This model demonstration project was developed to address the need for equitable family partnerships between schools and underserved families of children with disabilities by leveraging a school’s existing multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) framework to center the voices and needs of these families and establish equitable partnerships across school and home.

This work is funded by The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) at the U.S. Department of Education (ED). More information about the award and recipients can be found here. 

• Family-school partnerships enhance outcomes families, teachers, and students,[1] including students with disabilities.[2]
• However, common and known barriers often interfere with meaningful family engagement.[3]
• E-PATH leverages a widely implemented and empirically supported positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) framework to address these barriers, enhance family engagement, and ultimately improve outcomes.

E-PATH builds into the Essential Elements of PBIS: equity, outcomes, systems, practices, and data.[4] In each tier and implementation level (project, district, school), leadership teams will enhance equitable partnerships by:

• Engaging underserved families and improving outcomes for students with disabilities
• Building into and enhancing existing systems (e.g., teaming, training, & coaching structures)
• Supporting implementation of a continuum of evidence-based family engagement practices
• Using data to monitor and support progress