Close

Not a member yet? Register now and get started.

lock and key

Sign in to your account.

Account Login

Forgot your password?

The Ohio Statewide Family Engagement Center at The Ohio State University

Columbus, OH

Dr. Barbara Boone, OhSFEC Director

boone.32@osu.edu

Strengthen District Leadership and School Programs of Partnerships

How Regional Coaches Support Partnership Districts and Schools

The Ohio Department of Education supports 16 regions across the state that provide all districts and schools with professional development on school improvement and student learning. In the Ohio Statewide Family Engagement Center (OhSFEC, www.ohiofamiliesengage.osu.edu ), each region has a Regional Coach who guides district leaders to guide their schools to organize strong and sustainable programs of school, family, and community partnerships. Each school in the OhSFEC project forms an Action Team for Partnerships (ATP), writes an annual plan, implements its plan, and assesses progress. The project’s regions, districts, and schools are active members of NNPS.

OhSFEC conducts monthly Colleagues Connect meetings and issues a monthly newsletter, Ohio Partnership Schools, to help Regional Coaches build skills to guide their districts and schools. For example, this year Colleagues Connect meetings addressed questions about how school teams can find time for meetings, and how to integrate family engagement activities with other school improvement initiatives, such as PBIS, diversity policies, reading and math instruction, and improving student attendance. Regional Coaches also meet monthly with their own district leaders to address questions, solve challenges, and share best practices.

Regional Coaches collect district leaders’ Leadership Plans for Partnerships and schools’ One-Year Action Plans for Partnerships. OhSFEC uses these documents for various progress reports. Each Regional Coach also submits a quarterly Coaching Log to record when they meet with district leaders and to request resources from OhSFEC.

By working with the state’s Regional Coaches for Partnerships, OhSFEC is “growing” an Ohio network of partnership schools. Leaders at each policy level have clear responsibilities. OhSFECàguides Regional Coachesàwho guide their district leadersà who guide their schools’ Action Teams for Partnershipsàto plan, implement, evaluate, and continually improve partnerships with all students’ familiesà in ways that contribute to student success in school. This “leadership ladder” has helped OhSFEC scale up its network to about 46 district leaders who facilitate over 90 schools to establish and improve programs of school, family, and community partnerships.

OhSFEC leaders drew from studies of Implementation Science that found that “coaching” makes a difference in the quality of school improvement programs. In this case, Regional Coaches are important leaders who guide districts and their schools across the state to implement and continually improve programs and practices of partnerships.

Read more about How Regional Coaches Support Partnership Districts and Schools in Promising Partnership Practices 2022.