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Family and Community

8 Ideas for Engaging Families and the Community

8 Ideas for Engaging Families and the Community

Strong family and community relationships are critical components of positive school culture

The importance of building strong relationships with parents and community members cannot be underestimated; these stakeholders must be an integral aspect of a school's culture. School leaders must also recognize that...
Author: Randy Jensen, Tyler Shafer
Number of views (1996)/Comments (0)/
Topics: Family and Community
Tags: Parent InvolvementCommunity Involvement
No More Assemblies

No More Assemblies

How to make engaging with outside professionals count

An exploding mixture! A cloud in a bottle! Every student's hand in the air to volunteer. Everyone's laughing. Sounds like an educator's dream. But when the dust (or simulated volcano) settles, it is often difficult to...
Author: Vanessa Scanfeld, Vincent Dotoli
Number of views (5872)/Comments (0)/
Topics: Family and CommunityTeaching
Tags: Career ExplorationCommunity Involvement
Service-Learning and Community Partners Bring Academic Rigor

Service-Learning and Community Partners Bring Academic Rigor

Developing a service-learning project pays off with increased student engagement and empowerment

If you ask many of our middle school students what service-learning is, they often come up with an image of someone on the side of the road in an orange jumpsuit. We are not talking about forced service due to a legal...
Author: Ryan Steuer
Number of views (5386)/Comments (1)/
Topics: CurriculumFamily and Community
Tags: Service Learning
Let's Make a Video

Let's Make a Video

Developing communication and leadership skills through community engagement

During the middle school years young adolescents not only become aware of the changes associated with physical and emotional maturity, but they also adjust to new learning standards and expectations. The goals of...
Author: Paulina Rodgers
Number of views (7889)/Comments (1)/
Topics: CurriculumFamily and CommunityTechnology
Tags: Student EngagementStudent MotivationCommunity Involvement
Going Beyond School

Going Beyond School

Connecting school and community in project-based learning

It's easy to stereotype "kids these days." Always on their phones, always taking selfies, tethered to a virtual world but disconnected from the real one. If you don't work with kids, or know what is happening in...
Author: Rachel Mark, Katy Farber
Number of views (8075)/Comments (0)/
Topics: Family and CommunityTeaching
Tags: Project Based LearningParent InvolvementCommunity Involvement
Building Bridges to the Past

Building Bridges to the Past

Oral history project engages students and builds family and community connections

Using a microfilm machine for the first time… Watching a local news broadcast from the mid-nineties about the Blizzard of '93... Holding an authentic newspaper from 1941… Facetiming across the Pacific...
Author: Joe Welch, Vicki Truchan
Number of views (9403)/Comments (0)/
Topics: Family and CommunityTeaching
Tags: Parent InvolvementSocial StudiesCommunity Involvement
What to Do When a Parent Is Incarcerated

What to Do When a Parent Is Incarcerated

New information helps educators understand how to work with students

In the August 2011 issue of Middle Ground, I encouraged teachers to be proactive with students whose parents are in jail or prison. I provided a brief overview of the perceived academic disadvantages for children of...
Author: Megan Sullivan
Number of views (7760)/Comments (2)/
Topics: At-risk/RTIFamily and Community
Tags: Guidance
No More Fears and Tears: Transitioning to Middle School

No More Fears and Tears: Transitioning to Middle School

Building a multifaceted plan makes the difference

"I'm nervous about forgetting my locker combination." "I'm worried about getting lost." "I'm nervous about keeping track of my schedule and having more homework." "What if my child no longer hugs me as she steps off...
Author: Jennifer Smith
Number of views (9913)/Comments (0)/
Topics: Family and CommunityTransitions to/from Middle School
Tags: Transition to Middle School
Taking a Strengths-Based Perspective

Taking a Strengths-Based Perspective

Helping children with disabilities by supporting families

In my first years as a special education teacher, I taught a sixth grade student with Down Syndrome to tie her shoes. When her parent came to pick her up one afternoon, the student and I shared the good news. The...
Author: Danielle Mizuta
Number of views (11119)/Comments (2)/
Topics: Family and CommunitySpecial Education/Inclusion
Tags: Parent InvolvementInclusion
Home Supports and Routines for Middle School Success

Home Supports and Routines for Middle School Success

As a lifelong educator, I have realized that implementing some consistent structures and routines at home with my own children have significantly contributed to their success as students. In talking with many of the...
Author: Norman Edwards
Number of views (12544)/Comments (0)/
Topics: Family and Community
Tags: Parent Involvement
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