Family engagement has two primary components. The first is a way for educators to support families in whatever capacity they are in need of and the second is for parents to demonstrate to their child(ren) that education is important. These components both directly and indirectly support students’ academically. Being trauma informed is a critical component of effective family engagement. This course begins with learning about how to be trauma informed, moves to a comprehensive focus on family engagement, and ends with practice implementing family engagement.

While 2 of the 3 required textbooks are written for educators, the concepts are very much applicable to family service professionals as well - especially those interested in a career within the educational system.

Required Texts:

• Educated by Tara Westover.
• Home, School, and Community Collaboration: Culturally Responsive Family Engagement, 5th Edition by Kathy B. Grant and Julie A. Ray. -
• What I Wish My Teacher Knew: How One Question Can Change Everything For Our Kids by Kyle Schwartz.

1. 1. Demonstrate ability to collaborate with families, colleagues and other professionals to promote student growth and development (Utah Effective Teaching Standard 1.B).
2. 2. Define cultural competency and demonstrate ability to view students and families through a culturally competent lens (Utah Effective Teaching Standard 8.B & 8C).
3. 3. Demonstrates ability to create opportunities for parent and family involvement in school (Utah Effective Teaching Standard 9B & 9C).
4. 4. Demonstrate ability to apply critical thinking skills to families, communities, and colleagues (UEN Standard 8C).
5. 5. Identifies potential risk factors in a child’s home, school and community including signs and symptoms of child abuse and demonstrates understanding about the effects of trauma.

Assessment Alignment

Grading Scale

Assignments and Expectations

1. DISCLAIMER: Please know I want to be a support to you and because I am operating within a system, I am limited in what I can and can’t do to support you. If you are in need of accommodations, please reach out to the Disability Resource Center on campus who can help you access short-term and long-term accommodations. If you have a complaint about any professor or course on campus, please take the following steps:

   • 1. Talk to the professor
   • 2. If you feel like you can’t talk to the professor, please go to the chair of the department, contact information for this person can be found on the department’s website.
   • 3. Other resources include:
     a. Dean of the college where the course is housed
     b. Provost’s office
     c. Dean of Students
   • 4. Regardless of the steps you take, leaving feedback in your end of semester course evaluations is important. These are anonymous; instructors do not have access to them until after grades are posted.

2. Please pay attention to Canvas Announcements as this instructor uses Canvas Announcements to communicate with students about important information. You will be accountable for information provided through announcements. You may find it helpful to turn on your notifications for Canvas Announcements.

3. Emotional Safety - Due to the emotionally and psychologically vulnerable content that will be discussed throughout this course, it is essential that all participants contribute to an environment of emotional safety. In the event of a student participating in emotionally unsafe comments/behavior, the instructor will provide feedback which will serve as a warning. At that time, the student will be invited to converse with the instructor about what made their comments/behavior emotionally unsafe. If the behavior is repeated, students will be referred to campus services.

   The use of derogatory language/terms when referring to people (individuals and groups) is an emotionally unsafe behavior - even if there is nobody the term references represented in the room. I will follow the same procedures for the use of derogatory language as I will for any other emotionally unsafe behavior. If you are unsure about whether or not a term is derogatory, avoiding slang terms and practicing the use of professional and politically correct language is a safe way to avoid inadvertent use of derogatory language.

   If you find you are emotionally overwhelmed by content in this or any other course, the University Counseling and Psychological Services Center (CAPS) is a resource available to you. The phone number for CAPS is: 435.865.8621.

4. As a student in this course, you are responsible for the content presented in this course and for your own learning. If you need help, please ask. If you have questions about the material that you are interested in or curious about that is not addressed in the course, please ask. If you have questions about expectations for an assignment, please ask. If you do not understand a concept being taught/discussed, please ask. The instructor is a resource to you; however, if you do not communicate that you need help, the instructor cannot help you.

5. All assignments are due at midnight on the due date unless otherwise noted and should be turned in via Canvas. The instructor will not accept assignments turned in any other way. Please do not rely on modules for assignments. In this course, modules contain class lessons. Assignments and their due dates can be found under the Assignment tab in Canvas as well as in the course schedule in the syllabus.

6. Assignments may be turned in early. You may turn in up to 3 assignments up to 3 days late without questions or penalty. Any late work beyond this will only be accepted if you have formal accommodations in place through the Disability Resource Center or support through the Office of Student Outreach and Support. This applies to all assignments that will receive a grade. Please do not rely on Canvas to remind you of when assignments are due; please be proactive and know when assignments are due. All assignments for the semester are already entered into Canvas.

7. All documentation must be done in APA 7th Edition format. When required to use outside sources, students are expected to use credible sources; Wikipedia is not allowed for use as a reference in this course. OWL at Purdue is a great resource! If you are going to pursue your education in the social sciences (including education) field, you may find it useful to purchase an APA manual.

