Families and Schools Together
Project Title
For project support of family engagement to improve student learning, RFP Yr 2
Date
Sep. 14, 2023
Duration
12 months
Description
Recognizing that many educators and school staff lack training around family engagement, Families and Schools Together (FAST), an education nonprofit founded in 1988, created the FAST Institute for Family Engagement. This professional development program trains parent liaisons to partner with families to support children’s education. Their current grant focused on providing professional development to District parent coordinators in Milwaukee, expanding their knowledge, skills, and attitudes about family engagement work. With renewed funding from the Corporation’s RFP on family engagement to support student learning, FAST will continue that work and include a direct focus on shifting the culture of schools and the district. By providing technical assistance to the district-level family engagement team, they will build capacity in the district to continue this project once it ends. They also plan to prepare toscale to more districts across Wisconsin and other states.
Project Title
For project support of the FAST Institute for Family Engagment
Date
Jun. 09, 2022
Duration
15 months
Description
The lack of proper professional development for school staff, such as parent coordinators, creates an opportunity for even deeper divides between families and school staff. Families & Schools Together (FAST), an education nonprofit founded in 1988, nurtures the inherent potential of every child by uniting families, schools, and communities. FAST partners with community-based organizations and schools around the country to implement evidence-based, family engagement programming. The Corporation request for proposals on family engagement to support student learning grant opportunitywill enable their Institute of Family Engagement to provide school parent liaisons with the training they need to collaborate with families to support children. Theywill make a mindset shift away from outdated forms of parent involvement toward family engagement and empowerment and will learn to establish the trust needed to form strong, equity-focused relationships with families.