Project Activities
Research question
- What services do grantees prioritize?
- How do they decide which services or activities to provide?
- To what extent do grantees serve disadvantaged communities and families?
- What are grantees' greatest challenges in meeting the objectives of the grants, including how the coronavirus pandemic influenced the provision of services and activities?
Structured Abstract
Design
This is a descriptive study, to better understand implementation of the 2018 Statewide Family Engagement Centers. Data were collected primarily through surveys and follow-up interviews with the 12 SFEC grantee project directors and their 13 state counterparts in summer 2022. Implementation of the study was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Key findings
- Reported implementation four years after the grants began mostly reflected the 2018 federal priorities, including an emphasis on providing direct service to families and schools, some use of other approaches and topics, and expected ways of collaborating with state education agencies.
- The districts the SFECs worked with largely had high concentrations of students who were disadvantaged, another priority specified in the law.
- In determining how to implement their activities, more SFEC grantees appeared to value direct input from families and education leaders over program requirements or priorities, such as special advisory committees.
- Staffing issues, both related and unrelated to the COVID-19 pandemic, were challenges for SFEC implementation.
People and institutions involved
IES program contact(s)
Products and publications
A report, titled Lessons from Statewide Family Engagement Centers: Alignment with Federal Priorities and Factors Influencing Implementation was released in October 2024.
Instruments used to collect study data are available here.
Questions about this project?
To answer additional questions about this project or provide feedback, please contact the program officer.
