Overview

redefinED atlanta awards the Clayton Communities in Action Grant to four entities each year. The grant is open to Title I public schools, Clayton County Public Schools district departments, 501(c)(3) organizations that serve Clayton County, or entities with a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor. It is a one-year grant that aims to improve student academic outcomes through strengthening family and community engagement because we believe family and community engagement is one factor that will help advance our mission of every child in every community receiving a great K-12 public education. 

Specifically, the grant funds innovative initiatives that increase math and literacy access that are more intensive, different than the norm, evidence-based, and tailored to the unique needs of the community, or initiatives that empower caregivers to hold leaders accountable and be more involved in their child’s education. Proposals must be equitable, scalable, achievable, systemic, sustainable, and have a measurable impact. 

As one of our grantees, the Clayton County Public Schools Magnet Department had six goals they were working toward:

• Organize a Family Empowerment Leadership Team that will meet monthly to provide a monitor progress towards meeting the following goals for this initiative:
• At least 50% of the administrators, faculty and staff at targeted high schools will complete a cultural sensitivity professional development presented by the Latin American Association and Boat People SOS – Atlanta.
• At least two Community Cultural events will be held at one of the targeted schools to promote diversity, equity and inclusion within the Clayton County Public Schools and to provide the Hispanic and Vietnamese school community access to health, immigration, and educational resources.
• At least 80% of Hispanic and Vietnamese parents will participate in initiatives to increase parental civic engagement, empowerment, and advocacy at the targeted high schools.
• The Family Empowerment and Leadership Team will have met at least 10 times to evaluate and monitor progress, to ensure that at least 80% increase in participation of the Hispanic and Vietnamese parents in subgroup specific initiatives.
• At least 10 monthly community meetings will be held to address topics and concerns that are important to the Hispanic and Vietnamese communities.

As one part of our four-part series on the 2024-25 grantees, we spoke with Dr. Jimmy Cheek, CCPS District Level Magnet Lead, to learn more about how the Clayton Communities in Action Grant supported Clayton County Public Schools Magnet Department with reaching these goals.

Can you tell me a little bit about your program? 

We support Clayton County Public Schools by providing scholars with theme-based programs based on their interests, specifically in Elite Scholars Academy, Morrow High School, Charles Drew High School, and Jonesboro High School. In these programs, students have an opportunity to discover their talents and explore their interests without losing academic rigor. 

A large percentage of our population is Latino and Vietnamese students. One of our main goals with this program is to ensure that these families are actively involved in school activities and develop a sense of ownership in processes designed to eliminate barriers and meet the needs of their community.

We started with training by the Latin American Association and Dr. Glenda Johnson-Mapp, an educator with an EdD in student responsive pedagogy, in three schools. Teachers were really responsive to it, which helped them create more inclusive and supportive learning environments. Now, the student handbook is translated into multiple languages, there are Spanish and Vietnamese social media pages, and the schools have built family leadership teams to intentionally include their voices in decision-making. 

Then we started holding cultural events with the schools. These events not only created inclusive spaces for our families but also exposed students outside of these communities to experience new foods, games, art, and performances.

By intentionally implementing strategies that strengthen relationships with the Vietnamese and Latino communities, we are fostering ongoing trust, promoting advocacy, equity, and building a foundation for sustained collaboration and mutual respect.

Why was the Clayton County Communities in Action Grant valuable to your programming? 

One of the most important things this grant did was give us the ability to really listen to families and help them feel like they are a part of the community. We wanted to intentionally engage Latino and Vietnamese families at every step to ensure that the work we were doing truly met the unique needs of this community. One of our first initiatives was to train school faculty and staff how to actively listen to their students’ needs and modify their classroom environments and teaching strategies to meet their needs. Ultimately, we want our schools to feel safe and welcome for all students. 

One of the things we are most excited about that the grant helped with is buying swag in multiple languages. One of our goals is to host events that both help these students feel more at home and teach other students about their culture. It was really important to us that students and families would be able to receive swag at these events and others in their own language. It might seem small, but families are used to swag being written in just English. So, they get really excited to see things written in their native language. 

What impact have you seen in your community from this programming? 

When we launched this effort, it was important to us that families had real ownership of it as well. To that end, we created the Family Engagement Leadership Teams (FELT) led by Latino and Vietnamese parents, which have met regularly to help us increase engagement across their communities. We’ve also conducted family surveys and interviews with community leaders to ensure ongoing efforts continue to align with their needs. 

One thing we’ve seen is a growing sense of empowerment from both the Latino and Vietnamese communities. Families are showing up and engaging more with the school and at community events. Families, especially Spanish-speaking families, are not only more willing to advocate for themselves but are also demonstrating an increased knowledge of how to advocate for themselves. 

As a community of schools, and as a broader community, it is essential that we continue reflecting, learning, and growing together to ensure that every family feels invited, valued, and engaged.