Conduct a family engagement needs assessment as the first step in planning¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

The playbook prescribes a needs assessment as "an initial and essential step in developing a tailored family engagement plan." It uses surveys, focus groups, interviews, and analysis of existing data such as climate surveys and attendance records. Tools should be created collaboratively by school and district leaders, educators, and family engagement specialists, and data collected from students, teachers, families, leaders, and community partners so the plan fits the school's specific context.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Tools must be comprehensive, culturally sensitive, and aligned with the school's objectives; administration must include a wide range of school community members

Constraints¶

Target Learners¶

• middle school students and their families

Target Learning Goals¶

• tailoring family engagement plans to school-specific needs and challenges

Related Strategies¶

• Plan engagement by defining objectives, aligned questions, engagement type, and piloted materials
• Conduct a needs assessment combining baseline district data and projective opinion data before designing a middle school
• Using Empathy Interviews for Family Engagement

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Wallace, M., & Paredes, M. (2024). The essential playbook for family engagement in middle school. WestEd. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED663740