Summary
This professional learning session equips educators with practical strategies for building strong family-school partnerships that support student success and postsecondary readiness. Participants explore why family engagement often declines in secondary schools, identify effective practices from their own classrooms, and envision a family booster club that could increase school-wide support. This session also introduces the K20 Center's QUEST app, which is an accessible tool that can be used to engage families remotely and extend learning beyond school. Participants will leave this session with actionable ideas and resources to increase meaningful family involvement in the school.
Essential Question
How do schools create strong partnerships with families that support students’ future success?
Learning Objectives
Identify strategies for engaging families in college and career readiness efforts.
Examine how family partnerships can directly influence student postsecondary success.
Snapshot
Engage
Participants identify positive impacts that family presence has on schools.
Explore
Participants reflect on the reasons why family involvement declines through secondary education. They discuss what it would look like to have a core group of family leaders in their schools.
Explain
Participants discuss what booster clubs could look like at their site and reflect on how they could engage families at their school.
Extend
Participants listen to testimonials related to family engagement in surrounding districts or create a family recruitment plan.
Evaluate
Participants download and explore the K20 Center’s QUEST app as a way to engage families.
Materials List
Presentation Slides (attached)
Activity Sheet handout (attached; one per participant)
Family Recruitment Plan handout (attached; optional; one per participant)
Preparation
The Extend phase of this session involves participants engaging with testimonials from other school districts regarding family engagement plans. Testimonials are not included with this resource. Prior to facilitating this session, you may want to record testimonials, invite guests to speak to families during your session, or prepare other activities. If you are unable to obtain testimonials, the Extend phase offers an alternate activity using the attached Family Recruitment Plan handout.
The Evaluate phase of this session invites participants to download the K20 Center’s QUEST app. Consider inputting Wi-Fi information, like network name and network password, into slide 13 of the Presentation Slides so participants have internet access to download the app.
Engage
10 Minute(s)
Use the attached Presentation Slides to facilitate the session. Display slides 3–4 and introduce the essential question and learning objectives to participants.
Pass out one copy of the attached Activity Sheet handout to each participant. Direct participants’ attention to the page with the note catcher. Tell participants that they should use this portion of the handout to take notes throughout the session about anything they find insightful or useful.
Inform participants that they will reflect on family engagement within their schools. Transition to slide 5 and invite participants to respond to the prompt on the slide: “In 1–2 words, describe the impact that active parent and family presence has had in your school.”
Have participants share out their words. As they share, record these words in a visible location for all participants to see. Highlight positive words and use these words to set the tone for the remainder of the session. Call attention to words that also point toward the benefits of an active family presence in a school.
Display slide 6. Ask participants the following questions on the slide:
How does family presence in your school and classroom impact your students?
How does a lack of family presence in your school and classroom impact your students?
Invite participants to share out their responses. Facilitate a whole group discussion.
Move to slide 7 and introduce the Think-Pair-Share instructional strategy. Present following prompt:
What are some family engagement strategies that you currently practice in your classroom and school that have successfully increased family presence?
First, have participants individually think about their responses to the question. Then, have participants find a partner or small group and discuss their responses with other participants. Finally, invite participants to share out any inspiring thoughts or effective strategies with the whole group.
Encourage participants to take notes over any strategies they could use in their schools or classroom.
Explore
10 Minute(s)
Display slide 8 and ask participants to think about the following prompt:
It is common for parents and families to be present in the classroom and school during elementary school. Once students move to secondary schools, this participation seems to decline.
Why do you think this happens?
Ask participants to share their responses with a partner.
Ask participants to think about the spaces they do see parent and family presence in. Allow time for them to discuss in their table groups.
Transition to slide 9 and ask participants the following questions:
Do you have booster clubs at your school?
What is the purpose of booster clubs at your school?
Who typically leads booster clubs at your school?
Invite participants to share their responses out loud with the whole group.
Display slide 10 and have participants look at their Activity Sheets. Introduce participants to the Looks Like, Sounds Like, Feels Like instructional strategy.
Walk participants through the following prompts on the slide and ask them to record their responses on their handout.
What does a family booster club look like to you?
What does a family booster club sound like to you?
What does a family booster club feel like to you?
Explain
5 Minute(s)
Display slide 11 and have participants find an Elbow Partner. Have participants work with their partners to discuss and respond to the following questions on their Activity Sheet:
Imagine you’re creating a family booster club made up of key members of your school and community. What would be the overall goal of your club?
Which key people or roles would you include in your club?
In what ways can you or your school connect with families to encourage them to be a part of this club?
For example: flyers, emails, conferences, etc.
Encourage participants to take notes on the “Note Catcher” portion of their Activity Sheet handouts.
Extend
30 Minute(s)
During this portion of the session, present testimonials and examples from surrounding districts related to strategies that work for engaging families. Encourage participants to reflect on these strategies.
Evaluate
10 Minute(s)
Display slide 12 and introduce the K20 Center’s QUEST application. Pass out the attached QUEST Flyer handout to each participant.
Express to participants that QUEST is a mobile app that delivers quick, interactive lessons designed to inform and engage busy families. Highlight that the app is convenient and easy to navigate. Explain that QUEST can be used to reach families that participants may not see frequently and can help with remotely engaging them.
Play a screen recording of the Family and School Partnerships video so participants can gain an understanding of how the application is formatted. Pause and explain different parts of the video as participants watch.
Transition to slide 15 and invite participants to scan the QR code to download the QUEST app. Spend a few minutes answering any questions that participants may have.
Research Rationale
Research rationale for this resource is provided in the literature review Family Leadership and Engagement.
Resources
K20 Center. (n.d.). Elbow partners. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/116
K20 Center. (n.d.). Family leadership and engagement. Literature Reviews. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/literature-review/5122
K20 Center. (n.d.). Looks like, sounds like, feels like. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/88
K20 Center. (n.d.). Mentimeter. Tech Tools. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/tech-tool/645
K20 Center. (n.d.). Think-pair-share. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/139