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Family and Student Engagement

A huge part of developing a system of support for students is making decisions. Decisions are made about what education to provide and how. In order to build effective systems that benefit every single student, we need to talk to the students and families that we serve.

We all have a perspective and point of view based on our own experiences, knowledge and understanding. You’ve heard the saying “walk a mile in their shoes”. Well in schools we need to understand the journey each child is on and come to understand their view and outlook. I love this example that comes from the book “You’re It: Crisis, Change, and How to Lead When it Matters Most”.

Imagine we are trying to solve a problem and you and I are looking at a problem inside of a cube. The problem is a cone, however we can only see through one side of the cube.

I look through the top and see a triangle. You look through the bottom and see a circle. We are both right from our perspective, however we need each other to figure out what is happening.

The same is true in schools.

This is also a principle present in the business world. Businesses talk to their consumers and even use feedback from consumer testing when making decisions.

So why wouldn’t we talk to kids about the barriers they are facing or what decisions we need to make in education? Partnering with our community, our families, and our students gives us the multiple perspectives we need to make a difference.

In 2022, North Central ESD’s past MTSS Specialist, Stephanie Andler, shared her knowledge on all things Multi-Tiered System of Supports and how regional school districts can implement the strategies in this blog series.