Innovations to Support How Educators are Prepared to Partner with Families to Promote Student Learning

Webinar Slides

Today’s educators and families experience extraordinary pressures and challenges. Teacher shortages, the ongoing repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic, and strained relationships between parents and educators require new ideas to ensure a quality education for all students.  Preparing educators for family and community engagement is one promising way to address these issues by better-positioning students for success, supporting family efficacy and well-being, and improving educator job-satisfaction. During this AACTE Lunch and Learn, participants will learn about an ongoing partnership between the National Association for Family, School, and Community Engagement and AACTE to reimagine how educators are prepared to connect, collaborate, and lead alongside families.  Specifically, participants will hear about the work of nine dynamic collaboratives of educator preparation programs, families, communities, and schools from across the country that have begun to redesign coursework, clinical experiences, and programs that are family-centered and making an impact.   

Margaret Caspe, Ph.D.
Senior Research Consultant 
National Association for Family, School, and Community Engagement (NAFSCE).

Margaret Caspe, Ph.D., is a Senior Research Consultant at the National Association for Family, School, and Community Engagement (NAFSCE). She co-leads NAFSCE’s initiative to reimagine how family-facing professionals are prepared for family and community engagement.  Over the past 25 years, she has studied how partnerships among families, schools, and communities influence children’s development in a variety of areas, including language and literacy, and bilingualism, as well as science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Prior to joining NAFSCE she worked with the Global Family Research Project and Harvard Family Research Project where she developed tools to support faculty in developing courses on family engagement topics and oversaw a project to amplify family engagement in public libraries. She is co-editor of the recently released book Family and Community Partnerships: Promising Practices for Teachers and Teacher Educators and author of a variety of articles published in journals such as Early Childhood Research Quarterly, Public Library Quarterly, School Community Journal, Childhood Education, and Young Children. Margaret earned her PhD in developmental psychology from New York University, where she currently teaches courses as an adjunct faculty member.

Reyna Hernandez, J.D.
Senior Director of Research and Policy
National Association for Family, School, and Community Engagement (NAFSCE).

Reyna Hernandez is NAFSCE’s Senior Director of Research and Policy. She is a longtime community advocate who supports education, leadership development, and capacity-building in the Latino community. Prior to joining NAFSCE, Reyna worked as the Community Wellness Director at Latinos Progresando. She also provides strategic support to nonprofits, startups, and school districts independently and as a Changemaker with Innovare SIP. She is adjunct faculty at DePaul University, teaching on issues of Latinos, English learners, and education. Reyna previously served as an Assistant Superintendent at ISBE for five years, overseeing the Division of English Language Learners, Early Childhood, and family and community engagement efforts. Her previous experiences include Research and Policy Associate at the Latino Policy Forum, Community Education Parent Facilitator at Waukegan CUSD 60, and educational director and trustee at the National Hispanic Institute. She graduated with a J.D. from New York Law School and an A.B. from Harvard University.