a. Develop data systems that are accessible to each and every family

b. Create conversations around developmental and academic progress

c. Expand on family learning in the home and community

Adams, K. S., & Christenson, S. L. (1998). Differences in parent and teacher trust levels: Implications for creating collaborative family-school relationships. Special Services in the Schools, 14(1-2), 1-22.

Davidson, K., & Case, M. (2018). Building trust, elevating voices, and sharing power in family partnership. Phi Delta Kappan, 99(6), 49-53.

McWilliams, L., & Patton, C. (2015). How to share data with families. Educational Leadership, 73(3), 46-49.

• How important do you think it is to share data on community, school and individual student progress with families? Do you think that they are interested in this information?

• Do you think most parents or families engage in learning activities at home that support what children are learning at school? What other learning takes place at home that might not be recognized by teachers or valued by our educational system?

• Do you think that most parents have positive associations with the education system? Why might some parents be reluctant to engage with teachers and schools based upon their own experiences?

This section includes three activities followed by scenarios inspired by parent feedback. 

Activity 1: Understanding Data

• Light: Prospective teachers should look up data on a specific school utilizing sources available to families or community members (ex: TDOE Report Card).

  • Look at student demographics and achievement. What stands out? What surprises you? How well does the school seem to be serving all students?

• Medium: Prospective teachers should obtain an example of an individual student assessment report (TCAP, AIMS Webb, etc.)

  • What does the data tell you about this child’s academic development?

  • What does the data NOT capture about this child’s abilities or interests?

  • Generate some questions you would want to ask families about their child based on this report in order to gain a more complete picture of their child’s abilities and ways to best engage them in learning.

• Deep Dive: Prospective teachers should research how well the school district in which you teach serves all student groups.

  • What have been the demographic trends in the district in the past ten years?

  • Are there certain groups of students that have traditionally been underserved, and have consistently lower academic progress or graduation rates?

  • What does the disciplinary data look like for each student group? (gender, race/ethnicity, English Learners, and SPED)

  • What initiatives or efforts have taken place in your district to address differences in resources or achievement by student group? Have they been successful?

Activity 2: Discuss Data

• Light: Prospective teachers should find a resource that explains grade-level expectations in one domain in caregiver-friendly language.

• Medium: Prospective teachers should investigate how school and student-level data is shared with families. 

  • Is this information shared digitally or sent home on paper?

  • Is the information discussed with parents and do they have time to ask questions? Do the opportunities to discuss student progress take place at accessible times for all parents?

  • Is this data accessible in different languages? Is it accessible and understandable to parents with lower levels of education?

• Deep Dive: Prospective teachers should walk a family through a standardized assessment report for their child. 

  • What does the data say?

  •  Does the family feel that data represents their child’s abilities accurately? 

  • What strengths or abilities does the child have that are not captured by the assessment? How can those be leveraged to help the child’s learning?

  • How can the data help inform next steps for their child?

Activity 3: Family Learning Systems

• Light: Prospective teachers should make a list of ideas for supporting extended learning at home for families.  

  • What resources (online and locally) are available that you might provide to families that would help them assist students in learning?

  • Are these resources available in multiple languages? Are they accessible if families do not have access to reliable internet or computers?

• Medium:  Prospective teachers should identify three at-home activities that go alongside a unit you are developing in the classroom.  

  • Do these activities require resources (including extended time) that the family may not have access to?

  • Do these activities reflect a variety of home cultures?

  • How could you connect a learning objective in the classroom with cultural elements or routines that may already be taking place in many home environments?

• Deep Dive: Prospective teachers should have a conversation with a parent to learn about what type of learning is going on at home, and together develop ideas for activities at home and school that could reinforce an age appropriate skill or topic. 

  • What has the caregiver noticed about how a child learns at home? Are their ways of learning and engaging that are working at home that can be utilized in the classroom?

  • How does the caregiver think that the classroom environment could be adjusted to better serve the needs of their child?

  • Does the caregiver see value in what is being taught in the classroom? Does it feel applicable to their life and culture? Why or why not? How could that connection be strengthened?

Scenario 3:  Reflect on your own experiences – what was the first thing you and/or your family learned about school data?  How did that impact you?  What might you wish had been done differently?

Scenario 4: If you overheard friends talking about living in a neighborhood with a “good” or “bad” school, how might you engage that person to paint a more holistic picture of school data systems?