Columbus City Schools’ (CCS) Office of Engagement supercharged their high-impact tutoring program, building strong partnerships with families and setting students up for success. How did they do it? Through these 3 key structures:
Office of Engagement: A Strategic Asset
CCS’ Office of Engagement acts as the bridge between families and schools. The Office’s existing practices of connecting and building relationships with families set the district up for success in partnering with families on their high-impact tutoring initiative. This office has established strong communication pathways that were pivotal during the program’s launch and continue to support its ongoing operations.
Family University: A Familiar Structure
CCS utilizes its Family University structure to offer ongoing programming for families across the district and to share information about new initiatives, like high-impact tutoring. This setup provides families with workshops and educational sessions, helping them understand the academic processes and progress of their students. The Family University enabled the district to share information about their high-impact tutoring program in an existing, well-known structure. Sessions are recorded and added to a library so families that could not attend live still have access to programming.
Family Ambassadors: For School-Specific Partnership
Each school within CCS benefits from the presence of a Family Ambassador, a pivotal role in facilitating direct communication and support between the school and the families. These ambassadors are trained to organize school-based meetings, build strong relationships, and develop and share newsletters that keep families informed and engaged. This strategic communication ensures that schools continuously prioritize building relationships with families and discover how each family’s assets can strengthen the school community. When CCS launched their high-impact tutoring program, they sought the help of their Family Ambassadors to ensure families understood and could partner with each school to design and continuously revise the high-impact tutoring models in their individual schools. The school principals and Director of Engagement, Seneca Bing, worked directly with Ambassadors and families to ensure a strong balance of consistent quality and flexible implementation.