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Volume  2,  Issue  1  

2018  

Allies	
  for	
  Education	
  2018,	
  1,	
  2	
  
https://journals.library.csuci.edu/ojs/index.php/afe	
  

  
Community  Engagement:  School  and  Family  
Partnerships  to  Support  Mutual  Learning  

  
Carolee	
  Koehn	
  Hurtado	
  
Assistant	
  Professor	
  of	
  Education	
  
CSU	
  Channel	
  Islands	
  
	
  

Community	
  engagement	
  can,	
  and	
  should	
  be,	
  a	
  dynamic,	
  reciprocal	
  relationship	
  between	
  families	
  and	
  
schools.	
  So,	
  what	
  might	
  community	
  engagement	
  in	
  schools	
  look	
  like	
  when	
  we	
  place	
  parent	
  voices	
  at	
  the	
  
forefront?	
  Can	
  mathematics	
  be	
  a	
  context	
  for	
  this	
  type	
  of	
  community	
  engagement?	
  In	
  this	
  article,	
  we	
  
share	
  our	
  journey	
  for	
  a	
  family-­‐school	
  partnership	
  that	
  began	
  with	
  parents’	
  vision	
  for	
  how	
  to	
  meet	
  
educational	
  goals	
  for	
  their	
  students.	
  	
  

Beginning  our  Journey  
This	
  journey	
  began	
  when	
  a	
  teacher	
  contacted	
  the	
  UCLA	
  Parent	
  Project	
  at	
  the	
  request	
  of	
  her	
  parent	
  
community.	
  In	
  the	
  first	
  meeting,	
  twenty-­‐five	
  parents	
  shared	
  how	
  they	
  volunteered	
  at	
  the	
  school,	
  took	
  
English	
  as	
  a	
  Second	
  Language	
  classes,	
  and	
  attended	
  all	
  parent	
  workshops	
  offered.	
  They	
  envisioned	
  more	
  
–	
  as	
  their	
  children’s	
  first	
  and	
  most	
  important	
  teacher,	
  they	
  also	
  serve	
  as	
  a	
  strong	
  resource	
  for	
  their	
  
children	
  academically.	
  They	
  voiced	
  that	
  deepening	
  their	
  own	
  and	
  their	
  children’s	
  understanding	
  of	
  
mathematics	
  was	
  their	
  first	
  priority:	
  “Teach	
  these	
  classes	
  in	
  our	
  language,	
  so	
  we	
  can	
  better	
  understand.	
  
This	
  is	
  not	
  another	
  way	
  for	
  us	
  to	
  learn	
  English.	
  We	
  want	
  to	
  do	
  mathematics	
  in	
  our	
  language.	
  Math	
  is	
  too	
  
important,	
  I	
  don’t	
  want	
  to	
  miss	
  anything.	
  When	
  we	
  learn,	
  it	
  helps	
  our	
  children	
  learn	
  too.”	
  	
  The	
  parents	
  
had	
  already	
  begun	
  to	
  research	
  grants	
  to	
  fund	
  their	
  vision.	
  	
  

In	
  collaboration,	
  parents	
  along	
  with	
  Moffett	
  teachers,	
  an	
  administrator,	
  and	
  UCLA	
  co-­‐developed	
  the	
  
goals,	
  agendas,	
  and	
  structure	
  of	
  our	
  work	
  together.	
  We	
  set	
  out	
  to	
  engage	
  parents	
  in	
  mathematics	
  
through	
  problem	
  solving	
  and	
  conceptual	
  understanding,	
  drawing	
  upon	
  research	
  and	
  classroom	
  practice	
  
informed	
  by	
  Cognitively	
  Guided	
  Instruction	
  (Carpenter,	
  et	
  al.,	
  2015).	
  Goals	
  included:	
  

• Share	
  our	
  family’s	
  experiences	
  with	
  mathematics	
  and	
  learn	
  from	
  others’	
  experiences	
  
