Innovative Initiatives for Family Engagement
Miranda Scully is paving the way for innovative family and community engagement in Fayette County Public Schools.
As the head of the Family and Community Engagement (FACE) program, she plays a crucial role in boosting educational opportunities for students in the district.
In December 2024, Scully led an ACT preparation class at the Family Connection Center in Lexington, Kentucky.
This center serves as a vibrant community resource, offering a variety of services like English as a Second Language (ESL) courses, college readiness programs, and workshops on financial literacy.
Families in Lexington are reaping the rewards of several thoughtful initiatives designed to support their educational journeys.
For instance, local barbers provide free haircuts to students through vouchers arranged by the school district.
Immigrant families benefit from informational sessions available in their native languages, clarifying the school grading system.
Meanwhile, educators receive specialized training to improve their engagement with parents, creating a collaborative atmosphere.
Scully’s Impact on Family Engagement
Since her appointment in 2016, Scully has revolutionized how family engagement is approached in this diverse district, which serves around 42,000 students.
She advocates for a comprehensive, research-driven strategy, arguing that parental involvement should be seamlessly woven into the educational framework—much like the core curriculum and teaching methods.
Scully is passionate about equipping parents in her district—where approximately 50% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunches—with the knowledge they need to support their children.
She ensures they understand academic expectations at each grade level, can help foster social-emotional development, and are aware of postsecondary education options.
Her dedication is deeply personal, rooted in the challenges her own family faced while navigating the education system.
As a first-generation college graduate from Kentucky, Scully credits her academic success to her parents’ efforts in nurturing a supportive educational environment, despite financial hardships.
Collaborative Community Efforts
Before joining Fayette County Schools, Scully built substantial experience in various roles.
She worked as a social worker advocating for families, served as a community college specialist for first-generation students, and served as an academic counselor at the University of Kentucky.
Her experience also includes state-level work focused on education reform initiatives in Indiana.
When Scully first joined the district, she was the sole member of her department.
Recognizing the importance of her vision, district leadership supported her efforts, allowing her to expand her team to thirteen members, funded by federal resources and grants.
Each team member now specializes in distinct areas, such as different grade levels, academic programming, and services for students with special needs.
Scully firmly believes that responsibility for family engagement should extend beyond her team and be embraced across the entire district.
She draws inspiration from Karen Mapp, a leading scholar in effective parent engagement practices, both at the district and classroom levels.
Initially, teachers in the district had little training in engaging families, despite their expertise in addressing students’ academic and social needs.
To remedy this, Scully developed professional development programs in partnership with the National Center of Family Learning, delivering training throughout the year.
This innovative approach has caught the attention of experts, who have highlighted it as exemplary and unique.
Currently, Scully’s team coordinates the involvement of 72 volunteers—comprised of principals, administrators, teachers, paraprofessionals, counselors, and mental health professionals—as advocates for family engagement, following specialized training.
At the district level, they have established family university sessions, which have evolved from a single annual conference into a series of biweekly workshops.
These sessions cover an array of topics, including early childhood education and special education services.
One standout initiative involves collaborating with local barbers who provide around 200 haircut vouchers each month.
Additionally, a middle school has set up an on-campus barbershop, functioning as both a haircut venue for students and a barber training facility that offers social-emotional support to youth.
The results of these efforts have been encouraging.
Fayette County’s deputy superintendent acknowledges that Scully’s leadership has directly contributed to improved student attendance and elevated graduation rates.
The district has also witnessed a notable increase in family survey participation, nearly doubling in recent years.
Despite these advancements, Scully remains committed to refining engagement strategies further.
She encourages educators to focus on the quality of their interactions with families rather than just on boosting participation numbers.
Scully recognizes a universal truth: every culture she has encountered places immense value on education, illustrating a shared commitment to learning across all communities.
Source: Edweek