Center student, family, and community voice in policy and practice decisions¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

The brief holds that strong partnerships between educators, students, families, and communities are essential for social, emotional, and academic development. It explains that "When educators engage the communities they serve, they gain a deeper understanding of their students, including their strengths, identities, and needs," which fortifies relationships and increases academic success. It further stresses centering the voices of students of color, their families, and marginalized communities in decisions. Washington's practices include engagement in teacher evaluation rubrics, multilingual family toolkits, a Family Engagement Framework Workgroup, and a student representative on the state board of education.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• A clear plan detailing how districts can use evidence-based engagement practices, educator PD in engagement, and training in engagement for teacher and leader certification

Constraints¶

• Washington lacks a statewide engagement office, parent voice in state-level decisions, and disaggregated engagement data such as student and family survey and satisfaction data

Target Learners¶

• P-12 students, particularly students of color and students from low-income and marginalized backgrounds

Target Learning Goals¶

• Deeper educator understanding of students' strengths, identities, and needs; stronger relationships and increased academic success

Claims¶

Related Strategies¶

• Engage students, families, and communities as full partners, centering marginalized voices in policy and practice decisions
• Family, community, and student engagement as full partners in SEAD policy and practice
• Build authentic school-family partnerships to reinforce students' social and emotional development

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• How Does Washington Support Students' Social, Emotional, and Academic Development (SEAD)?. (2023). The Education Trust. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED630072