8. It is expected that all work you turn in is created and developed by you. If you use AI, the expectation for this course is that you use it as a resource and not a robot. You must properly cite it if you use it. If it is discovered that you are using AI without properly citing it or you use AI to generate work that you turn in as your own, SUU Policy 6.33 for Academic Integrity will be followed.

9. All papers must be typed in either Arial or Times New Roman with a 12 point font, 1

   inch margins and double spaced.

10. Grammar and following instructions matters! Your grade will be affected by these things. Please pay attention to page requirements - both minimums and limitations. Once the page limit is reached, I will stop reading and any information included after that point will not be considered in your grade. While your grade will be impacted according to assignment rubrics for incorrect grammar and poor writing mechanics, because of the amount of time it takes to do so, I will not be editing your papers as I grade them.

    Grading: Because I want your focus to be on learning and not on how skilled you are or aren’t at earning high grades, the grading in this class is intended to be reflective of that. Your participation, effort, and learning are more important than your skill at earning a specific grade.

    All assignments, except the Movie Analysis, turned in on time, or within 3 days of the due date (maximum of 3 late assignments), and completed according to the assignment instructions as outlined in both the assignment instructions in Canvas and the grading rubric will receive full credit. All assignments turned in on time, or within 3 days of the due date (maximum of 3 late assignments), for which all or part of the assignment is insufficient for meeting assignment expectations as outlined in both Canvas and the grading rubric will receive ½ credit.

    If you earn ½ credit on an assignment, you may revise and resubmit for full credit as long as you do so within 7 days of when the assignment is graded and your revisions are highlighted. You may revise and resubmit as many times as you want/need to in order to earn the grade you want on each assignment. The instructor will not regrade any assignments that do not have revisions clearly highlighted. Any assignments due the last week of the semester will not have this flexibility; while you will be given the opportunity to revise and resubmit these assignments, it must be done within the time frame outlined in comments left by the instructor/grader at the time it is graded.

11. Syllabus Quiz (25 points) - This will count as your commenced attendance assignment. If you want full points for this assignment, it needs to be done by the date in Canvas. You will have the option to complete it until the commenced attendance date. If you do not complete this by then, you will be at risk of being dropped from the course. Please review the syllabus prior to taking the quiz. It is open note. Please see Canvas for the due date.

12. Introduction Video (15 points): In order to make this online class as personal as possible, please record an introduction of yourself that you will upload to a discussion board. Then, respond to at least 5 of your peers’ videos and submit your responses to your peers on the form provided. Instructions on how to do this are included in the assignment shell. Please see Canvas for the due date.

13. Quizzes (40 points total) - In addition to the syllabus quiz, there are 3 other quizzes intended to assess your engagement with the course content. One of these quizzes is a quiz about the expectations for the family and community engagement project. I have included this quiz for the intention of minimizing confusion about the project. Please see Canvas for due dates and instructions for each quiz.

14. Participation Points/Padlet Discussion Boards (210 points total) - There are several Padlet discussion boards throughout this course that are intended to be a place to engage in the content with your peers and for the exchange of ideas which is a critical component of the learning process. Specific instructions for each discussion are included in Canvas. Each discussion is worth 15 points each. If you participate in the discussion as instructed, you will earn full credit. If you do not, you will earn ½ - 0 credit. In order to receive full credit, it must be clear to the grader that you have put some thought and effort into what you write. Missing one or two posts won’t affect your grade much; missing several will. Participating in all Padlet discussions is a good way to buffer your grade. Please refer to Canvas as well as the Syllabus Course Schedule for due dates

15. Pre and Post Course Reflection Papers (30 points total). Specific instructions for these assignments can be found in the Canvas assignment shells. Please see Canvas for the due date.

16. ACEs Score (15 points). Please submit yourACEs score. That’s it. Just the number. Please see Canvas for the due date.

17. Application of Content. My goal for this class in general is to prepare you for professional work and to be able to use the information we are learning in class. These assignments are in lieu of tests/quizzes. Three times throughout the semester, you will submit a plan for applying the content from the course to whatever career path you are considering at the time the assignment is due. The only requirements for this assignment are to:

    • Incorporate both assigned reading and online learning content/activities
    • Specify a minimum of 3 takeaways from the course content
    • Incorporate contextual factors
    • Incorporate the family and community engagement project
    • Explain how your completion of this assignment helps you plan to implement course content in the future

    Please refer to the assignment shells for what content is to be applied in each assignment. For this assignment, you might write an essay explaining your thought processes, create a work of art expressing yourself, write a lesson plan, prepare a presentation for peers, or design a bulletin board for your professional space. If the required content is not obvious (such as in a work of art), you will need to submit a brief explanation so that the grader can assess whether or not you included the required components. Your assignment will be marked as Incomplete if it is not clear to the grader that you incorporated all required content (listed above) including both assigned reading and class lessons/activities.

    This is important: There is no right or wrong way to complete the assignment as long as you include the 4 required components. It is the expectation of the professor that you practice autonomy with this assignment; it’s great real-world experience! Please see Canvas for specific instructions and due dates.