• Engage	
  in	
  a	
  community	
  of	
  practice	
  where	
  we	
  work	
  on	
  mathematics	
  tasks	
  together,	
  share	
  

problem	
  solving	
  strategies,	
  and	
  consider	
  how	
  to	
  support	
  our	
  children’s	
  mathematical	
  
development	
  in	
  both	
  school	
  mathematics	
  and	
  at	
  home	
  

• Promote	
  a	
  love	
  of	
  mathematics	
  	
  	
  
	
  



Community  Engagement:  School  and  Family  Partnerships  to  Support  
Mutual  Learning  
Carolee	
  Koehn	
  Hurtado	
  

Allies	
  for	
  Education	
  2018,	
  2,	
  1	
  
https://journals.library.csuci.edu/ojs/index.php/afe	
  
	
  

Moffett	
  Elementary	
  School	
  is	
  a	
  neighborhood	
  school.	
  Parents	
  believed	
  the	
  best	
  time	
  to	
  hold	
  the	
  
workshops	
  would	
  be	
  immediately	
  following	
  the	
  start	
  of	
  the	
  school	
  day	
  since	
  many	
  families	
  walked	
  with	
  
their	
  children	
  to	
  school.	
  Parents	
  worked	
  with	
  school	
  administration	
  to	
  invite	
  more	
  community	
  members	
  
to	
  participate.	
  They	
  made	
  personal	
  phone	
  calls	
  and	
  hung	
  large	
  posters	
  at	
  the	
  school	
  entrance	
  to	
  
advertise	
  the	
  sessions.	
  Everyone	
  was	
  welcome,	
  whether	
  they	
  could	
  come	
  to	
  all	
  of	
  the	
  sessions	
  or	
  only	
  
one.	
  	
  

Community  Engagement  Through  Mathematics  
We	
  scheduled	
  two	
  ten-­‐week	
  series:	
  the	
  first	
  to	
  start	
  at	
  the	
  beginning	
  of	
  the	
  academic	
  year	
  and	
  the	
  
second	
  to	
  commence	
  after	
  the	
  Winter	
  Break.	
  Each	
  session	
  was	
  two	
  hours	
  in	
  length.	
  We	
  designed	
  these	
  
sessions	
  for	
  active	
  engagement:	
  parents	
  participated	
  as	
  learners	
  and	
  reflected	
  on	
  how	
  their	
  experiences	
  
(both	
  as	
  a	
  learner	
  in	
  their	
  own	
  schooling	
  experience	
  and	
  as	
  a	
  learner	
  in	
  these	
  sessions)	
  impact	
  their	
  
views	
  as	
  a	
  parent	
  of	
  their	
  own	
  children	
  learning	
  mathematics.	
  	
  

Mathematics	
  we	
  explored	
  in	
  the	
  twenty	
  workshops	
  included:	
  

Series	
  #1	
   Series	
  #2	
  

Addition	
  and	
  Subtraction	
  Concepts	
   Fair	
  Share	
  &	
  Fractions	
  

Choral	
  Counting	
  and	
  Counting	
  Collections	
   Geometry	
  Concepts	
  

Grouping	
  Problems:	
  Multiplication	
  and	
  
Division	
  

Algebraic	
  Reasoning	
  in	
  Elementary	
  School	
  

As	
  a	
  community	
  of	
  learners,	
  mathematical	
  dialogue	
  was	
  imperative	
  for	
  multiple	
  reasons.	
  We	
  grow	
  as	
  
mathematicians	
  as	
  we	
  engage	
  with	
  others,	
  and	
  we	
  grow	
  as	
  people	
  who	
  can	
  support	
  others	
  through	
  
sharing	
  our	
  own	
  and	
  hearing	
  about	
  others’	
  practices.	
  	
