May 5, 2016, from 9:00 to 3:00, at the Minnesota Department of Education
The focus of the institute this year is family engagement from birth to 3rd grade. Our goal is to help districts and community partners create and implement authentic, effective family engagement practices. This event is the first of three family engagement professional development opportunities (see the Series Overview tab for more information).
Participants will:
- Learn from other practitioners on a variety of topics related to family engagement,
- Exchange ideas and build relationships with others committed to family engagement,
- Learn about family diversity, including families where English is a second language,
- Explore new tools, skills and approaches to effectively engage families,
- Create ways to work in collaboration with others in their community
- Share successful family engagement initiatives and find alternative solutions to tough problems, and
- Revitalize ourselves for the family engagement work yet to be done!
Series Overview
Building Rigorous and Robust P3 Family Engagement
This professional development series consists of three components:
- May 5 Institute at the Minnesota Department of Education
- Two Online Family Engagement Learning Modules (more information coming soon)
- September 29 Institute at the Minnesota Department of Education (more information coming soon)
The overall goal of the series is to build and support leadership and educator competencies that result in the ability to implement effective, authentic family engagement systems.
AGENDA
8:30 Arrival and Check-In
Kick-Off
9:00 Welcome and Overview
Presentation - Click Here
9:20 Keynote - Dr. Terrie Rose
Presentation Click Here
Round Robin Presentations – Information on a topics related to family engagement (40 minutes)
10:40 Round Robin #1 (11:20 Transition to next round robin)
11:25 Round Robin #2
12:05 Lunch (with group)
During this time, participants also discuss what they have learned with their team/group members.
12:45 Round Robin #3 (1:25 Transition)
1:30 Round Robin #4
2:10 Break
Putting It All Together
2:20 Katy Smith, Winona Area Public Schools
2:55 Closing Comments
Presenters
Call for Presenters
The PEI is designed for deeper learning on the practice of family engagement. The focus is on the practice of parenting education. If you have questions about being a presenter, see the Q & A below. If you have further questions, contact su.nm.etats|nworb.p.ekim#nworB ekiM.
Q & A
Q: Do I have to be an "expert" on the topic in order to be a presenter/facilitator?
A: Being considered an expert is not required. Rather, we are looking for practitioners with experience and knowledge about their topic in a real-world setting. Of course, some topics may have limited professional literature, especially when it comes to the practice and delivery of family engagement. Discussions on these topics are extremely valuable, and developing "next steps" would be highly valuable.
Q: How many people are registered?
A: Registration was limited to 150. We have 150 registered with a waiting list of over 50. We will open some tickets to the waiting list, so we might have around 170 participants on May 5.
Q: How will the room be set up? Click here for map
A: We have reserved all the rooms of Conference Center B at MDE. There is one large conference room and two smaller rooms. At the beginning and end of the day we will all be in the large conference room, which holds approximately 200 people. We will have tables set up around the room. Each table will hold 8-10. The participants will be seated by region (i.e., the region in the state in which they work).
For the round robin sessions, the large conference room will be divided into four spaces (A-D). During this time we will also use the two smaller conference rooms (E and F). This will allow us to have 6 rooms with about 25-30 participants each. Participants attend one session and then rotate to the next session.
Q: So, for the round robin sessions, I can expect 25-30 participants in my session?
A: Correct. And, if you are presenting your topic twice, you will have a total of 50-60.
Q: What does a session look like?
A: Each session is 40 minutes. In this "round robin" format, participants learn about and discuss a topic and then move on to another topic. Presenters should design their 40 minute sessions in a manner that they think is most beneficial to the learner. However, since this event is focused on the "practice" of family engagement, all sessions should include information on how the topic impacts the practice/delivery of family engagement.
Q: Do I present more than once?
This depends on the topic and the presenter. Some presenters may be willing to present their topic to four groups (i.e., to each round robin group - two in the morning and two in the afternoon). In most cases, we would like you to present your topic two times.
Q: What should participants learn from a session?
A: Two main things: 1) Information about the topic and 2) How to improve their practice or their organization's practice. Also, see the goals listed on the Overview tab.
Q: Is 40 minutes long enough?
A: As educators, we know we could spend a lot of time on these topics, especially because they are so important to our work (and often complex). The shorter sessions were chosen for a couple reasons: we have not had an institute solely dedicated to the practice of family engagement, and there numerous topics that are critical to the practice of family engagement. We hope that our initial discussions will lead to more in-depth workshops in the future.
This is not intended to be a one-time event, but rather the start of more frequent and in-depth educational opportunities about topics that are critical to our work with families.
Q: Can you provide an example of how a session may be organized?
