Parent and Community Engagement for Learning
Parents, carers and other family members have a significant influence on a student's success at school. The more parents and carers engage in learning, the greater the chance that their children are engaged, motivated and confident learners.
The day includes the following sessions:
- Keynote speakers delivering evidence-based research, collated experience and policy on successful strategy, theory and purpose of parent/carer and community engagement for student learning.
- Exemplar case studies of school based parent/community engagement programs across sectors and from Fair Education schools will be presented.
- An interactive panel of school leaders will discuss a myriad of engagement strategies for parents/carers and community.
- Formal workshops for collaborative discussion and enquiry will be led by experienced system and school leaders.
Presenters will include Professor Adrian Piccoli, Lila Mularczyk OAM, Maura Manning, Ann Caro, Louise Reynolds, Nau Mahe, Monica St Baker and Sam Cox (including: researchers, educators, state and school based leaders, community liason officers and parents).
This course is designed to be attended with a team of leaders in your school (Community Liaison officer(s), classroom teachers, executive teams and Principals).
There is growing inequality in Australian education. The Gonski Institute for Education is committed to demonstrating that individual and collective learning, agency and voice can improve access to high-quality education for all students. Schooling must support every one of Australia's 3.8 million school students to realise their full learning potential and to achieve educational excellence. This mission, to achieve equity in Australian education, underpins all content presented at our professional learning workshops.
Since 2015, the partnership between Schools Plus and the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation (VFFF) has provided learning opportunities through the Fair Education Program in NSW. With 23 projects involving 72 primary and secondary schools across NSW in low socio-economic regions, the Fair Education Program has significantly developed the confidence and capacity of school leaders and teachers to engage meaningfully with their families and wider communities to improve learning for students. In 2018, with funding support from the Tim Fairfax Family Foundation and The Bryan Foundation, the Fair Education Program expanded to 34 schools in Queensland and in 2019 with the support of RE Ross Trust the program expanded to four schools in Victoria. The Fair Education Program provides schools with opportunities to generate new understandings through thoughtful inquiry, creative design and strategic delivery of innovative projects which explore progressive approaches to leading family and community engagement to bring about cultural transformation in schools.
This course is accredited by the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for 6 hours of professional learning at Lead Teacher level. Standards addressed: 1.3, 3.7, 5.5, 7.1, 7.3, 7.4
Schools Plus and the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation is financially subsidising the delivery of this workshop to ensure equitable access to professional learning for teachers and school leaders in regional areas.