  

Parents	
  spoke	
  on	
  expert	
  panels	
  to	
  share	
  their	
  home	
  and	
  cultural	
  practices	
  around	
  how	
  they	
  engage	
  in	
  
mathematics	
  as	
  a	
  family	
  and	
  requested	
  teachers	
  to	
  visit	
  the	
  workshops	
  to	
  share	
  and	
  answer	
  questions	
  
about	
  classroom	
  practices	
  and	
  goals	
  around	
  mathematics.	
  Parents	
  often	
  tried	
  ideas	
  from	
  the	
  workshops	
  
at	
  home	
  with	
  their	
  children,	
  such	
  as	
  posing	
  mathematical	
  tasks,	
  noticing	
  how	
  their	
  children	
  solved	
  those	
  
tasks,	
  and	
  asking	
  questions	
  to	
  encourage	
  their	
  child(ren)	
  to	
  explain	
  their	
  mathematical	
  thinking.	
  They	
  
would	
  readily	
  share	
  their	
  ideas,	
  noticings,	
  and	
  wonderings	
  with	
  the	
  group	
  at	
  the	
  next	
  session.	
  These	
  
conversations	
  greatly	
  shaped	
  subsequent	
  workshops	
  as	
  we	
  learned	
  more	
  about	
  our	
  parents	
  and	
  their	
  
children.	
  

Workshop	
  attendance	
  averaged	
  25-­‐30	
  parents	
  every	
  week,	
  with	
  over	
  fifty	
  parents	
  attending	
  workshops	
  
that	
  first	
  year.	
  Many	
  parents	
  did	
  not	
  miss	
  one	
  workshop.	
  	
  

What  We  Learned  
Parent	
  involvement	
  in	
  schools	
  can	
  sometimes	
  be	
  limited	
  to	
  parents	
  volunteering	
  to	
  help	
  the	
  school	
  with	
  
tasks	
  such	
  as	
  opening	
  car	
  doors	
  during	
  student	
  drop-­‐off,	
  copying	
  homework	
  packets,	
  and	
  chaperoning	
  
field	
  trips.	
  At	
  Moffett	
  Elementary	
  School,	
  this	
  involvement	
  model	
  shifted	
  towards	
  more	
  authentic	
  parent	
  



Community  Engagement:  School  and  Family  Partnerships  to  Support  
Mutual  Learning  
Carolee	
  Koehn	
  Hurtado	
  

Allies	
  for	
  Education	
  2018,	
  2,	
  1	
  
https://journals.library.csuci.edu/ojs/index.php/afe	
  
	
  

engagement	
  as	
  educators	
  listened	
  intently	
  to	
  what	
  parents	
  were	
  interested	
  in	
  and	
  took	
  collective	
  action	
  
to	
  co-­‐plan	
  workshops	
  around	
  parent	
  interests.	
  	
  

UCLA	
  started	
  as	
  an	
  external	
  partner.	
  Respecting	
  and	
  starting	
  with	
  their	
  voices	
  and	
  goals,	
  it	
  was	
  
important	
  for	
  us	
  to	
  develop	
  relationships	
  with	
  parents	
  and	
  educators.	
  We	
  custom-­‐designed	
  these	
  
workshops	
  based	
  on	
  community	
  interest,	
  and	
  continually	
  engaged	
  in	
  ongoing	
  debrief	
  and	
  reflection	
  to	
  
make	
  adjustments	
  as	
  we	
  also	
  learned	
  from	
  our	
  participants.	
  	
  

Parents	
  often	
  shared	
  how	
  they	
  felt	
  during	
  and	
  after	
  the	
  sessions,	
  in	
  both	
  formal	
  and	
  informal	
  
conversations.	
  Some	
  of	
  these	
  reflections	
  are	
  shared	
  below:	
  

Family	
  Conversations	
  
A	
  highlight	
  for	
  many	
  parents	
  was	
  the	
  stronger	
  connection	
  they	
  felt	
  with	
  their	
  children.	
  Parents	
  believed	
  
participating	
  in	
  these	
  workshops	
  impacted	
  their	
  relationship	
  with	
  family:	
  both	
  with	
  their	
  elementary	
  
children	
  and	
  older	
  children.	
  Families	
  engaged	
  in	
  mathematical	
  conversations	
  at	
  home	
  as	
  children	
  grew	
  
interested	
  in	
  what	
  their	
  parents	
  were	
  learning.	
  Parents	
  and	
  children	
  could	
  each	
  share	
  their	
  problem-­‐
solving	
  strategies.	
  Parents’	
  and	
  children’s	
  confidence	
  grew.	
  A	
  parent	
  shared,	
  “Show	
  me	
  what	
  you	
  
learned	
  mommy.	
  Let’s	
  do	
  math	
  together.”	
  	
