Family Engagement Framework turns 10

Evidence to Practice Guides: A Decade of Research Based Family Engagment Initiatives

GaPMP Data Coach, former Wayne County Parent Mentor, and 2015 Phil Pickens Leadership Award winner April Lee reflects on the origins of creating a data collection and reporting system. 

The Georgia Parent Mentor Partnership (GaPMP) has been a part of the Georgia Special Education System for over 20 years.  With our reach impacting every region in Georgia, we are recognized as an asset to systems who intentionally seek to partner with families and their communities.

Here are two trainings about topics within the FE Framework to help you plan

Got Feedback? Now What? – Thursday, Aug 28  11 AM – 1 PMDrop in to discuss ways to improve reporting such as: Writing great Learning Target statements, and other ways to ensure we capture the best possible snapshot of the important work we do as a partnership. *We especially encourage attendance from those who were given feedback last year, but all are welcome!

Thursday, August 28 · 11:00am – 1:00pm
Time zone: America/New_York
Google Meet joining info
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/tfc-mpyw-dqd
Or dial: ‪(US) +1 417-986-5625‬ PIN: ‪682 667 241‬#

Conversations around Initiatives – Wednesday, September 3rd  11 AM – 2PM Come get inspired and locked in for this year’s work whether it’s Literacy, Graduation/transition, Self Determination/IEP’s, ABC’s (attendance,behavior and course completion,) Post Secondary Success, Building Partnerships and Communications (mostly rookies.) We will have six 30 minute blocks, one per initiative (order will be sent out soon.) Come learn from each other and get excited about this year’s work.  We can get a head start before Kick Off then spend our time together in the most efficient manner. (Translation: Kick Off will be more fun and fulfilling if you already have your feet on the ground and know which direction you are headed in before you arrive!)
Wednesday, September 3 · 11:00am – 2:00pm
Time zone: America/New_York
Google Meet joining info
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/ugo-qjqa-bhm
Or dial: ‪(US) +1 661-527-0019‬ PIN: ‪559 358 469‬#

In 2016 Parent Mentors assembled  a statewide construction team was assembled to focus on past successes, research family engagement practices, and establish a GaPMP Family Engagement Framework. The result was a new uniform planning, implementation, and reporting system that was designed to unify systems in their work, better enable parent mentors to align with initiatives in their home districts and, most importantly focus on improving student outcomes. 

The Family Engagement Toolkit includes

*Evidence to Practice Guides

*Family Pre/Post Surveys, and Family End-of-the-year Survey

*Planning to Implementation Guides 

Each Parent Mentor, with their Special Education Director, selects one goal and two vital behaviors (routine, ongoing actions) related to meeting a goal for their system. The parent mentor then chooses a target group to train and assess learning, by collecting family engagement data from the Pre and Post Surveys, Vital Behaviors and Benchmark data and integration of Family Engagement Standards and Leading By Convening standards. Those data are captured through reports due on October 15, January 15 and April 15.

The result is a process that captures evidence of practices that have the potential for making the most impact in systems utilizing family and community engagement to improve student outcomes.

The GaPMP continues to coach and train Parent Mentors at the local, regional, and state level to support their planned work, in order to make the greatest systemic impact being supported by local efforts.