Resources & Publications
Flamboyan Foundation is committed to assessing the landscape and developing a deep understanding for each of our areas of focus. We do so by holding many conversations with a broad range of stakeholders and reading numerous articles and publications. We are committed to collecting, synthesizing, and sharing the results of our research.
You may find the resources and publications we find most helpful below. Please use the menu below to sort by location or area of focus.
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About the Family Engagement Field
Flamboyan Foundation summarizes the research showing that family engagement matters for student success, and what schools can do to make their family engagement efforts most successful.
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About the Family Engagement FieldAn Analysis of Potential Tax Incentives to Increase Charitable Giving in Puerto Rico
Flamboyan Foundation partnered with the Kinesis Foundation and Jose Martí to commission the Urban Institute to conduct a study for reforming tax incentives on the island. Published in January 2010, this study has been a key part of our strategy to create a philanthropic environment that facilitates increased effective giving.
Being Accountable: The Challenge to Improve Public Schools in Puerto Rico
In 2007, Flamboyan Foundation and the Friends of Public Education commissioned an assessment of the Puerto Rico Department of Education’s level of compliance with the Elementary and Second Education Act. Data collection spanned three years, from 2007 to 2009, and culminated in a report that has served as the basis for our discussions with PRDE officials.
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Being Accountable: Executive SummaryBeyond Charity: How Great Nonprofits Change the World
On April 23, 2008, Leslie Crutchfield delivered an address to business, foundation, nonprofit, and government executives at the Puerto Rico Convention Center in San Juan. As a result of this address and the following workshop, Flamboyan began to identify its opportunities for action in the area of Inspiring Effective Philanthropy.
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Beyond CharityCatalytic Philanthropy
In this 2009 article in the Stanford Social Innovation Review, Mark Kramer argues that traditional philanthropy is too limited to achieve large-scale social change, and lays out a model of catalytic philanthropy that has proven to have measurable impact.
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Catalytic PhilanthropyCharacteristics Shared by a Group of Successful Schools in Puerto Rico
Dr. Ana Helvia Quintero of the University of Puerto Rico prepared this report for Flamboyan Foundation and the Friends of Public Education in January 2011. She interviews teachers, students, school directors, and school staff to lay out the characteristics that make eight selected Puerto Rican schools high performing. The report ends with a series of recommendations for replicating these features and scaling them across all the schools in the system. Currently, the report is available only in Spanish.
Classroom Family Engagement Rubric
By reviewing research and identifying case examples of teachers who do an excellent job engaging families, Flamboyan Foundation has developed a rubric that can provide educators with a clear vision for family engagement, help teachers plan more effectively, assist with the development of effective teacher professional development, and serve as a tool for teachers to self-assess and reflect on their practice.
Collective Impact
John Kania and Mark Kramer present a vision for bringing stakeholders together to address social change in this 2011 Stanford Social Innovation Review article.
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Collective ImpactCreating High-Impact Nonprofits
Heather McLeod Grant and Leslie R. Crutchfield’s 2007 article in the Stanford Social Innovation Review served as a foundation for our work with Puerto Rican nonprofit organizations.
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Creating High-Impact NonprofitsDonors Collaboratives for Educational Improvement: A Report for Flamboyan Foundation
Banco Popular Foundation and Flamboyan Foundation co-sponsored this report, written by Janice Petrovich in 2008. Our goal was to learn more about how other foundations and donors have come together to establish collaborative giving efforts to support education initiatives.
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Report on Donors' CollaborativesFamily Engagement Landscape Assessment
In 2009, the Flamboyan Foundation commissioned the Endeavor Group to conduct a landscape assessment of national and local family engagement programs in the District of Columbia.
Flamboyan Foundation’s Helen Westmoreland Lays Out Her Vision for the Family Engagement Field
In this article, published in the May 2011 issue of Harvard Family Research Project’s FINE newsletter, Flamboyan Foundation’s Helen Westmoreland lays out her vision for the family engagement field and looks at the work Flamboyan and others are doing to make family engagement more purposeful and learning-focused.
HIP and Funding Partners Strengthen Education Nonprofits in Puerto Rico
This 2010 press release from Hispanics in Philanthropy announces the formation of the Puerto Rico Donors Education Collaborative (PRDEC). PRDEC’s main goal is to maximize funders’ potential to offer capacity building to local nonprofits working in innovative, effective and diverse ways to improve public education.
