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The Toolkit is designed to provide educators with tools and resources for strengthening partnerships between schools and diverse families and communities. The six modules of the Toolkit are designed to help align systemic school, family, and community involvement efforts to characteristics and practices that are common to effective programs.  The toolkit includes self-assessment and survey tools, standards linkages, research, effective practices, videos, and resources.  The toolkit is arranged by each of the six types of parent involvement – communication, parent, student learning, volunteerism, shared decision-making, and collaborating with the community. 

http://www.cesdp.nmhu.edu/toolkit/index.asp

Two Webinars originally airing in November contain valuable information about current practices and trends for family-school-community partnerships:

• FINE, the Family Involvement Network of Educators at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, sponsored the Webinar, Using Leadership to Promote Strengths-Based Family Engagement. View the archived Webinar at:

https://hgse.adobeconnect.com/_a1081041235/p17zr723psj/?launcher=false&fcsContent=true&pbMode=normal.

• Education Week archived the Webinar, Empowering Parents to Transform Schools, available at:

https://secure.edweek.org/media/131115-empoweringparents.pdf

The IRIS Center is a national center dedicated to improving education outcomes for all children, especially those with disabilities birth through age twenty-one.

http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/

Designed to help teachers build positive relationships with families, this module highlights the diversity of families and addresses the factors that school personnel should understand about working with the families of children with disabilities.

http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/fam/

Family Research Toolkit

The Beach Center Family Research Toolkit contains scales, surveys, checklists, and conversation guides we have developed in the course of our research.  On this website, each tool is described (purpose and measurement), references and links to publications, current research and other resources to where it was used, and links to download the tool or how to request it for FREE.

Toolkit information:  https://beachcenter.lsi.ku.edu/beach-families

Family-professional partnerships

In this partnership, families and professionals collaborate by capitalizing on each other's judgment and expertise in order to increase benefits for students, families, and professionals alike. The Beach Center on Disability has identified seven principles of family-professional partnerships: communication, professional competence, respect, commitment, equality, advocacy, and trust.  Publications and articles can be found at:  

Resources: https://beachcenter.lsi.ku.edu/beach-families

The Wisconsin Early Childhood Collaborating Partners (WECCP) vision is that all children in Wisconsin will receive the necessary services and family supports to attain their optimal developmental potential during the critical early years from birth through age five. Their website has information and resources on a number of topics, such as Homelessness and Poverty, Serving Children with Disabilities, Serving Dual Language Learners, Curriculum and Assessment, and Early Identification. http://www.collaboratingpartners.com/

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) provides professional development opportunities and resources, sets and publicizes early childhood standards, and builds public understanding and support for developmentally-appropriate activities and services of all young children and their families. Their website has quality, evidence-based information, resources, and materials for anyone working with or is a parent of a young child.

http://www.naeyc.org/

Zero To Three is a national, nonprofit organization that informs, trains, and supports professionals, policymakers, and parents in their efforts to improve the lives of infants and toddlers. Their mission is to promote the health and development of infants and toddlers. Their website has information, materials and resources on care & education, public policy, maltreatment, and behavior & development. Little Kids, Big Questions is a series of 12 podcasts that translates the research of early childhood development into parenting practices that mothers, fathers and other caregivers can tailor to the needs of their own child and family.

http://www.zerotothree.org/

The work of this foundation is to equip and train parents about the importance of social emotional growth in children beginning in utero. There are many parent modules on specific topics of interest to parents of young children including Making Connections, Why Do Children Do What They Do, Teach Me What to Do, and Promoting Social and Emotional Growth in Young Children to name just a few. Additional resources include book lists, tools for building relationships, and tools for developing behavior support plans and many more.

http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/resources/strategies.html

The Center for Early Literacy Learning (CELL) has a new website to make resources more easily available for early childhood intervention practitioners, parents, and other caregivers of children, birth to five years of age, with identified disabilities, developmental delays, and those at-risk for poor outcomes. CELL has a wide array of freely available parent and practitioner-friendly products, including: practice guides for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers; videos and podcasts; and a selection of mini posters in interactive and printable versions. CELL has also developed research syntheses and other products for researchers. To learn more about CELL's approach to early literacy learning, watch a brief video introduction to CELL.

http://www.earlyliteracylearning.org/  

Teaching for Change. Grade Level Parent Nights are structured conversations between parents and teachers regarding students’ academic success. In this format, teachers across a grade level host a communal meeting to exchange information with parents and find ways to support each other. Teachers share what the children are learning, how they are learning the content, and what strategies parents can use at home to encourage their child’s academic success.

http://www.teachingforchange.org/how-to-build-a-better-parent-teacher-night

nt-teacher conferences, Academic Parent–Teacher Teams involve two main components:

1. Three 75-minute classroom team meetings each year. These team meetings are initiated by a personal invitation to the parent by the teacher, and consist of the teacher, the entire class of parents, and a parent liaison. Each meeting includes a review of student academic performance data, parent–student academic goal setting, teacher demonstration of skills to practice at home, parent practice, and networking opportunities with other parents.

