Empowered Families, Thriving Students
Unlocking the Potential of Family-School Partnerships
Washington Collado
- Creative Leadership Solutions, Associate
Alex Marrero
- Denver Public Schools, Superintendent
Belinda Reyes
- Chief Executive Officer, Reyes Executive Coaching and Leadership Solutions, LLC.
Purchase
eBook
ISBN:
9798348838072
Available from
January 0001
Paperback
ISBN:
9781071978887
Available from
October 2025
Description
Break barriers, build trust, and create lasting change for students
Family engagement has never been more critical to student achievement, yet too many schools remain stuck in outdated models that treat families as occasional visitors rather than essential partners. Authored by three seasoned and celebrated school leaders, this practical book challenges educators to move beyond traditional "meetings and meals" approaches toward authentic family empowerment that drives meaningful change.
Introducing an innovative framework to reimagine family and community engagement, Empowered Families, Thriving Students addresses critical topics including overcoming deficit-based mindsets, establishing trust, building community partnerships, and reimagining traditional practices like parent-teacher conferences. Additional features include
- Fourteen implementable strategies, each supported by clear action steps and self-analysis questions
- Authentic vignettes drawn from the authors' extensive experiences in PreK–2 schools across diverse communities
- Evidence-based approaches that combine nationally recognized research with compelling personal experiences
- A focus on equity and cultural responsiveness that specifically address the needs of schools serving low-income and multilingual students
This exceptional guide provides school leaders, teachers, and community advocates with the essential tools to forge meaningful collaboration that focuses relentlessly on student achievement and wellbeing, creating stronger schools and more vibrant communities.
Contents
Foreword by Douglas B. Reeves
Foreword by Douglas B. Reeves
Acknowledgments
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
About the Authors
Introduction
Introduction
Chapter 1: From Vision to Action: Crafting Tailored Family Engagement Plans
- Strategy 1: Develop a School or District-Specific Engagement Plan
- Strategy 2: Establish Collaborative Goal Setting and Family Participation in Decision Making
- Action Steps for Developing a Context-Specific Engagement Plan
- Strategy 1: Self-analysis questions to plan your actions
- Action Steps for Developing a Goal-Setting Plan to Empower Parent Feedback on School Improvement Plans
- Strategy 2: Self-analysis questions to plan your actions
- Chapter Takeaways
- Reflection Questions
Chapter 2: Overcoming Deficit-Based Views
- Strategy 3: Develop Strategies to Overcome Deficit-Based Mindsets
- Strategy 4: Activate Families as Coeducators and Change Leaders
- Action Steps for Overcoming Deficit-Based Mindsets
- Strategy 3: Self-analysis questions to plan your actions
- Family Storytelling
- Action Steps for Activating Families as Coeducators and Change Leaders
- Strategy 4: Self-analysis questions to plan your actions
- Chapter Takeaways
- Reflection Questions
Chapter 3: Establishing Trust for Lasting Relationships
- Strategy 5: Learn About Your Families and Their Unique Assets
- Strategy 6: Establish a School Climate for Psychological and Physical Safety
- Conduct a Community Scan
- Action Steps for Conducting a Community Scan
- Cultivate Strong Family–Teacher Relationships
- Action Steps for Cultivating Strong Family–Teacher Relationships
- Celebrate the Assets Families Bring
- Action Steps for Creating Activities Built on Family Assets
- Get to Know Families’ Cultural Perspectives
- Action Steps for Building Culturally Sensitive Family–School Relationships
- Strategy 5: Self-analysis questions to plan your actions
- Create a School Environment that Looks Safe
- Action Steps for Attending to the Visual Elements of Order and Safety
- Create a Climate of Psychological Safety
- Take Action to Ensure Psychological and Physical Safety
- Strategy 6: Self-analysis questions to plan your actions
- Chapter Takeaways
- Reflection Questions
Chapter 4: Building Capacity for Authentic Partnership
- The Three Tiers of Involvement
- Strategy 7: Go Out into the Community to Empower Families
