Do You Have 2020 Vision For the New Year?

My vision to ignite family engagement in education is perfect

Vision…

clarifies purpose.

Vision…

gives hope.

Vision…

removes the obstacle of discouragement.

My Journey To Fulfill My Mission

My mission for the rest of my life is to

“Ignite Family Engagement In Education.”

The subject of family engagement is one that is extremely popular within some educational circles. Many families and teachers as well as community stakeholders consider it to be important because of the positive outcomes that result for students when their parents are engaged in their child’s learning. However, other educational initiatives tend to be prioritized more robustly in other schools. Greater emphasis tends to be placed upon programs and activities that result in more immediate and tangible outcomes that will improve instructional delivery, create safer school environments, increase student performance data, and integrate technology, among many other trends in education.

The playing field is inequitable and unequal in many school districts as it relates to developing and sustaining quality district wide family engagement programs. Smaller school systems, especially those that desperately need to increase the amount of parents who partner with educators may be too under resourced to do so. Conversely, larger schools and districts are more likely to have the capacity to maintain strong parent initiatives and programs. Other factors that create inconsistencies in this area include the reality that some learning environments have historically enjoyed extremely actively levels of family engagement while others suffer with dreadfully little or no engagement.

Here Is The Heart of My Frustration

Many educators who work in places that have had historic and unending struggles with family engagement approach it through a lens of compliance or blame. Here is the harsh reality. The ultimate problem in these areas is that family engagement is simply misunderstood.

Compliance is evidenced as family engagement policies are routinely developed by schools and districts to fulfill federal, state, and local requirements. I have actually witnessed school leaders create meaningless parent involvement policies by cutting and pasting documents developed by other professionals and schools and also resorting to recycling those that were previously made year after year. Embedded in many of these carelessly created documents are lists of superficial family engagement activities designed to attract parents to attend events that can be numerically quantified as successful due to the amount of parents who basically add their signature to page that proves that they attended. It is awesome to celebrate the success of students by having families attend special events that highlight their development. Having dads come to a classroom or school for a special gathering in masses for donuts and having moms attend their session for muffins reflects a nice way for them to participate by hearing about their school and programs. Unfortunately, these events do not result in educators taking the lead in forming authentic relationships with the families they serve so that they will become active and responsive members of the team devoted to their children.

Despite the parent engagement and participation policies that schools proudly display on their websites and maintain for audits and reviews, those districts that fail to increase the number of families who partner with educators and work as a team to support their children resort to blame. Such educators fault families for failing to respond to invitations to participate in the conferences, events, and programs that they create exclusively for them. Teachers and principals who become immersed in a cycle of criticizing parents for being invisible fail to understand some of the realities that routinely confront them. For example, some parents may be in a survival mode and simply cannot participate in events because they work multiple jobs. There may be cultural barriers that make families uncomfortable reporting to the school along with negative memories of their past school experiences. The list of parental limitations is endless.

Unfortunately, many professionals who try to promote family engagement in their schools really do not know what is it. Parental involvement and participation are used identically in relation to the role that these key stakeholders play throughout their child’s educational experience. Monitoring homework, assisting with school fundraisers, and attending special meetings, conferences, and events at school are some of the ways that parents participate and are involved. However, family engagement involves two deeper processes. First of all, educators must realize that the composition of the twenty-first century family is different compared to how the family was defined in the past. Varied gender roles affirm this along with the expanded, shared, and unique roles relatives, guardians, and close friends who monitor the educational experiences of learners assume in the lives of students. So, the use of the word family is more inclusive than using the word parent. Secondly, what makes family engagement more of an intensive process compared to involvement and participation is the authentic relationship component. Only when acceptance, respect, and emotional indicators that include but are not limited to empathy, concern, and love manifest will genuine relationships be established between educators and families. While I believe that school leaders, teachers, and other educational officials must be the primary leaders in fostering these meaningful relationships with their families, families must also work to build relationships with those who assume the responsibility to educate their children. This will increase family engagement in education. Intensive educator training and family training are required to facilitate the relationship building efforts that will produce sustainable levels of family engagement in education.

