On December 2, 2019, PA Education Secretary Pedro A. Rivera and PA Department of Human Services Secretary Teresa D. Miller unveiled the Pennsylvania Family Engagement Birth through College, Career, Community Ready Framework. The “framework” is a collaborative initiative between PDE’s Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) and Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) and includes Family Engagement resources and information for local education agencies (LEAs) aligned with The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The framework is a tool to guide learning communities in the implementation of effective practices, use of shared language, and application of a family engagement continuum for families across their child’s educational lifespan.

The purpose of the framework is to iterate that the effective family engagement, beginning with early learning programs through K12, are important to supporting a child’s learning and development. The framework fosters a clear path and identifies a set of common standards of how learning communities can plan and implement family engagement practice.  The intended audience is Pennsylvania’s learning communities, which can employ this framework. A learning community is defined as programs and schools to which PDE, including the OCDEL and OESE provide funding, guidance and monitoring. It also includes LEAs, such as school districts and associated community partners. The goal of the framework is that, regardless of socioeconomic background, when schools, families, and community groups work together to support learning, children perform better academically, enjoy school more, remain in school longer, and have better long-term outcomes such as higher graduation rates and improved postsecondary educational attainment and career readiness.

Additionally, PDE is collaborating with the Mid Atlantic Equity Consortium (MAEC) to launch a new state family engagement center –  the Collaborative Action for Family Engagement Center (CAFE) – which is an online resource to provide opportunities for collaboration, learning, and to promote high-impact, culturally responsive family engagement. CAFE will serve diverse families who reside in Pennsylvania. More information on CAFE is forthcoming.

More information on family engagement and the framework can be found on PDE’s website or by clicking here.