Under ESSA, schools are no longer confined to “core academic subjects” as the only measure of student success. Recent educational reforms did not sufficiently address the socio-emotional factors crucial in learning. States, districts, and schools now have the flexibility to provide a “well-rounded education” including activities in social emotional learning, skills essential to academic success. ESSA provides opportunities to encourage balance where the focus had become too narrow —and to do so in ways that ensure access and equity for all students. While many focus on what educators can do to ensure true equitability, there is no substitute for parents’ role as a child’s first teacher. To close the opportunity gap, districts and schools must find, develop, and deploy practical and scalable solutions to empower parents and families to be an active part in eliminating barriers. Discover how ReadyRosie offers research-based strategies to help close that gap.

1. The Equity Issue of Our Time – High Quality Family
Engagement
Sunday February 11, 2018 12:30 - 1:15 PM Exhibitor Session Room A
Under ESSA, schools are no longer confined to “core academic subjects”
as the only measure of student success. Recent educational reforms did
not sufficiently address the socio-emotional factors crucial in learning.
States, districts, and schools now have the flexibility to provide a “well-
rounded education” including activities in social emotional learning, skills
essential to academic success. ESSA provides opportunities to encourage
balance where the focus had become too narrow —and to do so in ways
that ensure access and equity for all students. While many focus on what
educators can do to ensure true equitability, there is no substitute for
parents’ role as a child’s first teacher. To close the opportunity gap,
districts and schools must find, develop, and deploy practical and scalable
solutions to empower parents and families to be an active part in
eliminating barriers. Discover how ReadyRosie offers research-based
strategies to help close that gap.
http://www2.ed.gov/documents/family-community/partnership-
frameworks.pdf
THE CHALLENGE: Lack of opportunities for school/program staff to build
the capacity for partnerships and the lack of opportunities for families to
build the capacity for partnerships
In The Dual Capacity Building Framework for Family-School Partnerships,
the authors write, “A common refrain from educators is that they have a
strong desire to work with families from diverse backgrounds and
cultures, and to develop stronger partnerships of shared responsibility
for children’s outcomes between home and school, but that they do not
know how to accomplish this. If effective cradle-to-career educational
partnerships between home and school are to be implemented with
fidelity and sustained, engagement initiatives must include a concerted
focus on developing adult capacity, whether through pre- and in-service
professional development for educators; academies, workshops,
seminars, and workplace trainings for families; or as an integrated part of
parent-teacher partnership activities. When effectively implemented,
such opportunities build and enhance the skills, knowledge, and
dispositions of stakeholders to engage in effective partnerships that
support student achievement and development and the improvement of
schools.”
http://www2.ed.gov/documents/family-community/partnership-
frameworks.pdf

2. “Educators tend to treat parents and families as bystanders rather than
as partners, and often overlook their strengths and their capacity to
transform public education.* Family and community engagement is
siloed into disparate programs that are disconnected from instructional
practice and school turnaround strategies. This state of “random acts of
family involvement” has to give way to systemic and sustained
approaches.” (Gill Kressley, K. (2008). Breaking new ground: Seeding
proven practices into proven programs. Paper presented August 1, 2008
at the National PIRC Conference in Baltimore, MD.)
https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oii/pirc/reports-papers/beyond-
random-acts.doc
*For more on strengths, see Whose culture has capital? A critical race
theory discussion of community cultural wealth at
https://goo.gl/7mdUHA.
OPPORTUNITY CONDITIONS: Process and organizational conditions
“Research on promising practice suggests that there are certain process
conditions that must be met in order for adult participants to come away
from a learning experience with not only new knowledge but with the
ability and desire to apply what they have learned.”
“The term process here refers to the series of actions, operations, and
procedures that are part of any activity or initiative. These conditions are
key to the design of effective initiatives for building the capacity of
families and school staff to partner in ways that support student
achievement and school improvement. Initiatives must be:
• Linked to Learning: Initiatives are aligned with school and district
achievement goals, and connect families to the teaching and learning
goals for the students.
• Relational: A major focus of the initiative is on building respectful and
trusting relationships between home and school.
• Developmental: The initiatives focus on building the intellectual,
social, and human capital of stakeholders engaged in the program.
• Collective/Collaborative: Learning is conducted in group versus
individual settings and is focused on building networks and learning
communities.
• Interactive: Participants are given opportunities to test out and apply
new skills. Skill mastery requires coaching and practice.
http://www2.ed.gov/documents/family-community/partnership-
frameworks.pdf

