Maria Paredes

Overview

Maria Paredes is committed to advancing access to effective family engagement opportunities. She specializes in building authentic partnerships between families and schools, fostering collaboration that supports student success. Her areas of expertise include family and community engagement; organizational development; needs assessment; and the design of high-impact family engagement programs for state agencies, school districts, and individual schools. 

In 2009, Paredes developed the Academic Parent–Teacher Teams (APTT), a strengths-based family engagement model designed to strengthen the capacity of teachers and families and transform family participation in student learning. Adopted by more than 3,000 schools across 28 states, APTT has been the focus of multiple studies highlighting its positive impact on students, families, and schools.

Paredes and her team are nationally recognized for their expertise and commitment to excellence. They partner with state education agencies, districts, and schools to support program development, professional learning, and the integration of effective family engagement practices into comprehensive school improvement efforts.

Paredes is a frequent speaker at national conferences, and her work is regularly featured in leading publications, including Partners in Education: A Dual Capacity-Building Framework for Family–School Partnerships. She is the author of numerous articles and briefs and coauthor of The Essential Playbook for Family Engagement in Middle School and Planning for Family Engagement in the Charter School Life Cycle: A Toolkit for School Leaders. 

Education

• EdD in leadership and innovation, Arizona State University
• MA in curriculum and instruction, Arizona State University
• MA in Latin American literature, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• BA in comparative literature, University of Wisconsin–Madison

Select Publications

Paredes, M. (2024). Building on family and community strengths. In K. Perks (Ed.), Transformational leadership for rapid school improvement (pp. 164–178). Teacher College Press. 

Paredes, M. (2021). Tips, strategies, and resources to engage families. Delaware Department of Education. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vzqx3YewAMry9JWBTr6K6ade87GDCGxW/view  

Paredes, M. (2021). Academic Parent–Teacher Teams readiness and implementation roadmap: Infusing equity in home and school partnerships. WestEd. 

Paredes, M., & Groth, L. (2020). National Charter School Resource Center. Planning for family engagement in the charter school life cycle: A toolkit for school leaders. Manhattan Strategy Group. 

Paredes, M., O’Malley, M., & Amarillas, A. (2012). What Works Brief #9: Family engagement. WestEd. https://www.wested.org/resource/what-works-brief-9-family-engagement/

Recent Media Appearances

How schools can go the extra mile to reduce absenteeism, EdSource, September 11, 2024