TExES 268 Community & Family Engagement 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A principal wants to build trust with community stakeholders who have historically felt excluded from the school. Which first step is MOST appropriate?
- Host a formal presentation showcasing the school's achievements
- Conduct listening sessions to understand community concerns and perspectives (Correct answer)
- Send surveys to all households asking for demographic information
- Invite community leaders to shadow the principal for a day
Correct answer: Conduct listening sessions to understand community concerns and perspectives
Listening sessions demonstrate respect for community voice and help build trust by showing stakeholders their perspectives are valued before solutions are proposed.
Question 2: Under ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act), what are schools required to do regarding family engagement policies?
- Write family engagement policies with input from parents (Correct answer)
- Provide each family a minimum of $100 in educational materials
- Hire a dedicated family liaison for every 100 students
- Require parent volunteers for all extracurricular programs
Correct answer: Write family engagement policies with input from parents
ESSA requires Title I schools to develop written family engagement policies in consultation with the parents of children served by the school.
Question 3: Which community partnership model provides the MOST comprehensive support for students and families by co-locating services within the school building?
- Business adoption partnerships
- Community learning centers / full-service schools (Correct answer)
- Parent-Teacher Associations
- University lab school partnerships
Correct answer: Community learning centers / full-service schools
Full-service community schools integrate health, social, and educational services on-site, addressing the whole-child needs that affect student learning.
Question 4: A principal learns that some families distrust the school because of past negative experiences with educational institutions. Which strategy BEST addresses this trust deficit?
- Focus communication on student achievement data to demonstrate school quality
- Consistently follow through on commitments and create transparent, welcoming spaces (Correct answer)
- Limit contact with these families to avoid reinforcing negative perceptions
- Assign counselors to make home visits and report back to administration
Correct answer: Consistently follow through on commitments and create transparent, welcoming spaces
Trust is rebuilt through consistent, reliable behavior and creating genuinely welcoming environments where families feel respected and heard over time.
Question 5: Which type of community partnership would BEST support a school's goal of expanding student career awareness?
- Partnering with local businesses for mentorship and job shadowing programs (Correct answer)
- Collaborating with nearby universities to offer dual enrollment courses
- Contracting with an educational technology company for digital tools
- Joining a regional principal professional learning community
Correct answer: Partnering with local businesses for mentorship and job shadowing programs
Business mentorship and job shadowing directly connect students to career pathways and provide authentic learning experiences aligned with career awareness goals.
Question 6: A principal wants families to feel they are partners in student learning, not just recipients of information. Which practice BEST reflects this philosophy?
- Mailing quarterly report cards with teacher comments
- Training families in specific strategies to support learning at home (Correct answer)
- Publishing the school improvement plan on the district website
- Hosting annual awards ceremonies to celebrate student achievement
Correct answer: Training families in specific strategies to support learning at home
Training families in learning support strategies positions them as active partners in education and extends learning beyond the school day.
Question 7: Which data source would BEST help a principal evaluate the effectiveness of the school's family engagement program?
- Number of family events hosted per semester
- Family surveys measuring sense of welcome, communication quality, and involvement opportunities (Correct answer)
- Percentage of families who have visited the school at least once
- Total volunteer hours logged during the school year
Correct answer: Family surveys measuring sense of welcome, communication quality, and involvement opportunities
Surveys that measure family perceptions of welcome, communication, and opportunities capture the quality of engagement, not just participation counts.
TExES 268 Community & Family Engagement 2
A principal wants to build trust with community stakeholders who have historically felt excluded from the school.
Which first step is MOST appropriate?