3. 6
In a paper released by the The National Policy Forum for Family, School,
& Community Engagement (FSCE) titled, Beyond Random Acts: Family,
School, and Community Engagement as an Integral Part of Education
Reform, the authors noted “Education reform is headed towards
preparing students for the twenty-first century,” and states “Family
engagement needs to be aligned with this new direction, which
involves disrupting the current state of practice.”
https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oii/pirc/reports-papers/beyond-
random-acts.doc
In a 2012 policy brief released by the University of Nevada Las Vegas
titled, Parent and Family Engagement: The Missing Piece in Urban
Education Reform, researchers set out to “review selected research on
parent involvement and expand existing understandings of parent and
family engagement in ways that are culturally relevant and responsive to
the diverse strengths and needs of families in urban communities. It
concludes with specific recommendations for strengthening parent and
family engagement.” Specifically, authors conclude “parent and family
engagement can and should serve as an integral part of education
reform efforts that seek to improve student learning experiences and
achievement. These efforts may include using nontraditional forms of
parent‐ teacher communication. Given the increasing use of cell
phones, email, text messaging, and social media for communication,
educators should consider communicating to parents using these
technologies.”
https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1014&co
ntext=lincy_publications
The authors emphasized the importance of student learning “occurs
across multiple settings where children learn.”
“Preparing students for the twenty-first century demands the full
spectrum of society’s resources to support all students, and especially
the disadvantaged and disengaged. Ensuring that all students are able to
achieve at high levels will require a comprehensive set of learning
supports, beginning in early childhood and continuing all the way to high
school and beyond.”
“A dominant assumption behind much of educational policy and practice
is that school is the only place where and when children learn. This
assumption is wrong: Learning happens in the home as well as in early
childhood centers, afterschool and summer programs, community
schools, museums, libraries, parks and recreation offerings, faith-based
institutions, and other community settings, and increasingly, through
various new technologies. As such, the third element of reframing
recognizes that family engagement reaches across and reinforces
student learning in multiple settings.”
https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oii/pirc/reports-papers/beyond-
random-acts.doc

4. ReadyRosie is a RESEARCH-BASED and STANDARDS-ALIGNED
comprehensive family engagement resource that builds on parents’
knowledge. ReadyRosie harnesses the power of video modeling and
mobile technology combined with collaborative workshops and
professional learning to empower families and schools to work together
to close the opportunity gap.
ReadyRosie has over 1,000 "Modeled Moment" videos in both English
and Spanish that are delivered to families via text, email, and website.
https://www.readyrosie.com/
“Engaging families and communities doesn’t always come naturally to
school personnel, who often lack training and preparation for family
partnerships, or who might be wary of reaching out to parents if most of
their school–family interactions are problem-focused, thus creating
tension between families and school staff. This points to the need for
more innovative approaches to bringing families and schools together
to identify common goals and learn how to collaborate to improve
student learning.”
https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oii/pirc/reports-papers/beyond-
random-acts.doc
ReadyRosie offers professional learning workshops to give educators the
tools, knowledge, and confidence to strengthen the family/school
partnership and see student outcomes improve as a result.
Each ReadyRosie Professional Development Workshop:
• builds educator expertise in working with families as key partners in
academic success. • celebrates working with families and the rich,
diverse experiences they bring to the classroom. • encourages teachers
to collaborate with colleagues and gain the tools they need in order to
successfully strengthen family engagement. • inspires educators to
encourage and support family efforts to learn outside of school. •
includes ReadyRosie Modeled Moments. These videos provide rich
authentic learning activities with real families in real environments and
directly support the foundational skills children need to be successful in
the classroom. • is interactive, engaging, and fun.
https://assets.readyrosie.com/RR-PD-Flyer.pdf

5. POLICY AND PROGRAM GOALS: Build and enhance the capacity of
staff/families
The goals of policy and programming directed at improving family
engagement efforts must include a dual focus on building of the capacity
of staff and families to engage in partnerships.
We break down this capacity into four components — the “4-C’s” ii:
• Capabilities: Human Capital, Skills and Knowledge
• Connections: Important Relationships and Networks — Social Capital
• Confidence: Individual Level of Self–Efficacy
• Cognition: a person’s assumptions, beliefs, and worldview
http://www2.ed.gov/documents/family-community/partnership-
frameworks.pdf
“As Christopher Cross, former Assistant Secretary for the Office of
Educational Research and Improvement at the U.S. Department of
Education, pointed out, “While federal policy has attempted to deal
with parent involvement…those efforts have been halfhearted,
unfocused, and ineffective.” The research base on family engagement
repeatedly correlates family engagement with student achievement, and
therefore it is time to transform family engagement strategies so that
they are intentionally aligned with student learning and achievement.
The transformation from random acts of family involvement to an
effective strategy to promote student success begins with a broad
reframing of what it should look like. Family engagement is a shared
responsibility of families, schools, and communities for student learning
and achievement; it is continuous from birth to young adulthood; and it
occurs across multiple settings where children learn.”
https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oii/pirc/reports-papers/beyond-
random-acts.doc
“Since the 1960s, the commitment to family engagement in learning has
been manifested in several pieces of legislation and several federal
programs. Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
requires districts to spend 1% of their Title I funds on family involvement
activities and includes mandates and opportunities for family
involvement at the local level.
With family involvement funding streams and programs spread across
federal departments, it has been difficult to develop systemic, integrated,
and sustainable efforts. Scattered activities and events fail to make the
connection between family engagement and student outcomes, and
give the impression that family engagement is an “add-on” rather than
integrated into academic goals. In addition, family involvement often
consists of short-term activities rather than a sustained pathway.”
https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oii/pirc/reports-papers/beyond-
random-acts.doc

