Districts: safe & friendly

Use the magnifying glass in the top right corner to search for specific tools using key words. 

Building a Safe Environment - Provides a tool kit that addresses methods to prevent, assess and respond to bullying behaviors in the educational setting. The toolkit includes family and community engagement strategies through Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports. https://www.stopbullying.gov/prevention/at-school/build-safe-environment/index.html 

Measuring School Climate - The Comprehensive School Climate Inventory (CSCI) is a nationally-recognized school climate survey that provides an in-depth profile of your school community’s particular strengths, as well as areas for improvement. With the CSCI, you can quickly and accurately assess student, parent/ guardian, and school personnel perceptions in order to get the data that you need to make informed decisions for lasting improvement. https://www.schoolclimate.org/services/measuring-school-climate-csci 

Research Matters: The Power of Parental Expectations - This article discusses research highlighting parents' expectations as the most important factor in student success, and the author suggests schools model respectful communication with families and support them in helping their children internalize high aspirations. http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/sept17/vol75/num01/The-Power-of-Parental-Expectations.aspx 

Creating a Safe, Inclusive and Supportive Learning Environment - This activity and guidance are designed to support teachers to create a safe, inclusive and supportive learning environments in which to explore a wide variety of topics, values and concepts. https://www.redcross.org.uk/get-involved/teaching-resources/creating-a-safe-inclusive-and-supportive-learning-environment 

8 Ways to Encourage Family Engagement in Secondary Schools- a blog about 8 tips for secondary schools to encourage family engagement https://www.edutopia.org/blog/8-ways-encourage-family-engagement-secondary-schools-heather-wolpert-gawron 

School Safety - The Arkansas Department of Education has resources available for school safety. Visit the School Safety webpage for resources and potential partners.https://dese.ade.arkansas.gov/Offices/communications/safety

Getting Started With Trauma-Informed Practices (Video) - When teachers use strategies tailored to children who have experienced trauma, all students reap the emotional and academic benefits. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWIV3wWygS4 

How High-Poverty Schools can Engage Families-a short article with tips for high-poverty schools to engage families https://www.edutopia.org/blog/high-poverty-schools-engage-families-community-william-parrett-kathleen-budge 

The Power of Relationships in Schools (Video) - Research shows that students who feel safe and supported by adults at school are better able to learn. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzvm1m8zq5g 

School-based Coordinators Link Students to Community Resources- Learn firsthand to manage support and services that go beyond the classroom from Ms. Ingrid Thomas’s experiences as a school-based support coordinator for Communities. https://www.kappanonline.org/walter-school-based-coordinators-community-resources/ 

Webinar Series: Achieving Excellence & Innovation in Family, School, & Community Engagement -  9 different webinars from transforming schools to actually engaging all stakeholders;  https://www.sedl.org/connections/engagement_webinars 

Teacher of the Year discusses Family Engagement vs Family Involvement (Video - Jessica Solano, 2017 Florida Teacher of the Year         https://youtu.be/1zILvq4YpyM 

It Takes a Community:  Community Schools Provide Opportunities for All- A community school provides both the familiar K-12 curriculum and a much broader range of supports to students and families — high-quality academic instruction, and mentoring, health care, college and career counseling, financial advising, and much more. In many cases, the community school serves as a neighborhood hub, bringing together educators, families, business leaders, elected officials, and many other local partners to ensure that students have real opportunities to succeed in school and in life .https://www.kappanonline.org/reuben-jacobson-it-takes-community-schools/ 

Community Schools as an Effective School Improvement Strategy: A Review of the Evidence - The U.S. Dept of Education cites this study in the release of its funding for full-service community schools. The study establishes the ESSA evidence-base for community school as an effective school improvement strategy. https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/community-schools-effective-school-improvement-brief 

Creating a Safe and Respectful Environment in Our Nation's Classrooms - Includes two modules trainers can use to address bullying in classrooms.  Specifically, it is designed to assist teachers in cultivating meaningful relationships with students while creating a positive climate in the classroom. Sponsored By: U.S Department of Education https://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/creating-safe-and-respectful-environment-our-nations-classrooms 

