Engagement program seeks to create equity among students

Sometimes, the best way for a school district to serve its population is not through clubs, sports or other extracurricular activities, but to ensure all students have access to basic necessities. Located in the northwest corner of Montgomery County near Englewood and Clayton, Northmont City Schools recognized the gaps between students’ home lives and their environment at school, and Northmont made a commitment to better engage families through its strategic plan. In fall 2020, the district hired Jennifer Mills to be the new family engagement coordinator to serve as a liaison between Northmont families and schools.

“I support the eight schools in our district by providing professional development to teachers and administrative staff—on a building or individual level—on the value of engaging families equitably,” she says. “I serve on various teams and committees across the district to ensure that families’ voices and perspectives are considered in everything we do.”

Part of Mills’ role includes connecting families to institutional resources and knowledge, and she works with other district leaders to improve current practices.

In her efforts to focus on creating initiatives that engage families and strengthen relationships, and lead on-going equity work across the district, Mills works with school leaders and teachers on how to connect with families in order to best support students.

“Some days are spent in conversations with families regarding personal situations or problem-solving and how to best support their child and the teacher,” she says. “This directly impacts student growth and development.”

Often when a disconnect between the schools and families occurs, it can negatively impact the student’s performance, which can have long-lasting effects for the rest of their lives. Mills’ intervention breaks down those barriers by identifying specific needs from the families and connecting them with the relevant resources in the community.

Northmont is committed to ensuring its students all have ample opportunities to reach their greatest potential because that achievement will strengthen the entire district.

“Each year, I work with our leadership team to create goals around how we can improve our current practices,” Mills says. “We send out an annual family engagement survey, and we are using the data collected to determine where we need to focus our efforts.”

Authentic family engagement has many layers and requires a long-term commitment, patience and a deep understanding that families should be working alongside their community’s schools. “There are decades of research that tells us that family engagement is consistently associated with positive educational outcomes for children,” Mills says. “All students are positively impacted when their families are engaged in their schooling experiences.”