Resources for Educators
Educator Resources
Exercising the Empathy Muscle
Danielle Hardin and Heidi Harris talk about Family Engagement Family Engagement involves ongoing efforts to build meaningful, ... read more
Better Together Family Engagement Summit
On October 28, nearly 500 people gathered to share, learn, and celebrate the impact of Family Engagement on children and youth. The ... read more
Massachusetts Reframing Academy
A four-session course held January 19, February 2, February 16 and March 2, 2023 from 9-10:30am Registration is CLOSED NAFSCE's ... read more
Strengthening Partnerships Training of Trainers
2022-23 Training of Trainers Series Family Engagement is not a one person job. It is an equity-driven, coordinated program that ... read more
CTE Outreach Toolkit
Our Career and Technical Education outreach toolkit was developed in response to focus groups, interviews, and surveys of ... read more
A Queer Reading List for Middle Schoolers
During middle school, your child and their friends will more actively start exploring their sexuality. They may identify as ... read more
What is Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Screening? – Tip Sheet for Families
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Data Literacy Tip Sheets
Data Literacy is the ability to read, understand, and talk about data. Data is simply information that you can use to help you ... read more
What did we learn? Needs assessment 2021
Each year MASFEC conducts a survey of families and educators in Massachusetts. Below, you will be able to access the full ... read more
We Need To Talk About Teacher Burnout
Have you ever felt mentally exhausted, dreaded going into work, and found your work troubles were negatively affecting your personal ... read more
Powerful Parents
For Black History Month, I've been reading about the impact that African American parents and self-advocates have had on both racial ... read more
Measuring the Impact of Home Visits
Home visits are well established as a high-impact family engagement strategy. Research and direct experience confirm that visiting ... read more
Welcoming Newcomers: Advice for Middle School and Above
In the summer of 2021, the United States withdrew all of our troops from Afghanistan, where we had been an occupying force for twenty ... read more
Teaching Children to Welcome Newcomers
In 2021, the United States suddenly withdrew our troops from Afghanistan after two decades of occupation. The abruptness of America’s ... read more
Welcoming Your Afghan Students
Welcoming Newcomers Elementary and early childhood Middle school and high school Background Information ... read more
An Anti-Racist Reading List for Middle Schoolers
Adolescence is a time when many young people explore multiple aspects of their identity. Many start to view race and ethnicity through ... read more
A Reading List for Lunar New Year
The Lunar New Year holiday is a great opportunity to learn more about Asian, and in particular, Chinese, cultures and traditions – ... read more
Career & Technical Education: Insights from Language-Diverse Families
{:en}In October 2021, our parent organization, the Federation for Children with Special Needs spoke with nearly 500 parents and ... read more
Positive Solutions Train the Trainer
View Flyer: Google Docs Overview Through a grant provided by the Department for Elementary and Secondary Education, the ... read more
Best Practices in Meaningful Family & Student Engagement
A FREE Self Directed Course for Special Education Professionals The Federation for Children with Special Needs has partnered with the ... read more
Everyone Should Read Karen Mapp’s New Report
This “Back to School” season is unlike any before. On top of the typical nervous excitement of a new school year, the stress and ... read more
Let’s Revisit Reframing!
In the fall of 2020, MASFEC hosted a Reframing Institute that offered concrete strategies for generating buy-in and investment in ... read more
Online Resources for Curious Kids
Rainy day? Too hot to be outside? But just because you’re indoors doesn’t mean you can’t explore the world around us! ... read more
Meeting Families Where They Are
Let's meet families where they are... not where we want them to be! read more
Tips for Communicating with Families
Ongoing communication with families is essential for building and sustaining positive relationships! read more
Family Engagement and the Special Education Evaluation Cycle
In the document below, you will find best practices for engaging families during the special education evaluation process. ... read more
National Review of Statewide Family Engagement Centers
Our partners at the National Association for Family, School, and Community Partnerships recently released a comprehensive review of ... read more
Initial Learnings, Still Time to Respond! 2021 Family Engagement Survey
We have begun exploring initial results, but there's still time to respond to the 2021 Statewide Family Engagement Survey! ... read more
Family Engagement and the American Rescue Plan
Within the Biden administration's American Rescue Plan, $123 billion in funding will support K-12 education - including specific ... read more
Acceleration Roadmap: Pathway to an Equitable Recovery
On May 25, 2021, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released the Acceleration Roadmap: Pathway to an Equitable ... read more
Summer Learning and Enrichment: Tips for Childcare Providers
As a summertime child care provider, you can help school-age children and their families make the most of the summer months and avoid ... read more
The Family Institute for Student Success (FISS) Graduations
One of MASFEC's initiatives is the Family Institute for Student Success (FISS), a program run by PIQE in collaboration with DESE and ... read more
May Family Literacy Calendar
Our family literacy calendars are designed to reinforce reading fundamentals and the love of reading. Flowers, gardening... and ... read more
Self-Regulation Activities for Young Children
{:en} Between the ages of 2 and 6, we humans undergo one of the most dramatic developmental shifts of our lifetimes, ... read more
Learn About the MA Family Engagement Framework
In June 2020, Massachusetts finalized Strengthening Partnerships: A Framework for Prenatal through Young Adulthood Family Engagement ... read more
Community Council Members Wanted
A new pilot program of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Kaleidoscope Collective for Learning, is working to ... read more
Building Empathy in Young Children
Empathy, defined as feeling and acting out of compassion for others, is not an inherent human trait, but a skill that built over ... read more
Keys to Building Positive Relationships with Families
Relationships nurture the partnerships that are needed for children to succeed in school. Positive relationships between families and ... read more
April Family Literacy Calendar
Our family literacy calendars are designed to reinforce reading fundamentals and the love of reading. They say that April showers ... read more
Understanding District Report Cards
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Novak: What is Universal Design?