2. One 30-minute individual parent–teacher conference. In this yearly individual meeting parents and teachers review student performance data and create action plans to optimize learning.

https://globalfrp.org/Archive

WestEd:  https://www.wested.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/services-appt-brochure.pdf

The Parents’ Guide to Student Success was developed in response to the Common Core State Standards in English language arts and mathematics that more than 45 states.  Created by teachers, parents, education experts, and others from across the country, the standards provide clear, consistent expectations for what students should be learning at each grade in order to be prepared for college and career.  There is an English/Language Arts and a Math Guide for Grades Kindergarten through Eighth Grade.  There is also a guide for High School – one for English/Language Arts and the other for Math.

http://www.pta.org/parents/content.cfm?ItemNumber=2583

The Council of the Great City Schools has developed content and grade-specific parent roadmaps that provide detailed information for parents about the expectations of the Common Core in English Language Arts and Literacy and Math. These roadmaps include examples of grade-level focus in the content area using parent-friendly language, sample progressions of learning across three grade levels in the Common Core, and tips to parents on communicating with teachers about their child’s work and how to support student learning at home. Grades K-8 and High school Parent Roadmaps for English Language Arts and Literacy have been posted and Spanish.

English Language Arts & Literacy: https://www.cgcs.org/domain/114

Mathematics: https://www.cgcs.org/Page/366

A critical component of a student’s success in school is dependent on what and how they learn at home. This practical guide provides steps that parents can take to improve their child’s learning of the Common Core.  This document has been translated to several languages.

http://www.engageny.org/resource/shifts-for-students-and-parents

Handout:  http://www.engageny.org/sites/default/files/resource/attachments/parent_workshop_what_parents_can_do_handout.pdf

Families play an important role in how well students do in school. Find information about the importance of teachers and parents working together on behalf of kids, as well as examples of programs that specifically make the link between home and school.  This website contains webcasts, articles, Parent Tip Sheets (in both English and Spanish), and research.

http://www.readingrockets.org/reading-topics/parent-engagement

Each month features one or more Read On Wisconsin titles for children and teens in five different age-level groups. We hope you’ll choose these books as read-alouds or book discussion selections, feature them in displays, or highlight them in other ways as you connect Wisconsin children and teens with books in your library or classroom.

On the ROW web site, you can find out about Read On Wisconsin titles and share information and ideas for ROW programming with other librarians and teachers in our FORUM.

Online literacy program: 

http://readon.education.wisc.edu/

The Northwest Evaluation Association created this checklist of strategies.  The strategies in this checklist are suggestions that are intended to help increase a child’s understanding of reading, writing, and mathematics and develop his or her confidence in the learning process.  Choosing two to three strategies and implementing them can help a child improve their academic achievement.

https://1.cdn.edl.io/QZEZShoiQwxs6CHJEaEIYbN68WYUvdc9zzv0CqTB7CoN3tgu.pdf

Effective family engagement is not a one-time program or the choice of a good school, but rather a set of day-to-day practices, attitudes, beliefs and interactions that support learning at home, at school, afterschool and during the summer. To ensure that the students of today are ready for the careers of tomorrow, families, schools, and community groups need to work together to promote engagement that is systemic, sustained, and integrated into school improvement efforts.

https://www.sedl.org/connections/engagement_webinars/about.html

Wisconsin RtI Center: Response to Intervention (RtI) and Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS) are concepts that require parent engagement to be successful. This site offers a wealth of information to give families the confidence to participate in the process as they engage with their child’s school to implement and sustain these practices. The WI RtI Center offers a series of online modules for families explaining RtI and the relationship between RtI and PBIS. With each module a list of activities is offered to support parent learning. 

https://www.wisconsinrticenter.org/

The National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) website provides great information within the guide book. It is clear, concise, and very informative. In addition to the guide book, Topics addressed include parent perspective, tiered interventions, check lists and worksheets. In addition, this site is a good place to go for information that is helpful to parents of children with learning disabilities and also relevant to a broader population of special needs areas.

https://www.understood.org/~/media/acc8e8c166c7432582494ece864cb16c.pdf

Families are critical partners in effective implementation of RTI. As states and school districts work to implement an RTI process that provides early help to struggling students, parents need to understand the essential components of RTI and the roles they can play in supporting their child’s success. There is a long list of topics related to RtI and specific information including research articles, definitions, identification of signs suggesting increased and more intensive support.

