Welcome to the SFUSD Family Partnerships Website

#FamilyPartnershipsMatter

Family partnership is a key ingredient to student success. Research states that when schools do a good job of partnering with families — of connecting student learning between home and school — the students do better. They go to school more often. Their behavior is improved. They achieve more long-term successes. For teachers and school staff, this partnership deepens schoolwide relationships, and it improves communications, teacher morale, and commitment.

About Us

The Family Partnership and Empowerment Team leads and supports the whole district to think about how to best integrate and strengthen our commitments to our students and families. Our work is informed by research and national best practices. We use the following strategies to build the capacity of school staff, community partners, and families in order to partner effectively toward student success:

  • Leading the Family Partnership Planning and Implementation Process (FP-PIP)
  • Designing and coordinating the SFUSD Partnership Academy (SPA)
  • Providing coaching and site-based consultation for school teams
  • Supporting the professional development of site-based school Family Liaisons
  • Providing a bi-monthly e-newsletter with tips and information

Our Team

Kashina Turner-Pierce and Raquel Wells
Co-Managers of the Family Partnership and Empowerment Team

Current Staff:

  • Edlin Galvez
  • Margaret Harris (Early Education Department Liaison)
  • Bailey Li
  • Emily Wade-Thompson (Cohort 3 Liaison)

How to Contact our Team

Office Location: 20 Cook Street Room 3
Phone: 415 750-4500 ext. 1026
Email: familypartnerships@sfusd.edu

Sign up for our E-Newsletter at familypartnerships@sfusd.edu

Our Model

SFUSD Standards for Family Partnership & Empowerment

To support Vision 2025, SFUSD developed the following family partnership and empowerment standards:

  • Build Authentic Relationships
  • Link Student Learning Between Home and School
  • Create an Inclusive and Equitable School Community
  • Sharing Power and Speaking Up for Every Student
  • Supporting Families to Navigate SFUSD and Access Resources

Our Core Beliefs About Family Partnership

  • All families have dreams for their children and want the best for them.
  • All families have the capacity to support their children’s learning.
  • Families and school staff should be equal partners.
  • The responsibility for building partnerships between school and home rests primarily with the school staff, especially school leaders.

6 Best Practice Areas

Set the Tone here

Leaders create a vision and expectation for each school about the importance of family partnerships and a plan that is interwoven throughout the school. Everyone understands the plan and their individual role.

Build Authentic Relationships

Fostering an environment of respect between students, families, and school staff. Schools demonstrate their belief that families have expertise and play an important role in the academic success of students.

Link Student Learning Between Home and School

Staff provide regular and timely ways to keep families informed of their students’ progress and help families understand what they can do to support their children's learning. Staff are proactive in finding ways to hear from families about what they want and need to support their children’s learning.

Create an Equitable School Community

Making sure all students and families receive the resources they need, when they need them, and in a way that increases everyone feeling welcomed and valued.

Share Power and Decision-Making

Schools and students do better when families and staff work together and share leadership. When decision-making or advisory groups are representative and inclusive, and work in alignment with others partners, this ensures more voices and ideas are part of the decisions being made.

Support Navigating SFUSD

Assisting families to navigate through transitions: into and out of schools, between grades, and between different learning experiences. Making SFUSD resources transparent and accessible so more families have access.

Contact Us

If you'd like to request more information fill out this form and we'll get back to you.

Our Programs

Family Partnership Planning and Implementation Process (FP-PIP)

SFUSD Partnership Academy (SPA)

Family Partnership Tools and Resources

FAQ