By Lori Walton, Operation XCEL's Family Engagement Specialist, and edited by Valerie Jones-Robinson, Operation XCEL's Journalist.
Operation XCEL is thrilled to announce that November 2025 has been officially proclaimed Family Engagement Month by North Carolina's Governor, Josh Stein! This state-wide recognition perfectly aligns with and amplifies the mission of our inclusive family engagement initiative, "The OPeXCEptionaL Family Project," founded in 2024.
Our primary goal remains resolute: to establish a consistent forum for collaborating with underrepresented families and identifying the root causes of opportunity gaps. This dedicated month is a powerful reminder that when families and educators partner, our students not only learn but eXCEL!
A Model Built on Partnership and Equity
Family engagement is a relationship between families and educators characterized by an ongoing, mutual relationship, built on trust and respect, and focused on student learning and achievement. Through our inclusive model, we aim to strengthen parent-educator relationships by focusing on six key components and initiatives:
- Engaging school and district leadership.
- Thoroughly examining inequities without glossing over them.
- Centering parent voices in our discussions.
- Ensuring that efforts are ongoing and part of a comprehensive program.
- Sharing leadership responsibilities and power with families.
- Utilizing both formative and summative evaluation and reflection to assess strengths, weaknesses, and the impact of significant changes.
Together, we are creating a more equitable educational environment for all families.
“For equity work to work, it must be handed to the community. We have to actually trust the people we say we want to empower to make structural changes, not just tinker at the edges of injustice.” — Dr. Bettina Love
Recent Momentum and November's Focus
As we move past the first six weeks of school and into this celebratory month, our initiative is in full swing. To date, we have successfully offered our families:
- Two (2) Parent Cafés: Focused on peer-to-peer learning and self-reflection, in collaboration with key partners like ADS (Alcohol & Drug Services) and utilizing the Strengthening Families Protective Factors™ framework.
- Two (2) Attendance Matters Workshops.
- Two (2) All Things IEP and 504 Workshops.
In fact, one of our recent All Things IEP & 504 Virtual Workshops was offered with dedicated translators to ensure full inclusion for our Spanish-speaking families, a core practice of our equity work.
Lori Walton, Operation XCEL's Family Engagement Specialist, is constantly planning around potential roadblocks to ensure parents feel heard and supported. She emphasizes that each family brings a distinct flavor to Operation XCEL, but we all share a common interest in a bright future for our Operation Homework and 3-Steps Ahead students and their families.
This November, in addition to our planned Parent Cafés, we are leveraging the state's proclamation to deepen the conversation on family advocacy and partnership.
Complex-Free Engagement: The OPeXCEptionaL Standard
We work hard to make our family engagement events as complication-free as possible. This commitment to accessibility is why parents must attend at least 80% of our enrichment workshops and activities to remain in our programs—it reinforces that this is a mutual commitment focused on student learning and achievement.
These efforts are a win-win for all involved. Parents learn wisdom from the sages that lasts throughout the ages to apply to their family dynamics now and later, and our students gain the strongest foundation possible: an active, respected, and well-supported family.
Operation XCEL is dedicated to providing comprehensive support across our 7 program sites, ensuring that families are well-informed, and our resources are easily accessible. Let's make this Family Engagement Month our most impactful one yet!
