Education Week - February 16, 2022 - 11

we don't always have great execution of those ideas
and we don't always have systemic execution of those
ideas, " she said, adding that Monley has managed to do
both.
Lynch credits some of that success to Monley's
unconventional background: She earned a bachelor's
degree in communications from West Chester
University and a master's in business administration
from Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia. She
always saw herself working in public relations and did
so in her first job out of college, at Special Olympics of
Pennsylvania.
But she very quickly found herself drawn to working
in schools.
" I'm a Philly girl, " Monley said. " I was born and
raised and educated in our schools from elementary
to high school. I'm also the child of a teacher. Seeing
my mother as an educator, working in collaboration
with families and her peers to boost the educational
advancement of her students, was really impactful for
me. "
The hometown connection helps Monley relate to
families who may distrust the school system. And her
background in business and public relations has helped
her recognize that effective communication with families
-about everything from classroom lessons to districtwide
policies- can rebuild trust in the school system or break it
permanently.
The power of listening
In May 2004, Monley took a job with the Philadelphia
schools, where she served as a grants officer. Concerned
about whether a special program for pregnant and
parenting students complied with grant requirements,
Monley took over that initiative in 2010.
Under her leadership, the district improved, expanded,
and elevated the program, which helps teenage parents
and their young children through the use of case
management. It connected them with social services and
programs that provided free diapers and other supplies.
Educators completed home visits to check up on the wellbeing
of both the students and their young children.
The program, which remains part of Monley's portfolio,
also worked to bring consistency to the varying ways
schools interpreted and applied the district's policies
on pregnant and parenting students. Monley created
materials to communicate the rights and resources of
students with children, and she reached out to employees,
such as office staff and school nurses, who are more likely
to interact with such students, to help share the materials.
She also developed an online training module for teachers
about working with pregnant students.
" I really understood families as a key lever of a child's
success. Seeing those young students strive to achieve
their own success and continue in school and, at the same
time, try to uplift their young children was really powerful
for me, " Monley said. " I wanted to take the lessons learned
from the work I did with our young families and move that
into working with the district at large. "
When the district listed her current position in 2016,
Monley quickly shaped a pitch for how she would fill
the role and how she would bring more intentionality
to the office, said Lynch, who is now her supervisor.
Administrators argue over whose idea it was to hire
Monley, Lynch jokes.
" I was impressed with her initiative, " she said. " She saw
something and she went after it. She said straight up, right
upfront: 'I'm going to demonstrate that I can do this and
I'm going to do it well.' "
Lynch said she's fulfilled that promise, even taking
on additional roles in helping to coordinate and
communicate the district's response to the COVID-19
pandemic. That's critical because the crisis has strained
parents' relationships with schools in many parts of the
country, said Rollins of the Institute for Educational
Leadership, and it has made the work of family
engagement more urgent.
When schools closed for in-person learning in March
2020, Monley's office quickly set up tech-support hotlines,
sent informational flyers in a variety of languages to break
down policies for families, and held virtual events for
parents to ask questions and provide feedback.
Parents met online to discuss the challenges of virtual
learning, their strategies for keeping their children
engaged, and some frustrations, too. Meanwhile, the
parent-engagement staff participating in the video chats
did something really bold: They stayed quiet.
While officials in some districts might have felt defensive
after hearing parents' complaints, Monley said her staff
wanted parents to feel heard. At the end of the call, they
would unmute themselves to answer any questions that
came up: how to pick up a computer, where to pick up a free
meal, how to contact a district program office.
" As opposed to myself, or one of my team members
leading that conversation, we were there to make sure
that the environment remained a safe space, " she said.
" We wanted families to have that comfort that it wasn't
going to be us coming in and saying, 'Let us explain why
that happened.' "
The Philadelphia district continues to face some
criticism from parent organizations about issues like the
condition of facilities and communication with the school
board. And Monley is quick to acknowledge that she is still
learning, despite outside recognition for her work. The
incarcerated fathers' program and her support for teen
parents have been featured in educational conferences
around the country.
There are still more families who need outreach, more
educators who need to feel equipped to do so, more
strategies to be refined or improved, she says.
She's also quick to credit her team-which has grown
from seven to 50 staff members during her tenure-for
remaining true to the vision and consistent in carrying
it out.
" I don't do this on my own. " n
Coverage of strategies for advancing the opportunities for students
most at need, including those from low-income families and communities
is supported by a grant from the Walton Family Foundation,
at www.waltonk12.org. Education Week retains sole editorial control
over the content of this coverage.
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Education Week - February 16, 2022

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