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| Fostering Family Relations for Learning Success
During these past few challenging years, school leaders have been caught in a catch 22 of sorts. Nearly every necessary decision, be it masks or no masks, learning remotely or in person, focusing on social-emotional learning or addressing gaps, was bound to be unpopular. Being a school administrator has never been about winning a popularity contest, but as every leader knows, unhappy families can derail a school’s best laid plans.
Given the pandemic-related disruptions to school routines, some parents and caregivers may be feeling disconnected or dissatisfied with their child’s education. So, what can educators do to build—and if necessary, restore—caregiver satisfaction with their schools? I think it breaks down to three steps. |
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| First, the number one universal question for families: “Is my child safe at school?” Focusing on consistent use of schoolwide policies for disruptive behavior, bullying, and other concerns can help assure parents that their children attend safe schools that prioritize their health and well-being.
Second to safety, families’ perception of teaching quality drives how they rate their schools. Implementing good instructional practices by every teacher, in every classroom, every day assures families that their children will have good learning experiences no matter who teaches them. Establishing this level of instructional consistency takes time, effort, and a lot of practice, but it’s certainly worth the investment. In fact, studies show that students with highly effective teachers can gain up to 1.5 years of learning for each year in the classroom, while those with ineffective teachers often gain only six months of learning in that same time.
The third and final driver of school satisfaction is choice. Specifically, providing students with meaningful educational choices that are both relevant to their interests and goals and aligned with their families’ cultures and values. The combination of extracurricular activities, electives, clubs, and classroom-based opportunities to pursue individual interests, all contribute to more independent learning. This can assure families that their child is being recognized and afforded opportunities to develop their unique talents, abilities, and interests.
Perhaps it’s best to frame these drivers of satisfaction as a form of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs: Safety first, followed by teachers who create a sense of belonging for students and families, supported by opportunities to achieve one’s full potential.
If you’re interested in more ideas and strategies for best first instruction, creating more equitable outcomes for students, or for helping them recover from interrupted learning, check out these resources:
Making Families Happy — Free ASCD article with best practices for keeping families satisfied with their children’s school and school culture.
The “Silent Epidemic” Finds Its Voice: Demystifying How Students View Engagement in Their Learning — Free white paper that provides a deeper level of understanding about what may be shaping students’ engagement in the school community.
Classroom Walkthroughs: Where Data-Gathering and Relationship-Building Meet for School Improvement — Free white paper with tips and tools for using classroom walkthroughs to achieve improvement and instructional goals. |
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| Bryan Goodwin, CEO, McREL International |
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| Competency-Based Education (CBE): Assessing Your School’s Readiness for ChangeStudent-centered learning has shown great potential for increasing student interest and engagement in school.In this blog postMcREL consultant Katie Allen explores competency-based education frameworks that support student-centered learning.
Read more |
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| Research Participation Opportunity:
Help Shape the Future of Interim Assessments
McREL is seeking schools and districts serving students in grades 3-8 to pilot test a new interim assessment for reading and math developed by Pearson, and participate in a study of the assessment’s functionality and outcomes. Interested schools and districts can fill out this brief interest formand McREL will reach out to you with more information.
This assessment tool provides data on student progress, predicts how well they’ll perform on state assessments, and provides insights about students’ strengths and areas of needed support.
Participating schools/districts will receive:
- Free professional development to discuss student growth patterns and an analysis of your district/ school/ classroom data.
- In-depth reporting providing overall score, performance level, and growth, plus domain-level strengths and areas of support.
- The opportunity to impact new feature development within the Growth road map.
- Free access to the assessment for three additional years beyond the pilot project.
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| Curiosity for Better Learning Podcast
How does curiosity connect to learning, and how can teachers use curiosity to craft lessons that drive deeper learning for their students? What is a guaranteed and viable curriculum, and how do you know if your school has it? How can you really engage students in the classroom?
Get ideas and tips on these and other topics in our Curiosity for Better Learning podcast. In each 10-20 minute episode, you’ll hear from fellow educators and McREL researchers and professional learning leaders about top-of-mind topics in K-12 education.
Visit our podcast page to listen to episodes and get access to free related resources. |
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| McREL Books
Our books for teachers and school leaders blend the what, the why, and the how of effective, rewarding professional practice.
Check out the books shown below and other popular titles for inspiration and practical ideas you can use in your classroom or school today:
Visit the McREL Bookstore |
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| Upcoming Conferences
If you’re attending these upcoming conferences, be sure to visit with McREL’s expert educators, researchers, and evaluators at these sessions.
NRTRC 2022 Telehealth Conference, Salt Lake City, Sept. 26-28
Along with the Wyoming Department of Education, Susan Shebby will present a session about the state’s Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education) efforts to increase awareness of and access to school-based mental health and substance abuse services for students.
Hawaii-Pacific Evaluation Association Conference, online, Oct. 11-13
Christina Tydeman and Bradley Rentz from REL Pacific, operated by McREL, will host an online session at the H-PEA Conference titled “Audience-Friendly Approaches to Sharing Research Findings,” sharing how their team incorporates cultural feedback and contextualization when preparing research reports, briefs, and infographics.
Schools of the Future Conference, Honolulu, Oct. 20-21
Ben Cronkright will present a session on how REL Pacific is partnering with a group of Hawaii charter schools to refine best practices for place-based and culturally grounded education. And Marisa Crowder will join leaders from the Hawaii Department of Education and the University of Hawaii speaking about ways to strengthen HĀ foundations for schoolwide social-emotional learning implementation.
