivan School

The age-old saying that kindness and joy are contagious is incredibly visible in parent volunteer Glenda White. Glenda is a parent volunteer at James J. Sullivan School in Northeast Philadelphia, and it is apparent that volunteering is not a chore nor an obligation for Glenda but an active and joyful choice that she makes. Glenda...

Ideas for School-Level Family Engagement

This blog post is adapted from the article "10 Tips for Family Engagement This School Year," by Meghan Everette at Scholastic. Click here to read the whole article. I once sat in a parent meeting at my school with one mom in attendance. One. The school had over 500 students. Fast forward a few years...

Innovator of the Month: NW PHL Public Schools

Every month, the FACE Office will recognize one group or individual who has shown an exceptional commitment to family and community engagement in their school community. We call them “innovators” because of the hard work, creativity, and fresh ideas they bring to the table. This month, we’re featuring NW PHL Public Schools, a Facebook group...

Mayfair SAC Hosts Educational Family Night

Mayfair’s School Advisory Council (SAC) organized and hosted a Family Academic Night on Tuesday, March 27. Parents had the opportunity to spend the evening in the school, attending workshops led by the school’s teachers and staff and enjoying a dinner served by the leadership team. Thirteen different workshops were planned, and a rotation allowed families...

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