  

Many	
  parents	
  noted	
  that	
  before	
  the	
  workshops,	
  children	
  would	
  say,	
  “You	
  can’t	
  help	
  me	
  with	
  my	
  math	
  
work.	
  That’s	
  not	
  how	
  my	
  teacher	
  did	
  it.”	
  These	
  conversations	
  started	
  to	
  change	
  throughout	
  the	
  year,	
  as	
  
parents,	
  children,	
  and	
  teachers	
  encouraged	
  and	
  prompted	
  for	
  more	
  than	
  one	
  way	
  to	
  solve	
  mathematics	
  
problems.	
  More	
  mathematical	
  conversations	
  were	
  taking	
  place,	
  in	
  homes	
  and	
  at	
  school.	
  	
  

Impact	
  on	
  Mathematics	
  Identity	
  
Some	
  parents	
  felt	
  successful	
  with	
  mathematics	
  before,	
  and	
  now	
  feel	
  even	
  more	
  confident	
  while	
  others	
  
changed	
  their	
  perceptions	
  of	
  themselves	
  as	
  mathematicians	
  and	
  a	
  source	
  of	
  knowledge	
  and	
  support	
  for	
  
their	
  children.	
  Through	
  reflection	
  and	
  interviews,	
  we	
  learned	
  a	
  lot	
  about	
  individual’s	
  dispositions.	
  A	
  
parent	
  of	
  a	
  second	
  grader	
  revealed	
  that	
  there	
  were	
  many	
  times	
  she	
  struggled	
  and	
  felt	
  like	
  giving	
  up.	
  Yet,	
  
her	
  tablemates	
  would	
  not	
  allow	
  themselves	
  to	
  move	
  on	
  unless	
  the	
  entire	
  group	
  understood.	
  She	
  
revealed,	
  “We	
  are	
  becoming	
  a	
  team	
  with	
  other	
  moms.	
  I	
  was	
  embarrassed	
  because	
  I	
  did	
  not	
  have	
  a	
  
higher	
  education.	
  I	
  would	
  see	
  other	
  moms	
  participating	
  a	
  lot.	
  There	
  was	
  a	
  time	
  I	
  said	
  I	
  was	
  going	
  to	
  
leave.	
  Why	
  am	
  I	
  sitting	
  here?	
  But	
  it	
  was	
  worth	
  being	
  here.”	
  One	
  of	
  her	
  peers	
  added,	
  “I	
  saw	
  her	
  being	
  
focused	
  and	
  persevering.	
  She	
  can	
  do	
  it,	
  but	
  hasn’t	
  realized	
  that.	
  If	
  we	
  don’t	
  have	
  opportunity	
  to	
  learn,	
  
we	
  all	
  have	
  our	
  limits.	
  Sometimes	
  there	
  are	
  things	
  that	
  stop	
  us,	
  but	
  when	
  we	
  persevere,	
  then	
  there	
  is	
  a	
  
change.”	
  	
  

Another	
  mother	
  reflected,	
  “Through	
  our	
  participation,	
  I	
  realized	
  other	
  things.	
  I	
  did	
  not	
  know	
  I	
  was	
  good	
  
at	
  math.	
  Our	
  self-­‐esteem	
  went	
  up.	
  We	
  trust	
  ourselves	
  more.	
  We	
  interact	
  more	
  with	
  others	
  and	
  are	
  less	
  
shy.	
  We	
  learn	
  from	
  our	
  mistakes	
  as	
  we	
  help	
  each	
  other.	
  We	
  learned	
  from	
  our	
  mistakes	
  and	
  maybe	
  our	
  
mistakes	
  are	
  not	
  that	
  big.	
  We	
  are	
  becoming	
  self-­‐assured,	
  and	
  we	
  are	
  helping	
  our	
  children	
  become	
  
confident	
  and	
  self-­‐assured.”	
  

