1. Collaboration:
Family-School
Partnership
Collaborative Solutions
for
Student Success

2. Parent Partnership Data
*Type of
Activity
Correlation to
Student
Achievement/Tier
Number of
Participants
in South
Region
Participating
Regional Schools
Number
of
Sessions
Collaborative
Tasks
Reading I
(Primary)
Content specific session for
parents. Fluency strategies
for strengthening reading
skills that parents can use at
home were modeled. Tier II
& III
166
All
2
parent needs
survey and
discussion on
needs
Science
Content specific session for
parents. Strategies for
parents to use at home to
strengthen students’ science
achievement were modeled.
Tiers I - III
72 All 2
collaboration with
Science teachers
for required skills
and supportive
strategies
Title I
Community
Liaison Training
Educate community liaison
on how to effectively
communicate and work with
parents. Tier I
148 All 4
open forum with
parents to gather
information on
desired liaison
attributes
Conscious
Communication
Create a consciousness in the
work environment to help
individuals build capacity to
increase parent
participation. Tiers I - III
35 All 1
Parent-staff open
forum meeting to
gather information
on needs
Collaborative Team: -Special Education Teacher -Assistant Principal -Safety Coordinator
-General Education Teacher -Parent
*Examples of the types of activities offered

3. Data Summary
Data
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Participants
Interpretation Summary
The activities that are currently planned and carried out in this
author’s affiliated district are aimed at supporting the efforts to
provide a multi-tiered system of supports. Instructional strategy
sessions are provided to help parents support the schools’ efforts in
offering effective instruction to all students within tiers I, II, and III.
These activities draw the majority of participants in the district.
Based on surveys given to participants in various academic support
activities, families and staff value these sessions more than all other
topics. It was noted that this is because of the direct impact that they
may have on students learning. All of the training activities help to
involve parents in the development and maintenance of school-wide
plans, as suggested by the Colorado Department of Education (2009).
Some activities support community liaisons and other staff in their
effective communication and partnership management as they work
with and for families as part of the schools’ tier I activities to provide
full support to all students. The communication support activities
assist staff and families in the use of effective collaboration and
communication to elicit productive actions from each within each
tier.

4. Family-School-Community
Partnership Initiatives
This author’s district of affiliation provides activities to build the capacity of families in helping their children and to promote
the collaboration between families and schools. The initiatives include a focus on eliminating the barriers that may prevent
effective communication and collaboration.
1. The Annual Parent Seminar
An all-day face-to-face meeting with
concurrent session are provided for
parents. This initiative offers a
keynote address, resources, and
workshops to give families support
in working with their children at
home. It is a valuable initiative
because of the direct support that
parents receive at the beginning of
the school year in anticipation of
partnering with the school to
provide continuous academic and
behavioral instruction to students.
3. Staff Training Sessions
Trainings are provided to staff
members to make them aware
of the laws and the roles of the
school. They also receive
training in carrying out the
responsibilities and
best practices that increase
parent participation. Parents are
often involved in this process
through their input about their
needs and expectations from the
school.
2. Instruction for Academic Success Trainings
Content specific sessions are provided to
model strategies that families can use at
home in support of their children’s current
academic support program. Whether the
student is receiving tier I, tier II or tier III
support, families are equipped to carry the
support through to home environment.
When families and teachers focus on the
same individually relevant objectives for
students, there are significant benefits.
Continuous practice in the students’
areas of need ensure that they are
receiving support that advances them in
their academic program.
The district provides many seminars, trainings, and activities that strengthen parents’ ability to support the efforts of the
school throughout the year. The district sponsored sessions also equip parents to directly impact their children’s progress
by working with them at home.

5. Parent Involvement
Resource Center
(PIRC)
• Works hand-in-hand with State and Federal Programs
to provide information and resources on early
childhood through high school parent involvement
• Helps implement successful and effective parental
involvement policies, programs, and activities that
lead to improvements in student academic
achievement
• Strengthens partnerships among
parents, teachers, principals, administrators, and
other school personnel in meeting the educational
needs of children
• Collaborate with State and local educational agencies
to foster the implementation of the parental
involvement requirements of Title I
• Provide accurate, timely, and understandable
information regarding key NCLB provisions
• Can be most useful for Tier I or universal
collaborative efforts and resources to identify
effective prevention practices
The United States
Department of Education
(USDE) has provided a
website that offers
technical assistance to
state parental involvement
resource centers
throughout the United
States.
http://www.nationalpirc.org/pircs/index.html
The Parent Involvement Resource Center can provide schools with the resources and information needed to collaborate
effectively with parents and agencies regarding student progress within a multi-tiered system of supports. The impact would
Possibly prevent the need for more intense interventions.

