Frequently Asked Questions
Who developed GPS?
The Capitol Region Education Council (CREC) is a regional education service center in Hartford, CT. CREC staff are seasoned educators and K-12 education experts. Working in concert with CREC’s digital product development team, family engagement content experts set about building an online, dynamic system of self-assessments, customized implementation plans, and training resources, all aligned to a best-practice framework for family and community engagement. The entire development process was also informed by professionals working with families in Connecticut Public Schools, who assisted in the validation of the GPS assessment tools as well as reviewed content for the entire GPS system.
Who is the system designed for?
The target audience for this system is school and/or district based leaders in K-12 schools that are in a position to lead initiatives in the area of improving school-based family engagement practices.
Were families involved in the development of GPS?
Making sure that GPS was able to capture and honor the voices and perspectives of families was a priority for the developers. During the development process, staff from Connecticut Public Schools reached out to families served by their schools to obtain feedback on GPS content. There are different versions of the GPS self-assessment tool, so that families and staff are asked different, yet parallel, questions regarding their experiences with family engagement.
Who gets an account in the GPS system?
Each school that purchases the GPS online system will identify at least one main account holder, or “super-user”. Super-users will have responsibility for providing access to the self-assessment tool and results reports to school-based professionals and families. If a school purchases “Gold” level access to GPS, the super-user will also have access to:
- All data reports
- Status of practices checklists
- Dynamic action planning tool
- Strategy bank to populate action plan
- Implementation resource library
Regardless of the level purchased by a school, all users will be able to submit individual responses to the self-assessment and review the report summarizing the results. All users in schools that purchase Gold level access will also be able to view read-only versions of the checklists, action planning tool, strategy bank and resource library. Permissions to various aspects of the GPS system will be managed by the super-user.
Who owns the data?
Any responses to the self-assessment tool will be anonymous. Aside from knowing the role of the respondent (certified staff, non-certified or parent/family member) no other identifiable information will be required for participation in the self-assessment or other aspects of the system.
Is there a cost associated with accessing the GPS platform?
Schools can purchase access to the GPS platform. Districts that opt to purchase for several schools may receive a reduced rate per school. Annual renewal fees may be adjusted based on the number of school in a district that are using GPS.
What type of technical assistance is offered to schools who are using GPS?
On-boarding and GPS account configuration support are all included in the initial cost, whether a school purchases access to a “Basic” or “Gold” level GPS account. Gold Level GPS provides schools with 3 additional virtual meeting facilitation as well as quarterly, virtually facilitated PLC meetings for up to two family engagement specialists and/or family members from each school using GPS. On-site technical assistance, including report review and meeting facilitation may be arranged on a case-by-case basis. Please click here to inquire about additional support for GPS implementation.