The Unexpected Outcomes of using a statewide family engagement survey Creates Possibilities for other states/districts/schools to collect data on family engagement and correlate it with chronic absenteeism data and assessment data. The survey assists districts/schools in identifying their strongest areas of family engagement as well as their challenging areas. This Creates Possibilities for targeted family engagement strategies. The new survey includes demographics to help districts/schools examine their family engagement strategies through an equity lens. The demographics include: Race/ethnicity, Free and Reduced Lunch, Families with children with disabilities and English Language Learners. When a district/school has data that is their own, they can begin to watch trends from year to year and identify areas of growth to celebrate and other areas to target improvement strategies. The free survey tool will be offered to participants.
Dr. Jane Groff has served as the Director of the Kansas Parent Information Resource Center (KPIRC) for sixteen years. While supervising all KPIRC priorities, Dr. Groff provides professional development and technical assistance on family engagement in education to Kansas districts and schools. She also provides trainings for families on parent leadership, parent advocacy and family engagement in education. She is a certified teacher in early childhood education, elementary education, and special education K-12. She taught for 25 years in both general and special education classrooms. Jane has earned a Masters degree in Education and a Ph.D. in Special Education from the University of Kansas. Jane’s passion is to increase meaningful family engagement in all schools. On a personal note, Jane has been married for 45 years to her husband Dave and raised three children. Jane is nana to 8 grandbabies!
Tamara Huff is a Project Coordinator of the Kansas Parent Information Resource Center (KPIRC). Prior to joining the KPIRC family, she served for 10 years as the Family and Community Network Specialist for the Wichita Public Schools. Tamara provides professional development and technical assistance on family engagement in education to Kansas districts and schools. Tammy holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kansas, a Master’s degree from K-State, and is an Ed.D. candidate in Educational Leadership from Wichita State University. Tammy’s passion for diversity and equity strengthens her desire for inclusive engagement of ALL families in the educational process. She is rooted in her community as an active member of Delta Sigma Theta, a public service sorority. Tammy also serves on the Board of Trustees for the Kansas Urban League, the Board of Directors for the University of Kansas Alumni Association, and is the current president of the KU Black Alumni Network.
Tabatha Rosproy is a 13-year early childhood educator, and the first pre-school teacher to ever be named National Teacher of the Year. She was awarded this honor in 2020 and has spent the last several years speaking for organizations around the country, elevating the work of early childhood educators and the students and families they serve. Tabatha is passionate about social-emotional learning, working with families, and empowering educators to be advocates for their field. Tabatha is well-known for helping to create a full-day public pre-school classroom inside of a nursing home in Winfield, Kansas called “Cumbernauld Little Vikes” and loves to work with schools to create intergenerational partnerships. Tabatha has transitioned into a new role with Kansas Parent Information Resource Center where she travels the state training schools on best practices in Early Childhood Education and Family Engagement. She resides in Olathe, KS with her husband, Tim.