Exploring family engagement in out-of-school time settings

Twenty-five out-of-school time educators from Boston and Cambridge recently participated in a two-part workshop on family engagement at the Harvard Ed Portal in Allston. Sessions were facilitated by Harvard Graduate School of Education doctoral students Stephany Cuevas and Deepa Vasudevan.

Attendees explored leading research on the relationship between family engagement and improving both their organizations and the outcomes of their students. Participants also took part in individual reflection exercises and group activities to enrich their approach to family partnerships.
All attendees left with action plans on how they’ll incorporate what they learned into their organizations, and also received a copy of Beyond the Bake Sale, a book written by HGSE lecturer, Dr. Karen Mapp.

For a deeper dive into family engagement practices and research, participants were also encouraged to sign up for the HarvardX course, developed by Karen Mapp, entitled Introduction to Family Engagement in Education. The course is free and open to the public. Interested individuals can find out more at the link below.