The Harvard Family Research Project separated from the Harvard Graduate School of Education to become the Global Family Research Project as of January 1, 2017. It is no longer affiliated with Harvard University.
New National Group Aims to Advance Family-School Engagement Efforts (K-12 Parents and the Public blog, Education Week, 10/17/2014)
October 17, 2014
Could family and community engagement become a priority in the next presidential election? Heather B. Weiss, director of Harvard Family Research Project, thinks that the National Association for Family, School, and Community Engagement (NAFSCE), a new national organization composed of some of the nation's leading advocates and practitioners of family, school, and community engagement, might be instrumental in raising the issue to a new level of influence.
In this K-12 Parents and the Public blog, Karla Scoon Reid looks at the potential of this high-powered organization to draw much-needed attention to family engagement efforts. With a distinguished board, and funding from the Heising-Simons Foundation, NAFSCE has a far-reaching agenda. Among other undertakings, the organization hopes to boost financial and legislative support for family and community engagement, an issue that many experts believe is a crucial but often neglected component of school improvement. Weiss, a board member, notes that funding for this critical ingredient of children’s overall success has been scarce. Another important focus of NAFSCE will be to strengthen the network of family engagement experts and researchers nationwide to share best practices and develop more research-based policies in the field. "We need a vital and powerful set of national organizations, of which this is a key one, pushing this agenda," says Weiss. "This is really important work. We're not getting the traction we need right now."
Among the goals listed in the group's prospectus are to:
- Promote effective practices of family and community engagement in education, as well as parent and community organizing for school improvement;
- Create a professional development "talent bank" for the field through a variety of efforts, including conferences, study tours and technical assistance;
- Assist in the development of research-based policies using evidence-based strategies, with a focus on low-income communities and early-childhood and elementary school programs; and
- Cultivate leaders in the field at all levels, especially those in marginalized communities.
Read New National Group Aims to Advance Family-School Engagement Efforts and National Family, School, and Community Engagement Working Group.