Draft Vision for Families
Academic families at Thurgood Marshall Academic High School will provide a nurturing and supportive setting for students during their ninth and tenth grade years so that all students can succeed in their classes and meet the school's high academic standards and so that the school can realize its mission.
Family Teachers will:
-Meet weekly with other family teachers.
-Help create a plan for the family, set goals for each semester, define measures of success and monitor and report on progress.
-Use the Cycle of Inquiry to identify and solve problems in order to improve teaching and learning.
-Involve students in the identification of problems and in the creation and implementation of solutions to the problems.
e.g., having focus groups of students to understand student views of issues related to curriculum or instruction
e.g., invite students to participate in meetings
e.g., meet regularly with elected student representatives
-Coordinate curriculum, interdisciplinary lessons and instruction focused on the ESLRs and on standards.
e.g., reading a novel in both Academic Literacy and Ethnic Literature.
e.g., preparing a research paper in both science and Academic Literacy
e.g., learning and using outlining and mind-mapping in science, literature and social studies.
e.g., learning and using the steps for preparing and making a presentation in all family classes
-Coordinate the acculturation to high school and the preparation for success of all students, but, especially, ninth graders.
e.g., common homework procedures, classroom expectations, disciplinary procedures,
e.g., common grading practices, classroom rules, grading symbols
-Acknowledge student achievement and success.
e.g., awards, certificates, awards assemblies
-Plan community-building events for family members.
e.g., field trips, competitions, assemblies, rallies
-Communicate regularly with parents about family events, graduation and college requirements and individual student progress.
e.g., telephone, email, voice mail and regular mail
e.g., a newsletter including articles about student successes, upcoming events, what's happened, etc.
e.g., transcript reviews and graduation requirements
e.g., parent education meetings, e.g., How to help your student succeed.
-Involve parents with students and staff in academic activities or community-building events.
e.g., parent participation in curriculum, e.g., reading A Lesson Before Dying, Night
e.g., parent participation with students and staff in competitions or games
-Support individual students by providing tutoring or mentoring, by arranging parent conferences or by contacting outside organizations for support
e.g., tutoring, monitoring behavior, contacting parents
e.g., building relationships or connections
e.g., modifying curriculum or instructional strategies
-Meet regularly (at least once each marking period) with teachers from all families.
-Participate in Family Professional Development activities during the summer.
-Support each other so that the family and individual family teachers are able to meet the above expectations.
Family Coordinators will:
-Convene and facilitate meetings.
-Make sure that responsibilities are assigned and that tasks are completed
-Keep track of upcoming events, tasks to be done, the big picture.
-Function as point of contact with parents, counselors, administration, consultants, other staff.
-Monitor the progress of the family with respect to the family's plan and meet regularly with administration to review the plan, goals and progress.
-Manage time and resources for their families.
-Participate in professional development to learn how to define goals and measures and how to collect and analyze data.
-Maintain (with the assistance of family teachers) a master family "binder" with information about family students (attendance, behavior, tardies, awards, special ed info, progress reports, records of student and parent conferences and agreements, samples of student work, etc.)
-Maintain (with the assistance of family teachers) a family portfolio documenting family events, programs and projects.
Counselors will:
-Attend family meetings regularly
-Attend family coordinator meetings
-Attend Family Reunions.
Administration will:
-Maintain the integrity of the family structure.
-Support the implementation and completion of the above activities.
-Assign teachers to families who are willing to work in families.
-Communicate the expectation that all family teachers meet the expectations outlined here.
Reform Coordinator will:
-Attend family coordinator meetings.
-Assist families that are having difficulties
-Coordinate with the administration on family issues.
-Assist families in obtaining data for analyses.
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