Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Family Engagement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Wenatchee board discusses barriers and strategies to boost parent and family engagement
Summary
The board and Director Tim Shepherd focused on improving two‑way communication with families, particularly historically underserved groups, and discussed using school events, orientations and targeted outreach to increase participation and measure impact on student outcomes.
Director of state and federal programs Tim Shepherd told the board that parent and family engagement is a district problem of practice: the district relies heavily on one‑way communications (newsletters, mass emails) and lacks systematic tracking to link engagement to student outcomes.
"We rely on newsletters, and…small to dominate emails dominate," Shepherd said, summarizing a key barrier to meaningful back‑and‑forth with families.
Board members and staff offered practical ideas during a wide‑ranging discussion: use high‑attendance school events (fall festivals, athletic or music events) to reach families who do not attend PTA meetings; create family‑focused orientation nights that teach parents how to support learning; consider modest incentives or employer partnerships to distribute information; and involve older students in encouraging family involvement where appropriate.
Local examples were cited: staff highlighted a well‑received migrant night and a Pioneer Middle School event where intentional sixth‑grade family outreach drew positive engagement. A board member suggested expanding orientation content that is explicitly for families — not just students — so parents know how to get involved.
Several directors cautioned that engagement work requires sustained planning and that successes in some buildings are not yet districtwide. The board discussed building‑level practices, professional development for staff on engagement strategies, and exploring data systems to measure whether increased engagement changes attendance or learning outcomes.
A repeated theme was equity: leaders said the district must address language barriers, work schedules and technology gaps to reach historically underserved families and to reduce disparities in participation.
Next steps: Shepherd said the district will pilot programs and data systems to create more consistent family engagement practices, bring examples from buildings that have succeeded, and continue board conversations about using program funds strategically to reduce barriers.
