Family Choice Fridays
Summary
ASU Prep’s mission is to design new models for educational success and to raise academic achievement for all learners. In alignment with the mission, ASU Prep put PI resources into work as part of our school design efforts. We actively work on building more flexible and fluid models that put students and families at the center of our designs.
In December 2023, school principals engaged in the design of flexible models leveraging PI tools and resources. The design team committed to engaging families and staff to ensure the new ideas around flexible learning included our most important stakeholders. With data in hand, both from research on hybrid schedules as well as hundreds of surveys from staff and families, the team developed a new model called Family Choice Fridays.
The new Family Choice Day innovation allows families to select where students learn on Fridays. This may be on campus, at their home, or in an approved program or internship. This new flexible schedule responded to families’ call for greater agency, but it also opened the door to innovative programming options on our sites or with partners. Regardless of where students learn on Fridays, it is a flexible way of doing school.
Family Choice Day is designed for everyone involved
Family Choice Day benefits students, families, school staff, and community partners. Students benefit from the increased flexibility and choice in their learning environments, which can enhance their engagement, agency, and well-being. Families gain more voice and control over their children’s education with options that fit their unique needs and schedules.
This engagement creates stronger partnerships between the school and families, making education a more collaborative endeavor. School staff are actively involved in the design process and are able to offer some flexible scheduling. We aim for this to promote a sense of ownership, creativity, and alignment with the community’s needs. Community partners have opportunities to participate in and enrich student learning, which creates valuable connections between education and local resources.
With Family Choice Fridays, we aim to:
- Support different forms of learningWe foster student and family agency by offering flexible learning environments.
- Serve diverse student groupsWe develop inclusive models ensuring the well-being of all students while considering the needs of our diverse student population.
- Build on existing trustLeverage community partnerships and innovative programs to expand educational opportunities.
On Family Choice Fridays, we take time together as a family to engage in learning both online and with different real life experiences. We also take the extra time together as time to rest, recover and travel to educational spaces in nature.
Parent of FCF at-home-studentASU Polytechnic Campus
Recent Updates
Launching Family Choice Fridays
A significant development is the official launch of the Family Choice Fridays for the 2024-2025 school year. This milestone marks the transition from design and planning to implementation. We are now gathering real-time data on how families are engaging with the new model, how it is impacting student learning and well-being, and establishing a way to iterate on this model given needed improvements.
Assessing their effectiveness
We established a structured feedback loop involving regular surveys and check-ins with students, families, and staff. This system ensures that we can continuously assess the effectiveness of Family Choice Fridays and make necessary adjustments. It also highlights our commitment to a responsive and adaptive design process, which is ultimately driven by the voices of our key stakeholders. Communication has been a key part of this process to ensure all involved are connected through the changes.
Partnering with community organizations
Another critical development is the formation of new collaborations with community organizations to offer enriching educational opportunities for students on Fridays. These partnerships are helping to expand the range of learning experiences available and are a testament to the project’s goal of creating innovative, community-connected programming. These relationships also serve as a model for how schools can leverage local resources to improve educational outcomes.
With Family Choice Fridays, I get the chance to experience new things that I didn’t know I could do, like learning how to cook.
11th grade student, ASU Prep downtown Phoenix
Family Choice Fridays make a difference
People and groups involved
The design process included over 15 school principals and administrators who collaborated closely with other school leaders. Additionally, we received feedback from approximately 500 families and staff members through surveys, highlighting significant community participation in shaping the model. This metric tracks the engagement of diverse stakeholders in establishing wide-scale school change.
Student participation
We are tracking the percentage of students participating in each learning option on Family Choice Fridays (on-campus or at home). This metric will help evaluate the distribution of choices made by students and families, give insight into preferences, and show engagement levels across the different learning environments. Additionally, it can inform resource allocation and support needs for each option.
Stakeholder engagement and feedback
The project was designed with and continues to prioritize widespread stakeholder engagement and feedback. The opportunities to provide opinions and needs is based in the model design. We have and will continue to provide platforms for parents, students, and staff to voice their perspectives, ask questions, and shape the ongoing design
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Family Choice Friday experiences have impacted what I’m thinking about for my future with learning about health care work and what I want to study with different paths to get to my career goals.
10th grade studentASU Prep South Phoenix -
My kids enjoy having a more restful morning. And they love doing their work in the comfort of home. They get their “must do’s” done, and have had the chance to get ahead on big projects too. This has been very helpful as they are on year round swim team and their weeks are very busy after school until late. We have also enjoyed the time to do some baking together, playing games, and more resting. It’s been a huge help to get this down time with their busy weekdays – and often busy weekends for meets.
ParentFCF at-home student -
My son enjoys the rest after jammed packed week of clubs, sports and school from 8:15 a.m-6 p.m., four days a week. Three of those days start at 5:15 a.m. with swim club. It gave our son time to study and take in what he learned during the week, especially for projects or working on college courses. It also gave time back to help him plan and prep for the following week. He likes that he can manage his free day and prioritize his school workload for upcoming assignments. He also has the opportunity to explore other opportunities such as a part-time job or volunteer opportunities.
ParentFCF at-home student
What’s next for Family Choice Fridays
Mid-year evaluation and feedback sessions
We have a plan for multiple mid-year evaluations. These are opportunities to review data collected from surveys, attendance records, and feedback from students, families, and staff. These sessions help us identify successes or areas for improvement and informing any necessary adjustments to the Family Choice Fridays model.
Expanding community partnerships
We are actively working to expand our network of community partners to offer more varied and engaging learning opportunities for students. This involves identifying new organizations, negotiating partnership agreements, and co-designing educational activities that align with our goals.
Professional development series for staff
To continue supporting teachers and staff, we have scheduled ongoing professional development to provide practical tools and foster collaboration among educators to enhance student outcomes
