Program Overview

In this course, you will examine the meaningful impact that strong parent and family connections can have on student achievement, engagement, and overall well-being. You will explore strategies for creating a welcoming school environment, fostering consistent and positive communication, and implementing intentional approaches to build trust and collaboration with families. Through real-world examples and practical tools, you’ll learn how to strengthen these relationships in ways that support literacy development and student success. By the end of the course, you will design a comprehensive, actionable plan to host a family literacy event that encourages reading at home and deepens the school-family partnership.

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At a Glance

Extended Education
Approximately 15 hours
Up to 6 months to complete coursework
1 PDU
Graduate Level Professional Development Credit
$150
Key Features

Online and self-paced | Dedicated mentor | Interactive assignments

Real-world case studies | Earn graduate level professional development credits

Upon successful mastery of this course, you will be able to:
  • Describe the academic benefits of conferring with students during reading.
  • Utilize empathy interviews and prompts to identify literacy needs during conferences.
  • Evaluate ways to monitor standard-based reading growth through reading conferences.
     

Course Topics:

  • Academic Benefits of Conferring With Students During Reading:

               - The Potential of Reading Conferences

               - Conferring with Readers

  • Empathy Interviews and Prompts to Identify Literacy Needs:

               - How to Conduct Empathy Interviews

               - Using Prompts to Guide Conferences

  • Monitor Standard-Based Reading Growth:

               - Implementation and Documentation

 
Who Should Enroll? 

6-12th grade teachers, teacher candidates, school administrators, para-educators

Earn your credit in 3 simple steps

Step 1 Register online.

Step 2 Complete the course.

Step 3 Receive credits and obtain an official transcript.


Resources

Syllabus

Refund Policy

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What are Graduate-level Professional Development Credits?

Graduate-level professional development credits are not part of a degree program but instead are primarily used for professional advancement such as salary increment steps and recertification. Students should seek approval from appropriate district officials before enrolling in these courses.