Partnering With Families, Powering Student Success: Inside San José Unified’s Office of Family Engagement

At San José Unified School District, we believe family engagement is an essential component of student success. When families and schools work together, students thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. That belief drives the work of our Office of Family Engagement.

Our department is dedicated to ensuring every family feels welcomed, informed, and empowered as a partner in their child’s education. Through outreach, workshops, classes, translation services, and individualized support, we work to build meaningful and lasting partnerships across our district.

Rigo Palacios, Manager of Family Engagement, describes the department’s purpose as deeply connected to the district’s overall mission,  “Our vision and mission are the same as those of SJUSD: preparing today’s students to be the thinkers, leaders, and creators of tomorrow, and uniting as one community, we elevate opportunities for all. Department and site staff support the vision/mission by providing outreach, access to information, individualized support, and resources to families that help support their child’s well-being and success.”

Everything the team does, whether hosting a webinar, answering a parent’s question, or guiding a family through district processes, is centered on supporting students and strengthening family-school partnerships. Family engagement is more than attending a school event. It is about building trust, ensuring access, and sharing responsibility for student achievement.

Rigo explains, “Strong family engagement means building trusting relationships. Students and families feel welcome, staff know students and parents by name, proactive communication from schools and SJUSD providing access. Communication is clear and two-way, translation and interpretation provided, collecting feedback and implementing input, and having a shared responsibility for student success. Families are partners, involved in decision-making, workshop or content offerings support learning at home and how SJUSD ‘works’—literacy and math nights, volunteer process, etc.” In practice, this means families receive clear communication, opportunities to provide input, language access when needed, and learning experiences that help them support their children at home.

The Office of Family Engagement provides a wide range of services to families across the district. Each year, the team offers more than 30 webinars focused on academic and socio-emotional topics. Developed in collaboration with departments such as Student Services, Curriculum and Instruction, and Special Education, these sessions ensure families receive timely and relevant information. All webinars are recorded and available for families to view at their convenience.

In addition, the department hosts in-person workshops at the Lenzen office and at school sites throughout the district. One of the most impactful offerings is the in-person English as a Second Language (ESL) program for parents and caregivers of SJUSD students. Classes are offered at five school sites and at the Lenzen office from September through April or early May. Instruction focuses on emergent-level conversational English to help families communicate with schools and navigate daily life with greater confidence.

To increase accessibility, childcare is provided during ESL classes and other in-person events. By removing barriers to participation and creating a safe space for children while parents learn, the program strengthens both trust and engagement. Participants who attend at least 70 percent of class sessions receive a certificate of completion. In the last two years alone, more than 85 families each year have earned ESL certificates, demonstrating the dedication and commitment of our parent community.

Beyond classes and workshops, the Family Engagement team provides individualized guidance to help families navigate the school system. Staff members assist with clarifying school and district processes, identifying the appropriate points of contact, and tailoring resources to meet specific needs. As Rigo shares, “Family Engagement staff can tailor the resources shared with families based on their needs and can work with local agencies to bring a resource to their schools that will benefit their community.” Translation and interpretation services are available upon request for districtwide community meetings and school events, ensuring families can fully participate and stay informed.

Across 26 Title I schools, Family Liaisons serve as key points of contact and support for high-needs families. They play a critical role in building relationships and connecting families to both school-based and community resources. Family Liaisons help families understand school expectations and processes, connect them to counseling and tutoring services, provide Spanish translation and interpretation, or link families to language services, and guide them in communicating with school staff when questions arise. They also assist with outreach when families become disengaged and coordinate workshops that empower parents to support their child’s well-being.

You will often see Family Liaisons at principal’s coffees, school events, and maintaining office bulletin boards with information about engagement programs. They build trust by being visible, accessible, and proactive in reaching out to families year-round.

Trust is the foundation of strong family engagement. The team builds and maintains relationships by providing accurate and timely information in families’ preferred languages whenever possible, proactively inviting families to events, and ensuring families feel heard.

Rigo explains, “We build trust by providing accurate and timely information, in their preferred language whenever possible, and by providing workshop/webinar content and resources based on their interest and needs. We ensure families feel heard and help them move towards a satisfactory outcome in addressing their questions and concerns.”

One powerful example of impact involves an elementary school parent who actively participated in several webinars during the 2023–2024 school year. By engaging deeply with the content and asking questions, she strengthened communication with her child’s teacher. The following year, she stepped into a parent leadership role at her school and joined a district committee. Today, she serves in a leadership role on the district parent committee, continuing to advocate for families and deepen her involvement in district decision-making. Her journey reflects what is possible when families feel supported, informed, and empowered.

The Office of Family Engagement remains committed to expanding its reach and increasing awareness of available services.

As Rigo notes, “Our office seeks to continue making inroads across SJUSD in efforts to reach more families. We hope to expand awareness of our services as we continue providing guidance and resources to help families make informed decisions and advocate for their child’s overall well-being.” Through strong relationships, accessible learning opportunities, and consistent support, the Office of Family Engagement continues to strengthen the partnership between home and school—ensuring every student has the foundation they need to succeed.

For more information about classes, workshops, ESL programs, or other services, please contact the Office of Family Engagement at 408-535-6404 ext. 14303