- Action Steps for Progressing from Involvement to Engagement to Empowerment
- Strategy 7: Self-analysis questions to plan your actions
- Strategy 8: Offer Leadership Training for Families
- Family Leadership Institute
- School Advisory Committees
- Training Family Liaisons
- Action Steps for Fostering a Leadership Environment for Families
- Strategy 8: Self-analysis questions to plan your actions
- Chapter Takeaways
- Reflective Questions
Chapter 5: Building Lasting Community Partnerships
- Strategy 9: Build Partnerships With Community Partners
- Strategy 10: Maintain, Enhance, and Strengthen Partnerships With Community Partners
- Solicit Feedback and Act on Community Feedback
- Take Steps to Meet the Community
- Identify Community Resources
- Action Steps for Building Partnerships With Community Organizations
- Strategy 9: Self-analysis questions to guide your actions
- Celebrate Community Cultural Heritage
- Take Steps for the Community to Know Your School
- Action Steps for Maintaining, Enhancing, and Strengthening Bonds and Partnerships With Community Partners
- Strategy 10: Self-analysis questions to plan your actions
- Chapter Takeaways
- Reflective Questions
Chapter 6: Strengthening Students’ Academic Potential: Empowering Families with Practical Ways to Provide Support
- Strategy 11: Build the Capacity of Families to Support Academics
- Strategy 12: Align Family and School Support to Boost Students’ Academic Achievement
- Trust and Human Connection Come First
- Action Steps for Building the Capacity of Families to Support Academics
- Strategy 11: Self-analysis questions to plan your actions
- Strategic Alignment of Academic Goals Between Home and School
- Voluntary Prekindergarten: Knowledge Is Academic Power
- Self-Efficacy and Support in Secondary Education
- Action Steps for Aligning Family and School Support to Boost Students’ Academic Achievement
- Strategy 12: Self-analysis questions to plan your actions
- Chapter Takeaway
- Reflection Questions
Chapter 7: Reimagining Traditional Practices for Greater Family Empowerment
- Additional Tools to Build Family Capacity
- The School–Family Calendar: A Communication Tool for Engagement
- Prioritize Family Time
- Promote Family Volunteering
- Strategy 13: Maximize Parent–Teacher Conferences
- Reimagining Parent–Teacher Conferences
- Action Steps for Innovating With Student-Led Conferences
- Strategy 13: Self-analysis to guide your plan of action
- Strategy 14: Transform Open House into a Relationship-Building Event
- Action Steps for Reimaging Open House as an Interactive Experience
- Strategy 14: Self-analysis questions to plan your actions
- Chapter Takeaways
- Reflection Questions
Conclusion
- Embracing Family Empowerment
- A Call to Collective Action
References
References
Index
Index
Additional materials
Description
Break barriers, build trust, and create lasting change for students
Family engagement has never been more critical to student achievement, yet too many schools remain stuck in outdated models that treat families as occasional visitors rather than essential partners. Authored by three seasoned and celebrated school leaders, this practical book challenges educators to move beyond traditional "meetings and meals" approaches toward authentic family empowerment that drives meaningful change.
Introducing an innovative framework to reimagine family and community engagement, Empowered Families, Thriving Students addresses critical topics including overcoming deficit-based mindsets, establishing trust, building community partnerships, and reimagining traditional practices like parent-teacher conferences. Additional features include
- Fourteen implementable strategies, each supported by clear action steps and self-analysis questions
- Authentic vignettes drawn from the authors' extensive experiences in PreK–2 schools across diverse communities
- Evidence-based approaches that combine nationally recognized research with compelling personal experiences
- A focus on equity and cultural responsiveness that specifically address the needs of schools serving low-income and multilingual students
This exceptional guide provides school leaders, teachers, and community advocates with the essential tools to forge meaningful collaboration that focuses relentlessly on student achievement and wellbeing, creating stronger schools and more vibrant communities.
