Blog

On August 5, school teams from across Maine gathered at Thomas College to develop strategies and best practices for strengthening family engagement in their schools.

The 2025–26 Family, School, and Community Engagement Community of Practice, hosted by the Consortium for Engaging Families Across Maine (CEFAM) and the Maine Department of Education, gave participants a chance to explore what meaningful family engagement looks like, reflect on current practices, and learn new approaches for creating welcoming schools and authentic partnerships. Additionally, teams will develop action plans that they can implement in their own communities.

Highlights from the first workshop, Foundations of Family, School, and Community Engagement, included recognizing the importance of rethinking assessments as checkpoints instead of a final “pass/fail” mindset. And, how family engagement improves attendance, achievement, and trust when it is relational, asset-based, and culturally responsive. The second workshop, Building Competencies for Strong Partnerships, applied partner organization NAFSCE’s 8 Core Competencies to talk about cultural humility, connecting with trust, fostering community partnerships, and co-constructing learning opportunities.

Participants shared ideas on where to implement family engagement and meet families where they are. They identified using spaces like open houses and arts events, as well as events such as Challenge Days, Parent Support Groups for grandparents, and Community Resource Nights. Additionally, they explained the need for stronger, sustained practices such as walking school buses, parent-university models, and better family data collection, while also underscoring the challenge and importance of cultivating parent leadership to drive systems change.

Participants learned about leveraging family engagement as a school improvement tool directly tied to academic success, and tactics to develop schools as community spaces to meet families’ needs.

Upcoming workshops focus on integrating data into family settings and developing action plans for schools. Please get in touch with us if you would like to learn more about collaborating with CEFAM to build family engagement programming, such as a community of practice, for your school or district.