Innovative Strategies

Diving into specific evidence-based strategies for family and community collaboration (FCC) can help other districts identify strategies they can use in their own contexts. To highlight a few innovative strategies that are working across different districts in the US, we created a mix of videos and brief spotlight reports.

Strategy Videos

These four strategy videos identify common threads that are critical to FCC. These videos feature the voices of caregivers, district staff, and community partners captured during our visits to three school districts. Videos include:  

• Embedding equity in FCC: Why valuing equity is critical to serving all students and families, and how districts embed equity throughout their policies and practices. 
• Supporting caregiver and community leadership: How empowering families and community members to collaborate in district planning and decision-making supports shared power. 
• Physical spaces to meet families’ needs: Why connecting supportive services to students and families supports FCC and how districts are creating their own physical spaces to do so. 
• Using data to engage families: How districts use data to inform communication efforts with families, ensure accountability, and build trust. 

Strategy Spotlights

We developed five spotlights that highlight effective strategies for FCC that can be implemented across districts regardless of size, population, or community. Each spotlight summarizes key strategies and provides relevant district examples. These include: 

• Working together to improve student attendance – how community partners, families, and districts can work together to address the root causes of chronic absenteeism.  
• Including student voice in district decision-making – how districts can engage students in collaborative decision-making. 
• Meeting families where they are – how districts can bolster relationships with families through home visits. 
• Building connection and trust with listening tours – how districts can build trust with families through listening tours. 
• Strengthening the feedback loop – how districts can advance collaboration and build trust with families through enhanced two-way communication. 

How can you use these resources?

Both the videos and written profiles offer strategies that can affirm districts’ existing FCC work and offer ideas for future innovation. These resources can be shared with families, teachers, community organizations, and other district staff to start conversations and inspire further progress in FCC. See more resources in our Resource Library.