Educating Our Children Together/A Sourcebook for Effective Family-School-Community Partnerships - Provides practical information for parents and families, educators and administrators, and individuals involved in programs that support partnerships between families, schools and communities. It was developed to support and promote creative solutions through the sharing of resources and information about family-school-community partnerships. High goals for educational programs and services for students with disabilities is a highlighted feature in this guidance document. (2003) http://www.p12.nysed.gov/specialed/publications/persprep/cadre.pdf 

Dept of Ed School Climate Surveys - Questionnaires for students, instructional staff, and non-instructional staff/principal cover 3 domains (engagement, safety, and environment) and 13 topics. https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/edscls/questionnaires.asp 

How Family, School, and Community Engagement can Improve Student Achievement and Influence School Reform - This literature review strives to address the following two questions: 1) What are the key components of promising family-school partnerships that support school- and district-level reform? and 2) How do promising partnerships involve families and communities in education reform? https://uj9a82.p3cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Final-Report-Family-Engagement-AIR-1.pdf

District Leaders Supporting Two-Way Communication - District leaders can use this document to guide them as they develop policies at the District level, as well as to support efforts to interact directly with families. District leaders can use two-way communication to learn about families’ experiences in being engaged in the process of supporting their child in the formative assessment process, and to surface the cultural considerations necessary for effective communication. https://files.nc.gov/dpi/documents/enhanced-assessment/family-engagement/two-way-comm-support.pdf

How to Support Immigrant Students and Families: Strategies for Schools and Early Childhood Programs - Across the country, educators are looking for ways to support immigrant students and families facing great uncertainty. This comprehensive guide includes more than 50 strategies that educators, staff, and administrators can use to ensure that schools and early childhood settings remain safe, welcoming places for immigrant students and their families.http://www.colorincolorado.org/immigration/guide#topics 

Guide for Developing High Quality School Emergency Operations Plans - These guides align and build upon years of emergency planning work by the Federal government and are the first joint product of DHS, DOJ, ED and HHS on this critical topic. The guides are customized to each type of community, incorporate lessons learned from recent incidents, and respond to the needs and concerns voiced by stakeholders following the shootings in Newtown and Oak Creek and the tornadoes in Oklahoma. https://rems.ed.gov/K12GuideForDevelHQSchool.aspx vvvv

Criminal Justice Institute - Arkansas Center for School Safety - The University of Arkansas has partnered with CJI to offer classes to educators, SRO's and law enforcement offers, and civilians.  The classes attend to subjects such as site assessments, law enforcement response to special needs individuals, juvenile law and changing school climates.  Online and onsite classes offered. https://arsafeschools.com/safe-schools-program/ 

Community Engagement in the Digital Age (Presentation) - This information on good communication was presented by Mr. Joe Quinn at the Arkansas School Board Association annual meeting in 2018.  https://drive.google.com/open?id=1DJGxwGIV9dhiOoGD29hMBBswZUmPftlp 

Rubric for Family Leadership and School Governance (pdf) – This rubric can help assess how a school community is doing in relation to 7 foundations of family engagement:  communication, strengthening relationships and capacity, connecting learning at home and at school, recognizing the role of the family, shared decision making, collaborating with community, and participating.  https://www.aps.edu/family-engagement-collaborative/documents/family-engagement-best-practices-rubric-with-action-plan

School-based Coordinators Link Students to Community Resources- Learn firsthand to manage support and services that go beyond the classroom from Ms. Ingrid Thomas’s experiences as a school-based support coordinator for Communities. https://www.kappanonline.org/walter-school-based-coordinators-community-resources/ 

Laying the Foundation: Building Trust Between Families and Schools - This article provides research-based strategies for building relationships between schools and diverse families. http://www.adlit.org/article/21522/#foundation

Progressing Parental Engagement School Fact Sheet -Building a strong culture of parent-school engagement. https://www.education.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/807431/150897-Building-a-Strong-Culture-of-Parent-School-Engagement_2.pdf 

