Federal grant will help Providence families engage with children’s education is the headline of an article in the Providence Journal about a new family involvement program that the city is starting with a three million dollar from the U.S. Department of Education:

Using a program called “Mind in the Making,” children will be taught the “seven life skills every child needs to be successful.” Those skills include focus and self-control, critical thinking, taking on challenges and communicating.

The article goes on to say:

Unlike many family-engagement programs, Mind in the Making will create opportunities for parents and school professionals to learn together. Ready to Learn hopes to reach 2,580 families, 240 teachers and 160 school personnel over the next four years, which will foster a discussion among many of the adults in a child’s life.

I’d be interested in learning, and seeing, what that particular passage means.

The city of Providence has been doing a lot in the name of parent involvement lately, and I’ve written quite a bit about it — a bit skeptically.

It will certainly be interesting to see how it all plays out…..