Family Engagement at ICS

At ICS, we value serving not just students but entire families. Studies show that parent engagement in school activities can greatly improve a student’s academic and emotional functioning.

As the Director of Community & Culture, I am often asked, why then do we not have a traditional PTA/ITPSO organization here at ICS? It is definitely not because we do not have committed families who want to be a part of their child’s education. In fact, just the opposite! We have such amazing families that all want to be a part of this beloved community. The challenge we have is to be sure that we provide equitable opportunities for all families to be heard in our diverse community.

The PTA Problem in Diverse Neighborhood Schools

Parents across cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds all care deeply about their children’s education, but often how they engage looks different, write researchers as explained in a recent article in Washington Post. For example, white American families tend to view schools as a service provider and are comfortable with making more requests about campus needs and systemic changes. There’s also the reality that parents of students from affluent families tend to have more time and resources available to them to be present at school functions. Meanwhile, studies of parent teacher associations across the nation found that many parents from other groups tended to only contact the school about their child personally. At one instance in Washington D.C., the board of education found that even if a school’s student body was less than 5 percent white, those parents often held majority of the positions on the PTA.

At ICS, as a beloved community, we approach complex issues with strong communication, collaboration, perspective, respect and active listening. We seek staff and families who are committed to our vision of creating a supportive community of students, staff and parents, learning from each other and celebrating diversity among us.

In a school with diverse cultures and languages, this can look different than the large PTA meeting other schools model. Our solution? Create the Beloved Community Council.

The Beloved Community Council Model

This is a council composed of a representative from our top 6 language groups. This council promotes equity in family voices amongst our major language groups. It encourages more voices and perspectives to be heard during decision making and community building as these representatives then communicate and collaborate with their communities.

Even if you are not the representative for your language group on this council, there are numerous ways to become an engaged member of the community.

Ways to get involved

Review the notes from our Beloved Community Council meetings, held three times annually. If you have any questions or ideas to contribute, contact one of the representatives to let your voice be heard!
Join our Beloved Community Council Listening Session on September 22 at 5:00 at ICS. We will meet with our representatives in different groups to hear your input on plans for ICS.
Volunteer for different opportunities at ICS. Our next opportunity is for a garden workday on October 1, which has sign ups open! You can register to help with United Nations Day on October 28, 2022. Opportunities will include volunteering to help set up, prepare food, and assist in clean up. Look for the link to sign up in the ICS Blast and on Class Dojo. There will be other opportunities throughout the year, so be on the lookout for more!
Connect with other families here at ICS using our new Family Directory. For families that opted to be included in this directory, you can make connections with other families in your child’s class or in the larger school community. Our goal is to have this available by the end of September.
Participate in our many different ICS Family events and activities such as Urban Recipe Food Co-Op, CRC workshops, Title I Information Sessions, and more.