Another	
  parent	
  added,	
  “I	
  would	
  come	
  home	
  after	
  the	
  class,	
  and	
  my	
  husband	
  would	
  say	
  you	
  look	
  happy,	
  
you	
  must	
  have	
  gone	
  to	
  math	
  class.”	
  



Community  Engagement:  School  and  Family  Partnerships  to  Support  
Mutual  Learning  
Carolee	
  Koehn	
  Hurtado	
  

Allies	
  for	
  Education	
  2018,	
  2,	
  1	
  
https://journals.library.csuci.edu/ojs/index.php/afe	
  
	
  

Developing	
  a	
  Culture	
  of	
  Problem	
  Solving	
  (as	
  a	
  learner	
  and	
  as	
  a	
  parent	
  supporting	
  children)	
  
Participants	
  realized	
  and	
  appreciated	
  multiple	
  ways	
  of	
  solving	
  mathematics	
  problems	
  and	
  applied	
  
reasoning	
  skills	
  to	
  other	
  life	
  situations.	
  Parent	
  comments	
  indicate	
  that	
  this	
  learning	
  has	
  translated	
  to	
  
understanding	
  their	
  children	
  both	
  as	
  individual	
  learners	
  and	
  as	
  individuals	
  with	
  unique	
  approaches	
  to	
  
problem	
  solving.	
  For	
  example:	
  	
  

“Before	
  I	
  used	
  to	
  try	
  to	
  show	
  my	
  child	
  how	
  to	
  solve	
  the	
  problems,	
  asking	
  him	
  why	
  do	
  you	
  take	
  
so	
  much	
  time,	
  just	
  do	
  it	
  this	
  way.	
  Now	
  I	
  realize	
  the	
  kinds	
  of	
  strategies	
  kids	
  use	
  and	
  how	
  solving	
  
problems	
  in	
  your	
  own	
  way,	
  in	
  a	
  way	
  that	
  makes	
  sense	
  to	
  you,	
  can	
  be	
  very	
  helpful”.	
  	
  

“The	
  teacher	
  (UCLA	
  facilitator)	
  told	
  us	
  to	
  get	
  in	
  the	
  shoes	
  of	
  the	
  children,	
  children	
  the	
  age	
  of	
  our	
  
children,	
  to	
  see	
  how	
  they	
  would	
  solve	
  the	
  math	
  problem.	
  For	
  me	
  that	
  was	
  one	
  of	
  the	
  most	
  
important	
  things	
  that	
  I	
  learned.	
  To	
  put	
  myself	
  in	
  the	
  shoes	
  of	
  my	
  child.”	
  

These	
  parent	
  insights	
  support	
  the	
  notion	
  that	
  we	
  can	
  nurture	
  children’s	
  mathematical	
  development	
  by	
  
starting	
  with	
  what	
  they	
  know,	
  celebrating	
  those	
  partial	
  understandings	
  and	
  building	
  on	
  what	
  they	
  can	
  
do.	
  This	
  creates	
  spaces	
  for	
  learners	
  to	
  feel	
  and	
  be	
  seen	
  as	
  competent	
  as	
  we	
  broaden	
  our	
  notions	
  of	
  what	
  
counts	
  as	
  knowing	
  and	
  understanding	
  (Franke,	
  2017).	
  For	
  many,	
  this	
  is	
  very	
  different	
  from	
  our	
  own	
  
learning	
  experiences.	
  	
