FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 10, 2022
AASB Among Ten National Nonprofits Receiving Carnegie Grants
to Support Family Engagement in Student Learning
JUNEAU, Alaska - Building on its longstanding support for family engagement and home-school partnerships, Carnegie Corporation of New York has announced 10 grants to nonprofit organizations serving communities in nine states. Each will receive $100,000 over a period of 12 months to focus on family engagement, one of the most influential factors in educational outcomes.
“These nonprofits are meeting the distinct needs of their communities. They are overcoming barriers and enabling educators and parents to be true partners in helping students thrive,” said Ambika Kapur, program officer for the Corporation’s Public Understanding portfolio of grants. “As we emerge from the pandemic, these collaborations will remain essential to student learning and to the nation’s recovery.”
Special consideration was given to applicants that work to support learning among students of color, multilingual learners, and students from low-income backgrounds. The grants are intended to help recipients design, implement, and strengthen school-based family engagement strategies that can improve student learning.
The Carnegie grant will allow the Association of Alaska School Boards (AASB) to work with families in three school districts—Juneau, St. Marys, and Lower Kuskokwim—to co-create age-appropriate and place-based learning materials and opportunities that supplement AASB’s Stronger Together family/school partnership framework. In addition to resources, participating educators will be supported to use family-designed resources and strategies that can benefit student transitions and learning in 3rd grade, 6th grade, and 8th grade.
As researchers and experts in the parent/school partnership movement, AASB offers ongoing tailored professional learning in relationship building with families, building confidence for partnerships, and linking families to learning. Culturally responsive family partnership work is an essential predictor for student outcomes, educational equity, and achieving AAAB’s mission to advocate for youth.
To support this work, AASB created Stronger Together: The Power of School and Family Partnership in Alaska, a roadmap and key milestones for family, student, and school partnerships. The Stronger Together framework was developed in collaboration with school staff, school board members, community partners, parents, grandparents, and other contributors from across Alaska. It is actively being used by thousands of families and educators to build trust and institute partnership within the family/school dynamic.
The 10 grant recipients with descriptions of their projects
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Association of Alaska School Boards Juneau, AK - Collaborating with families to create coaching and at-home learning materials grounded in the cultural values of Alaska Natives
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Building Skills Partnerships Los Angeles, CA - Training parents who are janitorial and airport workers to become effective advocates for their children's education and to serve as peer-to-peer ambassadors at work
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Families and Schools Together Madison, WI - Expanding professional development for educators to create a more welcoming school environment and empower all families as advocates
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Federation for Children with Special Needs Brockton, MA - Prioritizing family engagement in district-level decision-making in collaboration with families and caregivers, with an emphasis on social and emotional learning
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Latinos in Action Salt Lake City, UT - Piloting an initiative rooted in a commitment to Latinx voices and leadership at four high schools that serve mostly BIPOC, immigrant, and refugee communities
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National Center for Families Learning Louisville, KY - Teaching caregivers and children standards-aligned science skills to increase their understanding of science-related challenges in their communities
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Parent Institute for Quality Education Central Valley, CA - Fostering effective family engagement practices among Latinx and multilingual families living in the state’s most rural region
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Supportive Older Women’s Network Philadelphia, PA - Equipping grandparents who are raising grandchildren with the digital skills needed to connect with teachers and staff and to assist with at-home literacy learning
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Village of Wisdom Durham, NC - Expanding to Atlanta and the Mississippi Delta a program designed to protect Black children's intellectual curiosity and incorporate the expertise of parents
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West River Foundation and South Dakota Statewide Family Engagement Center Black Hills, SD - Recruiting family champions from high-need schools on or near tribal lands to host community chats, gather authentic voices, and implement data-driven plans
The grantees will benefit from workshops and one-on-one support provided by the Columbia University Center for Public Research and Leadership (CPRL) to build a community of practice that will allow the organizations to learn from one another.
Carnegie Corporation is a leading philanthropic funder of research and programs supporting family engagement as a proven model for dismantling longstanding educational inequities and creating lasting change. The RFP was inspired by the success of collaborations that formed during the pandemic. Out of necessity, educators have found new ways to prioritize the involvement of parents and caregivers with diverse perspectives and backgrounds. With additional support, these family engagement programs can help the nation’s public schools succeed in providing an equitable education for all children.
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About Carnegie Corporation of New York
Carnegie Corporation of New York was established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to promote the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding. In keeping with this mandate, the Corporation’s work focuses on the issues that Carnegie considered of paramount importance: education, international peace, and a strong democracy. @CarnegieCorp
Contact: Celeste Ford, Director of External Relations
About the Association of Alaska School Boards
Founded in 1954, AASB’s membership consists of school districts across Alaska. With a core mission of advocating for youth, AASB assists school boards in providing quality public education, focused on student achievement, through effective local governance. Twenty-five years ago, AASB established the Initiative for Community Engagement (ICE) to build bridges between communities, families, and schools. Over the past five years, AASB has partnered with 36 schools in 15 school districts on projects focused on connecting these groups to improve outcomes for Alaska’s students. #akschoolboards
Contact: Lori Grassgreen
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