Family Engagement
Who We Work With
The NYCC strives to collaborate with groups throughout the state of New York. Below you will find the groups we work with to further family engagement in education throughout New York.
New York State Education Department
The NYCC Family Engagement Team works with the Office of School Improvement at the New York State Education Department (NYSED) to expand parents' understanding of NCLB and promote parent participation in schools. In order to achieve these goals, the team:
- Collaborates with NYSED and the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) to offer regional workshops for Family Engagement staff, the Parent Teacher Association (PTA), and the parent coordinators
- Disseminates materials to support professional development activities for parent leaders throughout the state, particularly with regards to Title I and supplemental educational services (SES)
- Implements an online forum where NYSED and local educational agency (LEA) personnel can share challenges and promising practices related to SES
- Identifies and prepares parent leaders for NYSED initiatives, including serving on Schools Under Registrations Review (SURR) team, the NYSED Parent Advisory Council, the NCLB parent training cadre, or Title I Committee of Practitioners (COP)
Through our work with NYSED we participate in the following committees.
- Parent Advisory Council (PAC)
The formation of the PAC was initiated by Former Associate Commissioner Shelia Evans-Tranumn and NYSED. The purpose of the PAC is to establish a relationship with families and communities to help them understand the role of NYSED in setting standards and developing policies that affect the education of their children; to meet the needs and concerns of families and communities; and to encourage collaborative efforts for school improvement and student achievement. The major focus has been on improving low performing schools. In this way, the PAC serves as an informal advisory body. The New York Comprehensive Center presents any new research in the field of family engagement and education at monthly PAC meetings. - New York Summit for Family Engagement in Education Action Teams
The On the Same Page Summit for Family Engagement in Education, presented by the NYS PTA, Parent Information and Resource Centers of New York (PIRC) and EPIC-Every Person Influences Children, works toward creating systemic change for family engagement in education, Action Teams have been formed to focus on areas outlined by the Board of Regents Policy Statement on Improving Student Achievement through Parent and Family Partnerships, as well as the New York State Education Department Implementation Plan. Members of the NYCC Family Engagement Team participate in action teams. Brief descriptions of each action team's purpose are given below. - Higher Education and Professional Certification Programs The focus of this action team is to discuss possible ways to prepare teachers, administrators, and school personnel to engage families, utilizing training and assessment incorporated into professional preparation and certification processes.
- Professional Staff Development Opportunities This team will discuss the creation of family engagement training and development for parents, teachers, and administrators, exploring the link between parental involvement and student achievement, integrated training and development for all involved parties, and best practices programming.
- Family Engagement Assessment Tools Team members will consider options for assessing family engagement such as family engagement measures on School Report Cards, self-assessment rubrics for school-based teams, and surveys to gauge public sentiment.
- Parent Involvement/Family Engagement Quality Indicators This team will explore ways to improve how family engagement is addressed in current review and intervention processes for schools in New York State, considering how family and community feedback, cultural competence enhancement, and parent-to-parent outreach can be used in school improvement planning.
- Cultural Competence Understanding the importance of cultural competence to increasing family involvement, this team will examine definitions of diversity and cultural competence, ways to assess and lessen cultural gaps, and examples of strong cultural connections between home, community, and school that impact student achievement.
- Engaging Social Welfare/Healthcare Community to Enhance Family Engagement The team will work to define potential partners within the social welfare and health care community who can help support engagement of non-traditional families, promote family engagement in education through inter-agency networks, and identify at-risk students in order to provide school outreach programming.
- Promoting Partnership with Families of Children with Disabilities This action team will consider the definition of an expanded support mechanism based on collaboration of services and resources, development of standards for parent advocacy on behalf of children; and creation of collaborative online information sources for families of children with disabilities.
- Engaging the Business Community to Enhance Family Engagement Team members will explore ways to encourage the business community to develop policies friendly to family involvement in education. They will also consider how the schools and businesses can communicate systematically and collaborate to enhance family engagement and to prepare students for the workplace.
Parent Information Resource Centers
The Family Engagement Team collaborates with the federally-funded PIRCs in the implementation of NCLB. The PIRCs in New York State are Cornell Cooperative Extension in Watertown, New York and EPIC in Buffalo, New York. The NYCC provides professional development and resource toolkits that PIRCs use to inform parents about their rights. See the "Just the Facts for New York Parents" toolkit to learn more.
Center on Innovation and Improvement
The NYCC works with the Center on Innovation and Improvement (CII) to identify resources for Parent Engagement staff, school districts and parent leaders. These resources support parents in understanding their roles and fulfilling their responsibilities under NCLB.