This document discusses strategies for schools to form successful partnerships between schools, families, and communities to support digital learning initiatives. It outlines a pledge for districts to become future ready by fostering digital learning cultures, improving connectivity and access to technology, providing educators with training, and engaging families and other districts. The rest of the document provides information on effectively partnering with families and communities by establishing shared responsibilities, engaging families in meaningful ways across different learning contexts, and using two-way digital communication tools once necessary infrastructure is in place. Districts are advised to start engagement efforts early in digital learning initiatives and schools can address issues by connecting parents and taking various partnership approaches.

1. Schools + Families + Communities =
Successful Partnerships
#FutureReady

2. Future Ready District Pledge
1. Fostering and Leading a Culture of
Digital Learning Within Our Schools.
2. Helping Schools and Families
Transition to High-speed Connectivity.
3. Empowering Educators through
Professional Learning Opportunities.
4. Accelerating Progress Toward
Universal Access for All Students to
Quality Devices.
6. Offering Digital Tools to Help
Students And Families #ReachHigher.
5. Providing Access to Quality Digital
Content.
7. Mentoring Other Districts and Helping
Them Transition to Digital Learning.

3. Future Ready District Pledge
Community Partnerships
1. Fostering and Leading a Culture of Digital Learning within our Schools
2. Helping Schools and Families Transition to High Speed Connectivity
3. Empowering educators through professional learning opportunities
4. Accelerating Progress Toward Access for All Students to Quality Devices
5. Providing Access to Quality Digital Content
6. Offering Digital Tools to Help Students and Families #ReachHigher
7. Mentoring Other Districts and Helping Them Transition to Digital Learning

4. Community Partnerships

5. Breakout Session Goals
By the end of this session you will be able to:
• Understand effective family and community
engagement strategies
• Demonstrate how to partner with families and
community partners for future ready schools
• Recognize challenges to effective family and
community partnerships
#FutureReady

6. Questions to Ponder
• How are you as a district offering digital
tools to help students and families reach
higher?
• How are you engaging your community in
the digital learning conversation more
broadly?
• What are some examples of policies or
activities in your district that can prepare
parents on the transition to digital learning?
#FutureReady

7. Core Values
• All parents have dreams for their children and
want the best for them.
• All parents have the capacity to support their
children’s learning.
• Parents and school staff should be equal
partners.
• The responsibility for building partnerships
between school and home rest primarily
within the school staff, especially school
leaders.
(Henderson & Mapp, 2008)
#FutureReady

8. Effective Family & Community Engagement
A Shared Responsibility in which:
 Schools and other community agencies and
organizations are committed to engaging
families in meaningful and culturally respectful
ways, and
 Families are committed to actively supporting
their children’s learning and development.
#FutureReady

9. Cradle to Career:
 Continuous across a child’s life, spanning from
Early Head Start programs to college and
career.
#FutureReady

10. Across Contexts:
 Carried out everywhere that children learn –
Home
Pre-kindergarten programs
School
After-school programs
Faith-based organizations
Community programs and activities
#FutureReady

12. It’s All About Partnerships
# gocrickets

13. District
Scenario

14. Recognizing the need to build capacity for
family and community partners, where
should the district start to engage families
and community partners early in the first
year of the Future Ready Initiative?
#FutureReady

15. School
Scenario

16. • What are some approaches that the
principal might take to address the issue?
• How can the school connect parents and
community using digital tools for two-way
communication?
• What does the school and district need to
have in place prior to implementing digital
tools?
#FutureReady

18. Closing Reflection: PIE
P: Priceless piece of information
What has been the most important piece of information
for you today?
I: Item to Implement
What is something you intend to implement from our time
today?
E: Encouragement I received
What is something that you are already doing that you
were encouraged to keep doing?

19. Questions?
Renee’ Jackson, Ed.D.
rjackson@pta.org
@reneelajackson
Joe Mazza, Ed.D.
mazzajos@gse.upenn.edu
@Joe_Mazza
#FutureReady