NOLA-PS Hosted an Authentic Family Engagement Summit & Partnered with Youth Run NOLA for 504K Race

(New Orleans – April 22, 2023) — The School Superintendents Association (AASA) selected NOLA Public Schools (NOLA-PS) to host its Radical Family Engagement Cohort (RFE) Summit for district leaders from April 20-22 who are interested in truly engaging families in their children's school process.

"Families are the heartbeat of our school district," said Avis Williams, superintendent, NOLA Public Schools. "All students deserve to receive a high-quality education to set them up for success beyond high school graduation. Effective engagement with families is a major catalyst for our young learners to thrive. We are honored to serve as host district for AASA's Family Engagement Summit."

Yesterday, 75-100 cohort participants visited Mary McLeod Bethune Elementary School and joined Collegiate Academies administrators to share and discuss ways to authentically engage and collaborate with parents and caregivers at the elementary and high school levels.

Throughout the meeting, attendees had the opportunity to:

• Hear from experts and fellow district leaders who are doing exemplary work around engaging families to enhance their children's education process;
• Explore cutting-edge ideas and research;
• Discuss the challenges of working with students and families who are experiencing homelessness, as well as students in foster care;
• Have an in-person experience at NOLA Public Schools to learn about its family engagement best practices;
• Network with other district and school leaders who are prioritizing family engagement; and,
• Create strong connections for future growth.

On Saturday, April 22^nd at 8:30 AM NOLA-PS and cohort participants joined Youth Run NOLA's 504K race to support the soft launch of NOLA-PS CAREs. CAREs stands for Community Access to Resources and Equity. The program is designed to prioritize wellness, mental health, self-care, and trauma-informed practices to enhance the wellbeing of our scholars.

The official launch of NOLA-PS CAREs will take place during the upcoming school year. We invite community stakeholders to join as a NOLA-PS CAREs ambassador or partners. Contact us at nolapscares@nolapublicschools.com for more information. 

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About NOLA Public Schools: NOLA Public Schools (NOLA-PS) is the public school district for Orleans Parish. It includes the district's administration and elected school board, known as the Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB). NOLA-PS currently oversees 72 public schools and is led by Superintendent Dr. Avis Williams, the first woman in the District's 181 years to serve as its permanent superintendent.

For more information, visit www.nolapublicschools.com. For updates, follow NOLA Public Schools on Facebook @NOLAPublicSchools, Instagram @nolaps and Twitter @NOLAPSchools.