Carnegie Forum: Elevating Family-School Partnerships

Watch a discussion with national education and parent leaders on how federal recovery funds can be used effectively to strengthen and reimagine the home-school connection

By Carnegie Corporation of New York June 16, 2021

Family & Community Engagement

Watch a Carnegie Forum with national education and parent leaders to discuss what family engagement should look like and how federal recovery funds can be used effectively to strengthen and reimagine the home-school connection. (A complete transcript of the forum is available here.)

When schools shut down abruptly last spring, we broke the imagined boundary that existed between home and school. Parents suddenly had a front-row seat to their children’s learning. Educators worked hand-in-hand with parents to support student success and discovered what is possible when collaboration with families is a priority.

As we look ahead to students returning for in-person learning, it is essential that education leaders invest in strategies that build on that foundation, empower families as true partners, and give them a seat at the table as critical decisions are made for the fall and the future.

This Carnegie Forum is inspired by a new report on family engagement by Karen L. Mapp and Eyal Bergman commissioned by Carnegie Corporation of New York. The report outlines a more liberatory, solidarity-driven, and equity-focused family engagement practice that supports educational excellence for all children. Download the report.

SPEAKERS

Cindy Marten
Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Education

Karen L. Mapp
Senior Lecturer, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Coauthor, Embracing a New Normal: Toward a More Liberatory Approach to Family Engagement

Pedro Martinez
Superintendent, San Antonio Independent School District
Board Chair, Chiefs for Change

Keri Rodrigues
Founding President, National Parents Union

MODERATOR

Kavitha Cardoza
Education Reporter
Member, Education Writers Association

TOP: Sarah Zick, center, a kindergarten teacher and family engagement lead, talks with parents during a group parent/teacher conference at Harriet Tubman Elementary School in Washington, D.C., on June 7, 2017. (Credit: Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post via Getty Images)