18. Freedom Writer Bullet Points (25 points). Please watch the film Freedom Writers (or an alternate film) in class. After viewing the film, please submit a list of connections you made between the course and the film to Canvas. Specific instructions and the due date can be found in Canvas.

19. How Will You Ask the Question (25 points). Gaining the ability to directly and compassionately ask someone if they are thinking about suicide is an important component of trauma-informed care. An important part of the process of being able to ask someone if they are thinking about suicide is forming the question in our minds ahead of time. Please refer to Canvas for specific instructions and the due date for this assignment.

20. Movie Analysis (100 points). For this assignment, you will watch 3 consecutive episodes of a fictional or based on a true story TV show OR film. A significant portion of the content of whatever you choose to watch should take place in the setting of a field relevant to family and community engagement. Apply specific concepts from the course, as outlined in the assignment instructions to the film/TV show. If you intend to work in education, watching a film or TV series that takes place in an academic setting is a great choice! If you intend to pursue a career in social/family services, watching a film or TV series that takes place in a social services setting is a great choice. Documentaries won’t

    work for this assignment. If you are unsure if the TV series/film you want to use for this assignment will meet the criteria for this assignment, please ask before completing it. Please think of this assignment as your final exam. Please see Canvas for the due date and detailed instructions.

21. Family and Community Engagement Project. For this assignment, you will collaborate, in some way, with a community partner who works to meet some kind of need for folks within your community and complete a family and community engagement project of your choosing with approval from the instructor. The purpose of this assignment is to practice family and community engagement not to provide community service; therefore, your project focus needs to be on family and community engagement not just on providing community service/accruing volunteer hours.

    In order to earn a C or higher in this course, you will be required to contribute 10 hours of hands-on time with the organization. Hands on means time spent preparing and executing your project and does not include time spent completing assignments related to the project such as the outline or preparation for your presentation. While it is strongly preferred that you work as a group, for a variety of reasons, you may choose to work individually. You will get much more out of this assignment if you work in a group.

    Each student is expected to log 10 hours; those hours may overlap. For example, if you are working in a group of 4, the total amount of hands on hours should be 40. If each of those 4 people spend 4 hours of time at the same time working on the project in some way, each person gets to count those 4 hours. DO NOT divide those 4 hours between you. There are portions of the project due throughout the semester, so please pay attention to due dates listed in Canvas.

22. Presentation of Family and Community Engagement Project (150 points). You and/or your group will make a video recording presentation that you will post to the Padlet board in Canvas about what you did for your Family and Community Engagement Project. While there is not a minimum length of time, it is expected that you are thorough in your explanation of your project. Your presentation should not exceed 20 minutes. I am looking for quality vs quantity meaning the content of your presentation is more important than the length. If your presentation is not recorded, you will earn a 0.

    There are a variety of options for recording a virtual meeting/your presentation. If you and/or your group needs help with this portion, please ask either the instructor or the SUU Canvas Help Desk (435.865.8555 or canvas@suu.edu). Detailed instructions and the due date are included in Canvas.

Course Schedule Disclaimer: While content scheduled to be covered that is outlined in this course schedule will not likely change, the timing of which week it is presented may change based on factors unavailable to address at the time this syllabus was written.

No Final Exam!

All assignments are due at midnight on the due date unless otherwise noted and should be turned in via Canvas. The instructor will not accept assignments turned in any other way. Please do not rely on modules for assignments. In this course, modules contain class lessons. Assignments and their due dates can be found under the Assignment tab in Canvas as well as in the course schedule in the syllabus.

Assignments may be turned in early. You may turn in up to 3 assignments up to 3 days late without questions or penalty. Any late work beyond this will only be accepted if you have formal accommodations in place through the Disability Resource Center or support through the Office of Student Outreach and Support. This applies to all assignments that will receive a grade. Please do not rely on Canvas to remind you of when assignments are due; please be proactive and know when assignments are due. All assignments for the semester are already entered into Canvas.

Emotional Safety - Due to the emotionally and psychologically vulnerable content that will be discussed throughout this course, it is essential that all participants contribute to an environment of emotional safety. In the event of a student participating in emotionally unsafe comments/behavior, the instructor will provide feedback which will serve as a warning. At that time, the student will be invited to converse with the instructor about what made their comments/behavior emotionally unsafe. If the behavior is repeated, students will be referred to campus services.

The use of derogatory language/terms when referring to people (individuals and groups) is an emotionally unsafe behavior - even if there is nobody the term references represented in the room. I will follow the same procedures for the use of derogatory language as I will for any other emotionally unsafe behavior. If you are unsure about whether or not a term is derogatory, avoiding slang terms and practicing the use of professional and politically correct language is a safe way to avoid inadvertent use of derogatory language.

If you find you are emotionally overwhelmed by content in this or any other course, the University Counseling and Psychological Services Center (CAPS) is a resource available to you. The phone number for CAPS is: 435.865.8621.