MASFEC is pleased to unveil a new resource on family engagement, developed in partnership with Katie Novak, internationally recognized ... read more
Universal Design for Family Engagement
MASFEC is pleased to unveil a new resource on family engagement, developed in partnership with Katie Novak, internationally recognized ... read more
Learn and Have Fun with Mathu
This year, MASFEC has benefited from the creative and joyful approach of virtual educator-and-author-in-residence Mathangi ... read more
DESE Office of Student and Family Support
Family engagement is a key lever for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to contribute to ... read more
Snow Science for Preschoolers
{:en} Winter means snow, cold temperatures – and science! The following activities are a great way to help children explore ... read more
COVID-19 Vaccine Information
{:en} The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has created these resources to help inform the public about the COVID-19 ... read more
Visions of Community Virtual Conference
Visions of Community, the annual conference of the Federation for Children with Special Needs, offers unparalleled information and ... read more
What is Family Engagement? Jen’s View
I was an educator in multiple settings before becoming a parent and have experienced family engagement on both ends of the spectrum. I ... read more
Night Activites
{:en} Winter days are short, which means there is more time when children can see the night sky. This is particularly exciting ... read more
Talking to Children About Violence at the US Capitol
In the wake of the events of January 6th, 2021, many of our educators, families, and children will struggle in the coming weeks. As ... read more
Family, School, and Community Partnership Fundamentals
In June, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released Strengthening Partnerships: A Framework for Prenatal through ... read more
Curriculum: Tech Basics for ESOLs
MASFEC Partner English for New Bostonians has developed a new curriculum for teachers of English for Speakers of Other Languages ... read more
Caregiver Self Care Strategies that won’t add to your To-Do List
Most articles about self-care try to convince you to do something: buy a product, exercise more, eat less, or otherwise add something ... read more
Frameworks Institute Offers Strategies for Building a Culture of Family Engagement
If you are reading this, chances are you are already convinced that family engagement is a powerful catalyst for any number of ... read more
Small Children, Big Feelings
{:en} Between the COVID-19 pandemic, widespread financial struggles caused by quarantine and lockdown, drawn-out conflicts over ... read more
Google Classroom Help
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Help for IXL Learning
Are your children using IXL for remote learning? Do you need some help navigating IXL? Here are some useful resources: IXL Parent ... read more
Engaging Engagement?
Let's start by wondering who the families are that we serve and why families, schools and educators might want to partner. Seems like ... read more
Diwali: Bringing Light into the Darkness
This year (2020), Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, falls on November 14. Whether you are a practicing Hindu, a parent ... read more
Family Engagement is Making Headlines
A number of education journals and news websites have focused on the subject of family engagement since hybrid and fully-remote ... read more
Helping Your Child with Financial Literacy
{:en} Build your kids’ money skills! This site has games and activities that can help your children and young adults gain money ... read more
An Indigenous Reading List for Thanksgiving
At Thanksgiving time, all over the country, children in the early grades will learn the story of the Mayflower. Unfortunately, ... read more
Fall Science
Autumn means falling leaves, hot apple cider – and lots of opportunities for preschool science! Young children are natural ... read more
An Election Reading List
This November’s election is poised to be one of the most turbulent in recent memory. Even if you haven’t explicitly told your ... read more
What is Family Engagement? Sherri’s view
If you ask a roomful of people to define family engagement, you often get a roomful of answers! I’ve found many people have their own ... read more
Positive Solutions for Educators: Free Train the Trainer
We are excited to provide this 10 hour virtual course for educators. Upon completion, educators will be prepared to launch a Positive Solutions for Families program. read more
Welcome to MASFEC!
Welcome to the Massachusetts Statewide Family Engagement Center (MASFEC)! MASFEC strengthens the capacity of educators, families, and ... read more
Introducing Mindful Mondays for Educators
Introducing Mindful Mondays! The school year has started, and many of us are feeling overwhelmed. Come join other educators from ... read more
School Reopening Resources for Teachers
Educators, we'd like to welcome you back to the school year with some strategies to build family engagement during remote and hybrid ... read more
Beyond Random Acts: Family, School, and Community Engagement as an Integral Part of Education Reform
Barriers to Parent-School Involvement for Early Elementary Students
The purpose of this report The purpose of this report is to describe basic descriptive statistics on barriers to parent-school ... read more