6. Families in Schools (FIS)
• Serves as a gateway to involve parents as advocates in
their child’s early education and literacy development.
• Develops curriculum, leads public
outreach campaigns, hosts community events.
• Provides capacity building technical assistance to
schools, early education centers, and community
organizations.
• Creates partnerships with corporations and
foundations to provide a wide array of services to
parents and schools.
FIS provides resources for
families and a pathway to
assist them in becoming
active in their children’s
schools.
http://www.familiesinschools.org/
Families in Schools resources can act as prevention problem-solving partners for parents, schools and community
collaborative efforts. Within the universal Tier, it can provide the necessary tools for supporting students before academic
or behavioral issues arise.

7. The Family Involvement
Network of Educators
(FINE)
• Strengthens family involvement practices, promotes
their evaluation, and advances professional
development in family involvement.
• A community of thousands of
educators, practitioners, policymakers, and researchers
dedicated to strengthening family–school–community
partnerships.
• Free access to the latest and best information about
family involvement
• Regular email updates about new resources, exchange
of ideas and insights with other FINE members, and
information about evaluation methods for continuous
improvement.
FINE is a community of
educators, practitioners, p
olicymakers, and
researchers who actively
work to strengthen family–
school–community
partnerships.
http://www.hfrp.org/
The resources provided by The Family Involvement Network of Educators act as assets in all stages of a multi-tiered
system of supports. Within Tier I, families are educated on the importance and the process of becoming involved in
their children’s education. Within Tier I and Tier II, both family and school can use the resources for strengthening
collaborative partnerships to assist them in maintaining an open line of communication and mutual support.

8. National PTA
• Partner with organizations to provide services to
schools, families, and communities
• Empowers families and school staff to work together
for the common goal of supporting students in their
educational needs
• Promotes the arts in education
- Reflections: Encourages students to explore their
talents
- Mary Lou Anderson Arts Enhancement Grants:
Matches funds for student-centered arts education
Programs
The National PTA assists
students in realizing their
potential by providing
resources to
parents, schools and
communities.
www.pta.org
The National PTA provides a wide array of resources that can support the implementation and maintenance of the
multi-tiered system of supports. Within the Tier I instructional program, their resources and information can
provide ideas for enrichment. Within the Tier II and Tier III support systems, collaboration efforts are supported and
parents are empowered to make a positive impact on their children.

9. Center for Effective
Collaboration and Practice
• Supports collaboration and practice
between agencies, schools and families
• Promotes meetings and events that
facilitate Federal, state, and local
collaboration on behalf of students with
EBD.
• Provides information products that describe
or support collaboration
• links members of key stakeholder groups
and knowledge/practice communities.
The Center for Effective
Collaboration and Practice
facilitates inter-agency
collaboration on behalf of
students with behavioral
and emotional disturbance
(EBD)
http://cecp.air.org/
The Center for Effective Collaboration and Practice can provide needed resources for parent, school, agency
collaborative teams within their Tier II and Tier III planning stages. The resources and information can be used to
ensure effective practices.

10. Questionnaire
1. Which resource had the strongest impact on you? Why?
2. How might our team use the resources?
3. Would you change anything about the PowerPoint? What? Why?
4. Which of the district activities have you experienced? Was the
collaborative aspect effective? Explain.
5. Was I effective in my collaborative efforts during this process?
6. Would you change any of my actions in the preparation or activities to
collaborate with the team? Which ones? Explain.
7. Did I cause our school to experience a positive change in the way that
we invite parents to participate?
8. Was there a difference in the way that the team worked together?
Specify.
9. What was the most effective team-building strategy that I used?
10. How would you describe the collaborative communication among
colleagues during our meeting?
11. Was our collaboration a success? Explain.

11. References
Colorado Department of Education (2009). Response to intervention family and
community partnering: “On the team and at the table” Toolkit. Retrieved from
http://www.cde.state.co.us/rti/familycom munitytoolkit.htm
Families in Schools (n.d.). Retrieved April 19, 2013, from http://www.families
inschools.org/
Harvard Family Research Project (2013). Overview of FINE. Presidents and Fellows
of Harvard College. Retrieved April 19, 2013, from http://www.hfrp.org/
National PIRC Coordination Center (2006). Retrieved April 19, 2013, from
http://www.nationalpirc.org/pircs/index.html