Parent & Family Engagement
October 16-18, 2024
Statewide Conference
HOUSTON, TX
Marriott Westchase
Join us October 16-18 in Houston!
Registration Cost $275.
Make purchase orders to
Region 16 Education Service Center
5800 Bell St.
Amarillo, TX 79109
The PFE Conference
This annual event features keynote speakers, breakout sessions, workshops, and networking opportunities that bring together parents, families, educators, and community members from across Texas to learn about and share best practices for engaging parents and families in their children's education as well as many other Title I, Part A topics such as:
Parent & Family Engagement
School Safety & Wellness
Social and Emotional Strategies
Homelessness
Effective Communication
Career, College, and Military Readiness
Technology
English Learners
ESSA 1116
Attendance
Lodging or Hotel Accommodations
To accommodate all our registered conference attendees and protect the integrity of the hotel booking feature, hotel reservations must correspond to the name of a registered conference attendee.
Reservations that do not have a matching attendee name will be canceled within seven days.
We appreciate your help in following this policy. Your cooperation makes it a smooth and enjoyable experience for everyone.
Click image to download PDF file.
The room block at the Houston Marriott Westchase is now full. Please see overflow hotel information below.
The group rate is $122 (or prevailing government per diem) per night for single and double occupancy plus applicable taxes and fees.
Room rate is available to attendees 10/14/24-10/19/24.
The cutoff date for sleeping room reservations is 9/13/2024 or when the block is filled, whichever comes first.
Hotel Phone reservations can be made by calling, 1-888-236-2427 and identifying as part of the group, ”Parent Engagement.”
Cancellation Policy-72 Hours. Customers will be charged for 1 night’s room rate.
Additional Overflow Hotel
Houston Hilton Westchase
9999 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77042
Phone: (713) 974-1000
Questions?
Contact the PFE Statewide Initiative. t1pfe@esc16.net or 806-677-5166.
Keynotes
Horacio Sanchez
Horacio Sanchez is a highly sought-after speaker and educational consultant, helping schools learn to apply neuroscience to improve educational outcomes. He presents on diverse topics such as overcoming the impact of poverty, improving school climate, engaging in brain-based instruction, and addressing issues related to implicit bias. He is recognized as one of the nation’s leading authorities on resiliency and applied brain science.
Horacio has been a teacher, administrator, clinician, mental health director, and consultant to school districts across the United States. Horacio sits on True Health Initiative Council of Directors, a coalition of more than 250 world-renowned health experts, committed to educating on proven principles of lifestyle as medicine. He is the author of the best-selling book, The Education Revolution, which applies brain science to improve instruction, behaviors, and school climate. His new book, The Poverty Problem, explains how education can promote resilience and counter poverty’s impact on brain development and functioning.
Register to see Horacio Sanchez on October 16.
Dr. Karen Mapp
Karen L. Mapp, EdD, is a Professor of Practice at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE). Over the past twenty-five years, her research and practice focus has been the cultivation of partnerships among families, community members and educators that support student achievement and school improvement. Dr. Mapp holds a Doctorate and Master’s of Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, a Master’s from Southern Connecticut State University, and a Bachelor’s from Trinity College in Hartford, CT.
Dr. Mapp is the author and co-author of several articles and books including: Partners in Education: A Dual Capacity-Building Framework for Family-School Partnerships (2014); “Powerful Partnerships: A Teacher’s Guide to Engaging Families for Student Success” (2017), Embracing a New Normal: Toward a More Liberatory Approach to Family Engagement (2021), and Everyone Wins!: The Evidence for Family-School Partnerships and Implications for Practice (2022).
Register to see Dr. Karen Mapp on October 17.
Ernesto Mejia
Ernesto Mejia, the proud son of Mexican immigrants, is a true example of the American dream. Diagnosed with the rare disease of Guillain- Barré Syndrome at the age of 16 that left him temporarily paralyzed, he was not supposed to be a successful student, much less a College Dean of Students. Through his hardships, Ernesto learned to never give up on life. He now speaks to students, parents, and teachers about overcoming obstacles and never giving up on the American dream: education.
