The COVID-19 pandemic has tested public education like nothing else in recent memory. That it was the backdrop to intensified awareness of racial injustice in America made the past year all the more agonizing. Invariably, reopening schools will require healing, rebuilding relationships, new learning, recovering the best of what was lost, and re-establishing the sacred trust with the communities they serve.
The pandemic highlighted two important facts: all families are essential partners to student learning, and when called upon, school communities can innovate in ways previously unimaginable. COVID foisted upon us the largest disruption to education in history, simultaneously casting all 56.4 million students in the same storm. On the other hand, this crisis caused schools to learn to work with communities in new ways, giving us a hope and a blueprint for a re-imagined public system that meets the needs of all learners.
Families must be at the decision-making table as part of this process. To that end, Parent Teacher Home Visits has launched a Back-to-School Campaign, with resources to support schools in cementing family engagement as part of the canon and culture of educational practice. Partnerships between schools and families have long been recognized as beneficial for children. Effective family engagement, especially practices like relational home visits, contributes to positive student outcomes such as increased academic achievement, reduced absenteeism, stronger trust in schools, and more positive attitudes toward learning.
Campaign resources include a toolkit that offers educators and schools a framework to reflect upon and to organize their efforts. It includes guiding questions, recommended activities and resources, and clear connections to Parent Teacher Home Visits. Accompanying the toolkit is a reflection and planning tool to work through the reopening and recovery process using our framework.
On July 28, 2021, at 12 PM PT/ 3 PM ET, you and your colleagues are invited to a discussion about how to leverage family engagement to make the coming school year as successful as possible. You’ll hear from PTHV leaders Gina Martinez-Keddy, Yesenia Ramirez, and Rachel Brice, along with educators John Nachtsheim and Chrissy Valento and parents Valerie Solorzano and Kirinda Anderson.
We encourage you to stay up to date with our resources by following this special blog series and engaging with us on social media using #PTHVBacktoSchool. Here’s a special link to share these resources with your colleagues.
In the coming weeks, we’ll take a deep dive into the components of the campaign and share thoughts from a diverse group of teachers, school leaders, and parents. We welcome your feedback, comments, and questions. Get in touch by emailing our Program Director, Rachel Brice.
