1. Helping Families Partner for Education and Employment Success
Megan Cote, Family Engagement Initiative Lead for the National Center on Deaf-Blindness (NCDB)
Sean Roy, Co-Director of National Parent Center on Transition and Employment (PACER)
Monica Ballay & Pamdora Williams | Louisiana State Personnel Development Grant (LaSPDG)
Thought you all could add your logos as well with NCDB bottom

2. Overview of the session:
We will share strategies on how all 3 organizations help families partner with the education and workforce systems to better educate their child and prepare them for employment success.
NCDB will share practical cross-agency collaborative strategies that
empower and educate families of children with significant disabilities.
PACER will share promising strategies that educators and workforce
professionals can use to engage families of youth with disabilities in
the career readiness process.
Louisiana SPDG will focus on high impact family partnership practices
and the integration of technology to deliver effective professional development to
educators.

3. What is the National Center on Deaf-Blindness?
A national technical assistance center funded by the U.S. Department of Education that works to improve the quality of life for children who are deaf-blind and their families. Our Initiatives are:
Early Identification/ Referral
Family Engagement
Interveners & Qualified Personnel
Transition
Literacy
National Child Count

4. Working Together for Families: State Deaf-Blind Project & Parent Center Collaborations
In the fall of 2014, OSEP sent a letter to state deaf-blind projects and parent centers urging them to work together to provide training and supports to families of children who are deaf- blind to enable them to successfully advocate on behalf of their children.
A family engagement technical work group comprised of representatives from NCDB, regional parent centers, state deaf-blind projects, NFADB, CADRE, and the CHARGE Syndrome Foundation was created.
In June 2015, a form created by the group was sent to state projects and parent centers for them to describe their current collaboration strategies.
By August of 2015, NCDB had received 21 completed forms.

5. Working Together for Families: State Deaf-Blind Project & Parent Center Collaborations (cont.)
These forms were then carefully reviewed to identify specific collaborative strategies and activities and sorted into the following 4 categories:
Networking
Cooperation
Coordination
Collaboration

6. Stage 1: Networking
Organizations are aware of each other and have a general understanding of what each does, but communication is limited and no joint decision making is taking place (Frey et al., 2006).
There are no specific strategies associated with this very informal stage of interacting.
Most state deaf-blind project-parent center pairs who responded to our request for information had already moved beyond this level.

7. Stage 2: Cooperation
Agencies are beginning to establish professional relationships and communication is becoming more formal.
They share information and exert some effort to limit duplication of similar resources.
They are also gaining a better understanding of the services offered by each other’s organization and the strengths of their personnel.

8. Stage 3: Coordination
Organizations consistently share information and resources in a way that increases their efficiency, reducing duplication of effort.
Become involved in each other’s activities
Develop an in-depth understanding of what each project does
Meet regularly
Disseminate news and materials and make referrals
Share expertise and provide staff development training

9. Stage 4: Collaboration
Communication based on mutual trust —organizations have established processes that drive and organize shared work.
Involve other stakeholders and work together on state systems change activities
Develop a formal working agreement and strong professional and personal relationships; possibly share financial resources
Work together on data collection and evaluate collaboration outcomes
Share and/or connect parent leaders

10. Working Together for Families: State Deaf-Blind Project & Parent Center Collaborations (cont.)
In this report you will learn a variety of practical strategies—some small and some more extensive—that state deaf-blind projects and parent centers use to work together to increase the effectiveness of their services to families.
The report can be found here:

11. PACER’s National Parent Center on Transition and Employment
PACER Center
PACER’s National Parent Center on Transition and Employment
Promote family involvement in transition
Promote building professional capacity around same goal
National conferences and TA
Direct assistance to families

12. The Power of Family Engagement
•Students with one or more parents who participated in the IEP meetings during 11th and 12th grades were more likely to be engaged in post-school employment
•Students with parents who had HIGH EXPECTATIONS were more likely to be engaged in postsecondary education and employment

13. What Parents Experience
Unsure of what youth can accomplish
Messaging rooted in low expectations
Unsure about their role in secondary transition planning
Unaware of adult supports
Poor communication

14. Coordinated parent training efforts can:
Inform parents of rights, responsibilities and options
Bring parents together with other parents
Give parents access to experts
Allows for cross-agency partnerships around supporting parents

15. Professional Capacity
Many professionals such as educators and Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors have never received formal training on effectively working with families.
No magic solution
Needs to be an ethic and job expectation
Communication breakdowns tend to make up majority of issues
Consider ongoing capacity building effort

16. Knowledge Translation
Families benefit from resource materials that explain complicated rules, policies, and concepts in a easy to understand format.
Reading level
Translated into other languages
Trend is towards shorter pieces strung together
Families not only want to know who helps, but how the process works and what they can do if process isn’t working

17. Messaging to Families Around Employment
Consider these core messages when supporting families and youth in the career planning process:
Maintain high expectations
Work experiences a must
Research support options early
Build soft skills through home activities
Youth should drive the process
Some youth need a longer runway

18. Resources to Strengthen Family Partnerships
LA State Personnel Development Grant (LaSPDG) A grant awarded to the LDOE in 2011 for 5 years from Office of Special Education Programs Pamdora Williams & Monica Ballay

19. Session Outcomes
Participants will gain knowledge on Family Engagement:
Practices that have a high impact on student achievement
On-line learning modules for teachers
Practices that promote partnerships with diverse families including families of students with disabilities

20. Louisiana State Personnel Development Grant

21. LaSPDG Family Facilitators

22. 4 Domains of Family Engagement

23. Mindful Engagement Webinar Series

24. Mindful Engagement Series: Strategies & Tools to Strengthen Family Partnerships

25. Webinar Series Purpose:
-to support educators in identifying the essential elements for establishing and sustaining partnerships with families through an online professional learning series
Webinars can be:
-viewed in any order -used individually or during PLCs -viewed in 30 minutes or less

26. Each Module Includes:
Listening Guide
Extension Guide

27. Each Module Contains: Links to Additional Tools & Resources

28. Ongoing Communication
Mindful Engagement Series Module 3 of 10
Louisiana State Personnel Development Grant |

29. Promising Practices for Family Engagement
Purpose: to increase awareness of Louisiana Family Engagement practices as ideas for developing initiatives to strengthen partnerships with all families.

30. Family Engagement Promising Practices

31. Discussion Questions:
1) Collaboration is vital for agencies involved in complementary grant program activities. What strategies can agencies use to maximize efficiency and effectiveness in areas where their missions converge?
2) What strategies can educators and other professionals use to make sure parents are informed about community resources that support employment? How can educators and other professionals better frame the purpose of transition so parents feel invested in the process?
3) High impact family partnership practices and the integration of technology will support delivery of effective professional development to educators. What high impact family partnership practices does research support to increase academic outcomes for students?