September 21, 2011

Albany Marriott 189 Wolf Road

REGISTRATION BEGINS 9AM

SALON ABC

*Ken Slentz*

Deputy Commissioner P-12 Education

New York State Department of Education

* Karren Dunkley *

Chief deputy of the District's Office of Parent, Family, Community Engagement and Faith-Based Partnerships of the Philadelphia School District

Karren Dunkley, Deputy Chief of the District’s office that oversees parent engagement, will share her engaging presenation on the number of parent, family and community engagement strategies that have been successfully implemented in the District. One highlight of her work includes, the District’s nationally recognized parent education program, Parent University. More than 29,000 parents have participated in Parent University, participating in a range of classes including, parenting skills, GED preparation, family literacy for reading and math, financial literacy and technology classes. 

Join us to hear even more exciting ways to engage families in your district!

Purpose:

On the Same Page is a summit to support systemic change in the New York State Educational System through strategic dialogue and action on family engagement as a catalyst for closing the achievement gap in Title I schools. EPIC – Every Person Influences Children, the New York State Parent Teacher Association, and the New York State Parental Information & Resource Centers (PIRC) have partnered to host this second annual summit. (For more information visit the Purpose page)

Family Engagement Definition:

Our definition of Family Engagement is as follows:

First, family engagement is a shared responsibility in which schools and other community agencies and organizations are committed to reaching out to engage families in meaningful ways and in which families are committed to actively supporting their children's learning and development.

Second, family engagement is continuous across a child's life and entails enduring commitment but changing parent roles as children mature into young adulthood.

Third, effective family engagement cuts across and reinforces learning in the multiple settings where children learn- at home, in prekindergarten programs, in school, in after school programs, in faith-based institutions, and in the community.

This definition comes from Dr. Heather Weiss in a November article on the Harvard Family Research Project website.  It is the most concise, broad based statement that supports our efforts at systemic change covering all Action Team goals.  This expanded definition of family engagement, which has already been adopted by the Family, School, and Community National Working Group, reflects research showing that families play significant roles in supporting their children's learning, in guiding their children successfully through a complex school system, and in strongly advocating for their children and for effective public schools.

Family Engagement Standards:

As a means to measure Family Engagement in Education, we will use as reference the National PTA Standards, Goals, and Indicators For Family-School Partnerships click here to view the document