Schools/Programs: safe & friendly

Resources are organized according to the order in which they are received.

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

6 Ways to Promote and Maintain a Great School Safety Club - Infographic shows six ways students or teachers can implement a safety club in their school. 

https://media.wix.com/ugd/a29b13_6bded04b43e941f3855d2deed0cfcd03.pdf

The Arkansas Guide for Promoting Family Engagement  - Supporting infants, toddlers, and pre-school children and their families during transitions to achieve school readiness and to sustain learning gains through third grade. http://www.arheadstart.org/AR.FE.Final%20Version%20(1).pdf 

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 

La Guia De Arkansas Para La Promoción de la Participación Familiar - Apoyando a los bebés, niños pequeños y niños en edad preescolar y sus familias, durante las transiciones, para lograr la preparación escolar y para sostener las ganancias de aprendizaje hasta el tercer grado. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1czwn8qBJM7nOCUkkU219OMLsbhjdFLRL/view?usp=sharing 

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 

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 

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.http://www.arkansased.gov/divisions/communications/safety

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 

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

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 

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 

How Making Kindness a Priority Benefits Students – “Kids learn more when kindness and tolerance run through a school culture and the school community functions so much better when kids have strong social-emotional skills.” Having empathy, being able to consider another’s perspective, and managing one’s own emotions and actions, all of which are connected to kindness, are linked to academic success. https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/48259/how-making-kindness-a-priority-benefits-students 

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 

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

What Can Be Done To Improve Parent-Teacher Communication? – “Light-touch" communication (quick texts, calls, or emails) establishing positive and proactive communication between school and home can make a big difference in students' outcomes. https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/42715/what-can-be-done-to-improve-parent-teacher-communication 

U.S. Department of Education Newcomer Toolkit - This tool kit can help U.S. educators and others who work directly with immigrant students and their families. It is designed to help elementary and secondary teachers, principals, and other school staff. https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oela/newcomers-toolkit/ncomertoolkit.pdf 

Scaffolding Discussion Skills With a Socratic Circle (Video) - Students deepen their understanding and build a sense of community by engaging with their peers’ reasoned arguments. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3IBLKYaK1E 

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 

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 

Fostering Belonging With Classroom Norms (Video) - When students help create their classrooms' rules and culture, they’re more engaged and invested in learning. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRXYc4xmvwg 

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/ 

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 

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://nmefoundation.org/how-family-school-and-community-engagement-can-improve-student-achievement-and-influence-school-reform/

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 

Making Immigrant Students and Families Feel Welcome - Schools can use a variety of strategies to get to know immigrant families and let them know they are welcome in the school community. Sharing these messages of support during times of uncertainty can strengthen relationships, make communication and problem-solving more effective, and impact student attendance and family engagement. https://www.colorincolorado.org/immigration/guide/welcome

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 

Black Parents Want to be Involved but Schools Need to be More Welcoming- short video of interviews from the parent perspective https://youtu.be/wPUVM0VGMZY 

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 

The Arkansas Guide for Promoting Family Engagement  - Supporting infants, toddlers, and pre-school children and their families during transitions to achieve school readiness and to sustain learning gains through third grade. http://www.arheadstart.org/AR.FE.Final%20Version%20(1).pdf 

La Guia De Arkansas Para La Promoción de la Participación Familiar - Apoyando a los bebés, niños pequeños y niños en edad preescolar y sus familias, durante las transiciones, para lograr la preparación escolar y para sostener las ganancias de aprendizaje hasta el tercer grado. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1czwn8qBJM7nOCUkkU219OMLsbhjdFLRL/view?usp=sharing 

Mental Health Services Family Nights - The families that receive mental health services in our building filled out a survey of parenting strategies they need in their life.  Once a month, all the families get together to watch a funny parenting video that has been created by the MH team, and then they split up into small groups to discuss parenting strategies.  The kids have an activity like Karate or building with Legos while the parents learn. https://youtu.be/Jok6UAjqsP0 

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 

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

How Making Kindness a Priority Benefits Students – “Kids learn more when kindness and tolerance run through a school culture and the school community functions so much better when kids have strong social-emotional skills.” Having empathy, being able to consider another’s perspective, and managing one’s own emotions and actions, all of which are connected to kindness, are linked to academic success. https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/48259/how-making-kindness-a-priority-benefits-students 

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://nmefoundation.org/how-family-school-and-community-engagement-can-improve-student-achievement-and-influence-school-reform/

What Can Be Done To Improve Parent-Teacher Communication? – “Light-touch" communication (quick texts, calls, or emails) establishing positive and proactive communication between school and home can make a big difference in students' outcomes. https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/42715/what-can-be-done-to-improve-parent-teacher-communication 

5 Benefits of Human-Designed thinking for Family Engagement - Human-centered design puts families at the center of individual and organizational practice. It is a process that is intentional about engaging families and including their voices. https://globalfrp.org/content/download/509/4350/file/GFRP_HCD4FE.pdf 

Fostering Belonging With Classroom Norms (Video) - When students help create their classrooms' rules and culture, they’re more engaged and invested in learning. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRXYc4xmvwg 

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/ 

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 

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 

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 

Ten Strategies for Supporting Immigrant Students and Families -  These key strategies for schools and early childhood centers support immigrant families.  http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/ten-strategies-supporting-immigrant-students-and-families 

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 

The Arkansas Guide for Promoting Family Engagement  - Supporting infants, toddlers, and pre-school children and their families during transitions to achieve school readiness and to sustain learning gains through third grade. http://www.arheadstart.org/AR.FE.Final%20Version%20(1).pdf 

La Guia De Arkansas Para La Promoción de la Participación Familiar - Apoyando a los bebés, niños pequeños y niños en edad preescolar y sus familias, durante las transiciones, para lograr la preparación escolar y para sostener las ganancias de aprendizaje hasta el tercer grado. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1czwn8qBJM7nOCUkkU219OMLsbhjdFLRL/view?usp=sharing 

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 

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 

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://nmefoundation.org/how-family-school-and-community-engagement-can-improve-student-achievement-and-influence-school-reform/

What Can Be Done To Improve Parent-Teacher Communication? – “Light-touch" communication (quick texts, calls, or emails) establishing positive and proactive communication between school and home can make a big difference in students' outcomes. https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/42715/what-can-be-done-to-improve-parent-teacher-communication 

Developing Agency With Student-Led Conferences (Video) - When students lead meetings with their parents and teachers, they gain a voice in their education and develop skills like goal-setting and metacognition. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ju0GlA7wE3w 

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 

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 

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 

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://nmefoundation.org/how-family-school-and-community-engagement-can-improve-student-achievement-and-influence-school-reform/

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/