Tuesday, June 16th at 3pm ET/12pm PT

When families are engaged in school, their children are more likely to succeed. Supporting family engagement and building positive family-school partnerships are at the core of our work as school and district leaders. But how can we adapt our family engagement frameworks to fit today’s context?

Join us for an expert Q&A with educational leaders and experts from The Urban Assembly, Saddleback Valley Unified School District, and the New Hampshire Department of Education to explore supporting family engagement. Panelists will cover:  

  • Learning from Dr. Karen Mapp’s Dual Capacity-Building Framework for Family-School Partnerships
  • Supporting ALL families, including strategies for supporting English Language Learner families 
  • Incorporating family and community engagement as a cornerstone of your district’s strategic plan 
  • Leveraging surveys to collect actionable, representative, and robust family engagement data to build an inclusive school community

 

Expert Panelists:

 

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David Adams, M.Ed, Director of Social-Emotional Learning at The Urban Assembly

 

 

David is the Director of Social-Emotional Learning at The Urban Assembly, a non-profit organization working to advance students' economic and social mobility by improving public education. David previously served as the Social-Emotional Learning Coordinator for District 75 where he shaped the district's approach to social-emotional learning for students with severe cognitive and behavioral challenges. He is married with two children, serves on the Board of Directors of CASEL and is an Engineering Officer in the Army Reserve. David holds an M.Ed in Educational Psychology from Fordham University.

 

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  • Rowena Mak, Ed.D, District Coordinator, Saddleback Valley Unified School District (CA)

 

 

Rowena's role includes overseeing the Services for English Learners Department as well as the MTSS program.  This work includes collaborating with district leadership teams in supporting the creation and implementation of tiered levels of interventions, and evaluating the effectiveness of student learning programs through a continuous improvement cycle. Inherent in this role is also community engagement to ensure that the voice of parents and families remain relevant in serving the needs of all students.  Rowena’s experiences for nearly 20 years in education include being a paraprofessional, teacher, as well as site and district leadership in Chicago, San Diego, and Orange County.  

 

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  • Ellen Desmond, Special Projects Coordinator, New Hampshire Department of Education

 

 

Demetrius Lancaster

 

  • Demetrius Lancaster, Professional Learning Manager, Panorama Education 

 

 

Demetrius is a Professional Learning Manager at Panorama, helping educators understand and act on student, staff, and family voice. He is an experienced urban school leader/administrator and instructional coach with expertise in culturally responsive teaching practices. 

Demetrius holds a Master of Education in Public School Building Leadership from Columbia University.