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PR Donors Education CollaborativeKey Findings: Overview of Private Philanthropy in Puerto Rico
In order to better understand the current philanthropic landscape in Puerto Rico, Flamboyan Foundation conducted a short and informal study, focusing on the major foundations and giving organizations and how they go about their work. A series of interviews was carried out with selected directors, Program Officers, and consultants of different philanthropic organizations. The purpose of the interviews was to learn about how each foundation approaches grant-making, their program areas and current projects, and to elicit their overall observations regarding the current status of philanthropy in Puerto Rico.
Leading Boldly
In this 2004 article in the Stanford Social Innovation Review, Ronald Heifetz, John Kania, and Mark Kramer show how foundations can confront society’s most pressing challenges by exercising adaptive leadership to focus attention, generate positive distress, frame the issues, and mediate conflict among stakeholders.
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Leading BoldlyParent Surveys and Exit Slips
These resources include surveys and exit slips for measuring how your families’ behaviors have changed as a result of your family engagement practices.
Puerto Rico Directory of Foundations 2010
Flamboyan decided to publish a Directory of Foundations so that the Puerto Rican public could develop a greater awareness and understanding of philanthropy and its potential as a catalyst for social change. This is the first publication of its kind on the island, bringing together detailed information about foundations in Puerto Rico, including a description of each foundation and its contact information. Currently, the directory is available only in Spanish.
Puerto Rico’s Public Education Profile
Flamboyan Foundation prepared this overview of key statistics related to the Puerto Rico public school system in 2011.
Research on the Kinds of Family Engagement That Lead to Student Achievement
Several meta-analyses of family engagement studies suggest the types of family engagement that matter most for student success.
Research On Why Family Engagement Matters
Flamboyan Foundation lays out the strong body of research showing that family engagement matters for student success and for the inner functioning of schools.
School-Wide Family Engagement Rubric
What do schools to do engage families in their child’s education? Based on research reviews and lessons we learned from promising practices in DC public and public charter schools, Flamboyan Foundation has compiled a rubric of effective school-wide practices. Organized by three main sections – welcoming families, partnering with families for student achievement, and investing families in school success – this rubric can be an idea generator and self-assessment tool for schools to build and strengthen their family engagement efforts.
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School rubric 8-11-11 w framingTeacher Family Engagement Resource: Tools for Building Relationships with Families
These resources include sample phone scripts, letter templates and best practices that teachers can use to communicate with families and build trusting, meaningful relationships.
Teacher Family Engagement Resource: Tools for Communicating with Families About Academic Progress
These resources include lesson plans, sample newsletters, and strategies that teachers can use to engage their families in co-constructing goals, monitoring student progress, and supporting learning.
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Weekly Update SamplesTools and Strategies for Working with ELL FamiliesTips for Creating Materials for Low Literacy FamiliesStudent Weekly Focus ExampleGuidelines for Good Update LettersParent Conference Learning Activities-PreschoolGoal Setting Conference ScriptGoal Setting Conference Preparation ToolsGoal Setting Conference ChallengesFamily-Student Weekly Learning Activities TemplateData PD Toolbox Home School CommunicationDos and Don'ts Communication with Families Around AcademicsBest Practices for Learning Support ResourcesThe Power of Family-Teacher Partnerships
How does family engagement make a difference for kids? Hear from teachers about the impact of partnering with families to improve student success, motivation and engagement.
As you watch, consider the following:
- How did Catherine change the school experience for “E” and his mother?
- Has working with a family member ever improved the behavior or academic performance of your student? Describe this experience.
What Teachers Need to Know and Be Able to Do to Engage Families in Raising Student Achievement
In this article, published in the March 2011 edition of the Harvard Family Research Project’s FINE newsletter, Flamboyan Foundation’s Lela Spielberg demonstrates how educators can use the Family Engagement Classroom Rubric to improve their practice.
Who is Leading Public Schools in Puerto Rico?
Wishing to learn more about school principals in Puerto Rico, Flamboyan Foundation commissioned the Behavioral Sciences Research Institute to prepare a report on the current state of school principals throughout Puerto Rico. This 2010 report offers a comprehensive picture of school principals, their work and their needs, and the challenges that the PRDE is facing as the foremost entity responsible for primary and secondary education in Puerto Rico.