Unreached

In her 20 years of service in K–12 education systems, Trise Moore never met an educator who said they did not want to be inspired or supported by their students’ families. The truth is that family engagement does take work, from both the school and the community structures we reach out to, and with little funds and time allocated to collaboration or training, educators are at a loss for where and how to begin family and community engagement. But to close the achievement gap and increase student equity, engaging previously unreached families can be the single most effective change you make.

In Unreached, Moore breaks down four equity partnership recommendations that lay the foundation for five leadership practices to assist individual teachers, school teams, and building leaders as they collaborate with families to develop authentic, outcome-based approaches that support student achievement. Filled with practice scenarios, tips & strategies, and reflection questions, this guide will assess where you are now; facilitate collaborative school, family, and community interactions for growth; and provide the structure necessary to organize and encourage continued engagement.

This workbook will ask a lot of you. It requires self-reflection, real discussion with parents, and development of a genuine professional learning community with at least a few motivated colleagues. The payoff for completing it will be real, measurable improvements to the academic, social, and emotional development of every one of your students, and the satisfaction that you have learned from and reached families in a way that improves your connections to and outcomes for your students.