Welcome to the EduVerse with ProfessorJBA. This series is designed for parents and caregivers in an effort to inform them about the various roles and aspects of the educational landscape to ensure that caregivers can make informed decisions regarding their child(ren)’s education.

It’s all about engagement at the end of the day for parents. Choosing or enrolling in your local school is a big deal for parents. This is why such areas such as welcoming environment, good school culture, diversity and inclusion are important in how parents and students connect with the school.

I believe that every school should have a family and community engagement team. A team at the school designed to ensure students, teachers, educators, along with parents and community members are working together.

Family engagement should be not treated a secondary obligation; it’s should be a primary focus!

Here’s why it’s important for your school to have a FACT (Family and Community Engagement Team)

Every school in Indianapolis should have a FACT to help ensure:

1. Literacy isn’t an issue for students.
2. Families are included in building a welcoming school environment,
3. Families are engaged in a way that lead to their children’s post K-12 success.

Parents across Marion County expressed concerns about learning loss over the last few years of the pandemic. Literacy is one of those areas. Schools should have librarians where students have access to phyical and digitial resources. A push for literacy means school districts must invest in school library programs and resources to help teachers and educators to fill in the gaps for student literacy especially those students who have learning disabilities. Families can help by pressing the issue with the school and by talking to legislators about school funding.

Schools that don’t have a culture of learning or celebrate and integrate currciulum from different cultures aren’t schools where the learning gap will be closed. Building a strong school culture that is welcoming, inclusive and diverse helps students to succeed.

Last, success after K-12 is different for each family. School leaders and teachers have no way of knowing what success is if they don’t get to know parents and engage them in conversation about their families’ values and educational goals for their children.

Teachers are slammed with the academic, and this is why a family and community engagement team is crucial at every school.