Identifying Family Needs and Focus Areas of Support

The COVID-19 pandemic was a turning point for the Multilingual Learner (ML) program in Anderson One. Before the pandemic, our family engagement events included traditional activities like Open Houses, literacy nights, math nights, STEM nights, and small cultural celebrations. However, as schools adapted to the pandemic, many families—particularly heritage speakers—reached out to us with questions about schooling. Despite our system’s efforts to provide translated messages, families unfamiliar with traditional U.S. schools found these messages hard to understand. They expressed a need for video messages to explain pandemic-related changes.

This experience reshaped our approach to family engagement. While we initially believed that hosting family nights, providing interpreting services, and promoting literacy through book donations met the needs of our families, we realized that true engagement required listening to families and addressing the barriers they faced. As a result, we redesigned our district's support roles to focus on liaising directly with families, learning from them, and crafting support sessions that ensure they have the same access to a positive school experience as other families.

Now, our district’s family engagement includes targeted events like sessions on navigating the transition from middle school to high school, specialized tutoring for college entrance exams, helping families support learning at home, and guidance on accessing student grades and test scores. We actively collaborate with families to tailor these sessions, ensuring they address their specific needs and challenges.

Annual Multicultural Events: Celebrating and Supporting Diversity

Our district hosts three major multicultural events each year: Hispanic Heritage, Shine So Bright, and International Night. These events are designed to foster cultural awareness and community engagement.

The Hispanic Heritage event highlights Hispanic culture within our district through activities such as local food trucks, cultural dances, and opportunities for families to share their heritage. Shine So Bright focuses on secondary students, offering resources on postsecondary options, mental health awareness, and a community resource fair. This event empowers families and teens, emphasizing that they have options for their future, regardless of their status, while celebrating their cultural diversity.

International Night is organized by a high school in partnership with the National Spanish Honor Society. This event features collaborations with local businesses, cultural presentations from students, and family participation through food, poetry, dance, and other cultural displays.

These events are planned through a collaborative process, with parent liaisons taking the lead on event planning alongside ML specialists, ensuring that each event is meaningful and impactful for our community.