During this most difficult-of-difficult years, educators and parents/caregivers representing 16 Chicago Public Schools partnered with us to build trust and connections with one another.
They participated in Connection Conversations, a family engagement program of Stand. Connection Conversations is a COVID-driven innovation of our in-person, parent-teacher home visit program. It is centered around voluntary virtual visits, supported by educator training and collaboration, which helps schools and families build trusting relationships, even when they cannot meet face-to-face.
The results have exciting implications for supporting student success. Some highlights:
- Participants were universally positive about their experiences.
- They reported observing more help-seeking behaviors.
- Educators described having more capacity to inquire about, and respond to, student needs.
Schools should not be expected to tackle learning recovery on their own. And parents and caregivers want to be equal partners in their children’s learning and development. Let’s tap into the superpower that comes with building trust.
Our thanks to the educators and families who participated in Connection Conversations and to the University of Chicago Consortium for their strategic analysis.
