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Information and time are often in short supply for teachers and families. Many school communications tools and events are inaccessible for low-income and multilingual families. Yet, parents and families are essential stakeholders in education and can support students’ academics and behavior at home, share key information with teachers, and help teachers feel supported and valued. Lessons learned about equitable educationVidya Sundaram, co-founder and CEO of Family Engagement Lab, joined Matthew Kennard, CEO of Better Lesson, in discussion about the role of family engagement in building more equitable classrooms. Vidya and Matt explore obstacles schools face in engaging families equitably; the role of family engagement in advancing student success; and strategies for teachers, school leaders and policymakers. Vidya also highlights some metrics that schools can use to measure the success of family engagement efforts. Build family engagement action plan to support equitable classroomsFamily Engagement Lab’s team of family engagement and curriculum experts have built an action planning tool designed to help districts and schools reflect on their current family engagement practices and design a holistic family engagement strategy.
With this tool, you’ll be able to:
Get your family engagement action planning tool. Social and emotional learning (SEL) is crucial for students' holistic development, and the role of families in this process cannot be overstated. This blog post explores the fundamentals of SEL, offering practical strategies for engaging families to bolster their child's development of social and emotional skills. By fostering strong home-school connections, educators can create a supportive environment that extends beyond the classroom. Additionally, we are excited to introduce our latest FASTalk content offering designed to provide families with right-size information about SEL. Join us as we explore effective practices and innovative tools to empower students through collaborative SEL efforts between educators and families. What is social and emotional learning?CASEL defines social and emotional learning (SEL) as “an integral part of education and human development. It is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions.” In short, it is an essential skill set that students need to thrive inside and outside of the classroom. Families and teachers play an integral role in helping children develop these critical skills. CASEL offers a framework for SEL that enables families, schools, and districts to align around a common language, and foster knowledge, skills and attitudes across five areas of competence. The five competencies are;
The framework also highlights the role of teachers, school leaders, and families in supporting the development of these essential skills. Inviting families to support SEL: practical tips and strategiesFamilies are experts in their child and are a key resource for teachers to better understand the needs of each student and support their social and emotional development inside and outside of the classroom. Indeed, the CASEL Framework highlights that when families and schools partner in authentic ways, they can ensure that SEL is taught in a culturally responsive way that affirms the assets, identities, and diversity that students bring to school. Our experience working with teachers and families across the country has revealed that students are set up for success when social and emotional needs are supported - both at home and at school. We’ve gathered some practical tips and high-impact strategies along the way:
We're now offering SEL content for families for PK-8th gradeIn addition to our literacy and math learning tips and activities, we are excited to offer FASTalk messages aligned with key social and emotional competencies. This new SEL content equips families with the critical information they need to support skills related to relationship-building, self-regulation, and decision-making. The messages include conversation starters, routines to try, and reflection opportunities. These tips make it easy for families to practice important skills together to strengthen their children's social and emotional growth.
Here are some sample FASTalk messages aligned to Self-Management and Self-Awareness competencies:
Learn more about our SEL content and how to bring FASTalk messages to your school. Teachers are a trusted academic resource for students and families. We’re excited to celebrate some exemplary educators who are regularly and meaningfully engaging families to support their children’s learning. Happy Teacher Appreciation week! Centering support for Multilingual Students and FamiliesMrs. Ciocca, a First Grade Math, Science, and Social Studies Teacher, was nominated by her co-teacher Mrs. Atkins. Mrs. Ciocca is easy to spotlight, she is an amazing educator and co-teacher who is an advocate for Multilingual Learners. Mrs. Atkins highlighted that Rosie is always seeking out the best ways to support students based on their language needs and wants to make sure they have the supports they need to be successful and comfortable in the classroom. Mrs. Ciocca takes special care to work closely with Mrs. Atkins when communicating with families. They use the FASTalk, parent-teacher communication software, to preview messages and field parent requests. Mrs. Ciocca is great at making sure that all resources and correspondence with families is being delivered in their home language to ensure that the information is accessible for all families. This type of collaborative support is a phenomenal example of warmly inviting families into the learning community. We’d like to extend a special thank you to teachers!Thank you for all of the visible, and oftentimes invisible, work that you do on a daily basis to engage students and build relationships with families. Your efforts make the difference for students each and every day!
Today, we’re excited to celebrate a Teacher that takes extreme care to build relationships with families centered around student growth. Happy Teacher Appreciation week! Enhancing student growth and developmentMs. Prochnow, a First Grade Teacher at Morris Jeff Community School, is an inquirer who is always looking for instructional materials and strategies to support and enhance a student’s growth and development. She is intentionally welcoming families into the learning community by sharing learning and classroom updates using FASTalk, sending a regular newsletter and making the most of parent conferences. As a second year teacher, she has really hit the ground running by working closely with the first grade team and is celebrated by her colleagues because of the care that she takes with her work. We’ll be featuring more educator spotlights later this week!Check back on our blog for more spotlights or subscribe to our newsletter for monthly updates from our team. Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!
Teachers have a window into the progress students are making, and many are finding creative ways to celebrate student success. We’re excited to celebrate an exemplary educator who is using technology to share student successes with families. Celebrating student success with photos!Ms. McKenna, a PK and Kindergarten teacher at East Fort Worth Montessori Academy, was nominated by Principal Richmond. She was nominated for her outstanding job communicating with parents and families, particularly sharing and celebrating student progress. Notably, Ms. McKenna joined East Fort Worth Montessori Academy at the end of the first semester and has been very intentional about nurturing her students and keeping an open line of communication with parents about what’s going on in the classroom. Ms. McKenna makes the most of FASTalk, a parent communication application, by sending photos of student work and activities to the families she works with. We’ll be featuring more educator spotlights later this week!Check back on our blog for more spotlights or subscribe to our newsletter for monthly updates from our team. Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!
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