6. FAMILY AND STAFF CAPACITY OUTCOMES: School/program staff who can
honor and recognize families and families who can negotiate multiple
roles
Staff prepared to engage in partnerships with families can:
• Honor and recognize families’ existing knowledge, skill, and forms of
engagement
• Create and sustain school and district cultures that welcome, invite
and promote family engagement and development
• Develop and connect all family engagement initiatives to student
learning
Families, regardless of their race/ethnicity, educational background,
gender, disability or socioeconomic status, are prepared to engage in
partnerships with school and districts can engage in diverse roles such as:
• Supporters of their children’s learning and development
• Encouragers of an achievement identity, a positive self-image, and a
“can do” spirit in their children
• Monitors of their children’s time, behavior, boundaries and resources
• Models of lifelong learning and enthusiasm for education
• Advocates/Activists for improved learning opportunities for their
children and at their schools
• Decision-makers/choosers of educational options for their children,
the school, and community
• Collaborators with school staff and members of the community on
issues of school improvement and reform
http://www2.ed.gov/documents/family-community/partnership-
frameworks.pdf
“Rigorous empirical research on school reform provides a compelling
case for elevating FSCE as an educational strategy. A Chicago study of
low-performing elementary schools concluded that five essential
supports work together as a system to transform low-performing schools.
Leadership is the first support and the driver of four other essential
supports: (1) instructional guidance; (2) teacher professional capacity; (3)
school climate; and (4) parent, school, and community ties. No single
essential support can make a sustained impact by itself; thus, individual
programs—whether to improve curriculum, train teachers, or involve
parents—often fail to live up to their potential. Just like baking a cake, all
key ingredients must be present to successfully create the whole.” (Bryk,
A. S., Sebring, P. B., Allensworth, E., Luppescu, S., & Easton, J. Q. (2009).
Organizing Schools for Improvement: Lessons from Chicago. Chicago, IL:
University of Chicago Press.)
https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oii/pirc/reports-papers/beyond-
random-acts.doc

7. “Carmel Martin, the Assistant Secretary for Planning, Evaluation and
Policy Development at USDE, asserted that family engagement in
student learning is an outcome in and of itself, in addition to serving as
a “critical, non-negotiable component in terms of a comprehensive
strategy to improve our schools.” Education reform initiatives will focus
on a comprehensive early childhood-to-college family engagement
agenda that can support innovative practices, scale up what works, and
empower families to play a greater role in their children’s learning.”
https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oii/pirc/reports-papers/beyond-
random-acts.doc
“Today’s policy environment, with its focus on innovation and outcomes
in challenging the status quo, paves the way to reframe family
engagement in education for the twenty-first century. This policy
environment puts students at the center of “next generation learning.”
Next generation learning is personalized and tailored to individual
learning needs. It prepares students for the acquisition of world-class
knowledge and skills, and engages them in directing their educational
experience. (Council of Chief State School Officers, n. d.)
Schools and communities can leverage family assets to support
personalized learning. Families need the support of schools and
communities to fully understand what it means to be educated in the
twenty-first century. Teachers and administrators also need families to
support, monitor, and advocate for their children’s progress.”
https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oii/pirc/reports-papers/beyond-
random-acts.doc
If a school has writing as its goal, a comprehensive strategy for writing,
including family engagement, should focus on writing. ReadyRosie
modeled moments videos can be customized and sent to parents.

8. The ReadyRosie Share platform provides educators the opportunity to
create personalized content by creating customized and/or individualized
video playlists.
https://assets.readyrosie.com/jekyll-assets/docs/Observable-
Outcomes.pdf
ReadyRosie offers interactive family workshops addressing topics such as
positive discipline strategies, healthy routines, language development,
developmental milestones, fostering play and social emotional
development, and more AND includes easy to use facilitator’s guides and
presentation slide decks in English and Spanish.
https://assets.readyrosie.com/PD_HeadStartFamilyFlyer.pdf
ReadyRosie offers data to measure and monitor the impact of
ReadyRosie.
https://assets.readyrosie.com/RR-Data-Flyer.pdf
For more information, visit https://www.readyrosie.com or find us on Facebook at
https://www.facebook.com/ReadyRosie/ and Twitter at https://twitter.com/readyrosie.