Community Connections and Your PLC at Work(r) : A Guide to Engaging Families (a Guide to School Community Involvement in a Plc)

In a PLC, every student, teacher, staff member, parent, and family member is vital to the success of the school. With an emphasis on transparency, mutual trust, and clarity of purpose, this resource provides a road map to growing community engagement and involvement. Learn step by step how to establish deep-rooted relationships that lead to the lasting betterment of your school or district.

Use this resource to make students and families feel welcome, included, and valued.

• Gain insight into the importance of parent and family engagement with schools as part of students' success.
• Learn key concepts of the professional learning community (PLC) process and how they apply to fostering school engagement with families and other community stakeholders.
• Gain strategies to encourage community involvement in goal setting within schools.
• Understand how to overcome the barriers of economically disadvantaged families and communities traditionally underserved by schools.
• Acquire best practices for involving stakeholders in a collaborative process of learning and growth.

Contents:
Introduction: Bringing in Parents, Families, and the Community
Chapter 1: Setting the Stage
Chapter 2: Creating a Family-Engagement Guiding Coalition
Chapter 3: Articulating a Family-Focused Mission and Vision
Chapter 4: Achieving a Customer-Centric Culture
Chapter 5: Creating a Focus on Learning for Families
Chapter 6: Focusing on Collaboration With Families
Chapter 7: Focusing on Results With Families
Epilogue
Appendix: Additional Resources and Materials

Nathaniel Provencio is associate superintendent in Prince William County, Virginia. Under his leadership as principal, Minnieville Elementary School, a Title 1 school with a culturally and linguistically diverse student population, was recognized as a Model Professional Learning Community and was the 2019 winner of the prestigious DuFour Award. In addition, Nathaniel led Minnieville's efforts to become a Virginia Distinguished Title 1 school.

In recognition of his ongoing work to enhance effective classroom instruction, promote collaboration among all stakeholders, and grow family and community engagement, he was honored as the 2017 Prince William County Principal of the Year, the 2017 Washington Post Principal of the Year, and the 2019 Virginia Principal of the Year.

In addition to leading Minnieville Elementary, Nathaniel is an award-winning leader in advocating for local community involvement and business engagement in economically and culturally diverse schools.

He is a sought-after presenter and has presented at regional, state, and national conferences in the areas of professional learning communities, family engagement, and effective literacy frameworks.

Nathaniel earned a bachelor's degree in education from the University of North Alabama and a master's degree in education administration from George Mason University (GMU). In 2018, he was recognized as an Alumni Exemplar by GMU.