Providing additional support for community liaisons, 'the face of our schools'

As the community liaison representative at Lincoln High School, Sheila Walker loves reaching out to the community, building partnerships and preparing students for college and the workforce.

“I make sure that I’m touching a life every day,” Walker said.

A summit hosted by the Office of Family and Community Engagement provided the district's community liaisons, including Walker, with the tools and strategies they need to succeed. In his opening address, Superintendent Michael Hinojosa praised the community liaisons for the valuable role they play every day.

“Family and Community Engagement is the face of our schools,” Hinojosa said. “It’s our job to focus on student achievement to make sure that we help them be successful.”

At the summit, representatives of several Dallas ISD departments presented strategies and spoke about available resources to students, parents and campus staff.

María García, community liaison at W. H. Adamson High School, works with counselors and teachers to ensure that the families are engaged with the campus. She attended the forum's training on high school graduation requirements.

“Parents must teach their children about college starting when they’re in elementary school,” she said. “With what I've learned today, I can hold workshops for parents at the school to tell them what their children need in order to graduate and go to a university.”