Root 6: Systems and tools are made to be community-friendly
What this root looks like:
- Districts and schools avoid the use of jargon and “education speak”
- Districts and schools create budget documents for the community that are easy to access and understand
- Districts and schools provide high-quality language translation and interpretation
- Districts and schools create audience-specific documents when needed to ensure access to and understanding of information
- Districts and schools understand what “community-friendly” means in their context
- Districts and schools have effective communication and outreach practices
Jenn Edic Bryant, Director of Metrics &n LCAP (ret.), Azusa Unified School District on Root 6 in her district.
Quizlet
Which two descriptions are examples of what Root 6 looks like in practice?
Thoughts from the Field
Together, these roots create a framework to guide progress and growth in districts and schools. Along with growing the roots must also come a shift in mindset about our relationships with families, students, and collaboration. Sandra Candler, CEI participant and Family & Community Engagement Supervisor in Cajon Valley Unified School District, expresses the mindset shift this way:
“As I looked at [the Essential Roots], I think of two things that are needed:
First, we must believe that families want the best for their children. We can have the best strategies in the world, but if we don't present them on the basis that we believe all families want the best for their children, we will only get a handful of the students and families we are trying to reach. All those roots of effectiveness come from the Engagement Team/School System having that belief. Second, it means that as an Engagement Team/School System, we must leave our assumptions and biases at the door when we go to serve and partner with those students and families; otherwise, we will never come across as desiring to have authentic relationships with students and families. Since starting this work, my favorite saying has been, 'People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.’ And, to do that, we have to drop our assumptions that ‘those people’ don't really care and have a genuine, authentic belief that all families genuinely care about the success of their children, no matter what life issues mom, dad, or that family is going through, they want the best for their children.”
Sandra Candler Wafer
Family & Community Engagement Supervisor, Cajon Valley Unified School District