These realities have made my work as a family engagement influencer challenging. My path that I travel to accomplish my mission is at times

daunting, less traveled, isolating, hard, and unpopular.

However, guiding principles encourage me to continue on my course.

My Path

“The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” -Deuteronomy 31:8 NIV

Internal mandates have caused my vision to be 2020 so that I remain equipped and ready to fulfill my mission to ignite family engagement in education. These guiding principles reflect the principles that are a part of my being so that my goals will be reached.

1. My Life Is Filled With Purpose

Being intuitively aware of my reason for existing as a professional during this period of time embodies my true purpose. There is an emotional connection that is spiritually attached to what I am supposed to do in my life. I equate it to a unique call placed upon my life. A mandate has been given to me to accomplish a specific task.

My purpose has been defined by my career experiences that have been deeply embedded in fostering positive relationships with families. Being a family and consumer sciences teacher established my foundation. My service as a school and district administrator enabled me to grow to understand that there is a deficit with the capacity of many educators and families to unite seamlessly for the betterment of the educational experience of many students. Serving as a professor of multicultural education assisted me in understanding how to overcome cultural barriers that prevent positive relationships from developing. My purpose is to facilitate the interpersonal growth of educators and families so that authentic relationships are established. In doing so, robust home and school partnerships that benefit students, educators, families, and society will result.

2. My Moral Compass

The late Stephen R. Covey, author of the award winning book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” articulated superb explanations for the phrase “moral compass”. A moral compass refers to the vision and direction one establishes for their life by following an ethical path that is the intrinsically right avenue to follow. According to Covey, despite the obstacles that confront individuals, a compass orients people to follow a specific direction.

I know with all certainty that I am morally obligated to help educators and families become empowered to establish and sustain powerful alliances that benefit the process of learning and the delivery of instruction. I obey the leading in my heart, which is my true north. All of my actions associated with fulfilling my mission are based on the principles that include the respect for families, students, educators, teaching, and learning as I honor God by obeying His will for my life. I am strategically oriented to accomplishing the task that I must complete.

3. My Passion Is My Truth

Passion refers to what is critically important in one’s life. Truth is authenticity, truth is transparency.

My efforts to ignite family engagement in education is evolving and expanding with the greatest sense of urgency. To me, time is of the essence. So, I cannot under utilize it. Instead, I must honor time by using it wisely. My knowledge, expertise, and perspectives are being honestly shared in various ways as I give of my professional and personal resources to devote to my life’s work. In doing so, I speak my truth to repair an area of education that is broken in many learning environments.

4. My Belief: All Things Are Possible

To believe is to have faith, to be fully persuaded, and to rest assured.

I am perfectly convinced that the work that I have begun to advocate for increased levels of family engagement in education, especially in all of the schools and districts that desperately need educators and families to form authentic relationships for all of the positive benefits that result, is beginning to make a positive difference for others. Through targeted educator and parent training, I am certain that family engagement will ignite throughout educational systems as well as within schools and classrooms that need it the most.

All of my guiding truths help me to remain focused on my end result, enable me to remained anchored by having faith, and to persevere as I thoughtfully navigate each step that I take. Because of these, my inner strength and motivation will sustain me. I will not give up. I will accomplish my mission.

How Is Your Vision?

I believe each person has something the resides within their heart that prompts them to ignite a light for others to follow. In doing so, one person can change the world.

What passion fills your heart and has the capacity to impact our global village for the good?

What path will you follow in your life to embrace your mission?

Are you able to see your horizon with 2020 vision?

I invite you to join me by uniting together to create change in this area. Be sure to sign up to be on my email list at [email protected] to receive a periodic copy of my newsletter and specific information about advancing the

Ignite Family Engagement Movement.

Here’s my golden ticket that helps me accomplish my mission.

Dr. Deborah M. Vereen is a retired family and consumer sciences teacher, school principal, director of pupil personnel services, assistant to the superintendent for family and community engagement, and professor of multicultural education. Her website is www.Drdeborahmvereen.com and she is dedicating the rest of her life to serving as a Global Family Engagement Influencer.