Family Engagement plan
A FAMILY ENGAGEMENT PLAN TAKES PLACE AT rISE aCADEMY!
Pre-k fAMILY eNGAGEMENT PLAN
The Rise Academy Pre-K Program is a structured, academically focused preschool. It is not a daycare or a drop-in center. Learning takes place each day, and this learning is cumulative. The purpose of the Rise Pre-K Program is to prepare students for our academy’s accelerated kindergarten program and beyond. By the end of the year, Rise pre-K 4 students should be functioning at a skill level equivalent to most other schools’ kindergarten students at year’s end. To reach this goal, it is important that students are on time and in regular attendance. It is also important that parents and teachers work together as much as possible to facilitate the early learning of our youngest students.
PLAN COMPONENTS:
1. Facilitate Family to Family Support
The Rise Pre-K Program offers a safe and respectful environment where families can learn from each other as individuals and in groups as they share educational and career experiences.
Strategies Include:
- Parent orientation/meet the teacher sessions
- Holiday parties
- Campus book fairs
- School-wide community festivals/minority vendor events
- Black history program
- End-of-year on-campus events
2. Establish a Network of Community Resources
The Rise Academy leadership and staff go about the business of providing a rigorous, college preparatory educational program regardless of what other organizations or community groups are doing. When parent/student needs arise, our school will work with neighboring organizations to meet these needs as much as possible, particularly regarding after-school care, public health issues, and other basic concerns. However, Rise Academy is not a social service provider. Also, as a small, single-campus charter school, we do not have the staff available to do much more than focus on our core mission, which is to provide a rigorous education to low-income students. Therefore, Rise Academy’s networking and coordinating with Lubbock area social service organizations and agencies is limited.
Strategies Include:
- Work with the Parkway Neighborhood Center, the local Boys’ & Girls’ Club, and other after-school care centers to direct parents to after school care.
- Worked extensively with Lubbock Health Department during COVID 19 pandemic.
- Other community partnerships as they arise
3. Increase Family Participation in Decision-Making Using Strategies
As a school of choice, as a charter school, Rise Academy offers a specific model and philosophy of early elementary education, including pre-kindergarten instruction. The Rise pre-k program is presented in detail to interested parents before they make a final decision on enrollment. This model and this educational philosophy are not open for modification based on what a majority (or vocal minority) of a given group of parents negotiate with the school. Setting program goals, outcomes, instructional strategies, timelines, methods of assessment, etc. is the work of the Rise pre-k staff and leadership. These program components are clearly presented to parents, and it is then up to them to decide if the Rise program is responsive to their needs. Parents may advocate for their children, but this does not involve a direct role in modifying the program. Any pre-k parent complaints or concerns can be addressed through the school-wide process that applies for students at all grade levels.
Strategies Include:
- Parents bring concerns to their child’s teacher
- Parents bring concerns or input to the Supervising Pre-k Teacher
- Parents bring concerns or input to the School Director
4. Equip Families with Tools to Enhance and Extend Learning
The Rise Pre-K Program requires basic support from parents for children to be successful: consistent, regular attendance; consistent at-home routines such as sensible bedtimes and the completion of short homework assignments; providing lunch on a daily basis; the willingness to resolve problems with teachers in a non-threatening or overly aggressive manner.
Strategies Include:
Regular parent-teacher conferences
- Progress reports/report cards
- Regular homework assignments (3 times per week)
- Information directing parents to local library events and programs
- Information informing parents of other resources for support
5. Develop staff skills in evidence-based practices that support families in meeting their children’s learning benchmarks
Rise pre-k staff are trained in the specific instructional deliveries and pedagogy of our early academic immersion program. Only through adherence to this pedagogy can Rise pre-k teachers and assistants achieve the results we are promising parents for their children. Rise leadership also strives to employ teachers and assistants who are familiar with the challenges our students’ families often face, as well as having an awareness of the cultural modes of communication which are most familiar and effective.
Strategies Include:
Explicit teacher training in Language for Learning and Reading Mastery instructional delivery.
- Additional in-house training for other aspects of pre-k instruction through teacher apprenticing and support from mentor teachers to beginning teachers.
6. Evaluate family engagement efforts and use evaluations for continuous improvement
Again, because it is fundamentally the role of Rise leadership and pre-k staff to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the program, the role of parents in the evaluation process is essentially that of continuing to exercise their choice as to whether their child remains enrolled with Rise Academy and continuing to the next grade. Nevertheless, the academy will consider using an evaluation survey to gather parent input
Strategies Include:
- Collecting results from a year-end pre-k parent survey asking them to rate the pre-k program in terms of academic growth, social-emotional development, and teacher satisfaction
"Don't wait to give your children the chance for a better prospect in life. The hope for a better tomorrow starts today. Enroll your children in Rise Academy Charter School."
Contact
Richard Baumgartner – Board President, Frank Gutierrez – Board Secretary, Raquel Gonzales, Deshun Avery