FAMILY EDUCATION SERIES
FAMILY PROGRAMS
FAMILY LITERACY NIGHT
FAMILY LITERACY TEAMS
FAMILY LEADERSHIP COUNCILS
High Expectations Family Programs provide Parent Education Workshops equipping parents with tools to communicate with the teachers and students, Professional Development that help to build effective relationships between teachers and parents, as well as a Parent Literacy Program that give parents the tools to support their children at home.
High Expectations Parental Service provides comprehensive family education workshops for families of students in grades Pre-K through 12. Our workshops build the capacity of families to partner with their child’s school in a way that leads to academic and social success. High Expectations tailors the parent education programming to support the District goals and academic standards. We work with all necessary stakeholders to tailor a program that is aligned with the District’s vision for academic excellence. Each workshop series occurs once per week and concludes with a graduation ceremony where families read a vision statement they have written for their children.
Program Outcomes:
- Participants have increased expectations for their child’s academic success.
- Participants are more equipped to support the social and emotional development of their child.
- Participants are more equipped and empowered to support their child in the areas of academics, behavior and attendance, both at home and at school.
- Participants feel comfortable advocating for their child to ensure academic and social success in school.
- Participants feel comfortable initiating communication with the school to address issues of academic achievement.
- Participants increase quality of out-of-school learning time.
All of our parent education workshop series are designed to increase opportunities for family-school partnerships. These specific courses are tailored to support families through the various stages of their child’s education.
I Am Here And Ready To Learn:
This 8-week parent education program is designed for families of children in grades K-5. In this program, families understand the foundational academic and social skills their child needs to succeed in elementary school. Families are given specific tools for partnering with their child’s teacher to ensure that they are succeeding in the areas of attendance, behavior and academics.
Workshop Description
In each workshop, families receive learning-at-home activities designed to increase success with the early learning blocks.
Workshop 1 Ages and Stages (Child Development)
In this workshop, families understand the Stages of Development and how they can support their children through the different stages. They understand the goal of each stage, what to expect from their child, and what the families’ role is in each stage of development. They learn where their child should be developmentally and how to set age appropriate expectations.
Workshop 2 Stress Management
In this workshop, families learn strategies for alleviating stress in their lives. They identify their personal stress triggers and learn what to do when they occur. Families understand the damaging effects that stress has on the body and are introduced to self-nurturing techniques.
Workshop 3 Making the Vision a Reality
In this workshop, families write a vision for their child’s future. They identify the characteristics that they want their children to possess and discuss what they can do to make that vision a reality. Families identify the things they must do on a daily basis to ensure a positive future for their child. Families discover how to build their child’s self-esteem by showing them that they are valuable, believing that they have a special future ahead and committing to helping them reach that special future.
Workshop 4 Communication
In this workshop, families understand how to model effective communication for children. They learn how to encourage cooperation with their children. Through role-playing and discussion, families learn strategies for helping their children deal with their feelings.
Workshop 5 Family Expectations – Encouraging Cooperation
In this workshop, families learn the three primary parenting styles and understand how each style affects their children. Families identify their own parenting style and discuss the pros and cons of that style. Families understand the difference between punishment and discipline. Families learn to create “family contracts” as a method for positive discipline and communicating expectations in the home.
Workshop 6 A Roadmap to Kindergarten Success
In this workshop, families understand the academic and social skills that their child should be learning in school and at home. This workshop introduces families to standards-based activities that will aid their child in preparing for Kindergarten. Families understand how to support learning at home as a lifestyle.
Workshop 7 Learning to Read
In this workshop, families understand the steps to learning to read: print concepts, phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. They are given specific activities to do with their child at home. They understand how to partner with their child’s teacher to support what is being learned at school.
Workshop 8 We’re On Our Way! (Graduation Night)
In this workshop, families review what they have learned throughout the series. They read their visions to their child and celebrate their journey.
I Am Here And Ready for College:
This 8-week series helps families understand how to ensure their child’s success in middle and high school. Families will understand the requirements for high school graduation and success in college. They receive tools and resources for monitoring their child’s progress, partnering with the school and supporting their child through adolescent development.
Workshop Description
Workshop 1 Making the Vision a Reality
In this workshop, families understand how to build their child’s confidence in their ability to succeed in school and beyond. Families write a vision statement that clearly communicates their expectations for their child’s future. Families discuss ways to ensure that their vision becomes a reality and how education supports those hopes and dreams.
Workshop 2 Say “No” to Stress
In this class, families understand what stress is and how to alleviate stress in their lives. They determine their personal stress triggers and what to do when they occur. Parents are introduced to self-nurturing techniques. They understand the damaging affects that stress has on the body.
Workshop 3 Ages and Stages (Child Development)
In this workshop, families understand the Stages of Development and how they can support their child through the different stages. They understand what is expected of their child both academically and socially and their role in helping their child reach those expectations.