Register to see Ernesto Mejia on October 18.
Breakout Sessions
All information is subject to change.
Apply to be an Exhibitor at the PFE Conference.
To view the Application Guidelines for exhibiting at the 2024 PFE Conference, click here.
The PFE Promising Practices Award
Each year, the Parent and Family Engagement Statewide Initiative accepts applications from districts and/or schools who are implementing practices that yield high parent and family engagement. These practices are rated on:
the goal of the practice,
evidence of increased student outcomes, and
if all stakeholders are involved in the data collection, planning collaboration, and the evaluation processes.
Once the application window closes, all entries are reviewed by a committee, rated using a rubric, and then 3-4 of the top rated are selected as recipients at the Annual PFE Statewide Conference held each year in October. In addition to receiving the award, selected schools/districts are recognized on the PFE Statewide Initiative’s website and in our newsletter as well as invited to present their practice at the PFE conference.
2023 Promising Practices Recipients
-
Working Together for Our Families: Parent Education Program and Family Engagement Partnering Together
This practice provides family support for parenting students and their parents/guardians by creating a cohort of specific parenting classes that will enrich, equip, and empower these individuals to build their capacity as parents and provide a community of support.
-
Alianza Conexión Hispana Advisory Committee
This practice provides students, parents, school staff, and community members an opportunity to be a part of the school district decision-making process, creates a safe space where they can have a voice, share their input to improve the quality of our district practices and make a difference in policies and regulation affecting our students. The Alianza Conexión Hispana advisory committee also seeks to bridge the gap between parents, students, community members, and our current school committees.
-
Academic Parent-Teacher Teams (APTT)
This practice is a collaborative model of conferencing that engages families in student learning by aligning grade level learning concepts, student performance data, and family-teacher communication in a whole group/team setting.
-
Parent Preview Night
This practice is a dinner and program night where the teachers and principal present the coming six weeks curriculum and expectations. If parents are not able to attend personally, they may attend virtually.
2022 Promising Practices Recipients
-
Pink Elementary - Project Learn
Project LEARN exists to help at-risk children become successful and to provide the education and encouragement to their parents to become partners as well as strong and informed advocates in their children’s education.
The practice is identified as a need since parents have requested this service. District leaders have been active in providing equity for all stakeholders in Lamar CISD Title I survey and District Improvement Plan.
-
Parent Family Community Engagement Activities to the Next Level
The goal of this practice is to increase parent, family and community involvement, engagement and empowerment by promoting effective customer service and communication in accordance with the needs of students and parents.
Needs we identified from different sources, including, but not limited to paper surveys, online surveys, community meetings, committee meetings, talking to parents to ask about their needs, looking at the effectiveness of our current practices and parent participation
and engagement in events. The school team made sure that they provided a voice to the parents to determine their needs.
-
Back to School Bash
The goal of the practice is to provide access to needed supplies and resources for students and families to begin the school year with success. Additionally, another goal was to build healthy relationships with families from the very beginning of their student’s educational journey.
Following the Covid 19 pandemic, Pampa ISD families, just like many other families, suffered job loss and pay cuts. There was a significant increase in the number of students needing services such as school supplies, immunizations, health screenings, and clothes.
Connecting with families before the school year began was essential to build the foundation for building healthy school-home relationships throughout the year. Additionally, building partnerships with businesses, civic organizations and churches helps to build bridges and provide greater opportunities and resources for students and families.
-
Smart Money Program
The goal of this practice is to provide students and families with experiential learning experiences that teach students how to develop a business and market a product, while gaining the knowledge required through the process of buying, selling, spending and saving.
Student Improvement in mathematics has been an ongoing growth goal as evidenced in the Local District Plan. Connecting Math concepts learned in the classroom to real life situations by providing students with practical experiences is a strategy the LEA utilizes to focus on district needs, specifically as it relates to financial literacy.