West River Foundation
Project Title
For project support to continue working collaboratively with families and educators to increase student success in South Dakota, RFP Yr 2
Date
Sep. 14, 2023
Duration
11 months
Description
Many schools, especially those in low-income, rural areas with a high percentage of Indigenous families, face challenges in engaging families due to a lack of resources and support. To address this issue, and with funding from the Corporation’s RFP on family engagement to support student learning, the West River Foundation, in partnership with the South Dakota Statewide Family Engagement Center, established Family Engagement Leadership Teams at four high-need, high-poverty schools located on or near Tribal Reservations. This renewal grant will continue serving Indigenous communities in South Dakota by providing culturally responsive resources that benefit families, regardless of socioeconomic status or ethnicity. Project staff will offer professional development sessions to school personnel, including administrators, to enhance their understanding of effective family engagement. Empathy interviews will be conducted with educators, and meaningful discussions will be held with school leadership based on parents’ recommendations. This will allow for further implementation of action plans to enhance school family engagement efforts.
Project Title
For project support for Family Engagement Leadership through Family Voice: Working Collaboratively to Increase Student Success
Date
Jun. 09, 2022
Duration
16 months
Description
While family engagement is essential for student success and has become even more vital during the current pandemic, barriers such as the lack of training for educators on engaging families, and the lack of opportunities for family voice preventsfamilies and educators from partnering effectively to improve student learning. The West River Foundation, one of South Dakota’s most active nonprofit organizations, partners with the South Dakota Statewide Family Engagement Center to engage families living nearby Tribal lands in supporting student learning through culturally responsive practices. With Corporation support through the request for proposals on family engagement to support student learning, this grant will provide services to ensure that South Dakota students and families who are living on or near Tribal lands have access to culturally relevant, high-quality family engagement practices and resources. A key component of the work will be to address literacy and socio-emotional learning gaps caused by pandemic-related unfinished learning while applying an appreciative inquiry approach to supporting parent and educator leadership teams.