  

Many	
  adults	
  may	
  have	
  been	
  seated	
  in	
  rows	
  in	
  their	
  K-­‐16	
  mathematics	
  classrooms,	
  quietly	
  replicating	
  
steps	
  the	
  teacher	
  demonstrated	
  to	
  solve	
  a	
  problem,	
  and	
  turning	
  in	
  work	
  to	
  find	
  out	
  if	
  it	
  was	
  right	
  or	
  
wrong.	
  This	
  approach	
  to	
  learning	
  creates	
  dependent	
  thinkers	
  – students	
  who,	
  for	
  a	
  variety	
  of	
  reasons,	
  
wait	
  for	
  the	
  next	
  instructions	
  on	
  how	
  to	
  proceed.	
  This	
  has	
  led	
  many	
  learners	
  to	
  believe	
  they	
  are	
  not	
  
good	
  at	
  mathematics.	
  This	
  belief	
  can	
  occur	
  very	
  early.	
  My	
  own	
  niece	
  (from	
  a	
  different	
  school),	
  shared	
  
with	
  me	
  that	
  her	
  little	
  sister,	
  who	
  had	
  just	
  completed	
  first	
  grade,	
  didn’t	
  like	
  math	
  anymore	
  because	
  she	
  
always	
  had	
  a	
  lot	
  of	
  red	
  marks	
  on	
  her	
  math	
  paper.	
  These	
  red	
  marks	
  did	
  not	
  honor	
  what	
  she	
  could	
  do	
  nor	
  
help	
  her	
  to	
  grow	
  as	
  a	
  mathematical	
  thinker.	
  	
  

Through	
  our	
  time	
  together,	
  Moffett	
  parents	
  gained	
  a	
  greater	
  understanding	
  of	
  school	
  mathematics	
  
while	
  simultaneously	
  growing	
  as	
  a	
  supporter	
  of	
  children.	
  For	
  example,	
  a	
  parent	
  of	
  four	
  children,	
  
commented	
  during	
  a	
  workshop,	
  “I	
  was	
  wondering	
  why	
  on	
  my	
  child’s	
  homework	
  last	
  week,	
  it	
  asked	
  her	
  
to	
  break	
  up	
  12	
  into	
  a	
  10	
  and	
  a	
  2	
  to	
  solve	
  multiplication	
  problems	
  involving	
  12.	
  And	
  when	
  we	
  solved	
  the	
  
problems	
  today,	
  someone	
  used	
  that	
  strategy.	
  I	
  see	
  how	
  thinking	
  about	
  12	
  as	
  a	
  10	
  and	
  2	
  made	
  the	
  
problem	
  easier	
  for	
  her	
  to	
  solve	
  today.	
  And,	
  I	
  know	
  this	
  is	
  just	
  one	
  way	
  to	
  think	
  about	
  the	
  problem.”	
  	
  

Academic	
  Support	
  &	
  Leadership	
  
Academic	
  support	
  can	
  be	
  seen	
  in	
  at	
  least	
  two	
  settings:	
  at	
  home	
  and	
  in	
  classrooms.	
  Parents	
  felt	
  better	
  
equipped	
  and	
  confident	
  to	
  support	
  their	
  children	
  in	
  mathematics.	
  One	
  parent	
  shared	
  that	
  she	
  realized	
  
that	
  although	
  the	
  teacher	
  in	
  the	
  classroom	
  has	
  many	
  students,	
  she,	
  as	
  the	
  parent,	
  is	
  her	
  daughter’s	
  first	
  
teacher.	
  The	
  teacher	
  is	
  half	
  of	
  the	
  equation	
  and	
  the	
  parent	
  is	
  the	
  other	
  half.	
  Together	
  they	
  can	
  make	
  a	
  
difference	
  for	
  her	
  child.	
  	
  



Community  Engagement:  School  and  Family  Partnerships  to  Support  
Mutual  Learning  
Carolee	
  Koehn	
  Hurtado	
  

Allies	
  for	
  Education	
  2018,	
  2,	
  1	
  
https://journals.library.csuci.edu/ojs/index.php/afe	
  
	
  

Another	
  parent	
  described	
  her	
  personal	
  growth	
  over	
  the	
  year,	
  feeling	
  that	
  she	
  enhanced	
  her	
  skill	
  in	
  
helping	
  her	
  child.	
  She	
  realized	
  there	
  were	
  many	
  parents	
  who	
  could	
  not	
  attend	
  the	
  workshops.	
  A	
  group	
  
of	
  parents	
  partnered	
  with	
  teachers	
  by	
  volunteering	
  in	
  classrooms	
  during	
  mathematics	
  instruction.	
  	
