Defining Excellence: For Families

Einstein Academy was created to be an excellent school; last week we looked at what that meant in the area of for kids. This week we turn our attention to families.

At Einstein Academy, we believe that siblings, parents, grandparents, care-givers, and other important adults play a valuable role in the education of kids. We recognize parents and families as playing an invaluable role in the education of children and appreciate the unique perspective they offer on our students. We see families as valued stakeholders and true partners in this process. In the development stages of the school, we have met with dozens of parents (parents of grown adult, parents of teenagers, parents of infants, and everything in between) to better understand the hopes and needs of parents when it comes to the educational of experience of their children and to integrate that insight into our school, and an important tenant of our school is to maintain that open dialogue. As such, we focus on fostering a relationship in three main areas:

1. A prioritization of open, transparent communication. We love talking to parents and families. We love sharing what we are doing, answering questions, and addressing concerns. We recognize that the only way for us, as a school, to be ensuring that we are meeting the needs of the families in our community is to hear the needs of the community and engage in those conversations. As part of that, we know parents, understandably, are interested in knowing about student growth and need to know that their child is thriving both academically and socially. Through digital portfolios, regular communication from teachers and administration, and opportunities to be in engaged in the classroom, parents can see first-hand what their children are experiencing and be kept to update about goals and progress toward those goals.

2. An encouragement of families to be involved. We welcome involved from families, however that may look to you. We recognize that our families all have so much to offer, and that we, as a school community, are strengthened by each individual who is part of that community. We work together with all families to find meaningful ways for them to be involved, ways that consider interests, passions, and schedule.

3. An inclusive community. Our community is not only for students, but for all those involved in Einstein Academy -- especially families. We believe that a school, particularly an elementary school, plays an important role for the family in general, often leading to lifelong friendships and other connections, and that a school like ours can serve a role similar to other community institutions in serving as a meeting place and a social or cultural center. From the moment families choose to become a part of the Einstein Academy community, they are part of the family and are treated as such.

Excellence as pertains to families can be measured through data points like net promoter scores, student retention, and answers on parent surveys. But for us, it’s also measured by the enthusiasm our families show when talking about Einstein Academy in the community. It’s shown through the way families share about our school on social media, with captions showing that they love the school as much as their kids do. It’s shown through the feeling that parents have when they drop off their kids in the morning and don’t want to leave because they know the school cares just as much about them as we do about their kids. Because we do.