Contents
Foreword by Douglas B. Reeves
Foreword by Douglas B. Reeves
Acknowledgments
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
About the Authors
Introduction
Introduction
Chapter 1: From Vision to Action: Crafting Tailored Family Engagement Plans
- Strategy 1: Develop a School or District-Specific Engagement Plan
- Strategy 2: Establish Collaborative Goal Setting and Family Participation in Decision Making
- Action Steps for Developing a Context-Specific Engagement Plan
- Strategy 1: Self-analysis questions to plan your actions
- Action Steps for Developing a Goal-Setting Plan to Empower Parent Feedback on School Improvement Plans
- Strategy 2: Self-analysis questions to plan your actions
- Chapter Takeaways
- Reflection Questions
Chapter 2: Overcoming Deficit-Based Views
- Strategy 3: Develop Strategies to Overcome Deficit-Based Mindsets
- Strategy 4: Activate Families as Coeducators and Change Leaders
- Action Steps for Overcoming Deficit-Based Mindsets
- Strategy 3: Self-analysis questions to plan your actions
- Family Storytelling
- Action Steps for Activating Families as Coeducators and Change Leaders
- Strategy 4: Self-analysis questions to plan your actions
- Chapter Takeaways
- Reflection Questions
Chapter 3: Establishing Trust for Lasting Relationships
- Strategy 5: Learn About Your Families and Their Unique Assets
- Strategy 6: Establish a School Climate for Psychological and Physical Safety
- Conduct a Community Scan
- Action Steps for Conducting a Community Scan
- Cultivate Strong Family–Teacher Relationships
- Action Steps for Cultivating Strong Family–Teacher Relationships
- Celebrate the Assets Families Bring
- Action Steps for Creating Activities Built on Family Assets
- Get to Know Families’ Cultural Perspectives
- Action Steps for Building Culturally Sensitive Family–School Relationships
- Strategy 5: Self-analysis questions to plan your actions
- Create a School Environment that Looks Safe
- Action Steps for Attending to the Visual Elements of Order and Safety
- Create a Climate of Psychological Safety
- Take Action to Ensure Psychological and Physical Safety
- Strategy 6: Self-analysis questions to plan your actions
- Chapter Takeaways
- Reflection Questions
Chapter 4: Building Capacity for Authentic Partnership
- The Three Tiers of Involvement
- Strategy 7: Go Out into the Community to Empower Families
- Action Steps for Progressing from Involvement to Engagement to Empowerment
- Strategy 7: Self-analysis questions to plan your actions
- Strategy 8: Offer Leadership Training for Families
- Family Leadership Institute
- School Advisory Committees
- Training Family Liaisons
- Action Steps for Fostering a Leadership Environment for Families
- Strategy 8: Self-analysis questions to plan your actions
- Chapter Takeaways
- Reflective Questions
Chapter 5: Building Lasting Community Partnerships
- Strategy 9: Build Partnerships With Community Partners
- Strategy 10: Maintain, Enhance, and Strengthen Partnerships With Community Partners
- Solicit Feedback and Act on Community Feedback
- Take Steps to Meet the Community
- Identify Community Resources
- Action Steps for Building Partnerships With Community Organizations
- Strategy 9: Self-analysis questions to guide your actions
- Celebrate Community Cultural Heritage
- Take Steps for the Community to Know Your School
- Action Steps for Maintaining, Enhancing, and Strengthening Bonds and Partnerships With Community Partners
- Strategy 10: Self-analysis questions to plan your actions
- Chapter Takeaways
- Reflective Questions
Chapter 6: Strengthening Students’ Academic Potential: Empowering Families with Practical Ways to Provide Support
- Strategy 11: Build the Capacity of Families to Support Academics
- Strategy 12: Align Family and School Support to Boost Students’ Academic Achievement
- Trust and Human Connection Come First
- Action Steps for Building the Capacity of Families to Support Academics
- Strategy 11: Self-analysis questions to plan your actions
- Strategic Alignment of Academic Goals Between Home and School
- Voluntary Prekindergarten: Knowledge Is Academic Power
- Self-Efficacy and Support in Secondary Education
- Action Steps for Aligning Family and School Support to Boost Students’ Academic Achievement
- Strategy 12: Self-analysis questions to plan your actions
- Chapter Takeaway
- Reflection Questions
Chapter 7: Reimagining Traditional Practices for Greater Family Empowerment
- Additional Tools to Build Family Capacity
- The School–Family Calendar: A Communication Tool for Engagement
- Prioritize Family Time
- Promote Family Volunteering
- Strategy 13: Maximize Parent–Teacher Conferences
- Reimagining Parent–Teacher Conferences
- Action Steps for Innovating With Student-Led Conferences
- Strategy 13: Self-analysis to guide your plan of action
- Strategy 14: Transform Open House into a Relationship-Building Event
- Action Steps for Reimaging Open House as an Interactive Experience
- Strategy 14: Self-analysis questions to plan your actions
- Chapter Takeaways
- Reflection Questions
Conclusion
- Embracing Family Empowerment
- A Call to Collective Action
References
References
Index
Index
Additional materials
Reviews
Empowered Families, Thriving Students
Unlocking the Potential of Family-School Partnerships
October 2025 | 184 pages | Corwin
| Format | Published Date | ISBN | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paperback | 18/07/2025 | 9781071978887 | $30.95 |
| Lifetime | 27/10/2025 | 9798348838072 | $28.00 |
Break barriers, build trust, and create lasting change for students
Family engagement has never been more critical to student achievement, yet too many schools remain stuck in outdated models that treat families as occasional visitors rather than essential partners. Authored by three seasoned and celebrated school leaders, this practical book challenges educators to move beyond traditional "meetings and meals" approaches toward authentic family empowerment that drives meaningful change.
