TeleNGAGE

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Family engagement in education is critical for student success. Increased family engagement can have a positive effect on key educational measures: student motivation (Cheung & Pomerantz, 2012), student behavior (Sheldon & Epstein, 2002), student optimism toward schooling (Oberg De La Garza & Moreno Kuri, 2014), and student attendance (McConnell & Kubina, 2014; Sheldon, 2007). Ackley and Cullen (2010) found that home/school collaboration has a positive effect on family relationships, reducing stress on parents and children. Students, whose families are engaged, experience higher levels of homework completion, enhanced school satisfaction, higher engagement in school, higher graduation rates, and, ultimately, higher academic outcomes such as test scores and grades.

 

Despite these well-known benefits of family/school collaboration, true collaboration is actually very rare (Ishimaru, 2013). Language barriers, immigration status, lack of navigational capital, high mobility rates, and stresses related to poverty are some of the reasons that families and schools fail to connect. Additionally, educators may have unrecognized deficit mentalities regarding the resources available in homes, especially homes living in poverty or speaking a language other than English.

 

Schedule

TeleNGAGE is on hiatus for the 2024-2025 Academic year.

 

Why TeleNGAGE?

TeleNGAGE will connect families and schools for enhanced understanding and capacity building. Each TeleNGAGE session, centered around case-based learning and mentorship, will help families and educators enter into the perspective of the other. Families will gain skills and efficacy as they are given a “voice” in discussions, and they will gain navigational capital to learn to work with schools more effectively to address the needs of their children. Educators will learn new approaches for applying their knowledge and skills across diverse cultural and economic contexts. As capacity of families and schools increase, they will learn to collaborate in ways that are sustainable and that lead to enhanced educational outcomes.

 

Who Should Join?

Families and educators.

 

Topics

• Chronic Absenteeism
• Artificial Intelligence in Education
• Social Media and Student Mental Health
• Strategies for Addressing Student Behavior Issues
• Student Social-Emotional Needs
• Leader in Me Program

 

Team

District Representatives

Kathy Curry 

TeleNGAGE Facilitator, Associate Professor
John A. and Donnie Brock Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy, Oklahoma State University

 

Ashlyn Fiegner

Assistant Professor, Oklahoma State University

 

Lisa Muller

Superintendent

 

David Miller

Middle School Assistant Principal

 

Rob Beattie

Jefferson Elementary Principal

 

Jessica L. Tucker

ECHO Coordinator

 

Tara Jackson
Project ECHO Director

Jade Goodson
Assistant Director

 

Community Representatives

Rhett Pierce

parent of elementary students

 

Pam Devers

retired teacher, and Pryor Academic Excellence Foundation board member

 

Submit a Case

To present a case at an upcoming TeleNGAGE ECHO, email Jessica.L.Tucker@okstate.edu to request an ECHO ID number. You will receive an ID and the case presentation form.