Butte des Morts Elementary School

Engaging with families leads to partnership in their children’s education

Butte Des Morts Elementary School illustrates why families are key collaborators in a successful multi-level system of supports. Located in Menasha, the school began implementing PBIS five years ago. Their PBIS tier 1 team created a process to study and share data with staff. With the help of a district data coach, grade-level teams review student-level academic data monthly. “This new process helped us to become more collaborative and proactive in finding system-level solutions,” Principal Bridget Mowbray said.

The school examined their system data (based on the self-assessments SIR and BoQ/TFI) in 2015 and discovered a need to focus on family engagement. Seven grade-level teams (4K-5) decided to use student-level data to build connections with parents and the decision to implement Academic Parent Teacher Teams (APTT) was made.

During APTT, scheduled three times a year, teachers share classroom-level academic data with parents. A folder of each student’s individual academic data is provided to parents for comparison. Together, parents and teachers set goals for students. Families learn and practice strategies they can use at home to help their child to meet those goals. APTT replaces the one-on-one parent teacher conference format and makes parents active partners in their child’s learning. APTT has been well received; surveys of both parents and staff show that Butte Des Morts is on the right track.

Systemic collaboration

Authentic, systemic family engagement involves intentional collaboration with the families of all students. This belief guided Butte Des Morts throughout the creation of APTT. The school made intentional decisions to create access and engagement for all families, including families from traditionally marginalized groups. This has resulted in increased academic growth for students with disabilities and English learners. “This process has really changed our conversations around student achievement,” Principal Mowbray said. “Parents are empowered to engage in the academic success of their kids.”

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