Sure. Let's say I am presenting on parent and family engagement. As we know, this is a broad topic that can be approached from a variety of viewpoints. Since I only have 40 minutes, I am going to focus the topic by concentrating on some key points and then discussing one model. I may start by defining what I mean by parent and family engagement, comparing and contrasting it with "involvement." Next, I share what aspect of parent and family engagement my presentation is focusing on. Then, I share one model (e.g. Hoover-Dempsey & Sandler), its components, and how I have applied it to my work. At this point, I have talked for about 20 minutes. I reserve the last 20 minutes for questions and group discussion.
At the end, I share a handout that provides information about parent and family engagement (e.g. the definition I used, resources, questions to consider, and examples of implementation).
Q: How will I be able to share information with the participants?
A: In the "TOPICS & RESOURCES" section below, we will create a tab for each topic. Then, we will be able to include a variety of information and resources for each topic. A few topics have been started as an example.
Q: Do I bring copies?
A: This is up to you. If you want to bring copies, you will need enough for your round robin session participants (30 each session you are presenting). Please share your handouts with me (Mike) digitally, and I can add them to our event webpage.
Q: I'm interested in presenting, who do I contact?
A: Email Mike Brown at su.nm.etats|nworb.p.ekim#su.nm.etats|nworb.p.ekim
Q: I'm passionate about a topic that is not on the list and I think it would be helpful to my colleagues. Can it be included?
A: Possibly. Email Mike Brown to inquire.
Topic Areas
The institute topics should be related to one or more of these implementation drivers:
- Professional Practice/Competency (Knowledge and competencies needed by adults who work with families).
- Organization/Sytems (Organizations or systems that exemplify high-quality family engagement, pertaining to any aspect from building effective program to evaluating a system).
- Leadership (Leading effective, authentic family engagement efforts, including topics like school culture, collaborating and partnering, and ensuring professional growth).
Sample Topics
- Assessing Your Readiness for Family Engagement
- Building "Family Ready" Schools
- Building and Enhancing Relationships with Families
- Creating Environments that Foster Family Engagement
- Data-Driven Improvement and Family Engagement
- Determining Family Needs/Wants and Planning
- Effective Family Engagement Principles
- Empowering Families
- Engaging Diverse Families
- Engaging Families in Parenting Education
- Families with Children with Special Needs
- Family Engagement and Program/School Policies
- Family Engagement Standards
- Home Visiting as a Family Engagement Strategy
- Identifying Barriers to Family Engagement
- Leading Family Engagement in Your Program
- Leading for Change
- Leading Professional Learning Communities
- Outreach and Recruitment
- Staff Development and Family Engagement
- Successful Leadership and Implementation Teams
- Understanding Family Diversity
- Using Technology to Engage Families
- Vulnerable and Disadvantaged Families
- Working with ELL Families
Round Robin Sessions - 40 Minutes Each
Morning Round Robin Sessions (10:40 and 11:25)
Room A: Bondo Nyembwe, Director, Academia Cesar Chavez
Room B: PICA Team, Parents in Community Action, Head Start
Room C: Emily Byers-Ferrian, Immersion Specialist, Spring Lake Park Schools
Click Here
Room D: Michelle Niska and Dennis Duffy, Minnesota Department of Education
Click Here
Room E: Susan Walker, Family Social Science, University of Minnesota
Click Here
Room F: Nikole Logan, St. Paul Public Schools
Afternoon Round Robin Sessions (12:45 and 1:30)
Room A: Connie Garling-Squire and Lisa Lusk, South St. Paul Public Schools and 360 Communities
Room B: Michelle Niska and Dennis Duffy, Minnesota Department of Education
Click Here
Room C: Mike Brown, Minnesota Department of Education
Presentation is on Agenda page/tab (included as part of introduction PowerPoint)
Room D: Momo Hayakawa and Gwen Graham, Midwest Child-Parent Center Expansion, University of Minnesota
Room E: Heather Cline, Family Social Science, University of Minnesota
Room F: Heather Kilgore, St. Paul Public Schools
Topics
Registration
Registration as Teams of Two is Required - Three is Encouraged
- An early childhood person (e.g., parenting educator/family support, early childhood teacher, coordinator/director, etc.).
- An elementary person (e.g., teacher, administrator, social worker, etc.).
- We also encourage you to register with a community partner (e.g., child care, Head Start).
Click Here to Register
Event took place May 5, 2016, so registration is closed.
Planning
Planning Team Members
Pam Booker, Mike Brown, Jeanne Dickhausen, Debra Landvik
Meeting Agendas & Notes
Plans
Family Engagement Online Learning Modules
Click Here