http://www.rtinetwork.org/parents-a-families

For parents who are looking for concrete ways to support PBIS in your children’s schools, this website is the place for you. You will see examples from a Colorado elementary school that provides examples of how to work with parents. One piece that is particularly helpful is a chart that lists Dr. Joyce Epstein’s list of ways to become engaged and specific strategies that relate to each of these categories. Other samples include letters to send home with students and sample newsletters.

http://www.pbis.org/training/parents.aspx

This toolkit was created under the Engaging Families Initiative in Boston Massachusetts.  It contains strategies and tools to help schools improve how they involve families and children in their after school programs.  There are self-assessment tools, checklists, strategies for hiring staff, tips for developing a family engagement plan, connecting with community organizations,

https://cdn.ymaws.com/nafsce.org/resource/resmgr/Toolkits/Boston_Engaging_Families_Out.pdf

This document contains tips and suggestions for preparing for the IEP meeting, during the meeting, concluding the meeting, and follow up.   This resource is found on the Michigan’s Integrated Behavior and Learning Support Initiative (MiBLSi). 

https://www.pbis.org/resource/268/tips-for-parents-incorporating-positive-behavior-support-pbs-into-the-iep

Supported by the American Federation of Teachers, the National Institute for Literacy, and the U.S. Department of Education, this reading program provides information on the importance of reading in the lives of English Language Learner (ELL) children. There are fun reading tips and activities, suggestions for choosing books to read with your child, ideas for getting involved at your child's school, and much, much more. Activities and links available at:

http://www.colorincolorado.org/families/

The Parents’ Guide to Student Success was developed in response to the Common Core State Standards in English language arts and mathematics that more than 45 states.  Created by teachers, parents, education experts, and others from across the country, the standards provide clear, consistent expectations for what students should be learning at each grade in order to be prepared for college and career.  There is an English/Language Arts and a Math Guide for Grades Kindergarten through Eighth Grade.  There is also a guide for High School – one for English/Language Arts and the other for Math.

http://www.pta.org/parents/content.cfm?ItemNumber=2583

The Disproportionality Technical Assistance Network, "the Network," is a multi-tiered system of compliance activities and improvement supports to address racial disproportionality in special education.  The Network is funded through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act, Part B. The Network is a Wisconsin collaboration among the Department of Public Instruction, cooperative education service agencies (CESAs), local education agencies, institutions of higher education, and community stakeholders. 

http://www.thenetworkwi.com/ 

Find out why inclusive practices are key to school achieving strong measures of academic success for students with disabilities and others. The resource page gives a variety of instructional strategies that are effective for diverse learners along with professional readings and additional links for additional information.

http://inclusiveschools.org/instruction-for-diverse-learners/

A Strategy Brief of the National Center for Family and Community Connections with Schools.   This brief gives an example of reaching out, factors one should consider, and suggestions.  September 2005.

http://www.sedl.org/connections/resources/rb/rb5-diverse.pdf

An ongoing series of stories and language from Native Communities around the Central Great Lakes region. 

http://theways.org/

The toolkit offers checklists and tables to help high schools plan and implement family engagement that supports the pathway to graduation for at-risk students (see pp. 78 to 100). From United Way Worldwide and Harvard Family Research Project.

https://jsri.msu.edu/upload/resources/FEHS.pdf

A project of the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts Boston, this website is designed especially for families of youth with intellectual disabilities. Get information on specially designed postsecondary programs around the country to find the right one for your child.

Think College has spawned other sites like it through many schools, including UW-Madison. 

www.thinkcollege.net

The National Center on Secondary Education and Transition (NCSET) coordinates national resources, offers technical assistance, and disseminates information related to secondary education and transition for youth with disabilities in order to create opportunities for youth to achieve successful futures. NCSET is headquartered at the Institute on Community Integration in the University of Minnesota's College of Education and Human Development. Visit the website for a plethora of resources geared toward families and youth. 

http://www.ncset.org/

The National Federation supports families in all the work that they do at the local, state and national level. Through the various programs and resources, this nonprofit is able to help families and their children obtain the needed resources and supports to help them lead healthy lives. The mission of this family driven organization is to provide advocacy, leadership, technical assistance, and transform health in America. Resources include publications, fact sheets, and much more.

http://www.ffcmh.org/

The US Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs created the FCTD to provide information about assistive technology to organizations that work with families of children with disabilities. The FCTD includes a family information guide to assistive technology (AT) which is a comprehensive resource for parents and guardians on funding for AT; AT in the IEP; as well as many links to other resources on AT.

https://www.ctdinstitute.org/

These modules are available on the Autism Internet Modules (AIM) website hosted by the Ohio Center for Autism and Low Incidence (OCALI). The AIM website features content from experts on ASD across the nation on topics including assessment and identification, characteristics, evidence-based practices and interventions, transition to adulthood, and employment. Information is presented at a universal reading level with activities providing support to those with introductory or advanced knowledge on ASD.

https://autisminternetmodules.org/