Introducing an innovative framework to reimagine family and community engagement, Empowered Families, Thriving Students addresses critical topics including overcoming deficit-based mindsets, establishing trust, building community partnerships, and reimagining traditional practices like parent-teacher conferences. Additional features include
- Fourteen implementable strategies, each supported by clear action steps and self-analysis questions
- Authentic vignettes drawn from the authors' extensive experiences in PreK–2 schools across diverse communities
- Evidence-based approaches that combine nationally recognized research with compelling personal experiences
- A focus on equity and cultural responsiveness that specifically address the needs of schools serving low-income and multilingual students
This exceptional guide provides school leaders, teachers, and community advocates with the essential tools to forge meaningful collaboration that focuses relentlessly on student achievement and wellbeing, creating stronger schools and more vibrant communities.
Table Of Contents:
- Foreword by Douglas B. Reeves
- Acknowledgments
- About the Authors
- Introduction
- Chapter 1: From Vision to Action: Crafting Tailored Family Engagement Plans
- Strategy 1: Develop a School or District-Specific Engagement Plan
- Strategy 2: Establish Collaborative Goal Setting and Family Participation in Decision Making
- Action Steps for Developing a Context-Specific Engagement Plan
- Strategy 1: Self-analysis questions to plan your actions
- Action Steps for Developing a Goal-Setting Plan to Empower Parent Feedback on School Improvement Plans
- Strategy 2: Self-analysis questions to plan your actions
- Chapter Takeaways
- Reflection Questions
- Chapter 2: Overcoming Deficit-Based Views
- Strategy 3: Develop Strategies to Overcome Deficit-Based Mindsets
- Strategy 4: Activate Families as Coeducators and Change Leaders
- Action Steps for Overcoming Deficit-Based Mindsets
- Strategy 3: Self-analysis questions to plan your actions
- Family Storytelling
- Action Steps for Activating Families as Coeducators and Change Leaders
- Strategy 4: Self-analysis questions to plan your actions
- Chapter Takeaways
- Reflection Questions
- Chapter 3: Establishing Trust for Lasting Relationships
- Strategy 5: Learn About Your Families and Their Unique Assets
- Strategy 6: Establish a School Climate for Psychological and Physical Safety
- Conduct a Community Scan
- Action Steps for Conducting a Community Scan
- Cultivate Strong Family–Teacher Relationships
- Action Steps for Cultivating Strong Family–Teacher Relationships
- Celebrate the Assets Families Bring
- Action Steps for Creating Activities Built on Family Assets
- Get to Know Families’ Cultural Perspectives
- Action Steps for Building Culturally Sensitive Family–School Relationships
- Strategy 5: Self-analysis questions to plan your actions
- Create a School Environment that Looks Safe
- Action Steps for Attending to the Visual Elements of Order and Safety
- Create a Climate of Psychological Safety
- Take Action to Ensure Psychological and Physical Safety
- Strategy 6: Self-analysis questions to plan your actions
- Chapter Takeaways
- Reflection Questions
- Chapter 4: Building Capacity for Authentic Partnership
- The Three Tiers of Involvement
- Strategy 7: Go Out into the Community to Empower Families
- Action Steps for Progressing from Involvement to Engagement to Empowerment
- Strategy 7: Self-analysis questions to plan your actions
- Strategy 8: Offer Leadership Training for Families
- Family Leadership Institute
- School Advisory Committees
- Training Family Liaisons
- Action Steps for Fostering a Leadership Environment for Families
- Strategy 8: Self-analysis questions to plan your actions
- Chapter Takeaways
- Reflective Questions
- Chapter 5: Building Lasting Community Partnerships
- Strategy 9: Build Partnerships With Community Partners