  

Advocates	
  for	
  Education	
  
Parents	
  see	
  themselves	
  as	
  leaders	
  who	
  can	
  affect	
  change.	
  A	
  parent	
  states,	
  “This	
  year	
  our	
  school	
  lost	
  
their	
  parent	
  coordinator.	
  I	
  know	
  the	
  importance	
  of	
  having	
  guidance.	
  How	
  can	
  there	
  be	
  a	
  parent	
  center	
  
without	
  a	
  guide?	
  So	
  I	
  said	
  I	
  have	
  to	
  do	
  something.	
  I	
  asked	
  myself	
  how	
  can	
  I	
  help?	
  Even	
  if	
  I	
  wasn’t	
  the	
  
leader.	
  I	
  could	
  provide	
  ideas	
  to	
  move	
  us	
  along.	
  A	
  committee	
  was	
  formed	
  with	
  five	
  parent	
  leaders.	
  There	
  
had	
  to	
  be	
  a	
  speaker	
  among	
  us	
  to	
  move	
  us	
  along.”	
  Parents	
  have	
  created	
  their	
  own	
  distributed	
  leadership	
  
model	
  through	
  voicing	
  their	
  ideas	
  and	
  taking	
  action	
  for	
  implementing	
  their	
  vision.	
  Administrators	
  share,	
  
“Parents	
  seeing	
  their	
  ideas	
  heard	
  was	
  very	
  empowering.	
  The	
  course	
  was	
  practical	
  and	
  hands	
  on.	
  They	
  
tried	
  ideas	
  at	
  home	
  and	
  volunteered	
  in	
  the	
  classrooms.	
  They	
  made	
  it	
  a	
  point	
  to	
  tell	
  me	
  what	
  they	
  did.	
  
They	
  saw	
  themselves	
  as	
  really	
  capable.	
  They	
  are	
  taking	
  on	
  more	
  and	
  more	
  things.	
  They	
  are	
  seeing	
  
themselves	
  as	
  leaders.	
  Parents	
  are	
  more	
  understanding	
  about	
  the	
  processes	
  we	
  are	
  handling	
  at	
  school.	
  	
  
They	
  know	
  the	
  school	
  routines,	
  the	
  materials,	
  the	
  school’s	
  struggles.	
  They	
  help	
  the	
  children.	
  They	
  help	
  
the	
  school.	
  There	
  are	
  more	
  parents	
  participating.	
  I	
  think	
  the	
  manner	
  of	
  the	
  class	
  helped	
  a	
  lot.	
  Parents	
  
are	
  feeling	
  more	
  capable,	
  more	
  active,	
  and	
  speak	
  up	
  for	
  what	
  they	
  want.	
  Not	
  afraid	
  to	
  give	
  their	
  opinion	
  
and	
  are	
  more	
  insistent	
  about	
  their	
  ideas	
  being	
  tried.	
  Now	
  we	
  have	
  a	
  strong	
  parent	
  group	
  and	
  there	
  is	
  
more	
  voice	
  in	
  what	
  they	
  choose	
  to	
  do.”	
  

Possibilities  and  Opportunities  Continue  to  Grow  when  Schools  and  
Parents  Engage  in  Collective  Work  
Parents	
  are	
  their	
  children’s	
  first	
  and	
  most	
  important	
  teacher.	
  They	
  are	
  powerful	
  allies	
  in	
  supporting	
  
children.	
  Children	
  benefit	
  when	
  schools	
  and	
  families	
  engage	
  in	
  mutual	
  learning.	
  We	
  can	
  shift	
  our	
  focus	
  
from	
  what	
  schools	
  can	
  do	
  for	
  families	
  to	
  include	
  explicit	
  efforts	
  for	
  schools	
  to	
  also	
  learn	
  from	
  families	
  as	
  
we	
  work	
  together	
  to	
  support	
  our	
  young	
  people.	
  This	
  approach	
  positions	
  community	
  members	
  as	
  co-­‐
constructors,	
  collaborators,	
  and	
  valuable	
  team	
  members.	
  At	
  Moffett,	
  we	
  see	
  sustained	
  engagement	
  
from	
  all	
  stakeholders	
  –	
  parents,	
  educators,	
  and	
  students	
  as	
  we	
  learn,	
  take	
  action,	
  and	
  grow	
  together.	
  