It Takes a Community:  Community Schools Provide Opportunities for All- A community school provides both the familiar K-12 curriculum and a much broader range of supports to students and families — high-quality academic instruction, and mentoring, health care, college and career counseling, financial advising, and much more. In many cases, the community school serves as a neighborhood hub, bringing together educators, families, business leaders, elected officials, and many other local partners to ensure that students have real opportunities to succeed in school and in life .https://www.kappanonline.org/reuben-jacobson-it-takes-community-schools/ 

Community Schools as an Effective School Improvement Strategy: A Review of the Evidence - The U.S. Dept of Education cites this study in the release of its funding for full-service community schools. The study establishes the ESSA evidence-base for community school as an effective school improvement strategy. https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/community-schools-effective-school-improvement-brief 

How Family, School, and Community Engagement Can Improve Student Achievement and Influence School Reform. 2017 report shows how to most effectively engage families, and which family engagement strategies lead to school improvement and increased student achievement. https://uj9a82.p3cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Final-Report-Family-Engagement-AIR-1.pdf

Educating Our Children Together/A Sourcebook for Effective Family-School-Community Partnerships - Provides practical information for parents and families, educators and administrators, and individuals involved in programs that support partnerships between families, schools and communities. It was developed to support and promote creative solutions through the sharing of resources and information about family-school-community partnerships. High goals for educational programs and services for students with disabilities is a highlighted feature in this guidance document. (2003) http://www.p12.nysed.gov/specialed/publications/persprep/cadre.pdf 

Parent-Teacher Conferences: Strategies for Principals, Teachers, and Parents - Global Family Research Project views parent-teacher conferences in terms of the 5Rs: reach out, raise up, reinforce, relate, and reimagine. Applying these approaches can lead to innovative ways to partner with families to ensure that they receive the information they need to help their children, and that teachers understand their students’ strengths and needs. https://globalfrp.org/content/download/402/3731/file/GFRPTipSheet_ParentTeacherConference.pdf 

Strategies for Family Engagement: Attitudes and Practices - This document provides Early Childhood strategies for family engagement by focusing on strengths-based attitudes and relationship-based practices. Examples demonstrate what providers could do or say to integrate Strengths-based Attitudes and Relationship-based Practices into their interactions with families. https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/strategies-family-engagement-attitudes-practices.pdf 

Webinar Series: Achieving Excellence & Innovation in Family, School, & Community Engagement -  9 different webinars from transforming schools to actually engaging all stakeholders;  https://www.sedl.org/connections/engagement_webinars 

District Leaders Supporting Two-Way Communication - District leaders can use this document to guide them as they develop policies at the District level, as well as to support efforts to interact directly with families. District leaders can use two-way communication to learn about families’ experiences in being engaged in the process of supporting their child in the formative assessment process, and to surface the cultural considerations necessary for effective communication. https://files.nc.gov/dpi/documents/enhanced-assessment/family-engagement/two-way-comm-support.pdf

Creating a Culture of Two-Way Communication - Designed for principals to review and reflect on implementing two-way communication with families. The resource includes research-based information, a discussion template, and a self-assessment tool for principals to utilize alone or with colleagues. https://files.nc.gov/dpi/documents/enhanced-assessment/family-engagement/two-way-comm-culture.pdf 

How to Support Immigrant Students and Families: Strategies for Schools and Early Childhood Programs - Across the country, educators are looking for ways to support immigrant students and families facing great uncertainty. This comprehensive guide includes more than 50 strategies that educators, staff, and administrators can use to ensure that schools and early childhood settings remain safe, welcoming places for immigrant students and their families.http://www.colorincolorado.org/immigration/guide#topics 

2023 Prevention Resource Guide - The 2023 Prevention Resource Guide is designed to help individuals and organizations in every community strengthen families and prevent child abuse and neglect. The Resource Guide focuses on protective factors that build on family strengths to foster healthy child and youth development. https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/preventing/preventionmonth/resources/resource-guide/

