Overview: The Office of Youth, Family and Community Engagement takes pride in our work aimed towards targeted priorities which include parent engagement and support, extended learning opportunities, disengaged youth (restorative practices – Youth Stat), and attendance. Our key principles include welcoming all families into the school community, supporting student success, speaking up for every child, collaborating with the community, and communicating effectively with families. The Office of Youth, Family and Community Engagement works diligently using our principles to achieve our priorities.
Parent Engagement and Support: Focuses on strengthening communication with families and engaging parents as partners in their children's academic development. Our team has developed specific target areas and goals, which are successfully met through our initiatives. Currently, all of central office “Front Line Staff” has been trained in the “Welcoming Schools = Engaged Parents” curriculum. Thus far, thirty parent leaders have been trained in the Title I Summer Training Program as we ensure ongoing follow up support and outcomes. In addition, in our effort to recruit at least twenty parents to participate in a Parent Leadership Training Academy in New Haven Public Schools we exceeded with forty parent participants with all of Family Resource Centers assessed to ensure that we are meeting all state requirements. Furthermore, 71% of all McKinney Vento Liaisons are registered for training in identifying and responding to homeless students. We have collaborated with Integrated Wellness to set up a training series for all of our McKinney Vento Liaisons and front line staff. We have achieved much success including the use of Parent Link to consistently communicate with parents, increased parent participation in report card nights, increased parent participation in parent leader training and collaboration with other NHPS departments and community organizations/leaders.
No. of Parents That Attended Report Card Night
|
November 2015
|
April 2016
|
November 2016
|
April 2017
|
November 2017
|
April 2018
|
|
12,370
|
13,126
|
13,422
|
12,826
|
13,490
|
14,184
|
*2017 data reflects only Title I schools
Attendance: Focuses on reducing chronic absenteeism and increasing the number of students arriving to school on time, every day, and ready to learn. There has been a record-breaking reduction in chronic absenteeism from 25.6% during the 2014-15 school year to 19.9% during the 2015-16 school year. Through our efforts, YFCE has received recognition of achievement from the State Department of Education, New Haven Mayor and Superintendent and news media. We have strengthened the attendance matters campaign with all school nurses and School Health Clinic Nurse Practitioners engaging in a “Heathy Attendance Campaign” with NHPS Dropout Prevention Specialist. In addition, all Dropout Prevention Specialist (DPS) are trained in NHPS data systems including Tableau and Power-school. The DPS participates in regular school-based attendance committee meetings that focus on individual student intervention needs and student responses to interventions. The DPS determines the appropriate referral or intervention including family engagement, Youth Stat, Juvenile Review Board and other community organizations. Since August 2016, we have intensely focused on current ninth graders who were chronically absent at the end of their eighth grade school year.
Exclusionary Discipline Data: Efforts to reduce exclusionary practices and ensure safe and supportive school climates in each school have thrived. Collected data support NHPS expulsions have dropped significantly within the last four years, in which all students were referred for YFCE support. There has also been a decline in out-of-school suspensions (OSS) and in-school suspensions (ISS) within the same four-year time span.
|
|
2013-14
|
2014-15
|
2015-16
|
2016-17
|
|
No. of Expulsions
|
58
|
40
|
30
|
5
|
|
No. of Out-Of-School Suspensions
|
2727
|
2809
|
2169
|
1063
|
|
No. of In-School Suspensions
|
735
|
762
|
623
|
356
|