Texas ASCD Annual Conference, Houston, Oct. 23–25
Kris Rouleau will deliver an interactive keynote address emphasizing the importance of curiosity in teaching, leading, and learning, and how it can transform schools. She’ll also deliver a session on brain-based learning that emphasizes instructional planning for learning based on how students learn, remember, and apply knowledge. |
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| NCES Releases the Back-to-School Fast Fact for the 2022-23 School Year
Each year, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) compiles back-to-school facts and figures that provide a snapshot of schools and colleges in the United States.
Read More |
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| Parents Unconcerned; The Learning Loss Disconnect
A recent Education Next national survey found that only 9% of parents of K-12 students were very or somewhat concerned their child would ever catch up to where they should be. Meanwhile, 43% of parents said their kids experienced no learning losses at all. However, experts are saying that students would need “at least three years” to catch up. The 74 Million explores the disconnect. |
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| Catching Up and Moving Forward
A new, national study powered by two years of math learning data offers promising evidence that learning acceleration, which involves formative practices to improve students’ access to and mastery of grade-level standards, can work at scale.
Read More |
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| McREL can be a strategic thought partner for your district or agency on these grants, helping you develop a high-quality application. We can also often serve as your grant’s external evaluator.Contact us for more information about our grant partnership services.
Common Abbreviations: institutions of higher education (IHEs); local education agencies (LEAs); and state education agencies (SEAs)
Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education) Grants
This grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) will support projects to develop a sustainable infrastructure for school-based mental health programs and services. The goals for this program are two-fold: (1) support promotion, awareness, prevention, and intervention activities to ensure students have access and are connected to appropriate and effective services for healthy social and emotional development and (2) prevent youth violence in school settings. Each grant will be awarded to a collaborative partnership of the SEA, LEAs, a state’s mental health agency, community-based providers of behavioral health care services, school personnel, community organizations, families, and school-aged youth; it is anticipated that there will be 10 awards for up to $1.8M per year for up to five years. Applications are due Oct. 13, 2022.Learn more here.
Strengthening Community Colleges (SCC) Training Grants
The SCC program seeks to (1) increase the capacity and responsiveness of community colleges to address identified equity gaps, and (2) rapidly meet employers’ skill development needs in in-demand industries and career pathways, as well as the skill development needs of underserved and underrepresented workers. Ultimately, these efforts will yield sustainable systems-level changes in education and training through collaboration between community colleges, employers, and the public workforce development system that align education and training, work experiences, and industry-recognized credentials that lead to career growth. These grants can range from $1M-5M. A second round of applications are due Oct. 14, 2022.Learn more here.
Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science (INCLUDES)
The INCLUDES program seeks collaborative efforts to enhance preparation of, increase participation in, and ensure contributions from historically underrepresented and underserved groups in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), which will lead to new STEM talent and leadership to secure our nation’s future and long-term economic competitiveness. NSF offers support for five types of projects that connect and contribute to the National Network: (1) Network Connectors, a one-year grant, with applications due Oct. 25, 2022; (2) Design and Development Launch Pilots and (3) Collaborative Change Consortia, multiyear grants, with applications due Oct. 25, 2022; (4) Alliances, a multiyear grant with applications due Oct. 24, 2023; and (5) Conferences, a one-year grant, with applications accepted from Oct. 31, 2022–Oct. 30, 2023. These grants will range in value based on the availability of funds, numbers of awards, etc.Learn more here.
Mental Health Awareness Training (MHAT) Grants
This grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) will support projects that (1) train individuals (such as school personnel) to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental disorders, particularly serious mental illness and/or serious emotional disturbances; (2) establish links with school- and/or community-based mental health agencies for referrals of individuals with the signs or symptoms of mental illness to appropriate services; (3) train emergency services personnel, law enforcement, fire department personnel, veterans, and others to identify persons with a mental disorder and employ crisis de-escalation techniques; and (4) educate individuals about resources available in the community for individuals with a mental disorder. Each grant will be awarded to either state governments and territories; governmental units within a state (such as counties, cities, or towns); federally recognized tribes or tribal organizations; community and faith-based organizations; and IHEs. It is anticipated that there will be eight awards for up to $125,000 per year for up to five years. This is a forecasted opportunity; the request for applications (RFA) is anticipated to be released on Dec. 30, 2022.Learn more here.
Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL)
NSF’s AISL program is committed to funding research and practice, with a continued focus on investigating a range of informal STEM learning experiences and environments that make lifelong learning a reality. This program seeks proposals that center on equity and belonging, and further the well-being of individuals and communities who have historically been and continue to be excluded, underserved, or underrepresented due to gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability status, neurodiversity, geographic location, and economic status, among others, as well as their intersections. NSF encourages proposals that specifically focus on public engagement with and understanding of STEM, including community STEM; public participation in scientific research; science communication; intergenerational STEM engagement; and STEM media. The program supports five types of projects with varying grant values and durations: (1) Synthesis ($100K–$500K across two years); (2) Conferences ($75K–$250K across two years); (3) Partnership Development and Planning ($50K–$150K across 1–1 ½ years); (4) Integrating Research and Practice ($250K–$2M across 2–5 years); and (5) Research in Support of Wide-reaching Public Engagement with STEM ($1M–$3.5M across 2–5 years). Applications are due Jan. 11, 2023.Learn more here. |
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As a growing organization, we’re expanding our team of educators, researchers, project managers, and communicators to provide supports and services to more schools, districts, and education agencies. Interested in joining our team? Check out these current openings on the McREL careers page:
- Associate Program Director (Honolulu)
- Mixed Methods Research Associate (Denver, Honolulu)
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Learn more about how our coaching, professional learning, and analysis services can help your school or system reach its goals.
Contact us today to start a conversation with our development team.
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Copyright © 2022, All rights reserved.Our mailing address is:
4601 DTC Blvd., Suite 500
Denver, CO 80237 |
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12 Unique Blogs Are Written By Professors
Virtual School Meanderings 