Community Engagement in the Digital Age (Presentation) - This information on good communication was presented by Mr. Joe Quinn at the Arkansas School Board Association annual meeting in 2018.  https://drive.google.com/open?id=1DJGxwGIV9dhiOoGD29hMBBswZUmPftlp 

20 tips to help you begin the process of developing relationships with families - Edutopia has a list of tips for educators and schools to use as you begin creating relationships with families.  https://www.edutopia.org/blog/20-tips-developing-positive-relationships-parents-elena-aguilar 

Every Student Succeeds Act Primer: Parent and Community Engagement - This fact sheet has questions parents can ask education leaders (at the school, district, and state level) about ways families can be involved in developing plans and policies. http://all4ed.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/NAACP_ESSA-Primer-Parent-and-Community-Engagement.pdf 

Parents Make a Difference Newsletters - Check out the newsletters available by month and by grade level for parents/families provided by the Wynne School District. Click Explore, Parents/Students, Parent Center, Information/Resources, and Newsletters/Parent Pointers. The newsletters are full of information for parents to help their children succeed academically at their convenience. https://www.wynneschools.org/o/wsd/page/information-resources 

Educating Our Children Together/A Sourcebook for Effective Family-School-Community Partnerships - Provides practical information for parents and families, educators and administrators, and individuals involved in programs that support partnerships between families, schools and communities. It was developed to support and promote creative solutions through the sharing of resources and information about family-school-community partnerships. High goals for educational programs and services for students with disabilities is a highlighted feature in this guidance document. (2003) http://www.p12.nysed.gov/specialed/publications/persprep/cadre.pdf 

Parental Involvement Tips on District Webpage - Strategies for parents/families to work with their children to improve students' academic success are provided on the Wynne School District webpage.  Click Explore, Parents/Students; Parent Center; Information/Resources, and Parent Involvement Tips. https://www.wynneschools.org/o/wsd/page/information-resources 

Progressing Parental Engagement School Fact Sheet -Building a strong culture of parent-school engagement. https://www.education.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/807431/150897-Building-a-Strong-Culture-of-Parent-School-Engagement_2.pdf 

Webinar Series: Achieving Excellence & Innovation in Family, School, & Community Engagement -  9 different webinars from transforming schools to actually engaging all stakeholders;  https://www.sedl.org/connections/engagement_webinars 

Parent-Teacher Conferences: Strategies for Principals, Teachers, and Parents - Global Family Research Project views parent-teacher conferences in terms of the 5Rs: reach out, raise up, reinforce, relate, and reimagine. Applying these approaches can lead to innovative ways to partner with families to ensure that they receive the information they need to help their children, and that teachers understand their students’ strengths and needs. https://globalfrp.org/content/download/402/3731/file/GFRPTipSheet_ParentTeacherConference.pdf 

How Family, School, and Community Engagement can Improve Student Achievement and Influence School Reform - This literature review strives to address the following two questions: 1) What are the key components of promising family-school partnerships that support school- and district-level reform? and 2) How do promising partnerships involve families and communities in education reform? https://uj9a82.p3cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Final-Report-Family-Engagement-AIR-1.pdf

District Leaders Supporting Two-Way Communication - District leaders can use this document to guide them as they develop policies at the District level, as well as to support efforts to interact directly with families. District leaders can use two-way communication to learn about families’ experiences in being engaged in the process of supporting their child in the formative assessment process, and to surface the cultural considerations necessary for effective communication. https://files.nc.gov/dpi/documents/enhanced-assessment/family-engagement/two-way-comm-support.pdf

How Family, School, and Community Engagement Can Improve Student Achievement and Influence School Reform. 2017 report shows how to most effectively engage families, and which family engagement strategies lead to school improvement and increased student achievement. https://www.nmefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Final-Report-Family-Engagement-AIR.pdf

2023 Prevention Resource Guide - The 2023 Prevention Resource Guide is designed to help individuals and organizations in every community strengthen families and prevent child abuse and neglect. The Resource Guide focuses on protective factors that build on family strengths to foster healthy child and youth development. https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/preventing/preventionmonth/resources/resource-guide/