Parent read alouds of multicultural books promote family literacy, bring #ParentsTeachersTogether Please join Teaching for Change for a discussion of the Roving Readers program on Wednesday, April 22, 2015 at 9pm EST. The chat, hosted by the Institute for Educational Leadership, will give insights for schools that want to implement Roving Readers, a program to bring parents into the classroom to read …
Breaking Barriers of Race, Class, and Language in Schools
On July 21, 2015, Teaching for Change hosted a special event, “Race, Class, and Language: Breaking Barriers to Family Engagement in D.C.,” a briefing over breakfast with community stakeholders about the impact of gentrification and systemic inequities on full parental participation in schools. The event featured case studies from the 2015-2016 school year at schools …
A New Tradition for Families Going to Middle School
On May 29, 2015, breakfast greeted the fifth grade parents at Tyler Elementary (DCPS) a, first-year Tellin’ Stories partner school. The cheerful spread was part of a new tradition the teachers hoped to start for families preparing to make the leap from elementary to middle school: the Fifth Grade Family Promotional Breakfast. Earlier in the …
An Outside Perspective on a Tellin’ Stories School
Just after the start of the school day on June 5, 2015, more than 20 parents gathered in the large meeting room to share their triumphs and challenges from the 2014-2015 school year at Thomson Elementary’s (DCPS) final Parent-Principal Chit Chat for the school year. The hour long breakfast meetings were established three years ago through …
Parents Visit Classrooms Throughout the School
The parents at Tellin’ Stories third-year partner school Thomson Elementary (DCPS) sat with anticipation for their meeting with the principal. On Friday, May 8, 2015, they gathered in the school cafeteria with Principal Carmen Shepherd and interpreters for a special Parent-Principal Chit Chat. “We’re going to do class visits today, because that’s something you requested—to see more …
Victory Stolen from Ward 8 Community: Parents Fight Again for Orr ES Modernization
Orr Elementary School (DCPS) parents in Washington, D.C.’s Ward 8 have organized for many years to have the building modernized. Orr, with an almost entirely low-income African American student population, is among the last open floor plan schools in the District. Built in 1974, it has never been modernized. The dedicated, high quality administration and teaching staff make …
Twitter Chat on Roving Readers Program April 22, 2015
Parent read alouds of multicultural books promote family literacy, bring #ParentsTeachersTogether Please join Teaching for Change for a discussion of the Roving Readers program on Wednesday, April 22, 2015 at 9pm EST. The chat, hosted by the Institute for Educational Leadership, will give insights for schools that want to implement Roving Readers, a program to bring parents into the classroom to read …
Participatory Principal Selection Process
Maria squeezed into the packed Parent Center at Bruce Monroe at Park View Elementary School in D.C. on Friday morning. She came to find out how she can be involved in choosing the school’s next principal in an interactive session led by Teaching for Change that brought to life information DCPS shared the previous week via PowerPoint. As Dr. …
Welcoming Immigrant Students Into the Classroom
This blog post was originally posted on Edutopia.org by Sara Burnett of the Community Education Center of the American Immigration Council and contains useful recommendations in line with the Tellin’ Stories approach to family engagement. The photos are from the day-to-day work of Teaching for Change in schools in the D.C. metro area. Read about …
Welcome Back Breakfast: Parents and Staff Meet and Greet
Do you remember those long evenings, seated in the auditorium at Back to School Night? Were you struggling to keep from nodding off while one school administrator after another took the stage to tell you all you need to know about the school rules and expectations? By the end of the evening, school staff and parents alike are tired …
Meyer Foundation Spotlights Teaching for Change’s Storytelling Efforts
In a recently released report, the Eugene and Agnes Meyer Foundation celebrated efforts by Teaching for Change to expand the impact of our parent engagement work through storytelling. Sharing stories is an integral part of Tellin’ Stories, Teaching for Change’s parent engagement approach, but it had not been a core piece of the organization’s communications …