Alignment Team Work
Parent Engagement Alignment Team
Students with engaged parents are more likely to succeed academically and socially.
We know that 1.3 million high school students drop out of school each year (America’s Promise Alliance, 2015). Parent engagement in schools has proven to have a positive impact on student success and has even been linked to good student health (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012). Research has shown that students with engaged parents/families are more likely to have:
- higher grade point averages and scores on standardized tests
- enrollment in more challenging academic programs,
- more classes passed and credits earned
- better attendance
- improved behavior at home and at school
- better social skills and adaptation to school*.
The Metropolitan Nashville Public School (MNPS) system is a large, urban district that serves more than 87,000 students from various income, ethnic and racial backgrounds; engaging parents is particularly important for English learners and students from low-income families.
- The Parent Engagement Alignment Team works to identify and remove barriers to acquiring accurate school-related information and the necessary skills for parents/caregivers to be their child's best teacher and advocate. The primary tactic employed to achieve this is Parent University, which the Parent Engagement A-Team supported for the 7th year in summer 2015.
- The mission of Parent University is to provide MNPS parents and caregivers training, resources, and access to skills and services that grow, achieve and empower greater levels of advocacy for children, schools and community. Parent University is offered to MNPS parents and caregivers at no cost and provides training, information, and resources that are directly linked to student learning.
The Parent Engagement A- Team released an Invitation to Participate (ITP™) to solicit workshop proposals for the summer 2015 conference. There were a total of 23 responses to the online ITP™ that were received. Of these responses, the A-Team reviewed 19 and 10 were accepted. At the conference, there were a total of 37 workshops that were presented on that day.
LONG TERM OUTCOME:
Increased High School Graduation Rates
Improved College Readiness
Children's Health and Wellness
After participating in Parent University:
Nearly 800 parents/caregivers, community partners, students and school personnel participated in Parent University 2015. There were a total of 37 total workshops that were offered at the conference, including an inspiring keynote address given by Tennessee’s Commission of Education, Dr. Candice McQueen. The workshops that were offered supported one or more of the following key areas:
- Academic Readiness
- Social and Emotional
- Leadership Advocacy
- Health Matters
- Social Media & Technology
During break and lunch times, 30 community partners hosted booths to offer participants additional information about services in the Nashville community.
Parent/Caregiver Feedback
This conference should be mandatory for all parents of every student regardless of age. It provided critical and necessary information!
-MNPS Parent
I enjoyed learning something to help my grandchild get ready to be successful in school.
-MNPS Grandparent
The workshop facilitator was GREAT! She keep us engaged, made the session fun and gave us useful information we can use with our children.
-MNPS Parent
Thank you. The service provided by the vendor was a ‘right on time service’.
-MNPS Parent
Parent University is institutionalized within MNPS; the A-Team will continue to engage community partners for future events, but they are also working to infuse effective engagement into the work of all Alignment Teams. Members of the Parent Engagement A-Team have been assigned to each A-Team to inform their parent engagement efforts and create a comprehensive Pre-K – 12 parent engagement plan that is woven into the work of all Alignment Teams.
PARENT ENGAGEMENT A-TEAM MEMBERS
Gini Pupo-Walker, Chair, Metro Nashville Public Schools
Nancy Dickson, Vice Chair, Vanderbilt University - Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program
Elizabeth Atack, Bringing Books to Life
Ellen Bohle, Metro Nashville Public Schools
Olivia Brown, Metro Nashville Public Schools
Kathy Buggs, Office of Congressman Jim Cooper
Pam Burgess, Metro Nashville Public Schools
Allison Buzard, Metro Nashville Public Schools
Allison Cantway, Nashville International Center for Empowerment
Belinda Hotchkiss, Vanderbilt University Kennedy Center
Alison McArthur, Metro Nashville Public Schools
Monica McLaurine, T.O.T.A.L.
Kristen Neal, Vanderbilt University
Gerry Scott, YMCA of Middle Tennessee
Fallon Wilson, Hope Community Development Corporation
Cam Wingfield, Metro Nashville Public Schools
PARENT ENGAGEMENT PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS
College Savings 529 Program
Davidson County Community Advisory Board
End Slavery Tennessee
Family Voices of Tennessee
GetCoveredNashville
GetCoveredTN
Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee
International Center for Empowerment
Law Office of Jennifer Wade
Marian University Nashville @ St. Thomas Health
Metro Action Commission
Metro Police Departmentm El Proctor
Metro Public Health Dept. School Health Program
Metro Student Attendance Center
Metro Transit Authority
MNPS Cluster Support Team
MNPS EL Services
MNPS Exceptional Education
MNPS Instructional Support Services
MNPS Office of English Learners
MNPS Research, Assessment & Evaluation
MNPS Social & Emotional Learning
Nashville Academy of Reflexology
Nashville Adult Literacy
Nashville Emergency Communications/SMART 911
Nashville Juvenile Court
Nashville OIC (Opportunties Industrialization Center)
Nashville Public Library
Pregnancy Care Center
Regional Intervention Program
Salama Urban Ministries, Inc.
STEP (Support and Training for Exceptional Parents)
Stronger Than My Father, Inc.
The Family Center
Tennessee Governor's Children's Cabinet
Tennessee Stars
Tennessee Student Assistance Corp.
United HealthCare
YWCA of Nashville and Middle Tennessee
For more information, contact Jaleesa Johnson, Alignment Team Coordinator.