L.I.F.E. Program

Leaders Investing In Family Engagement

The Leaders Investing in Family Engagement (L.I.F.E.), a program of The EdVenture Group, is designed to empower school leaders with skills and strategies to enhance family engagement and supportive educational environments.

Impact to Date:

42 Unduplicated WV Counties
334 Total Participants Across 5 Cohorts
103 Unique Unduplicated Schools

98% of L.I.F.E. Participants...

Felt program content was timely and relevant to the challenges participants face as school leaders.
Have a better understanding of their leadership skills and how to utilize them in family engagement efforts.
Felt L.I.F.E. helped enhance family engagement at their school.

Key Benefits of the L.I.F.E. Program

Enhanced Leadership Skills: Participants develop and refine their leadership abilities through comprehensive training and practical application.
Effective Family Engagement Strategies: The program equips leaders with innovative strategies to foster meaningful family engagement in their schools.
Supportive Networks: Participants build connected, supportive networks with other school leaders, promoting collaboration and shared learning.

Program Format

During the program, participants meet virtually the twice a month while completing a recorded session in-between.

During the first meeting in the month, participants engage in a content session centered on evidence-based leadership and family engagement topics. In the second meeting, participants join together to collaborate in pods (breakout groups based on elementary, middle, and high school). These pod meetings enable leaders to share insights, brainstorm solutions to challenges, and explore innovative ways to implement family engagement strategies.

Content Topics

The L.I.F.E. Program content sessions include engaging topics relevant to school leaders, including:

Creating Your Leadership Signature

Embracing Change for a Positive Culture

Strengthening Skills for Connected Communities

Developing an Innovative Leadership Mindset

Centering Resilience in Leadership

Empowering Others to Make A Difference

Past Participant Feedback

"This program provided me with a rewarding experience in which I was able to build upon a foundation for community engagement. Continuous monitoring and adjustments need to implemented into any plan moving forward, however it is important to note that I feel that the current plan for the school has been enhanced tremendously by the participation in the is program. In conclusion, I am appreciative of the opportunity to have participated and believe I am a better educator due to my experiences and conversations associated with the L.I.F.E. program. I would like to thank you for this experience and hope that it continues to help educators to better meet the needs of their students and communities."

"Throughout the year, I learned some eye-opening, humbling lessons. I am ashamed to say I had never looked beyond the obvious or the age-old family engagement activities and for the most part – laid the blame of failed activities at the feet of the parent. Not one time did I look at myself or our activities to see if that is where the problem was. I realize I need relationships with parents as much as I need them with my students.”

“Being part of these sessions showed me that there are educators doing great things across our state. The positivity and shared experiences were encouraging. Hearing that other schools face similar challenges reminded me we’re all in this together and will come out stronger. I'm also grateful for the networking opportunities; without L.I.F.E., I wouldn’t have connected with the other high schools in our pod.”