Arlington ISD updates board on family engagement framework and tiered supports

Aaron Perales, Arlington ISD's executive director of engagement, equity and access, presented a district priority update on family and community engagement during the June 5 board meeting, outlining a framework, core beliefs and a tiered model intended to connect family involvement to student academic success.

Perales said the district's family engagement work rests on four core beliefs: families have dreams and want the best for their children; families have capacity to support learning; families and school staff should be equal partners; and the district must invite families into that partnership. He described four strands of engagement for campuses: welcoming environments; effective two-way communication; support for home learning; and degrees of engagement that give families opportunities to participate in decision-making.

To help campuses implement engagement work with common language, Perales described a three-tiered model: universal involvement (tier 1) such as open houses and meet-the-teacher events; targeted engagement (tier 2) for cohorts needing additional academic support and parent capacity-building; and intensive wraparound supports (tier 3) involving district and community partners for students with attendance, behavior or academic concerns. Perales said the district piloted a stipend role this year — family academic support representative — to connect parent capacity-building to tiered interventions.

Perales noted a family engagement advisory council developed a draft family engagement plan that defines expectations for administrators, teachers, parents and community members. Trustees who attended campus events praised the program's work and asked the department to continue expanding training and supports for campuses. Perales also introduced staff members Eric Phillips and Sean Bass, who support family engagement and out-of-school-time programs.