Workshop 4 Communication
In this workshop, families learn to use effective communication tools with their child, teachers, and others. They will understand how to communicate in ways that encourage cooperation. Families learn strategies for helping their adolescent deal with their feelings through effective communication.
Workshop 5 Family Expectations – Encouraging Cooperation
In this workshop, parents learn the three primary parenting styles and understand how each style affects their children. Parents identify their own parenting style and discuss the pros and cons of that style. In addition, parents understand the difference between punishment and discipline. They understand what positive discipline is. Parents learn about and create “family contracts” as a method for positive discipline in the home.
Workshop 6 A Focus on Literacy
This interactive workshop builds the capacity of families, to support reading success at home. We use key Common Core strategies to ensure that families are reading at home with their child in a way that improves their fluency, comprehension and writing skills.
Workshop 7 The Partnership Model (Academics, Behavior, Attendance)
In this workshop, families understand how to develop positive relationships with their child’s teachers and work with them to ensure academic excellence. Each family understands how to develop a Family-School Action Plan where the student, teacher, and parent develop strategies for academic improvement. They understand the importance of advocacy and how to effectively advocate for their child’s success. Families learn about the support that the school offers to them and their child throughout the year. Families identify barriers that prevent them from being involved in their child’s education and brainstorm strategies to overcome those barriers.
Workshop 8 Graduation Night – “I’m College Bound!”
On this special occasion, participants gather with their families to celebrate their journey together. They share what they have learned and receive information about how to make sure their child is on track for college.
I Am Here And Ready to Learn (Kindergarten Readiness):
The purpose of this 4-week series is to provide new kindergarten families with the tools and resources needed to ensure the academic success of their child. Families understand their school procedures and expectations and are given the opportunity to build relationships with the school staff. Families will receive specific partnership strategies for reaching academic, behavior and attendance success with their child.
Workshop Description
Workshop 1 Ages and Stages – The 2nd Decade
In this workshop, families will understand the different stages of adolescent development and what they can do to support their adolescent through the different stages. They will understand what is expected of their adolescent both academically and socially and their role in helping their adolescent reach those expectations.
Workshop 2 Making the Vision a Reality
In this workshop, families will understand how to build their child’s confidence in their ability to succeed in school and beyond. Families will write a vision statement that clearly communicates their expectations for their child’s future. Families will discuss ways to ensure that their vision becomes a reality and how education supports those hopes and dreams.
Workshop 3 Say “No” to Stress
In this workshop, families will identify their stressors and develop strategies for alleviating stress. They will discuss stressors that are common to adolescents and understand how to guide their child through stressful situations. They will understand how important it is to have open communication throughout the adolescent years.
Workshop 4 Communication
In this workshop, families will learn to use effective communication tools with their child, teachers, and others. They will understand how to communicate in ways that encourage cooperation. Families will learn strategies for helping their adolescent deal with their feelings through effective communication.
Workshop 5 Family Expectations – Encouraging Cooperation
In this workshop, families will identify their parenting style and understand how that style affects their adolescent’s development. We will discuss the importance of setting clear boundaries and expectations for behavior and academic achievement. Families will learn strategies for encouraging their adolescent to cooperate with those expectations. Families will understand how to use family contracts as a method for encouraging positive discipline.
Workshop 6 I Am Here and Ready for College
In this workshop, families and students will learn how to consistently monitor their child’s academic progress using the online grading system. They will understand the A-G requirements and how to ensure their child’s success in these classes. Families will understand what it takes to succeed in college and beyond.
Workshop 7 The Partnership Model
In this workshop, families will understand how to develop positive relationships with their child’s teachers and work with them to ensure academic excellence. Each family will understand how to develop a Family-School Action Plan where the student, teacher, and parent develop strategies for academic improvement. They will understand the importance of advocacy and how to effectively advocate for their child’s success. Families will learn about the support that the school offers to them and their child throughout the year. Families will identify barriers that prevent them from being involved in their child’s education during the adolescent years and brainstorm strategies to overcome those barriers.
Workshop 8 Graduation
On this special night, families and students will share what they have learned over the 8-week series and celebrate their 8-week journey.
Ready to Learn – The Early Years:
This 8-week, comprehensive parent education series gives families (of children ages 3-5) the tools needed to support their children through each of the social and cognitive stages of development. They will understand the building blocks for Kindergarten success and will establish consistent routines for learning at home.
Workshop Description
Workshop 1 Ages and Stages (Child Development)
In this workshop, families understand the Stages of Development and how they can support their children through the different stages. They understand the goal of each stage, what to expect from their child, and what the families’ role is in each stage of development. They learn where their child should be developmentally and how to set age appropriate expectations.
Workshop 2 Stress Management
In this workshop, families learn strategies for alleviating stress in their lives. They identify their personal stress triggers and learn what to do when they occur. Families understand the damaging effects that stress has on the body and are introduced to self-nurturing techniques.
