Karen Bowler

Week 4 Assignment
Classroom Engagement Plan
TED 538

CLASSROOM ENGAGEMENT PLAN

Description of Classroom:

I am currently teaching 7th Grade Math at Hughes Middle School in Mesquite, Nevada, a rural community
located within the Clark County School District. Although we utilize a block schedule, we are fortunate that
core subjects are double blocked; therefore, I see my students every day for 83 minutes. Because of this
and wanting to keep class sizes down, I do not have a prep period this year. I’m not sure if this will be the
case next year.

My class sizes are small – there are only 28 students in my largest class. I utilize group seating with four
students per group (there may be one or two groups with only three students) unless we are testing, then I
use traditional seating. We are fortunate to be a one-to-one device school, so this allows us to utilize many
web-based resources (such as Aleks and Google Classroom to name a few) during class time. As I’ve
mentioned in some of our discussions, my school demographic includes approximately 52% Hispanic
students with the next highest percentage of race being Caucasian. This is evident in the make-up of my
classes.

Engaging Families:
Specific actions you will take
I will create and dispurse a
“Parent Survey” for parents to
complete and return to me. I will
use a paper form as well as an
electronic form so parents can
use whichever form is best for
them.
When
I will dispurse the “Parent
Survey” during the first week of
school. I will give a date that I’d
like the survey returned by and
will continue to follow-up with
those who have not returned the
form for the first few weeks.
Measures of Success
Success will be measured by the
number of completed surveys
returned to me and the valuable
information gathered that I can
use in building relationships with
families.

This survey will include questions

about parents working
schedules, transportation issues,
best times and methods to
contact them, language spoken
in the home and cultural
practices/traditions, information
and concerns they would like me
to know about their child, any
suggestions.
Outreach to Families:
Specific actions you will take
I will utilize a class newsletter to
send home to parents to inform
them of concepts we have been
learning as well as new concepts
that are planned for the coming
month. It will also include
resources parents can use to
assist their child with the
concepts including websites for
videos, interactive games and
practice worksheets. Any other
important information such as
scheduled days off, testing or
deadlines will be included as
well.
I will also utilize the “REMIND”
app that allows text notifications
to be sent via cell phone to
remind students and parents of
important announcements.
Cultural Responsive Practice to Family Engagement:
Specific actions you will take
I will reach out to families and
invite them into the classroom to
share cultural traditions with the
class.
Communication with Families:
Specific actions you will take
I will make at least two phone
calls/emails to parents each
week giving positive feedback
about their child. This could be
for a variety of things from doing
well on a test or assignment,
helping in the classroom, being
When
The newsletter will be dispursed
monthly.
The “REMIND” app will be used
on a regular basis (probably a
few times each week) as
needed.
When
I will do this at the beginning of
the year and again in our
monthly newsletters.
When
I will make the two
calls/communications each week
throughout the school year.
The “REMIND” app will be used
on a regular basis (probably a
Measures of Success
Success may be measured by
the following:
homework being completed and
returned, improvement in
understanding of concepts
displayed through assessments,
increased involvement of parents
in school visits and volunteering
in the classroom, etc.
Success may also be measured
as parents reach out to me with
questions, concerns, or to notify
of successes.
Success for the “REMIND” app
will be measured through
viewing who received the
messages and responses sent
back to me.
Measures of Success
Success will be measured by
families either coming into the
classroom or sending items for
the student to share about their
culture. Success will also be
measured as students come to
know more about and respect
the heritage and culture of
others.
Measures of Success
Success will be measured by
contacts being made and the
building of relationships with
parents. Also, success may be
evident as parents, who may not
have felt comfortable in
contacting me with questions or
 kind to others, improving in their
effort level or behavior, etc.
I will also utilize the “REMIND”
app that allows text notifications
to be sent via cell phone to
remind students and parents of
important announcements.
Supporting Learning through Family Collaboration:
Specific actions you will take
I will create and utilize a
parent/student/teacher compact
that outlines individual
responsibilities for each party
and discusses how working
together can improve student
achievement and success.
The compact will also include
strategies to help parents at
home and give suggestions of
things parents can do to become
more involved in the classroom
and school.
Empowering Parents:
Specific actions you will take
I will share with parents a variety Monthly by newsletter and
of resources that they can utilize weekly by “REMIND” app.
to aid them in assisting their child
with homework and preparing for
quizzes and tests. These
resources will be included in our
monthly newsletters and can be
sent through the “REMIND” app
as well.
few times each week) as
needed.
When
The parent/student/teacher
compact will be sent home
during the first week of school for
parents to read through with their
child, sign, and return to me.
A poster will be made to display
in the classroom listing the
student and teacher
responsibilities included in the
compact. This will serve as a
daily reminder to students of the
tasks expected of them and
agreed to in the compact.
Parent and student
responsibilities will also be
included in each monthly
newsletter as a reminder as well.
When
concerns, now feel that they can
approach me.
Success for the “REMIND” app
will be measured through
viewing who received the
messages and responses sent
back to me.
Measures of Success
Success will be measured by the
compact being signed and
returned and evidence of
individual responsibilities being
fulfilled by the following:
homework being completed and
returned, improvement in
understanding of concepts
displayed through assessments,
increased involvement of
parents in school visits and
volunteering in the classroom,
etc.
Measures of Success
As parents utilize the resources
shared with them, they will feel
more capable of helping their
child. As they do so, student
achievement will increase.
Equal Partners in Decision-Making About Their Children:
Specific actions you will take When Measures of Success
I will encourage parents to attend These meeting occur monthly. I Success will be shown by
our school’s Parent Advisory will include information regarding parents participating in these
Committee meetings where they dates and times for upcoming meeting or contacting
can meet with administrators to meetings in our monthly administrators or district
discuss and voice their opinions newsletter. representatives about their
on matters and topics relating to concerns.
our school.

I will also encourage them to

attend school board meetings
where they can give input on
issues at the district level.

Community Collaborations:
Specific actions you will take
I will encourage students and
parents to utilize community
resources to increase student
achievement and family
engagement. One specific
resource is our local public
library. They offer a number of
helpful resources for families
including the “Math Buddies”
program. I would also
encourage students and parents
to take advantage of extra-
curricular activities offered
through our local recreation
center.
When
Information about these
resources would be listed in our
monthly newsletter. I would also
mention them when
communicating with parents. I
could also send out this
information as often as I feel
necessary through the
“REMIND” app.
Measures of Success
As students and parents utilize
the available community
resources, improvement in
academic achievement will be
evident. Participating in extra-
curricular can also help students
improve skills of time-
management, teamwork,
prioritizing and improve self-
esteem.

The components I have included in my classroom engagement plan were selected because I feel that
these are the strategies that will work best for me and my students. As I implement these strategies, I will
be able to gauge what does work and doesn’t work well for me, and I will be able to tweak and fine tune my
plan. I am excited to put this plan into action next year and hope that these strategies will encourage
parents to become more involved in their child’s education. My hope is that I can help parents come to
understand how important their involvement is and what a huge role they play in helping their child succeed
academically.