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We’re excited to share the first blog in a 3-part series written alongside our partners at Illustrative Mathematics. Our series will explore the surprising opportunity at the intersection of high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) and family engagement practices. Toka Hussein is a K-5 Curriculum Specialist at Illustrative Mathematics (IM) and former elementary school teacher. Toka brings unique insights into the classroom and the crucial role that instructional materials play in shaping students’ educational experiences, including improved student learning outcomes and student engagement. Elisabeth O'Bryon is a co-founder and the chief impact officer at Family Engagement Lab (FEL). Her experience as the parent of elementary school students and her background in school psychology fuels her deep passion for family engagement. Elisabeth recognizes the impact of HQIM on student learning outcomes, which is only further enhanced when families are kept in the loop and invited to partner with teachers to support their child’s learning. Cultivating growth mindsets for mathOur collaboration with Illustrative Mathematics and research with families has revealed an opportunity to boost the impact of both high-quality instructional materials and parent communication by ensuring they are tightly aligned to support student learning. Increasingly, we’re learning that a growth mindset in math is an essential skill that empowers students to take ownership over their learning. With a growth mindset, students believe that their skills and ability grow with their effort. When faced with a challenge, they are more willing to persevere and work harder, believing that their efforts will help them overcome barriers. In this post, we’re exploring the connection between hiqh-quality instructional materials and regular parent communication, highlighting the importance of supporting students’ growth mindsets. Toka shares that “problem-based curriculum, like Illustrative Mathematics, set the foundation for and create the structures that support the development of positive math mindsets.” Elisabeth adds that “families can play an essential role in modeling the power of persistence, perseverance, and resilience.” It is critical that families are equipped with specific information about the skills and concepts that students are learning to effectively support them. Elisabeth highlights the role that consistent teacher-parent communication can play in helping promote students’ positive math mindsets. Recommendations for developing positive math mindsetsTrusted adults in a students’ learning journey - teachers and families - play an essential role in cultivating a positive math mindset. Toka and Elisabeth share detailed recommendations for cultivating students’ growth mindsets related to math.
Looking to keep up with the latest resources?You’ll often hear, “Math isn’t taught the same way anymore” or “I’m not a math person.” And yet, we know that math skills, particularly in middle school, are incredibly important for a students’ long-term success. As we have expanded our support for engaging middle school families in math, we knew we’d have to be thoughtful about our approach. As a learning organization, it was natural for us to reach out to teachers and families to better understand their needs and obstacles for supporting their students’ math success at home. Elisabeth O’Bryon, FEL’s co-founder and chief impact officer, recently shared insights with NAFSCE about our research and co-design process. A focus on the essential learning skills that facilitate math successAfter working alongside families and teachers, we’ve learned that families are uniquely positioned to help students develop the essential learning skills, such as a growth mindset, that will help them succeed with math. FASTalk, our parent communication software, is well-positioned to share insights with families and equip them with prompts to model essential learning skills or connect classroom learning to daily experiences. We shared mindset-focused FASTalk messages and asked for input from families and teachers.
The feedback we heard was tremendous! Instead of feeling stuck, families felt capable and confident. Centering families’ needs and experiences through co-design helps ensure solutions are both accessible and effective in helping families play their critically impactful role in promoting positive learning outcomes for their children. Dive deeper into Family Engagement Lab's research and development process in Elisabeth’s blog with NAFSCE. 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!
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