Workshop 3 Making the Vision a Reality
In this workshop, families write a vision for their child’s future. They identify the characteristics that they want their children to possess and discuss what they can do to make that vision a reality. Families identify the things they must do on a daily basis to ensure a positive future for their child. Families discover how to build their child’s self-esteem by showing them that they are valuable, believing that they have a special future ahead and committing to helping them reach that special future.
Workshop 4 Communication
In this workshop, families understand how to model effective communication for children. They learn how to encourage cooperation with their children. Through role-playing and discussion, families learn strategies for helping their children deal with their feelings.
Workshop 5 Family Expectations – Encouraging Cooperation
In this workshop, families learn the three primary parenting styles and understand how each style affects their children. Families identify their own parenting style and discuss the pros and cons of that style. Families understand the difference between punishment and discipline. Families learn to create “family contracts” as a method for positive discipline and communicating expectations in the home.
Workshop 6 A Roadmap to Kindergarten Success
In this workshop, families understand the academic and social skills that their child should be learning in school and at home. This workshop introduces families to standards-based activities that will aid their child in preparing for Kindergarten. Families understand how to support learning at home as a lifestyle.
Workshop 7 Learning to Read
In this workshop, families understand the steps to learning to read: print concepts, phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. They are given specific activities to do with their child at home. They understand how to partner with their child’s teacher to support what is being learned at school.
Workshop 8 We’re On Our Way! (Graduation Night)
In this workshop, families review what they have learned throughout the series. They read their visions to their child and celebrate their journey.
``All parents want the best for their child. And educators want their students to succeed.``
FAMILY LITERACY NIGHT
High Expectations’ Family Literacy Night is an interactive event that builds the capacity of families to support reading success at home. It is an opportunity for the school to strengthen relationships with families that lead to increased academic partnerships. We use key Common Core strategies to ensure that students are reading at home in a way that improves their fluency, comprehension and writing skills.
Program Outcomes:
- Participants have increased expectations for their child’s reading success.
- Participants are more equipped and empowered to support reading success at home.
- Participants increase the amount of time their child spends reading during out-of-school hours.
- Participants increase the quality of time their child spends reading during out-of-school hours.
``There is a different academic language today...parents need to know it to effectively communicate with the students and the teachers.``
FAMILY LITERACY TEAMS
High Expectations supports schools in establishing a Family Literacy Team at their site. A Family Literacy Team is a group of enthusiastic parent leaders and key school staff who come together to support the school’s literacy goals. The team is equipped to design, implement and evaluate a literacy project that offers families easy to use tools and resources that support their child’s reading and attendance success.
High Expectations offers a 2-day training for school Family Literacy Teams designed to give parent leaders (and key school staff) a framework for engaging other families in school success, particularly in the areas of reading, and to develop a family literacy project plan.
During this Training, the Family Literacy Team will:
- Work together, using the Cycle of Inquiry to develop a family literacy project plan that is directly linked to student achievement.
- Receive research-based strategies and tools for engaging families in school success.
- Learn to develop, implement and evaluate family engagement practices as professional learning communities.
- Participate in team building exercises.
Program Outcomes:
- Participants will have the capacity to develop family literacy project plans in the future as their school data changes.
- Participants will have the capacity to engage the entire school in literacy activities designed to strengthen out-of-school learning time.
- Participants will understand how to evaluate their family literacy activities to determine their impact on student achievement and family engagement.
- The school Principal, teachers, and families will understand how to support strong family partnerships at the school site.
``Why...so parents can assume their role as primary educator.``
FAMILY LEADERSHIP COUNCILS
African-American Parent Advisory Councils:
High Expectations establishes and facilitates an African-American Parent Advisory Council for school sites seeking to more effectively engage their African-American families and eliminate their opportunity gap. The African-American Parent Advisory Council is an advocacy group made up of parents, guardians, and teachers, dedicated to promoting quality education for African-American students. Through monthly meetings, we provide information, tools and networking opportunities to help parents and staff ensure the academic success of African-American students. The families make recommendations to the school administrators on how to better engage African-American students and parents in the academic process. The advisory council is also responsible for leading family engagement efforts specifically designed to increase success among African-American students.
Latino Parent Advisory Councils:
High Expectations establishes and facilitates an Latino Parent Advisory Council for school sites seeking to more effectively engage their Latino families and eliminate their opportunity gap. The Latino Parent Advisory Council is an advocacy group made up of parents, guardians, and teachers, dedicated to promoting quality education for Latino students. Through monthly meetings, we provide information, tools and networking opportunities to help parents and staff ensure the academic success of Latino students. The families make recommendations to the school administrators on how to better engage Latino students and parents in the academic process. The advisory council is also responsible for leading family engagement efforts specifically designed to increase success among Latino students.