1. Virtual School Tours: A Tool for Authentic Parent Engagement July 3, 2013 1 www.dcschoolreform.org

2. Session Agenda 1. Panelist Introductions 2. Discussion: Parent Engagement and Perspectives of School Quality 3. Virtual School Tours: How to Take Them, Relevant Materials and the Production Process 4. Take Some Virtual School Tours 5. Additional Resources 2 www.dcschoolreform.org

3. Panelist Introductions www.dcschoolreform.org 3 David Pickens, DC School Reform Now Shantelle Wright, Achievement Preparatory Academy Mecha Inman, The SEED School of Washington, D.C. Emerald Becker, DC School Reform Now

4. Discussion: Parent Engagement and Perspectives of School Quality www.dcschoolreform.org 4 Exercise: Assessing School Quality What parents look for when assessing a school for quality. How they go about assessing school quality. Virtual School Tours Provide greater access to make comparisons about school quality. They were developed as a response to an identified need.

5. How to Take a Virtual School Tour www.dcschoolreform.org 5 Teaser 5-6 minutes highlighting each school component. Full-length chapters Deep dives into each component. Play-all Complete video of all full-length chapters.

6. Take a Virtual School Tour www.dcschoolreform.org 6 Achievement Preparatory Academy Public charter school founded in 2008. Among the highest performing students in DC. 87 percent free or reduced lunch rate. Expanding to serve Pre-K-8 next year.

7. Production of Virtual School Tours www.dcschoolreform.org 7 Cost Raw and authentic footage = inexpensive Time Refined concept = fast production School Partners The project is not provocative so schools are generally eager participate.

8. Take a Virtual School Tour www.dcschoolreform.org 8 The SEED School of Washington, D.C. Public charter school founded in 1998. Over 90 percent of all SEED graduates have been accepted to four-year colleges and universities. 5-day boarding program. 77 percent free or reduced lunch rate.

9. Materials for Virtual School Tours www.dcschoolreform.org 9 School Visit Checklist Principal Interview Checklist Teacher and Classroom Visit Checklist Virtual School Tours Checklist All these materials are free to download at: www.dcschoolreform.org/hqsc-materials www.dcschoolreform.org/hqsc-materials

10. Take More Virtual School Tours www.dcschoolreform.org 10 Achievement Preparatory Academy Cesar Chavez Prep DC Prep Edgewood Middle Campus KIPP DC AIM Academy The SEED School of Washington, D.C. Two Rivers Washington Latin

11. Conclusion www.dcschoolreform.org 11 Go take more Virtual School Tours on your phone, tablet or computer. We are filming more schools and expanding to DC public elementary schools next year. Consider the ways in which your district or city engages parents in the school choice process.

12. Additional Resources 12 DC School Reform Now: www.dcschoolreform.org www.dcschoolreform.org Interested in creating something similar in your district or city? We are happy to support you. You can also follow us on: @dcschoolreform www.facebook.com/dcschoolreform www.facebook.com/dcschoolreform bit.ly/LinkedInDCSRN www.dcschoolreform.org