- Strategy 10: Maintain, Enhance, and Strengthen Partnerships With Community Partners
- Solicit Feedback and Act on Community Feedback
- Take Steps to Meet the Community
- Identify Community Resources
- Action Steps for Building Partnerships With Community Organizations
- Strategy 9: Self-analysis questions to guide your actions
- Celebrate Community Cultural Heritage
- Take Steps for the Community to Know Your School
- Action Steps for Maintaining, Enhancing, and Strengthening Bonds and Partnerships With Community Partners
- Strategy 10: Self-analysis questions to plan your actions
- Chapter Takeaways
- Reflective Questions
- Chapter 6: Strengthening Students’ Academic Potential: Empowering Families with Practical Ways to Provide Support
- Strategy 11: Build the Capacity of Families to Support Academics
- Strategy 12: Align Family and School Support to Boost Students’ Academic Achievement
- Trust and Human Connection Come First
- Action Steps for Building the Capacity of Families to Support Academics
- Strategy 11: Self-analysis questions to plan your actions
- Strategic Alignment of Academic Goals Between Home and School
- Voluntary Prekindergarten: Knowledge Is Academic Power
- Self-Efficacy and Support in Secondary Education
- Action Steps for Aligning Family and School Support to Boost Students’ Academic Achievement
- Strategy 12: Self-analysis questions to plan your actions
- Chapter Takeaway
- Reflection Questions
- Chapter 7: Reimagining Traditional Practices for Greater Family Empowerment
- Additional Tools to Build Family Capacity
- The School–Family Calendar: A Communication Tool for Engagement
- Prioritize Family Time
- Promote Family Volunteering
- Strategy 13: Maximize Parent–Teacher Conferences
- Reimagining Parent–Teacher Conferences
- Action Steps for Innovating With Student-Led Conferences
- Strategy 13: Self-analysis to guide your plan of action
- Strategy 14: Transform Open House into a Relationship-Building Event
- Action Steps for Reimaging Open House as an Interactive Experience
- Strategy 14: Self-analysis questions to plan your actions
- Chapter Takeaways
- Reflection Questions
- Conclusion
- Embracing Family Empowerment
- A Call to Collective Action
- References
- Index
Recent Product Reviews:
Drs. Collado, Marrero, and Reyes have provided the ‘why’ and the ‘how to’ of empowering families to create thriving students from a personal perspective! It is filled with keen, practical and useful strategies to help administrators and teachers make the connections that are critical for students’ success.
Mary Ellen Elia, Success for Students, Inc.
Empowered Families, Thriving Students provides clear strategies and wonderful wisdom. This is a must read for anyone committed to helping children flourish in school and in life.
Ulysses Navarrete, Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents
Drs. Collado, Marrero, and Reyes turn belief into behavior, translating respect for community wisdom into daily practice and treating trust as disciplined work. By recognizing families as partners, the authors give leaders practical steps to improve relationships and student learning.
Nancy B. Gutiérrez, The Leadership Academy
This book is a very practical approach to engaging families as authentic partners in the education of their children. The authors present a strong case for student success that is grounded in a systematic plan of action that engages all the collaborators who shape students’ experiences and learning environments.
John Hardman, Florida Atlantic University
Empowered Families, Thriving Students is a clear, actionable roadmap for schools ready to stop talking about family engagement and start building it. One of the most powerful examples illustrated how a school reimagined the role of the family liaison—connecting families through cultural events, personal outreach, and leadership opportunities. This is what real partnership looks like.
Brad Johnson