Engaging Families and the Community in Schools

This episode examines the connections between schools and the families and neighborhoods they serve. Tiffany Koyama-Lane, a third-grade teacher at Sunnyside Environmental School in Portland, discusses place-based and environmental education, using students’ local communities as educational resources. Part of the learning experience happens beyond the walls of the actual school building. Natural spaces and gardens, local neighborhoods, even the students’ own school yard - these locations provide a context for the core curriculum and help children make meaning of the world and environmental concerns around them. 

As an educator with fifteen years of experience, Teacher Tiffany, as she likes to be called, realizes that the challenges of the surrounding community also show up in the classroom. She extends her role beyond traditional education to support families in the often-complicated processes of life in America. She feels lucky to live in the neighborhood where she teaches, but she suggests ways for all educators to communicate with families and discover how best to meet their needs. Teacher Tiffany is taking her passion for engaging the community to a new level this year by declaring her candidacy for Portland City Council. 

 

Resources - 

Sunnyside Environmental School

Place-Based Learning: A Multi-Faceted Approach

Close Your Textbooks and Go Outside

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