Schools Don't Own Education

Anna Sidiropoulos and Nadia Judunath are parent leaders, community activists and, most importantly, mothers. They returned to the podcast to speak with Nancy about the highs and lows of distance learning, engaging school families remotely and just surviving as a Mom during a pandemic.

Steve Hall is a Senior Lecturer at Staffordshire University in Britain and a reflective learning practitioner. In this episode, he shares his work as a Principal, going beyond the walls of the school to embrace the opportunities available in community led learning. For more with Steve, tune into "Hurley in the Morning" every Tuesday.

Laura Gardner, founder of "Immigrant Connections" in Washington D.C., works to build the capacity of teachers and school systems to engage immigrant families in their children’s education.

https://www.immigrantsrefugeesandschools.org/

Aviva Dunsiger is a kindergarten teacher in the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board. She discusses how Covid affected the family engagement work she and her teaching partner, Paula, regularly make a part of their pedagogy, what they've learned and what excites her about the year ahead.

In this episode, parent leaders Sophie Luxton, Nadia Judunath and Anna Sidiropoulos speak with Nancy about the challenges faced by their School Councils after the Covid shutdown. Their work supporting families hit roadblocks as avenues of communication closed down and stresses increased. Now, wishing to continue their drive for authentic family engagement, they are looking forward to a new school year with determination and hope.

Dr. Ted Amendt, Director of Board Development for the Saskatchewan School Boards Association, is the author of "Evaluating School Community Councils." His findings and recommendations are valid in any jurisdiction and should be considered by anyone - educator, parent, trustee - involved in the education system.

The report may be found here: https://saskschoolboards.ca/wp-content/uploads/SCC-Evaluation-Research-Report.pdf

Dr Max Antony-Newman is an educational researcher specializing in immigrant parents, family engagement and social inequality related to both. His most recent paper on curriculum orientations may be found here:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338004207_Curriculum_orientations_and_their_role_in_parental_involvement_among_immigrant_parents

Dr Max Antony-Newman is an educational researcher specializing in immigrant parents, family engagement and social inequality related to both. His most recent paper on curriculum orientations may be found here:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338004207_Curriculum_orientations_and_their_role_in_parental_involvement_among_immigrant_parents

In this episode, Nancy reminisces wth three friends about their years of involvement in their children's schools. Time was spent on fundraising and doing for the school. But the sense of community that developed resulted in valuable benefits for the students, their schools - and themselves. Important insights here for today's families and educators.

In this episode, Nancy speaks with Julianne Lee, co-chair of a School Council in the Toronto District School Board. Julianne, her co-chair and Principal are beginning a journey that they hope will shift the Council focus from fundraising to authentic family engagement. The school has an active council, but this is a plan that can be implemented in any school, anywhere. It requires building trust and relationships, as well as listening to family needs and ideas.