Our Work

Educator Preparation

The lack of capacity among educators is perhaps the most significant barrier to family-school-community partnerships. In collaboration with NEA, AACTE, CAEP, MAEC, and seven SEA/IHE teams, NAFSCE’s Pre-Service Educator Preparation Initiative will inform policy and practice by creating a framework to be piloted in colleges of education, ultimately preparing prospective teachers to engage ALL families as learning partners BEFORE they enter the classroom.

Credentialing

Increasing FSCE practitioner capacity is also essential to improving and prioritizing practice. NAFSCE’s Credentialing Council, composed of diverse field experts, supported the development of a Body of Knowledge, which will be the basis of NAFSCE’s credentialing initiative. With the NEA, NAFSCE is creating a micro-credentialing and blended learning initiative for educators and expects to launch credentialing programs for afterschool providers, district and school family coordinators, and other practitioners.

Reframing the Conversation

After three years of research, 72 focused interviews, and more than 6,000 participants, the research conducted by FrameWorks Institute in partnership with NAFSCE provides clear recommendations on how to talk about family engagement so that people will understand it, value it, and support it. Learn more.

Parent Leadership

NAFSCE has established a model structure so that parent and family voices are not only heard but directly support the future direction and actions of NAFSCE. Learn more about NAFSCE's Parent and Family Leaders Council.

State Services

States play a vital role in family engagement. NAFSCE is supporting states on a variety of different initiatives. Learn more about NAFSCE's state services.

Professional Learning

NAFSCE’s professional learning programs improve the skills and knowledge of family engagement practitioners through collaborative study, expertise exchange, and professional dialogue. Our Effective Practices Webinars, Community of Practice, and online community provide the opportunity for administrators, parent liaisons, teachers, researchers and other professionals to continually question, reevaluate, refine, and improve family engagement strategies and knowledge.

Family Math

Family Math is an emerging movement to promote math activities within the context of family relationships and everyday life, from the grocery store to the playground, during breakfast, bath time or bedtime. The practices inherent in Family Math are designed to help young children strengthen their math skills and feel enthusiastic and confident in their math abilities. The movement empowers parents, organizations and early educators with knowledge, tools and resources that help them feel excited about introducing and exploring mathematical concepts.

Healing the Growing Divide

The Healing the Growing Divide Initiative seeks to reclaim family engagement as an essential strategy for advancing equity and inclusion - combatting efforts in a growing number of school districts and communities to ban books, alienate certain families and students, marginalize teachers, and diminish the professionalism of educators which have resulted in a misrepresentation of family engagement as a strategy designed to drive a wedge between the many stakeholders whose very collaboration is essential to student success.