It	
  takes	
  a	
  village	
  to	
  create	
  a	
  learning	
  community.	
  Parents’	
  unwavering	
  goals	
  and	
  commitments	
  to	
  their	
  
children’s	
  success	
  started	
  this	
  effort.	
  Did	
  children	
  grow	
  as	
  mathematicians?	
  Yes.	
  Did	
  parents	
  learn	
  
mathematics	
  and	
  deepen	
  their	
  understanding	
  of	
  the	
  development	
  of	
  children’s	
  mathematical	
  thinking?	
  
Yes.	
  But,	
  this	
  work	
  encompasses	
  so	
  much	
  more.	
  Families	
  and	
  schools	
  work	
  together	
  to	
  create	
  spaces	
  of	
  
learning	
  for	
  children,	
  parents,	
  and	
  educators.	
  All	
  are	
  vital	
  for	
  continued	
  growth.	
  Our	
  journey	
  did	
  not	
  end	
  
after	
  one	
  year.	
  It	
  has	
  since	
  blossomed	
  into	
  a	
  thriving	
  five-­‐year	
  partnership	
  where	
  parents	
  are	
  facilitating	
  
math	
  and	
  science	
  family	
  nights	
  that	
  draw	
  in	
  over	
  four	
  hundred	
  participants.	
  They	
  are	
  leaders	
  who	
  
positively	
  impact	
  their	
  community.	
  	
  

We	
  continue	
  to	
  learn	
  and	
  be	
  inspired	
  by	
  their	
  work.	
  



Community  Engagement:  School  and  Family  Partnerships  to  Support  
Mutual  Learning  
Carolee	
  Koehn	
  Hurtado	
  

Allies	
  for	
  Education	
  2018,	
  2,	
  1	
  
https://journals.library.csuci.edu/ojs/index.php/afe	
  
	
  

About  the  Author  
Dr.	
  Carolee	
  Koehn	
  Hurtado	
  is	
  an	
  Assistant	
  Professor	
  of	
  Education	
  at	
  California	
  State	
  University,	
  Channel	
  
Islands.	
  Prior	
  to	
  this	
  role,	
  she	
  was	
  the	
  Director	
  of	
  the	
  UCLA	
  Mathematics	
  Project	
  and	
  the	
  UCLA	
  Parent	
  
Project,	
  where	
  she	
  had	
  the	
  fortunate	
  opportunity	
  to	
  bring	
  teachers	
  and	
  families	
  together	
  to	
  support	
  
children’s	
  mathematical	
  thinking.	
  This	
  work	
  has	
  deepened	
  her	
  understanding	
  of	
  how	
  mathematics	
  can	
  
be	
  a	
  means	
  for	
  challenging	
  inequities	
  in	
  schools.	
  

References  
Carpenter,	
  T.	
  P.,	
  Fennema,	
  E.,	
  Franke,	
  M.	
  L.,	
  Levi,	
  L.,	
  &	
  Empson,	
  S.	
  B.	
  (2015).	
  Children's	
  Mathematics:	
  
Cognitively	
  Guided	
  Instruction. Portsmouth,	
  NH:	
  Heinemann.	
  

Franke,	
  M.	
  L.	
  (2017).	
  No	
  More	
  Mastery:	
  Leveraging	
  Partial	
  Understanding.	
  Presentation,	
  Cognitive	
  
Guided	
  Instruction	
  National	
  Conference,	
  Seattle,	
  WA.	
  


