annualreport-2022v9 - Flipbook - Page 22
Engaging with Families One Porch
at a Time
Lusia Requenes grew up in the Argentine neighborhood of
Kansas City, Kansas. She smiles big when pointing out the
school parking lot where she rode her bike as a kid. She has
fond memories of her time as a student at Emerson Elementary
and her parent’s commitment to her educational progress,
even when language barriers presented some challenges.
Lusia Requenes
Family Engagement Specialist,
Emerson Elementary
Lusia became an engaged parent many years later when her
children started attending Emerson Elementary. Still, as
involved as she was, she recognized an opportunity to make a
greater impact by contributing to the school’s communication
efforts with parents and guardians. When a Family
Engagement Specialist position became available, she
immediately applied. She saw this not only as a way to be
better informed but also to help enhance how the school
communicated with parents.
Lusia’s newfound passion for family engagement grew
exponentially as she learned about the multiple ways she
could keep families connected with Emerson Elementary.
One of her first commitments was to meet families where
they are and inform them about school performance scores
and how they could take a more active role in supporting
student and school success. She created school handbooks
that provided easy-to-digest information about the school
and district.
Another high-touch tool Lusia soon added to her community
engagement approach was porch visits. She started knocking
on the front doors of students’ homes to welcome families,
introduce herself, and build connections and relationships.
Before long, she sold her school administrators and teachers
the importance of this personal approach.
Lusia, along with the school counselor, nurse, and social
worker, would go on visits as the Family and Student Support
Team (FASST). They provided resources that helped alleviate
the family struggles and barriers that kept them from focusing
on their children’s education at home. Lusia added, “The most
important thing is the follow-up. At Emerson Elementary, we
keep each other accountable, and we also keep our parents
accountable.”
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