Getting Engaged—In Family Engagement

On January 10th, partners for a statewide family engagement in schools initiative, the Carolina Family Engagement Center, gathered in a cozy conference room at the University of South Carolina. Participants represented a variety of organizations and agencies devoted to supporting the children and families in the state, including the South Carolina Department of Education, SC Center for Fathers and Families, SC Children’s Trust, the University of South Carolina Parent Advocacy Group, The Consortium for Latino Immigration Studies, Family Connection, PASOs, SC School Improvement Council, and The Center for Excellence at FMU, to name a few. The purpose of this meeting was to provide an initial orientation to Getting To Outcomes® (GTO) and the R=MC2 organizational readiness model, both of which will be used to help schools improved the ways in which they engage families

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Dr. Abe Wandersman, introduced GTO and readiness concepts. He and his team tied in both practical general examples and examples more explicit to family engagement to ensure that participants came away with at least a basic understanding of how both could support the function of the broader partnership and how family engagement can be tailored to address the needs of different communities, districts, schools, or even families. ​