State education task force sets goals and timeline for parent engagement; public-comment rules and new website presented

The Louisiana Department of Education’s task force on parent and family engagement reviewed its charge, timeline and operating rules and received presentations on public-comment procedures and a new family-resources website.

The task force’s first directive, taken from the resolution that created it, is “to engage with state and national stakeholders and providers to identify research on best practices relative to effective strategies for increasing parent and family engagement and education,” the group was told. The panel was asked to compile resources, identify data sources and develop recommendations that emphasize public–private partnerships. The group’s final report is due December 31 of this year; members will receive and amend a draft at subsequent meetings and vote on the final report at the meeting before submission.

The timeline and scope matter because the task force’s recommendations are intended to guide local practice and inform any future legislation. The resolution asks the group to focus on strategies to improve academic outcomes through “high quality, effective parent and family engagement and education,” and the task force has latitude to study related issues such as truancy if members request it.

Charmaine Casio, chief operating officer and executive vice president for United Way of Southeast Indiana, introduced herself and described her organization’s work supporting families and education. Casio said parent communications tied to recent state literacy and numeracy legislation — for example, notifying parents when a child is not reading on grade level and providing home strategies — have changed how schools and parents interact.

Sally (LDOE staff), identified during the meeting as the task force’s point of contact for resources, explained the procedures the department will use to collect and distribute materials. Sally said the department will compile resources sent by members, post them at the same time for task force members and the public, and retain those resources on the LDOE website for a period after meetings. The minutes for the group will record formal actions rather than detailed discussion, she said.

The task force formally received the presentation on public-comment and participation procedures after a motion and second; no opposition was recorded on the motion. The procedures presented emphasize that public comment may be taken on specific agenda items before any official action and that task-force business will be conducted in public in accordance with open meetings requirements and BESE policy.

Members also received a demonstration of a new family-resources website intended to make tutoring support and other services easier to find. A presenter said the site includes analytics that show how users navigate pages and that the site was built to allow cross-audience links so families seeking K–12 resources can also reach early-childhood information without switching sections. The site is managed by an internal LDOE web team, the presenter said.

Task-force members praised the site’s accessibility and asked for direct links to materials so staff and community partners can point families to specific pages. Members asked the department to keep the site’s family and student resources consolidated when appropriate so users do not have to navigate multiple audience sections.

The task force also reviewed administrative practices: the staff will follow Robert’s Rules–style procedures for motions and will collect public materials centrally through the staff contact so all members and the public have the same information.

The group closed the item with staff noting that the task force will continue to compile recommendations into a draft report at each meeting and that members may submit resources or suggested topics to Sally by email between meetings.

Ending: The task force will meet again on the dates listed by the department; members were asked to forward resources and suggestions to the staff point of contact so the draft report can be developed in stages ahead of the December 31 deadline.