Family Engagement Project

In the current environment of high-stakes accountability in education, increased achievement in highly stressed schools has become paramount. Research has shown that effective family involvement in education is correlated with students’ academic and social achievement. Agenda for Children Tomorrow (ACT) seeks to integrate family involvement practices with all of the initiatives they have formed to improve the well-being of children and families in New York City’s poorest neighborhoods. Towards that end, the Capstone team developed a catalog of family engagement theory and models to assist Agenda for Children Tomorrow. Additionally, the Capstone team compiled family engagement model evaluations and recommended evaluation designs and measures that may be successfully implemented by ACT. To produce these materials, the team conducted both field-work and document-based research, including an internal document review and an extensive literature review. Field work included attending ACT meetings and training sessions, conducting site visits and interviews with family engagement practitioners across the country, and interviewing key players and consumers such as parents, community groups, and educators within the schools.

This Capstone was made possible with the support from an anonymous donor through FJC: A Donor-Advised Fund.