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Riverside County Office of Education

Home » Riverside County Office of Education

16 Nov 2017, 2017 Partnership Organization Awards, Partnership Organization Awards | Comments
Parent Engagement Leadership Initiative

Riverside, California

L to R: Yadira Chavelas, Cynthia Glover-Woods (Chief Academic Officer, Organization Director), Mike Leffin, Dr. Hilma Griffin-Watson (NNPS Key Contact), Mimi Badura, Ellen Larson, Dr. Judy White, Dr. Melissa Bazanos, Alayne Wilson, Mike Barney (Executive Director, NNPS Key Contact)

District-Level Leadership for Partnerships:

African American Parent Advisory Academy

Leaders of the Riverside County Office of Education (RCOE) observed that often, in the past, groups of parents or community members would meet once, create a long list of conditions in their schools that needed to improve, and demand action.  This is not an effective change strategy.  They set a new agenda—to select one topic, create a plan of action, and implement that plan.  The goal was to identify and solve one problem at a time. They elected to improve the plans and actions of the district-based and school-based African American Parent Advisory Councils (AAPACs).  Three workshops were conducted to help school-based AAPACs gain skills and take action to improve the school climate and student success.

  • Part 1—Start and Maintain Your AAPAC. A Review of Models and Best Practices.  Participants examined and critiqued alternative structures for strengthening the work of AAPACs.
  • Part 2—Effective AAPAC Actions. Connect Your AAPAC to Student Achievement.  A workshop conducted by an NNPS Facilitator engaged participants in activities linking family engagement to student achievement and behavior, including but not limited to African American children.
  • Part 3—Organize an Effective Action Team for Partnerships. Participants developed a goal-linked Action Plan for Partnerships for one full school year.

The three-part process helped each school’s AAPAC see itself as a change agent to create a welcoming school community and to increase student success in school.

African American Parent Advisory Council Academy is featured in Promising Partnership Practices 2017.

Facilitation of Schools’ Action Teams for Partnerships:

Family Engagement Network (FEN)

The Family Engagement Network (FEN) of Riverside County Office of Education (RCOE) offers participants opportunities to expand their knowledge of effective family engagement strategies, obtain free or low-cost resources for parents, share ideas, and network with others.  California’s state-wide Local Control Funding Formula and Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) enabled districts to hire leaders for their family engagement programs.  FEN Facilitators conducted workshops on six strategies to help family engagement leaders strengthen their partnership programs in keeping with the state policy.  Topics included state-wide LCAP information, assessment updates, technology tips, county-wide community resources, and district-level training for district leaders for partnerships.

Each FEN meeting concluded with an opportunity for district and school teams to begin or enhance their District Leadership Plans or school-based One-Year Action Plans for Partnerships.  FEN participants included district family engagement leaders, school teams, parent leaders, parent ambassadors, PTA leaders, teachers, administrators, and community members.  This diverse group of district and school leaders and interested partners gained and shared information on good practices, supported each other, and reinforced their commitments to improving school, family, and community partnerships.